Oil leak

[andylv]

In the crankcase, next to the bracket the oil filter mounts on, are what I think are two freeze plugs. When I push on the plugs with my fingers I can see a little oil squeeze out between the plug and the crankcase. How do I get these plugs out and replace them?
Thanks for your help,
Andy LeVesque
1974 914 2.2L type 4

[JP Noonan]

Don't kill the messenger, but...

If you have a rebuilt 2.2L I'm guessing you put in the Melling hi-po pump (hopefully the tab was machined 1mm so to fit the 914 cam, but that's another story) and had the oil pressure regulating spring and piston upgraded with the high pressure type. While the case was apart the shop may or may not have replaced the galley plugs, with your current problem I guess they didn't. Even if they did with all that ertra oil pressure and extra heat (which means more heat expansion) from the big bore kit, the plugs are failing.

You should go and buy a lotto ticket!!! Because usally (from what I'm told) the plugs don't give any warning like you describe, they just BLOW OUT. Leaving your motor with an instant loss of oil pressure. You sound very lucky.

To fix it for good... Remove the motor, fan shroud, and everything else. Pull out all the galley plugs (the ones behind the flywheel too while your at it). Maybe you can get away with plugging the galley holes with towels (and not have to disassemble the whole block) but you take a chance of contaminating the oil. Next tap the holes with a NPT (tapered pipe thread) and use aluminium plugs. Don't tap too deep, because the tap is shaped like a wedge, and too deep can crack the case (not too common on the alum T-4 cases, but common to the magnesium T-1 case).

Or pull the motor and install new factory plugs. They don't need to be drilled and taped, just pounded in. To pull the old plugs without drilling, try an awl punch. It isn't the easiest thing in the world (I used to knock the damn things into the water passages on Chevy big blocks, then the machinist and I would have to "shake" the block to get them out, OUCH!) try to punch a hole in them in the center, then use a dent puller to extract them. I used to rotate them in the bore and pull them out by there edge with vise grips, but that was on cast iron heads/blocks, the VW alumimium bore may get messed up if you "cock" the plug in the bore.

If pulling the motor for a few weeks isn't an option, there is a "patch work" solution, but I would not recommend it for any thing short of an emergency fix. I've seen galley plugs (and all sorts of other holes) fixed with JB Weld epoxy. Loctite also makes one that comes in a ready to mix cup but see if it works at high temp. First clean the area with brake cleaner and maybe scuff it up some with 100 grit paper, then clean it again. The JB will only work if the metal is clean. Completely cover the plug with a half dollar sized piece of epoxy. Problem is, like I said before, there are other galley plugs on the motor that you can't see that are probably also about to go.