RE: blown head gasket

["Bob Rossato" <bob.rossato@worldnet.att.net>]

> > The oil baffle prevents oil being splashed around by the
> > cam from getting sucked up by the crankcase breather in the
> > valve cover and ending up in the air filter.
>
> Hmmmm....replaced the air filter a week or so ago. Pretty
> darn messy with oily spots. The inside of the air box
> of the K-Jet metering head is also covered in a gritty
> coating mixed with what smells like fuel. Someone told me
> that that is normal. Is it normal to have a fuel lining
> on the inside of the air box? The breather hoses
> are also lined with a dirty oily gritting coating.
> Normal? What gives? Is it just the crap from the crank
> breather?
>
> Thanks.
>
> G.
>

It is normal to get some oil in the breather hoses as it's carried by the
vapors.  If you rev the snot out of the engine then you'll get a lot of oil
in the air filter.  That's what the baffle prevents.  I remember when we
were putting together a old '78 Rabbit (Golf) as an SCCA Improved Touring
racer years back.  We had not set up a catch tank for the oil blow-by yet
and just had the stock plumbing for the breather hoses.  After the 1st track
session we brought the car back to the paddock and popped open the hood.
Boy was there a sh*tload of oil dripping from the fuel injection box.
Pulled out the air filter and it was thoroughly soaked with oil.  We put in
one of the then new VW camshaft oil baffles and it solved that problem.

Bob