VW Beetle

[dub dub]

engine works but makes a nasty noise, only has half the power, smokes when it gets hot and has an oil leak, i know thats not a lot to go on, any ideas where to check first, im figuring its in the block, any ideas where to look first??

cheers

ooh its a 1973, 1300

 

[Softus]

The oil leak is probably a red herring, but I suspect a worn valve stem/guide. Be careful about this, because a dropped valve will destroy a piston and cylinder and possibly an awful lot more.

It could be something less serious, like alternator bearings, but how many miles has the car done, and what's it service history?

 

[tim-spam]

Check the compressions - my bet is that cylinder 3 (left front, where front refers to the front of the car) is considerably lower than the rest. What is the mileage?