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Mon Jun 30, 2025 12:26 pm

Thrust cut (oversize) should be specified, usually in mm's, you have to know if your case has been cut before ordering.

Mon Jun 30, 2025 2:37 pm

If you need anything besides standard bearings there is going to be a machinist at play, so let him decide what bearings are needed.

Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:58 pm

Thanks gents,

Yes, machinist at play - settled on the line and crank bore / grind numbers, it's the thrust bit that is the inference puzzle. From reading around it seems that unless there's an obvious problem then there generally isn't anything that can't be dealt with with shims. The last time I measured the endplay was about 20k ago and it was well within spec then. I measured my shims and they're all sub 0.3 mm so AFAIK getting towards the smallest you can get...

Scary bit in progress, etc...

Tue Jul 01, 2025 1:57 pm

Thrust and endplay are two different things, the thrust surface has to be machined when the bearing gets loose in the bore and pounds or wears the case where the bearing fits. It can not be repaired with shims, the oversized bearing takes up the space created by machining and gives the flywheel something solid to push against that's in the correct location.

Wed Jul 02, 2025 12:01 am

Thanks BD - went and checked in with the machinist today and the thrust surface of the bearing, the case and the crank were all in good shape. I would have thought that a problem with the thrust surface would manifest as excessive endplay, though?

Wed Jul 02, 2025 8:25 am

Jalabert wrote: ........ I would have thought that a problem with the thrust surface would manifest as excessive endplay, though?
Yes..., but no.
When the wear is just on the bearing yes, but if the bearing has come loose and dug into the case then it's much more complex. It's found in engines with excessive endplay, the bearing isn't worn much, but the case is.

Thu Jul 03, 2025 2:23 pm

Were EA engines exclusively for 411, 412 and Porshe 914? Did they ALL have the oil filler tube on the breather on top of the engine? Were they ever used in busses or did any of them have the bus style oil filler tube?

I picked up a EA engine longblock that's been sitting for decades. It has the hole on the bottom right to attach the bus type oil filler tube. Maybe it was machined out at some point? I don't know enough about these and searches are not clear.

Thu Jul 03, 2025 5:05 pm

Mispeld wrote: Were EA engines exclusively for 411, 412 and Porshe 914? Did they ALL have the oil filler tube on the breather on top of the engine? Were they ever used in busses or did any of them have the bus style oil filler tube?

For engines in Type 4 cars I believe the oil filler location varied with body style.

Thu Jul 03, 2025 5:51 pm

Wildthings wrote: Mispeld wrote: Were EA engines exclusively for 411, 412 and Porshe 914? Did they ALL have the oil filler tube on the breather on top of the engine? Were they ever used in busses or did any of them have the bus style oil filler tube?

For engines in Type 4 cars I believe the oil filler location varied with body style.
Yeah, Ray might be the final answer here, but I think some were in the rear lift gate sill like the type 3's.

Sat Jul 05, 2025 8:13 pm

Happy independance day America. Does anyone.have any insite on the use of multi electrode spark plugs in a air cooled engine? I was searching the web. All the varied opinons confused and hurt my feeble brain. Also they might be a awefull chore to gap correctly. Would such plugs be a burden on coil , points and condenser? Thank you for any knowledge shared on this topic.

Mon Jul 07, 2025 3:00 pm

What's a realistic temperature to set a "Save my Bug" dipstick to for a 71 Westfalia? It seems I can set it off after about an hour of rolling roads at 55 on warmer days. Checking with an ir gun on the case below the distributor 235f seems right on from the factory. Is my bus running hot, or should I adjust the calibration up to 250f or so? I know the dipstick isnt the best way to watch temperature, but figure its a good warning to pull over or slow down.

I've got full tins, svda distibutor timed about 28-29 degrees with the vacuum unplugged, empi 34 pict 3 with 130 main jet. I accidentally burned a piston last summer, think it was a combination of timing in the 31-32 range and getting in a hurry on a short stretch highway, so its a got about 2k miles on a roughly rebuilt (new bearings, pistons/cylinder, exhaust valves) stock engine.

Mon Jul 07, 2025 3:58 pm

Welcome!
Freak out time starts at 250 degrees, 235 isn't bad at all.

Tue Jul 08, 2025 4:16 pm

busdaddy wrote: Welcome!
Freak out time starts at 250 degrees, 235 isn't bad at all.

Thanks! Been luking the last year and a half sine I got my bus. I'll adjust it to 250 and hopefully not see it light up.

Thu Jul 17, 2025 12:37 pm

Obligatory "it worked before I...".

So I never got all my lights/signals to work altogether, but I have gotten all the lights except a pass. side brake light to work one time... it was glorious.

Stupid question - how do I fix this:
I have two headlights that work on normal
The passenger headlight doesn't work when I turn on the brights
The passenger side front signal doesn't work at all
The passenger side rear driving light does not work
The passenger side rear brake light doesn't work
Both reverse lights fail to work.

Essentially, I am running half a bus electrical-wise.

What have I already done?
1) Wire brushed all spade connections in the engine compartment
2) Checked all fuses (fine; none blown)
3) Wire brushed the fuse connections (just because I was already there)
4) Visually inspected for loose wiring/hanging wiring
5) (reverse lights) Switched the spade connections to the transmission around a couple times to see if I could get them to engage

What is new to the bus since I had some/most of the lights working:
1) New engine
2) Rebuilt transmission

I checked all the wiring from photos to ensure I was hooking up the right connections in the engine bay.

At this point, I'm kinda out of my regular comfort zone and need some help. I have a test light for tracing blown fuses (headlight setup that someone recommended to me when I was blowing fuses trying to get both headlights to work a couple years back). I have a multimeter, but no real experience using it (I used to to repair some studio monitor speakers about a year or so ago following some youtube instruction - worked a treat).

Basically - you guys are wizards and I need some magic.

Thu Jul 17, 2025 1:20 pm

Well, everything you've detailed is (or should be) on different fuses, so I think your instinct about it being a bad ground connection is probably right.

Vw fuses by Simon Bishop, on Flickr

There are ground connections for the headlights on the back of the headlight bucket, IIRC. Give those a clean...

I don't know too much about early buses, but I know that on the post '73 the reverse lights were an option, so I suspect yours might be an aftermarket / PO fitment? Might be worth disconnecting all of that while you troubleshoot?

Good luck...!

Thu Jul 17, 2025 3:42 pm

I'd remove every bulb and shine up the inside of the socket payng particular attention to where the titties that hold it in make contact, any corrosion there means no ground. I'd also clean up the fixture ground wires as well as the terminals they attach to on the body, and finally the rest of the terminals on the fixtures.
A smear of vaseline on the bulb bases as well as on any terminal you just cleaned will prevent future corrosion.

Rewiring using pics of how it was before could be reproducing previous fails, always use the factory wiring diagram as your primary guide.

Thu Jul 17, 2025 8:53 pm

The grounds near the battery can be a mess, not sure what your vintage bus has exactly though.

Fri Jul 18, 2025 4:33 am

Wildthings wrote: The grounds near the battery can be a mess, not sure what your vintage bus has exactly though.

I get that. I removed the screw holding multiple grounds on the passenger side engine compartment and wire-brushed the point of contact on the bus as well as the ends of the ground wires. I forgot to mention that.

I need to find my wiring diagram, honestly, and put it to work.

It seems the positive wires on the rear pass. side share power with the license plate light (which does work?) which is why I started focusing on the ground wires.

Fri Jul 18, 2025 4:38 am

busdaddy wrote: I'd remove every bulb and shine up the inside of the socket payng particular attention to where the titties that hold it in make contact..."

AND

Rewiring using pics of how it was before could be reproducing previous fails, always use the factory wiring diagram as your primary guide.

Ugh. Stop making sense, lol.

AND

Yeah, I need to find my service manual with the wiring diagrams..

Fri Jul 18, 2025 6:11 am

Everpress wrote: busdaddy wrote: I'd remove every bulb and shine up the inside of the socket payng particular attention to where the titties that hold it in make contact..."

AND

Rewiring using pics of how it was before could be reproducing previous fails, always use the factory wiring diagram as your primary guide.

Ugh. Stop making sense, lol.

AND

Yeah, I need to find my service manual with the wiring diagrams..

The Samba also has all the wiring diagrams in the "Technical" section above.