87 jetta oil leak

i bought a 87 jetta for 300 bucks it has a very noticeable oil leak i think it could be the seals but not any sort of a car guy and would like to know alil bit before i go to the parts store and blow 700 buck to find out it could be something simple i can tell the leak is on the back top of the engine block lots of smoke and the previous owner is gone in alaska but his father told me a handful of crap that it was the oil pan but the oilpan is on the bottom i thought so if any one has the know i would be greatful i did drive this car about 5 miles and realized i also did know where the reverse was or 1st gear i made thank god for back roads but even prosses of elimination didnt help sorry about crappy spelling im sure you can figure it out :evillol: :screwy:

i bought a 87 jetta for 300 bucks it has a very noticeable oil leak i think it could be the seals but not any sort of a car guy and would like to know alil bit before i go to the parts store and blow 700 buck to find out it could be something simple i can tell the leak is on the back top of the engine block lots of smoke and the previous owner is gone in alaska but his father told me a handful of crap that it was the oil pan but the oilpan is on the bottom i thought so if any one has the know i would be greatful i did drive this car about 5 miles and realized i also did know where the reverse was or 1st gear i made thank god for back roads but even prosses of elimination didnt help sorry about crappy spelling im sure you can figure it out :evillol: :screwy:

it could just be a valve cover gasket thats leaking. takes about 1\2 hour to replace and can be done with a cheap set of tools. 10mm nuts hold the cover in place. as for 1st and reverse you may need to rebuild the shift linkage. not a hard job to do just time consuming. i would suggest getting the bently repair manual on your car at you local vw shop, if you have one or oder it online. its 85-92 golf jetta repair manual by bentley publishing. this one.. http://www.bentleypublishers.com/product.htm?code=vg92

hope this helps:D

also check the oil pressure switch on the back of the head.they are metal and plastic. they go bad and leak oil...
good luck

Get a spray can of engine cleaner from an auto parts store- store brand will do. Clean the engine off really well so you can see where the leak is. Valve cover is a usual first place for a leak. The rear and front engine seals are quite a bit of work to replace, especially the rear since you have to remove the transmission. The important thing is that until you you can't find the leak until have the engine clean.