Volkswagen: 1971 vw camper transmission leak?, minor surface rust, maintenance issue

Question
My wife and I are have found a 1971 vw camper we are very interested in. Our only concern is that it has been sitting in the owners garage for approx. 4 months. the owner seems very honest and on the up and up when it comes to the condition of the bus. Since being parked he just noticed a small puddle on the floor under the transmission. The bus has 35k on rebuilt engine, minor surface rust only, and cosmetically looks great. he also says the "valves" need adjusting. Other than the valves and the newly noticed leak he says hes had no problems out of it in his 2 year ownership. if you could advise me to any possible repairs and/or approx costs in regards to the leak under the transmission and the valves it would be greatly appreciated. this will be our first vw as a married couple and are very anxious. thank you for your time, Nick

Answer
Hi Nick,

It is fairly normal for a VW to leak a little engine oil between the engine and transmission.  I would double check to see what kind of fluid is actually coming out.

If it is transmission, I would be very cautious - unless it's leaking from a leaky drain plug.  Otherwise, you are most likely going to have to pull the motor.

As far as the valve adjustment, that is a very common maintenance issue, that you can do yourself in a half-hour with a handy VW guide.

Best of Luck and let me know if you decide to buy it.

Ron