Rebuild Spun Bearing?

[LynnsABCs]

Been looking for a late model Weekender Vanagon camper and my son found me one today. I am home for 2 weeks recovering from a minor heart attack that was caught in time requring only 2 stents. I'm basically lucky to still be alive.

This vanagon is an 87 Weekender automatic with 165K on the odometer, but had a $3,400 factory short block in 1999 @ 30K miles ago. The owner had a metal grinding sound backing out of the garage and had it towed to a bug shop. Shop guy said it is a spun main bearing. I've been a VW/Porsche guy for several yrs and built several engines including my son's 356 motor.

What are the consequences in the 2.1 waterboxer engine of a spun main or rod bearing?
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LynnsABCs
Knoxville, Tn
1990 Vanagon Westy
1961 Porsche 356 B Notchback Coupe

[ChesterKV]

[Captain Pike]

Wasted case, need at least a short block and a crank turn
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LEARN TO SELF RESCUE
59 Panel bus, 1966 Single cab. 73' 181. 73 Westy. 91' H6 Vanagon 3.3L.
.....................All Current.......................

[Wildthings]

Journal bearing normally pound and not grind. A grinding noise sounds like some kind of the gear, clutch, or roller/ball bearing failure.

[LynnsABCs]

[ChesterKV]

[LynnsABCs]

Yellow sticker has VW and Audi logos showing and says Volkswagon Canada, Inc. Remanufacturing with a 5 digit number on the sticker. Other sticker is mostly in french but says Exchange. It was installed by a Porsche/VW shop in Colorado.
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LynnsABCs
Knoxville, Tn
1990 Vanagon Westy
1961 Porsche 356 B Notchback Coupe

[tencentlife]

The VW/Canada rebuilds aren't awful, generally, but not the best either. They'll mix and match some parts. But they're a far cry from GEX. There was some guy who showed pics of a GEX where they used allthread for some of the head studs.
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Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is kryptonite to doctrine.

[LynnsABCs]

I have to wait some unknown (as of now) period of time to do some cardio rehab (just basic exercise) before I can begin the new Vanagon project.

Been thinking about the plan of attack. I have an almost complete set of VW Camper & Commercial magazines with the 2-part WBX rebuild article and the green cover VW Transporter Workshop Manual (82 on) published in England. Will be buying a Workshop manual with first part order.

The auto trans has 164K miles and the engine only 30K. It seems to make sense to drain the trans oil first looking for metal bits and then the engine oil to determine where the metal grinding sound was coming from.

Looks like the WBX engine doesn't have an oil screen like the Type I it was evolved from. Would enough metal bits get by the full-flow oil filter to show up in the oil drain plug or just pull the oil filter to look for metal?
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LynnsABCs
Knoxville, Tn
1990 Vanagon Westy
1961 Porsche 356 B Notchback Coupe

[AndyBees]

I have never seen a WBX spin a main bearing. In my opinion, that is HIGHLY doubtful.

The crank design provides for oiling of the rod bearings last. Thus, the oil had to go to the main bearings first. If a main bearing has spun, and you have been driving the van any at all, the bearings of at least two rods would be affected. There would be thumping sounds and most likely a flickering oil light at idle.

I suppose you could pull the oil filter and do some dissecting to see if you can find debris and cuttings.

Me thinking something to do with the Auto tranny!

Of course all opinions here are based on what you have said. Without actually hearing the engine, etc., its very difficult to make an assessment.

My 2 cents!
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'84 Vanagon Tin-top, ALH TDI. 1989 Tin-top
1983 Air-cool, 225k miles, 180k miles mine. Seven trips to Alaska from 1986 thru 2003.

[tencentlife]

I would echo Andy here. Doing the drain and filter checks on both units would be a smart first step.

There is a filter screen in the wbx pickup tube, actually a finer one than the T1's have. It's just up inside the pickup head so it's not visible in the exploded drawings.
_________________
Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is kryptonite to doctrine.

[LynnsABCs]

Turns out I mis-heard by son. The independant VW shop guy never heard the engine run. The seller said he heard a metalic grind (metal on metal) when he started up the engine and was sure it was a spun main bearing.

Is there a posibility he heard a bad bearing in the water pump, power steering pump or the alternator? The AC compressor belt is on--could the compressor howl like a metal grinding sound?
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LynnsABCs
Knoxville, Tn
1990 Vanagon Westy
1961 Porsche 356 B Notchback Coupe

[Wildthings]

It is only speculation until someone starts it up and tries to locate the noise. The water pump, power steering pump, alternator, and AC compressor all have "frictionless" bearings that will make a rattling noise as they fail. The alternator would be my first guess, but that is still only speculation.