Encouragement

[richardfry19]

it seems the vw gods hate me. ive had my 69 fasty for 5 years now, and yet it still sits in my garage, taunting me, and ill i want to do is make it my daily. untill i can restore it properly. when i first got it, it ran kinda good, but all the seals were rotted, and the fuel injection wiring harness was in shambles (more tape than wire). while trying to figure out why it was running rough the fuel pump went out. so i had a set of solex carbs and pump lying around and i switched it over, it still didnt run well, but i knew i was going to have to clean and rebuild it when i started( seriously there was a squirrel nest in the cooling system).
after the case got out of the steam cleaner at school, i found severe corrosion around the oil screen studs. if that wasnt worse there was a massive crack from the corrosion to the slot for the #1 cyl

after acquiring a new case i reassembled the engine and put it in. then, for a brief moment, the vw gods smiled on me. it ran beautifully, and i drove it for the first time in 5 years. i was like a kid again giggling like a madman, a spectator would have been concerned.
then when i pulled in the driveway, it happened. there was a grinding noise and the the engine took of on its own(luckily it was in neutral) upon further inspection, the bolts holding the torque converter to the back plate snapped and rattled around before being shot out of the bell housing like a bullet.

i guess im making this post to vent, but i almost dont want to do it anymore. but then i remember how awesome it felt to drive it, even for a few minutes.

any ideas why the bolts sheared? sure they were tough to put in but i made sure they were tight
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Fahrvergnügen = the joy of driving......a feeling only felt when driving a Volkswagen

[richardfry19]

also if anyone has access to a flexplate that would be sweet
_________________
Fahrvergnügen = the joy of driving......a feeling only felt when driving a Volkswagen

[Bobnotch]

[ibjack]

We all feel like that from time to time. My good friend Pedro has taught me an important lesson that I will pass along. When dealing with a problem, you need to fix it and by that I mean fix it properly. Skills may limit what properly is but most of the time it's laziness or we are in too much of a hurry. Take your time and do it once. Be sure to check everything from the beginning when trying to solve a problem. This means if you bled your brakes four times and still have no pedal pressure, you probably need to adjust your brake shoes. Even if you already did it check it again. I am quite lucky to have a guy like Pedro close and realize that most of you struggle and go through these mishaps alone. Don't give up, but also be realistic in your expectations. Take your time to do everything the right way in the end the math is simple. Once the right way will take less that twice the wrong way. Good Luck and keep your chin up. You can do this
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[KTPhil]

[blues90]

If I recall there is enough space that end play would not be enough to allow the bolts to hit . The flex plate is held to the crank and the converter takes up the entire differential bell housing . The only possible place the bolts could hit would be the bottom access cover or the area near it. . The three bolts are in to far to hit the starter or ring on the converter . The plate is not round it's a triangle . I recall mine had lock washers to keep them from backing out and they are pretty hard to break lose . Either there were no lock washers or they were not tight to begin with. I would check the plates holes if they are damaged then the bolts were loose . When you are at idle and in neutral there really isn't any real force on the converter and the pump is just circulating . It's really only when you are in drive and bring up the RPM's the pump and converter go into action. They are M8 x 1.25 grade 8 bolts torque at 18 ft pounds

[Bobnotch]

[Bobnotch]

[blues90]

I had a chance to look at my spare 73 engine case and the differential bell housing. The case looks like it's closed all the way around except for a small space at the very bottom. The Differential bell housing has the opening at the bottom to access the drive/flex plate. The Auto trans diff is completely different than a stick. The flex plate in the bentley looks full round I didn't look at the extra I have but recall it was just a large triangle shape . I'm old and it was 2003 last time I had a look or they made different ones for different years.

The cover that goes over the flex plate opening in the diff fastens to the diff . The bolt heads or bolts that secure the plate to the converter face the case so if they broke off they had to hit the engine case . I know the cases differ yet the 1600 FI case as far as I can tell at least the late ones have a different cam for FI and from 67 to 73 the later ones not sure what year this began had two oil pressure relief valves.

You may need to take a look and see by turning the engine and looking through the flex plate bolt holes if the bolts damaged the block in some manner.

It just seems odd no noise was heard if the bolts were loose or how on a short ride they could have backed out enough to hit anything.

[richardfry19]

[KTPhil]

[richardfry19]

[richardfry19]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1666798

this is the only flex plate i can find, and the guy wants 1500$??????????
_________________
Fahrvergnügen = the joy of driving......a feeling only felt when driving a Volkswagen

[ddare]

I got a drive plate from Jose at DPR for $150 a few months ago, and that included the cost for 8 doweling it.