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Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:31 am

I figure you have too, but want to ask...before splitting the case do you have to pull the oil pump with a puller or just remove the plate/cover(I have the puller)... just need a heads up on this one. First time splitting one and want to know before doing. Learing alot and making sense of things I have heard and read about. I am a hands on learner. Not a VW expert but would love to be one:)

One more question...is it possible ( I know it is possible to forget it) to put the case back together WITHOUT the cam shaft end plug??? Would it leak like a sieve or just be one big constant drip?? Just wondering.

Thanks

Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:40 am

robclark63 wrote: I figure you have too, but want to ask...before splitting the case do you have to pull the oil pump with a puller or just remove the plate/cover(I have the puller)... just need a heads up on this one. First time splitting one and want to know before doing. Learing alot and making sense of things I have heard and read about. I am a hands on learner. Not a VW expert but would love to be one:)

One more question...is it possible ( I know it is possible to forget it) to put the case back together WITHOUT the cam shaft end plug??? Would it leak like a sieve or just be one big constant drip?? Just wondering.

Thanks

Yes the oil pump needs to come out of the case not just the cover.

The only other way ( which I have seen done but really don't recommend) is to remove the 4 studs from the case and the case will split and pump will come out between the halves.

Not having the camshaft end plug in place would let the oil run right out of the case when you filled it to the proper level.

Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:49 am

Thanks...Is there any thing I should watch out for while splitting it? Or is it pretty straight forward form here?

Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:18 am

robclark63 wrote: Thanks...Is there any thing I should watch out for while splitting it? Or is it pretty straight forward form here?

Don't insert anything between the case halves to seperate them. The case material is soft and may leak if you distort the sealing surfaces. Use a rubber mallet to get them seperated. Also make sure that ALL nuts have been removed before splitting the case.

Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:45 am

Thanks for the tip...I think I have read that somewhere and I dont want it to leak after I do all this...tryig to make a great single port that will last a long time :)

Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:56 am

And remember, in addition to the obvious studs with nuts, there's at least one bolt holding the case together (near the oil pump) and there may be a stud that goes the opposite direction as all the others (from right case through left case) (I may be remembering something else).

One of my books has the total number of fasteners that hold the case together; I'll look it up this afternoon/evening during football.

Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:28 am

Couple of things I picked up from two local VW gurus:

- You can loosen the case halves (rubber mallet) first, before removing the oil pump (remove the four nuts and the cover first). The pump should slide right out without needing a puller. There's enough 'slop' in the four mounting holes in the pump housing to allow the cases to 'let go' of the pump when you do so.

- Find a Yamaha motorcycle dealer and buy a tube of Yamabond (Yamaha's bonding case sealant/gasket maker) to use when reassembling the case halves. Don't use it as you would silicone sealant! It's meant to work on metal-to-metal machined surfaces only. It's pretty cheap; just follow the instructions to a T, and you'll have a leak-free case! (I've been using the stuff for years now, without issue... one tube will do a dozen cases!)

- You can stack as many cylinder shims as needed to set your deck height. Just remember to apply a thin layer of silicone between them.

- Loc-Tite is your friend. But, under no circumstances should you use the red stuff (unless you never, ever want that component off again or like unthreaded holes)! Use the blue stuff for securing the scores of non-locking nuts and bolts (especially shroud and tin screws). Don't use it on Nyloc or crush-type locking nuts. I can't think of any reason to use it on the case studs or cylinder studs, either (again, the risk of stripping the case).

- Use an ordinary silicone RTV sealant to seal the cylinder bases to the case. A little goes a long way, so don't use too much! Same for the cam plug and front main seal (case-to-seal, obviously).

- Patience and a six-pack of good beer are invaluable!

- I don't care for the aftermarket rubber cam plugs. Stick with the OE steel one and apply a bead of sealant to it.

Got a Bentley manual yet? Get one!

Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:42 am

That sounds awesome...I have time and am not rushing this project. I was told if I pull the oil pump and use a case splitter tool it is easier to split the case. Ever try one? Any way, great tips on where to put sealant and where not too, I have thought of lock-tite, but never used it. I used to use a lot of the blue stuff in the Navy on a missle launcher system. Nothing like a defense system held together with blue lock-tite :lol:

And You better believe I have a Bentley :D . I use it a lot and we are really good friends. My son spilled oil on it once but I got it all cleaned up and I can still read the pages :P

Thanks again for the great advice.

Sun Oct 18, 2009 1:18 pm

FYI:

I just looked it up in "How to Rebuild Yoru Volkswagen Air-cooled Engine".

It says that type 1 through 3 engines have 13 fasteners holding the case halves together. 10 are nuts on studs and 3 bolts with nuts.

I've never parted a case. Not having done so, I would would be very reluctant to try to use a screw-type case splitter. The screw will have a lot of leverage on the case, and if you forget a fastener, you'll bend the case and then it really won't ever seal right.

Hope the numbers help, and good luck!

Sun Oct 18, 2009 2:09 pm

Please make sure you come back and tell those of us who will be doing this soon how it went: tips, hints, problems, pictures?
Having someone else make the mistakes first will help me a lot! :D

Sun Oct 18, 2009 3:32 pm

Will do...just waiting on some parts and things.

Sun Oct 18, 2009 4:49 pm

just thought i'd add some pics of where I am at...

on the jacks

some parts

on the bench

more parts

Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:27 pm

Rob,
Thanks for the pics! It's always great for all of us to see each other's
projects...keep us informed with how this goes, and good luck!

Mon Oct 19, 2009 5:39 pm

Question...After reading the Bentley and the Clymer about splitting the case...I am trying to split the case to re-seal it so when I pull off the right side will everything in it stay in place or will pieces fall out? I will use spring clips to hold the cam followers in place. I really do not want to mess with the camshaft and crankshaft cause the engine is running good, just want to seal all leaks.

Next question: if all I want to do is reseal the case is it worth it to split it or should I just proceed with the top end and all of the seals that I can get too.

Thanks

Mon Oct 19, 2009 5:43 pm

The lifters on that side will fall out.

Remove the old sealant with a solvent or razor blade. And be VERY careful not to nick up the surface.

Mon Oct 19, 2009 5:48 pm

How many miles on the engine? If it's far from fresh, you may as well go through the bottom end.
If you do split the case make sure the lifters stay with their respective cam lobes cams if you don't replace them.

Mon Oct 19, 2009 5:53 pm

Thanks Glenn. Sorry to be so worried about this, just want my engine to run after this. So I guess it is worth doing...about the lifters when they fall out I guess they will go in the other half of the case? If so how do you put it back together if the lifters keep falling out?

Mon Oct 19, 2009 5:57 pm

They make clips that fit from the outside and hold them in place.

The problem is you want the lifters to go back where they came from since the lifters and cam lobe are "worn it" together.

Mon Oct 19, 2009 5:58 pm

A bit of wheel bearing grease on the lifters where inserts in the bores should keep it from falling out when assembling the case halves.

Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:00 pm

Glenn wrote: They make clips that fit from the outside and hold them in place.

I should have guessed there was a tool to do this. I don't recall one of those back in the day when I was putting these together for Tony G.