Engine/Transmission removed where and how would you start?

[poundman]

I just found shims on the head between the jug and head. Is this indication it has been previously rebuilt, or do even factory engines have shims.

Pistons to measure at standard 90mm
Thanks
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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[timvw7476]

the factory placed them. They are now 'deleted item' since the early 1990s.
Theory being the carbon should build at the head/cylinder juncture. ??
I do use them, & they can be purchased IF you crave 7.3:1 factory C.R. .
Which is probably less than 5% of VW engine builders/operators.

[poundman]

Question about TDC on #1.

I am going to remove my distributor to clean and to replace the o-ring. Before I do that I want to make sure I get it back in correctly. I did read a few threads on this but hope some can confirm.

I have rotated #1 to top of stroke, distributor is point to #1 wire and the notch on the rim. You can see the fan mark seems to be at noon position. There are 2 marks, with the other around 1-2 o'clock. My timing scale has no markings left.
Does this seem correct? Movement in either direction moves the piston down. I had to hold the jug while doing this.

I also noticed there is a very thin gasket or shim between the jug and case. I don't really want to pull jugs of at this time and worry about getting them back on.

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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[SGKent]

the timing mark is on the belt portion of the fan.

You are fine. Pull the nut off holding the clamp on. Then pull the distributor right up. The dog on the bottom will have a wide side and a narrow side. So will the drive gear. There will be a spring in the middle of the drive gear. Do not pull the drive gear or the spring out. Replace your oring, smear it with some oil. Then push your distributor back in. You may have to move the rotor just a little to either side until it drops all the way in. Put the washer and nut back on.

Do you have a dial indicator? Now would be a good time to find exact top dead center and scribe it on the flywheel. Then you can use that line to verify that the timing scale is accurate. Sometimes they can warp quite a bit.

If you use your dial indicator to find TDC on #1, you look for say .020" drop either side of top dead center. Then TDC is half way in between. Some use .050" drop either way.

In this photo I have made 3 lines. The outside are about .020"drop off TDC so 1/2 way between is the actual TDC. Then I compare it to the timing scale.

So when my scale says O TDC, I know it is really TDC and not five or six degrees off because the scale has been bent or warped over time. You can see the timing mark on the fan pulley. So before you bolt the transmission back on, you set it to TDC on your flywheel mark and adjust the scale to match.

_________________
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[poundman]

I have the fan shroud with the peak-a-boo hole. I will attempt to follow your post but I need to get this on an engine stand, right now it is just on a ATV jack. I guess I could strap down the jugs and make this work horizontal.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=409853
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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[Wildthings]

You have two marks on your fan, not sure why they both look the same. As I thought the TDC mark was a 0 and not an "l", as that is how it is on the 1800 engine in my 411. If the one is TDC like it sounds like it is, the other will most likely be either a 27 or 28° timing mark. You would want to remove the two vacuum hoses going to the distributor and rev they engine to ~3800 rpms to use this mark which should give you the most accurate timing.

If the distributor drive doesn't get picked up while the distributor is removed it is very easy to get the distributor reinstalled, just push it in and rotate the rotor until you can feel the shaft lock into the slot in the drive, and you should feel the distributor drop another 1/8" (~3mm) or so.

To hold the drive in place use a piece of wooden dowel (or a piece of PVC pipe) to hold the drive in place, you will also need some kind of clamp to hold the dowel down.

[poundman]

[Wildthings]

[Bnanwel]

FWIW, I would do a full rebuild on the atv jack, but I did everything else including test runs to tune. It balances really well with and without the tranny. So, if that’s as far as you are going, just leave it on the jack.
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‘72 Karmann Ghia Conv.
‘73 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘74 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘70 Deluxe
‘72 Deluxe

[SGKent]

Yes, they are quite solid. I put the clutch back on last night sitting on the ATV jack since there is hardly any room to maneuver it on the engine stand. Years ago, I bolted a piece of plywood to the jack, and drilled two holes where the bolts and nuts come thru the engine carrier. It sits well on that. Then when I mount the trans, there is a hole in the casting on the bottom side. I have a round piece of plywood cut that sits in my older floor jack, and have a bolt thru it that sits into the hole. The trans sits on the floor jack and the engine is locked into the ATV jack by the bolts and nuts dropping into the plywood. When I pull the ATV jack, the engine and trans follows right along like a train engine and caboose.

This was how I used it originally but now it is round piece of plywood that sits inside the cup and it has a bolt thru is so it can fit into the bottom of the trans. The bolt has to be off center for it to work.

_________________
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[poundman]

[67rustavenger]

[orwell84]

I bought a HF ATV jack for my last engine build. It was a huge help. With the ATV jack, I was able to install a complete, fully dressed engine. Slide it under, see how it lines up, make a few adjustments and in it goes. Not possible with the engine teetering on a floor jack. I would juggle the long block in and put everything else on the engine once it was bolted in. Way harder.

[poundman]

Update: I was successful in removing distributor, oil filter stub, and the oil pressure switch. Is the o-ring the black ring in the middle or suppose to be under the clamp and missing?

While looking thru the gasket kit I purchase and consulting the Bentley I learned there is a oil pressure relief valve and oil pressure control valve.

I haven't read much about this so I assume they are usually trouble free. Should I remove them to inspect and replace and rings, washers, etc. at this point, or just want and see? Also, I was not planning on removing the oil strainer at this point unless someone says I should. Are the all accessible with engine fully dressed?
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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas

[Willin]

HF has a valve spring tool that will work.
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73 bus. Org. 1700 with dual Weber 40 idfs, bus header with Empi qp muffler, CB magnaspark 2 " ready to run kit".

[Wildthings]

[poundman]

[SGKent]

leave them alone. There is nothing you can do to change them except replace the pistons if you can find the proper ones. The black o-ring is the one on the body to the left of the clamp in your photo. It has a flat surface on the inside and a convex surface on the outside. use a little oil, grease or silicone grease to lube it when you put the distributor back in. They are hard to put in dry. Please don't take the distributor apart. If you want to do that send it to Bill at SparxWerks for refurbish. You can put some drops of oil on the wick under the rotor plus check the points and condenser. Some of the newer condensers are bad right out of the box. If you are going to replace the condenser I would shop on ebay or Rock Auto for a Standard Motor Products now obsolete GB-160 condenser. For points I would use Standard Motor Products GB-4173P. Rock Auto and Ebay. If you can find the GB4173XP points they are the best, they even have a wick to help keep the rubbing block lubricated.

Please note - the numbers I gave fit most late bays but 19872 could be different. Some distributors take a round plastic part on the condenser, and some take a square one. Yours could use the GB-136 instead of the GB-160. Look it up and compare it. There are also different connectors on some.

The bolt that holds the thermostat wheel goes thru to the inside of the case. Put some sealer on it when you put it back in to stop oil seeping thru the threads.


GB-4173xp

_________________
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[poundman]

[poundman]

I go the dizzy back in. It was a struggle with the new o-ring not wanting to go down the hole. I now realize how it all works. You need to be sure to tighten down the holding nut and the bracket flange to ensure it doesn't spin out of place.


Now I have been reading about the oil pump. I thought I could just open the cover, replace the o-ring and gasket but not sure how to get it apart. I removed the nuts and tried to pry on the ears but no luck. I read that I need to loosen the case bolts which I really don't want to do. It might be that the PO used some really strong sealant. If that is the case it might be better to wait to until it warms up and shakes loose after I get this running for a while. Tell me if this might be more trouble than worth. One thing I have learned in this project is don't do things just to do them, wait until you need to do it. Patience is certainly required when working on 50 year old stuff. Thanks again

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Restoring a 1972 Bay Window Bus that has not be registered for the road since 1981.
Sugar Land, Texas