TheSamba.com :: View topic - Blown Engine (1500cc Air Cooled)

Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:03 pm

foxacoon wrote: The person I purchased this bus from was Gustavo Schmidt with Buses N Bugs (https://vwbusesnbugs.com/). He advertises on this site and should be banned to help prevent others from making the same mistake. Preserving the community and helping people is what it's all about and Gustavo counters those efforts.

He's refusing to respond and isn't willing to make things right. Buyers beware of this total scam. The first two words of the last sentence apply to you.

Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:05 pm

The rules for seller responsibility in a used car sale vary around the country, I would bet they vary around the world even more. As a rule, I approach all private party car purchases as caveat emptor, also known as the 2 part warranty (if it breaks you get to keep both parts). The exception would be if the pictures or information you received is NOT from the car you are buying, but proving that would be the issue.

Buses are hot now and yours looks nice. If it's solid it is time for a new engine, and move forward. It sucks, over the last 40 years of VW ownership I've been burned by that bad "good" engine too. These things have an antique engine design with a short life by modern standards. Oh, and even if the engine doesn't blow, these old cars are not very safe. I think VW tried, but "tried" -- within the expectations of a bygone era. By modern standards they are good way to get yourself killed.

Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:25 pm

bsairhead wrote: foxacoon wrote: The person I purchased this bus from was Gustavo Schmidt with Buses N Bugs (https://vwbusesnbugs.com/). He advertises on this site and should be banned to help prevent others from making the same mistake. Preserving the community and helping people is what it's all about and Gustavo counters those efforts.

He's refusing to respond and isn't willing to make things right. Buyers beware of this total scam. The first two words of the last sentence apply to you.

I’m not the buyer anymore, so not really. I’m attempting to warn future buyers from making the same mistake with this specific vendor. I wish someone had done the same for me. I don’t mind taking responsibility here - I just want to prevent others from making the same mistake. Anyway - I’m moving on from this and will chalk it up as an expensive learning experience.

Wed Feb 22, 2023 6:31 pm

I bought from him and everything was as pictured. Not to rain on your parade, but as someone who has bought and sold a ton of used cars over 20 plus years, it's buyer beware and sold as is. Sometimes you get a lemon. Hell, I just bought a 70s mini pickup from a good buddy that turned out to be a complete rust bucket after tearing into it.

Wed Feb 22, 2023 6:33 pm

Splitting hairs here but if it was a total scam by definition your scammer would have all your money and you would have nothing. In other words busesnbugs would have grabbed your (estimated 20k) and delivered nothing.

Where I'm comin' from on this:

I had a yard full of VWs. I've owned over a hundred of 'em with as many as twenty on display at any time. Had a pretty good line of busses including a couple campers, a single cab, a double cab... you name it.

Got to be kind of a drag. "VW enthusiasts" would steal parts off 'em when I wasn't lookin'.

What comes around goes around, though. We used to drive a couple states over, track down a farmer who had a VW in his field and part it out if it was o.k.. One of the best part- outs was a pair of Pearl White "Herbies" in the woods in Southern Vermont. An old farmer wanted his 'n' hers cars when he was much younger. That's what he bought. Had a similar situation way up north. One of the first if not the first hippies to emigrate from NYC moved up near with Canadian border with his hippy goddess girlfriend. They grew apart rather than growing together. Al built her a cabin just far enough from his cabin. He bought his 'n' hers VWs, perhaps the first of numerous VWs that ended up on the property.

Point is people would ask me about my VWs.

"Do they all run?

I'd answer,

"Of course not!

I'm not Jay Leno. I can't afford to keep the tags and insurance up on twenty vehicles. More to the point, I would often remove motors to keep my hippy "friends" from removing them for me and still more to the point, I'm not going to wear out a motor that's "pickled" in a crate in the garage.

Didn't matter to me if my VWs ran. I always had a couple drivers. I always had a couple dozen good motors stashed here and there. I could always install a motor and make a non- runner into a runner.

Again, to the point. I don't know how many motors I've torn down. Likely over a thousand, maybe as many as three thousand, Couldn't tell you how many I've rebuilt over the years. Hundreds, surely.

Tellin' you that to tell you this:

Out of the thousands of motors I've torn down only a small minority were "exactly right". The "exactly right" ones were typically original low mileage motors that had never been messed with. Everything else ranged from not too bad to horrible. The most memorable "horrible" motor came out of a West Coast '68. I found most of the cylinder studs had pulled out of the case when I tore it down. The cheapo oil cooler seals had swelled shut. There was no flow through the oil cooler.

That one got the prize, "Most Memorable Turd". Still, I drove it for most of a summer before I decided I didn't have to put up with it. It ran stinkin' hot. I could hear the loose heads flappin'. It left a spreading pool of oil where ever I parked.

As stated in the math exercise above I reckon a presentable 23 window is worth $20k especially considering a woefully un- presentable 21 window project costs $20k, here. Hole in the motor? Not the end of the world.

"Do they all run?"

Yes, there exists a cottage industry ripping off VW enthusiasts. I can scroll through the Samba classifieds especially mechanical parts. There are plenty of vendors selling junk parts as if they're NOS. :roll:

That's a slap in the face to guys who sell honest parts and do an honest day's work.

The guy I used to work for left a bad taste I haven't quite rinsed out and it's been around 20 years. His policy was to screw everyone equally. He screwed his customers. He screwed his employees. He screwed his vendors and he royally fudged his taxes. I quit and I'm not a quitter. I wasn't goin' to be a part of that.

He's still there. He still runs "a VW business". :roll:

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Thu Feb 23, 2023 7:11 pm

When I've purchased used VW's in my life, part of calculating what I think the VW is worth assumes it will need LOTS of maintenance and repairs to include the cost of me rebuilding the engine.
Every used VW I've bought in my life had been horribly neglected in regards to preventive maintenance. So, I won't trust the VW until I've gone through all the mechanicals. I won't go to far from home in it until I do.

Both my current bugs had engines that ran decent. But the previous owners didn't know the engines histories. So, out the engines came for a complete teardown and inspection. In both cases, the main bearings were worn out. The heads needed valve jobs, etc. I rebuilt both engines after having a machine shop do their part to the case, heads, crank, etc.

Both my bugs have now been fully mechanically overhauled. I have to trust my cars to get me from point A to point B with no drama. If I can't trust it, I won't drive it.

With that said, I will say that I admire some of the folks I've seen post the "will it make it home" threads on The Samba. This is where they buy an old VW and immediately drive it home, across the country, before it's mechanically inspected. Talk about adventurists! I don't think their success rate in doing that is that high. Nor is it that high on Youtube where some of those channel buy 50 year old, long parked cars and attempt to drive them home w/only light repairs.

Fri Mar 31, 2023 1:28 pm

foxacoon and I both need engine repair. Each of us has a 1500.

foxacoon threw a rod, it seems.

I overheated, pulled over and while idling, the engine seized. The next day I was able to start it but it rattles like hell when either 1) at a constant speed or 2) accelerating or decelerating. I can't remember which, 'cause I haven't touched it in a few years.

Just for fun, I asked Chat-GPT. It tells me I have piston slap.

So, based on the cause and symptoms, what do I need to replace?

I have rebuilt a few 1500s but the last time I did it was 38 years ago.

Thanks!
Jim

Fri Mar 31, 2023 4:31 pm

just since some of the posts were about pulling the motor

this fella pulls the motor and changes the clutch disk
in a undeveloped campground
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with a scissor jack

https://youtu.be/nzJ2xke41Y8

I thought is was amazing, and yes he got it all back together and running again in the campground

Fri Mar 31, 2023 6:56 pm

foxacoon wrote: I wish someone had done the same for me...I just want to prevent others from making the same mistake.
If you'd posted here first with your intentions to buy that Brazilian, this whole forum would've done that for you.

But don't feel too bad about it, I'm thinking you still got a decent deal. Hell, the way I look at it, I expect every old VW I buy to need a completely new engine, after all, people don't usually sell "used" cars, they sell "used up" cars. I assume it's clapped out before I even take posession.

Fri Mar 31, 2023 7:34 pm

jimbabwe wrote: foxacoon and I both need engine repair. Each of us has a 1500.

foxacoon threw a rod, it seems.

I overheated, pulled over and while idling, the engine seized. The next day I was able to start it but it rattles like hell when either 1) at a constant speed or 2) accelerating or decelerating. I can't remember which, 'cause I haven't touched it in a few years.

Just for fun, I asked Chat-GPT. It tells me I have piston slap.

So, based on the cause and symptoms, what do I need to replace?

I have rebuilt a few 1500s but the last time I did it was 38 years ago.

Thanks!
Jim
Moot point whether the noise is at a constant speed or during accel/decel since you're likely needing to tear the engine down for inspection either way since you seized it and now it's rattling. Gut feeling tells me you probably roasted a rod bearing, but nothing's for certain until you open it up and look. If you try to keep on keeping on with the idea it's just piston slap (unlikely), you too can have a thrown rod.

Fri Mar 31, 2023 8:51 pm

Well, let me rephrase:

Assuming nothing is obviously broken, what should I replace? What do I not need to replace?

I will replace what MIGHT be wrong. In other words: safe not sorry.

Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:01 pm

Don't take this as snub, but throwing parts at something that MIGHT be wrong is a bad way of approaching this. Pull the engine down and measure everything, then replace or refurbish what isn't in spec and keep what is in spec. That's the safe way to do it and you won't be sorry since you'll know things are good versus guessing.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/withoutguesswork.php

Sat Apr 01, 2023 11:13 am

mukluk, thank you. That is a very informative publication.

I will take your advice and first tear down the engine to see what's wrong.

:-) Jim

Sat Apr 01, 2023 2:58 pm

You guys call them holes! Let me show you how to make a hole...

the Dowel pins and fuel pump push rod were still good.

eQ

Sun Apr 02, 2023 12:15 pm

Dusty1 wrote: The guy I used to work for left a bad taste I haven't quite rinsed out and it's been around 20 years. His policy was to screw everyone equally. He screwed his customers. He screwed his employees. He screwed his vendors and he royally fudged his taxes. I quit and I'm not a quitter. I wasn't goin' to be a part of that.

He's still there. He still runs "a VW business". :roll:

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In the same boat here. After working at several VW shops it seems that is the way to do business. BITD I guess it was fine as there were millions of customers and thousands of shops you could afford to rip customers off with little consequence. I had my own parts business for a while and the margins were so thin I could not see how someone who was just selling parts could survive without being shady. I tried working for one more shop after I retired but it was even worse. I gave it a year but ethically I couldnt do it anymore, it was the first job I ever quit. The shop is still going today and is well known, taking advantage of what newbs are left.

These days with social media and the shrinking of the community the BS is easy to spot. Some vendors contribute on the forums which allow potential customers decide if they agree with their ''building theories" or lack there of. The internet also allowed customers to become educated more easily and know how to ask the right questions helping you decide what shops to trust.

While some say the internet killed the classic car industry, I think it just put the spot light on the roaches.