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Thu Jun 24, 2004 7:24 am

Sorry for the LONG post please bare with me I really need some help.

Long story short in Nov my car died.
I was driving along in 4th gear when it just died.
The reason it died was I thought at the time was no power. I just turned on my Gas heater and as soon as I did the car shut off.

Now before this happened I had to change my sloppy belt that was probably not charging my battery. I did this only ten mins before this happened.

Now when I tried to start it it just locked up, meaning clunk clunk no turning of the flywheel. AAA was called to my rescue and I tried desperately to get the car going... no luck.

With a power pack on the battery still nothing.
So I told him wait around I am going to look at the starter.

Nothing... Took it out and the starter and the bushing came along with it. I knew it was on its way out (the bushing) cause sometimes I couldn't get it to start amd the starter would lock up.

Ok car couldn't jump start the next week so I had it towed back to NY.

Months go by.... I went home to tune it up. I rebuilt my carbs and was going to adjust my valves but the motor woudlnt turn over by hand.

I mean it wouldn't budge. It even loosened the crank nut going in the opposite direction. So only thing I could think of was Water got into the clyinders from one snowstorm when the car was not covered. So maybe its hydro locked, so I took out all the plugs, still wouldn't budge. My deck lid is glass with the scoop not too good with rain/snow.

I put some Mystery Oil in the cylinders to see if the rings or something got a layer of rust on them. Number one plug had some water residue on the bottom of it so I think that is the problem.

If its not and was just come coincidence that the car died the same time the power went well I dont know.

So im posting due to financial problems. This car has invested alot of my time and money, and now that it is in anther state I have to start planning on what will be the outcome of this car.

IF i have to tare it down, which I never have done, what would I do?
Should I get all new pistons and cylinders along with rings?
Or could the problem be solved by the time I get home tonite to try and turn it over again?

Also after taking the heads off is there any special tools that I need to get everything back in order?

I will check the pushrods and rocker assembly's to see if anything looks pushed out or wrong. When i checked last it all looked ok.

So if its not the rust which I hope it is, what could have caused this.

I think something else might be wrong since I couldn't push start it down the hill from the tow place in Nov after a week of it sitting. Its 9:1 compression on a 1914. So I never push started it before and I heard when it sits it could get worse.

I guess I am just looking at cost figures for what this will cost me to fix if someone did it for me of If I did it myself.

If anyone has any ideas I would appreciate a reply.

Thanks for your help in advance and have a good one.
Mark :(

Thu Jun 24, 2004 12:03 pm

no one has any ideas?

Thu Jun 24, 2004 12:52 pm

If it's frozen, maybe all it needs is some warmth to thaw out.

Ha Ha......

Perhaps the first place to look might be in the valve covers for a valve that just doesn't adjust right.

Many times a valve (maybe #3 cyl) will indicate internal problems.

That no power thing might have been the start of the end. Sometimes a valve can hang up then get hit by a piston bending it (if continued to run at reduced power) followed by the head of the valve ending up broken off from the stem then smashed between the piston and the head ect ect.

Now you said you pulled the starter and there were loose parts, maybe something has fallen into the flywheel clutch area causing it to lock up.

But of course if one was to fill a cylinder with water by way of an uncovered carb in a big ole rain storm it could cause a hydro lock condition, not to mention a carb bowl with a bunch of water too.

Of course these are just a few ideas, and not absolute to your issues.

Thu Jun 24, 2004 1:01 pm

Your post is confusing.

Was the engine locked up when it stopped running the first time? You didn't say if the engine was siezed when it broke down the first time, you just said it wouldn't start.

Did it overheat due to the loose belt?

Was the engine turning over after the first break down? Was it still turning over a day or so later? If so, did you pull the carbs off and let it sit outside, uncovered, in the snow, for months? If so, then yes, the rings are probably rusted up in the cylinders.

If the rings are rusted that badly, then AT LEAST the top end has to come off. Too many unknowns to help from here.

Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:42 pm

UncleBob wrote: Your post is confusing.

Was the engine locked up when it stopped running the first time? You didn't say if the engine was siezed when it broke down the first time, you just said it wouldn't start.

Did it overheat due to the loose belt?

Was the engine turning over after the first break down? Was it still turning over a day or so later? If so, did you pull the carbs off and let it sit outside, uncovered, in the snow, for months? If so, then yes, the rings are probably rusted up in the cylinders.

If the rings are rusted that badly, then AT LEAST the top end has to come off. Too many unknowns to help from here.

Exactly... dig in... take it out and tear into it.

Best case you get a valve job/ surface check heads and new Pistons and cylinders...

worst case the crank and bearings are frozen and you need the whole thing rebuilt.

it's the kinda thing that asking questions on a forum are not going to solve, gonna have to tear into it to know the extent of the damage.

Thu Jun 24, 2004 5:21 pm

Mark.... correct me if i'm wrong. But when your car was originally at Tony's shop i remember seeing a sticker with 3 letters on it on the engine.

What were those letters?

If i'm correct... you know hwhat the problem is.

Thu Jun 24, 2004 5:29 pm

HMMMM would that be G E X :shock: :roll: ?

Thu Jun 24, 2004 5:53 pm

keifernet wrote: HMMMM would that be G E X :shock: :roll: ?

I do remember seeing my friend Tony get 2 or 3 of them running in new customer's cars. I'm just don't remember if this was one of them.

Thu Jun 24, 2004 5:54 pm

keifernet wrote: UncleBob wrote: Your post is confusing.

Was the engine locked up when it stopped running the first time? You didn't say if the engine was siezed when it broke down the first time, you just said it wouldn't start.

Did it overheat due to the loose belt?

Was the engine turning over after the first break down? Was it still turning over a day or so later? If so, did you pull the carbs off and let it sit outside, uncovered, in the snow, for months? If so, then yes, the rings are probably rusted up in the cylinders.

If the rings are rusted that badly, then AT LEAST the top end has to come off. Too many unknowns to help from here.

Exactly... dig in... take it out and tear into it.

Best case you get a valve job/ surface check heads and new Pistons and cylinders...

worst case the crank and bearings are frozen and you need the whole thing rebuilt.

it's the kinda thing that asking questions on a forum are not going to solve, gonna have to tear into it to know the extent of the damage.

Keifernet is right,at this point the motor is frozen-no mystery oil is gonna save it...If it's a later year block with dual oil relief I'd have it rebuilt or do it yourself. If it makes you feel any better,my motor just took a shit as well-Good luck man!

Thu Jun 24, 2004 6:30 pm

Glenn wrote: keifernet wrote: HMMMM would that be G E X :shock: :roll: ?

I do remember seeing my friend Tony get 2 or 3 of them running in new customer's cars. I'm just don't remember if this was one of them.

Yeah but for how long? feeling lucky? lotto tickets on sale every day... and there is always Russian Roulette!

I've " resurrected" a few that were running poorly ( partially the owners neglegence/ lack of VW maintenance knowledge I'm sure) but as the years have passed I've become very leary of anything with the GEX stamp on it! And those were stockers... so a "performance GEX" is really scary!

Like Jake said in the other thread... rebuilt mass production???...
Price, Quality, Speed... ( and not speed as in how fast but how fast can twe built them? 2 hours! LOL! :wink: )

Thu Jun 24, 2004 6:39 pm

NO gex you got to be kidding me.

I had it built in cali by a guy I knew.

The car wouldnt start after the power went on it.
I dont think it overheated.

Then the car sat and I couldnt push start it.
I then had to borrow Glenns tow bar since hes a great guy and tow the beast from NJ to NY.

After it sitting since Nov, I took up the carbs two weeks ago.
then rebuilt them.

Now is when It wont turn over, but maybe it never would have.
I never tried to turn it over by hand back in Nov.

I think it has something to do with the flywheel, who knows Im going to setup shop and rip into it, just dont have a garage out by me so It sucks.
I will have to do something though I want to drive it.

Thanks for all the replies Im sure there will be more when I get into it.
-Mark

Sat Jun 26, 2004 1:19 pm

Take out the plugs and squirt some oil in the cylinders.

Sat Jun 26, 2004 10:18 pm

Glenn wrote: Mark.... correct me if i'm wrong. But when your car was originally at Tony's shop i remember seeing a sticker with 3 letters on it on the engine.

What were those letters?

If i'm correct... you know hwhat the problem is.

LOL :lol: I just looked at a 69 VW beetle that a guy is trying to sell as a someday baja project ($450)The car does not and has not run in over 2 years BUT :) Comes with a rebuilt low mileage motor GEX stickers and all MOTOR :lol: ...He said he did not know much about vw's but the GEX motor was running in his car a year ago.
I told him to peel the stickers off and it would be worth more money. :lol:
He promptly did it 8) and honestly it does look like it is worth more money.
If I end up with the car for $400 I will install the single port motor and run it till it drops...Or sell it on ebay :lol:

Sun Jun 27, 2004 4:21 pm

Seized up my ghia engine during the break-in miles after rebuilding it. None of us bothered to tighten down the oil-drain plug so it worked its way out eventually.

Took out the spark plugs, squirted a mess of oil into each cylinder, sat and drank a quart of beer, took the beaker bar to the pulley nut and it broke loose. Spun it about by hand a bunch, put the plugs back in and fired her up. Engine loped a tad after that but ran it for years.

If that's it. Sounds like it might be a jammed flywheel, too. Hard to say.

Good luck,

neal