97 Beetle leaking oil and missing occasionally
 

My girlfriend's 97 beetle has been needing a tune up for a while (im guessing) and it started missing periodically. This made it vibrate a lot, then it started leaking oil (half a quart a day) from somewhere. Also it has very little power and stalls occasionally. Any help with this issue would be appreciated since i don't have much cash to take it to a dealership for repairs.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend !
 

Need a few more details to better assist you with your gf's beetle problems.
1. Do you see where the oil is leaking from ?
2. How many miles does the bug currently have ?
3. Is she the original owner ? If not, maybe she can ask who she got it from what maintenance if any the vehicle had.
4. What engine size ?

Most common oil leaks come from the valve cover, which means that the intake manifold would have to be removed. Not a difficult process, just a little unconfortable to remove two bolts that are in the back. Total bolts are 7, 5 are visible up front and two in back. You will need an allen key type socket to remove. Also recommend you get new gaskets. Valve cover and manifold.

Another leak area but not so common would be the oil cooler housing seal. This is the aluminum square where the oil filter is screwed to. This will be a little more challenging duee to limited space to work with. Must remove the oil filter, then there is a 6 point bolt that has to be removed. The round gasket is located between the cooler housing and engine block. Depending on the engine size you have, will determine what other components you might need to remove to get this work done.

As for tune up, first need to find out if timing belt was done and how long ago based on miles. Normally I do mine every 60000 miles. With this work, I perform a complete tune up, plugs, wires, belts to include new belt tensioners. Since you have easy access to the water pump, also suggest you get that replaced. In the long run it saves you money. It sounds expensive but if you have the know how, this is the way to go.

If you have any more questions, I will be checking in and out and see your progress. Take care and good luck.

Thanks for the reply
 

There is oil all over the valve cover and other places so its hard to tell where the source is but i would have to guess its source is higher up on the engine rather than lower. It could be the valve covers definitely. It has 108448 miles on it and im really not sure about the maintenance done to it. It is a 4 cylinder. I think i will try tightening the valve cover bolts first then move on with replacing gaskets as well as tuning it up.

Up date
 

Based on your description, I am positive that your oil leak is coming from the valve cover gasket. I understand your concern about addressing your vehicles issues due to the high price of maintaining it, however do keep in mind that waiting too long could bring about other problems.
As for the mileage it currently has, I also advise you make an attempt to perform a tune up including the timing belt and also the water pump.
The benefit to doing all this might be the difference between having your vehicle brake down or lasting longer then you expect.
By the way, where are you from ? I ask because I keep in touch with a few old friends that are familiar with VW's and might be able to help you.
Well, take care and do hope you resolve your issues.

www.partsgeek.com is a site from which I order many of my VW parts for a reasonable price and just have to wait for the delivery which takes no more then a week. Just make sure that when you order parts, you read the detailed information based on the make and model of your vehicle. If still not sure, there is a phone number you can cell for assistance, but the wait is long.

Thanks
 

I do appreciate the help. I will be fixing the problems this week and i will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the link too. btw i live in Shreveport, LA.

thanks again, i'll keep you posted.

Vehicles has a number of different fluids that can develop a leak. Some are extremely critical to repair quickly while others are more of a nuisance than a big problem. The easiest way to identify what type of fluid that is leaking is to sample it.