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Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:04 pm

So other than noise, it doesn't really matter?

Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:01 pm

Not really, as long as your fuel pressure is 3-3.5psi your pretty good to go. That FI case you have is a good one too, I've built my 2176 around one and its regarded as one of the best the factory produced

Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:04 pm

Hey man, the sound is an important aspect!
When the sound changes that's how I know the fuel tank is empty :shock:

The rotary pump flows a bit more, and has more constant fuel pressure, it is better choice for power junkies

The clickers also work fine, if you get a good one, if they even make good ones anymore, mine looks like the one pictured at ACN, that's probably good one

Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:17 pm

modok wrote: Hey man, the sound is an important aspect!
When the sound changes that's how I know the fuel tank is empty :shock:

Ha well i could tell the fuel tank was empty earlier today whenever my engine sputtered and died :lol: had to walk to the gas station and fill up a water bottle!

66brm wrote: That FI case you have is a good one too, I've built my 2176 around one and its regarded as one of the best the factory produced

Good to hear its a good one. I'll definitely be going bigger in the future! :twisted:

Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:31 am

Fuel level gauges are for sissies :P :lol:

Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:34 am

Dip sticks are for real men :lol:

Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:22 am

Okay time for another dumb question! How do I go from one fuel line that comes from the fuel pump to two lines that go to the carbs?

Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:28 am

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/BRASS-FUEL-LINE-T-FITTING-5mm-or-1-4-ID-Hose-p/fuel-line-t-5mm.htm

these are available in 5mm and 7mm sizes. Different carburetors use different sizes of fuel hose, you need to know which you have.

Sat Mar 24, 2012 5:57 pm

Is this fuel pump decent for my engine? It's 1.5-4 psi.

http://www.octaneautosupply.com/Engine-Management-...36788.html

Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:34 pm

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=504932

Read this, it can be had cheaper and probably better suited due to less noise

Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:02 am

Oh wow. Thanks for that. So am I going to need a pressure regulator to go along with it or can it act on its own?

Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:03 pm

That pump is regulated to 3.5 psi, ideal for most dual 2 barrel carbs such as dells and webers

Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:22 pm

I'm back after a short Samba hiatus! Although I started gathering parts for this engine about a year ago, it's still not done because of my busy-ness with school and work and everything else. It's pretty dang close though.

Recently I have run into two problems:
First, I have a spark plug hole that the threads have apparently been messed up. The spark plug will only thread in a little bit and then it gets stuck. Is there anything I can do to fix it without pulling the head? If not, what is the best (and hopefully cheapest) fix?

Next, the pushrods on one side are slightly too long. To tighten down the rocker assembly, even with the adjusters backed out all the way, it pushes on the valves and opens them a bit. Would it be okay to just put some spacers in between the head and assembly instead of getting completely new pushrods?

Tue Nov 06, 2012 4:18 pm

You can get a tap to clean up the spark plug thread, but the trick is keeping bits from getting into the engine. I've heard of putting vaseline on the tap or pressurising the cylinder, but I'd go ahead and remove the head then clean it - from your second question I think you might be pulling the heads anyway.

Spacers under the rocker assembly on one side - NO. You need to go through the rocker geometry and find out what is wrong, then fix it. For that kind of a difference there is something very wrong and your budget goes out the window if the engine blows?

Did you have the heads flycut in the end?

Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:46 pm

The heads are actually used but I didn't have them flycut and I don't think they are. Really I think the problem is that the guy that built my engine was just being a slacker and cut the pushrods on that side without really checking the geometry because there was a problem with a swivel foot on an adjuster. :evil: Once the pushrods are put together, do they come back apart or are they stuck for good?

And also, will it be okay to just retap the spark plug hole? How do I know if I need inserts instead?

Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:00 pm

Run the tap through and look and see how much thread is left!
Best to tap from the chamber side, if you tap from the outside then the tap may follow the same path as your spark plugs and it won't be pretty.

You can shorten a pushrod after it is pressed together but is is tricky, I don't think you can pull it apart but you can cut a groove and press it together some more, better to get another pushrod. If it is CLOSE then yes you can shim the rockers out a little, if you need fender washers under there then that just isn't right :shock:

Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:41 pm

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/14mm-Spark-Plug-Threa...l-rent.htm

Wed Nov 07, 2012 4:52 pm

That tool is awesome! I will almost definitely be renting that soon. Thanks for the help, guys. Hopefully before Christmas I will have my 2.5" taller, 1915 powered baja on the road again! :D

Fri Dec 14, 2012 10:45 am

Okay guys I know this has been a very boring "build thread" since I have been posting no progress reports at all and I am sorry for that, but now I am going to give a bit of an overview of what all I have done in the past long time..... with pictures!

First off, for the messed up spark plug threads, I ended up just removing the head and my dad took it to a shop and had a helicoil put in rather than get the tool from John @ aircooled.net, which would have been easier but also much more expensive (sorry John, but you'll definitely get more business from me in the future!) It didn't take very long at all to remove the head and then put it back on once fixed. Here are some pics of the (almost) complete engine in the car, all wired up and ready to go.

Here are the oil pressure senders, one for the light which I don't have yet and one for the pressure gauge.

The oil temperature sender in the rear oil relief valve. The original one was a pain to get out, by the way. I took a pretty big flathead screwdriver and wedged it between some boards on the floor and the valve and turned it with a huge monkey wrench to finally get it loose. Crappy design by Volkswagen in my opinion, though they probably didn't design it with people like us in mind. Also in the pic are the hose barbs I couldn't find online without having to pay $10 or so in shipping. I finally found them local.

Here's one of the valve covers I had to cut hole in for the vents.

The breather box up top.

And finally the baja this engine is going in.

And now I have some questions about starting this guy up for the first time and breaking it in. First off, how much oil do I need to put in it? I have a 1.5 quart oil pan and I'll probably end up having 3-4 feet of oil line going to the external filter. Second, do I need to adjust the carbs or set the timing first when I crank it up? Or does one need to be done for the other to be able to be done? And finally, what is the best procedure for breaking in a new engine? I've heard about running it for 30 minutes or so and then changing the oil, or something like that, but I want to be sure I'm doing everything right. Also, if anyone sees anything that looks wrong in the pictures or needs a picture of anything else, let me know! As always, thanks so much for your help, you members of the Samba are lifesavers for me!

Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:36 am

so many places to comment.

but for now, here's 2.

use 4 quarts of oil. 2.5qt in stock sump, 1.5 in deep sump.

Your breather box is going to leak oil all over the place mounted the way you have it. They are vented between the top and box, the top MUST BE UP TOP. That's why it has the 2 mounting flange ears for bolting/riveting to a vertical surface.