I had / have a leak from the same area - hopefully now fixed.
I pulled the magnet assembly yesterday and you can see that the o-ring has flattened. I assume it has been heat affected after 150,000km as there are no moving parts.
The original unit doesn't have the mounting plate fully welded to the magnet - there are several long gaps which allow the oil to leak through if the o-ring is weeping. While there is a revised unit that acts as a secondary gasket, I think you can fix the leak using the original silver unit (if it's working).
Tools required:
T30 Torx
and whatever else to gain access & drive the torx. I used a 1/4" drive apex bit holder & a 1/4" drive ratchet.
A screw driver or wide blade to assist levering the magnet out
A pick to remove the o-ring (I use a 90 degree scriber)
Parts required:
o-ring 52 x 3 (mm). This is from VWs' spec and I forgot to measure it but convention is ID and x-section. The original VW partno is N91000101 but possibly that's superseded by WHT007212. I don't know what insane price they are locally but they are about AUD5 overseas. You'll probably find a local bearing place stocks something for less than a dollar. Generic 52x3 o-rings are on ebay for 10 for $3.
Some type of liquid gasket. I used Loktite 515 Master Gasket because I had a 20 year old tube on the shelf but any generic "form-a-gasket" or "gasket-maker" silicone, RTV type product will work.
Some metho, degreaser, petrol, etc to clean all the oil off the mating surfaces.
Some fly wires / electrical probes to test the magnet.
What to do:
disconnect the electrical connector
push any hoses out of the way
undo the 3x torx screws - give them a clean.
Pull the dipstick mount away from the engine about 20mm
Pull the magnet assembly directly out. You may need a wide, flat blade to jolly it along if you have no finger-nails but it won't be super tight.
Clean all the excess oil out with a clean rag.
Remove the o-ring - clean the o-ring groove with clean rag. Maybe use the pick to get right into the corners.
Lubricate the new o-ring and fit it to the o-ring groove - any lube will do - Petroleum jelly, bearing grease, engine oil, etc.
Give the general area a smear of lube too.
Clean the magnet assembly
Connect the flywires to a 12v source (car battery) and touch them to the terminals on the magnet assembly. The piston should come out instantly & fast. If it's slow then use some solvent to clean the internals - there's a small square opening next to the piston. You can grab the piston with your fingernails and actuate it manually to pump out the gunk.
Refit the magnet assembly
Run a small bead (2mm diameter) of sealant in the angle where the magnet is welded to the mounting ring (the thing with the 3 holes). This will act as a secondary gasket to the o-ring and seal up the gaps in the assembly.
Put a thin smear of lubricant on the outer body of the magnet about 10mm wide to help the magnet get past the o-ring.
Fit the magnet assembly to the engine. You have to be dead straight onto the o-ring. Give it a wiggle & a bit of pressure and it should pop straight in.
Replace the 3 torx. Don't forget the dipstick mount. They just need to be nipped up - probably about 20Nm? You'll know how much force it took to undo them.
Clean of any excess sealant - having blobs of it hanging out the side looks unprofessional & doesn't assist in sealing. I use a satay stick with the end cut to a chisel point to remove excess gunk.
Reconnect the electrical connector
Reposition any hoses you moved.
Give the sealant 30m to gel (read instructions)
Start car - road test.
Check for leaks after a few trips.
While you have the sealant & tools, check the cam position sensor on the front of the engine just to the right of the oil filler cap. The o-ring in them tends to leak as well but VW don't sell them.
Same process. Remove, clean, bead of silicone in the angle, refit, remove excess.
Last edited by brad; 30-08-2015 at 10:03 AM.
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