Two of four crank dowel pins loose

[virusdoc]

I'm starting reassembly of my engine today and cleaning/inspecting everything. I found that two of the four dowel pins on my stock crankshaft can be pulled out with finger force. The holes don't appear damaged or hammered out at all, and once inserted the dowels do not wobble at all. In fact the fit is so snug that I can feel air pressure fighting me as I slide the dowels in like a piston. Is this something I can fix by putting a small amount of loctite on the dowels after cleaning them and their holes well?
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1976 Convertible Super Beetle, "June Bug".
FI-->34PICT3 carb conversion-->now dual 40 IDFs
Self-rebuilt 1904 (after totally botching a 1641 rebuild, cussing a lot, and throwing lots of cash in the fire)

[raydog]

Put down the Locktite, walk away from the Locktite. The dowels are there for rotational stability between the flywheel and crank, Locktite won't do a damn thing. It sounds like you are OK, but then again, we are on the internet. How is the fit in the flywheel holes. If in doubt, have it drilled for 8 dowel. What size motor? Do you feel lucky?

[virusdoc]

[Zundfolge1432]

Loose is subjective term but just being able to turn with fingers isn’t bad. Mangled with visible damage to pin and hole is bad. I’d clean it well and install gland nut to 300 ft lbs. no loctite required

[virusdoc]

[Starbucket]

You can take a center punch and space 3 punch marks around the dowels if in doubt.

[Tim Donahoe]

Two of my four dowels were loose enough to pull by hand, but the dowels were not damaged, and the holes were not wallowed. I was fine with that.

I tightened my gland nut to 253 ft. lbs. and all was well.

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[volksworld]

do NOT take a punch to the back of the crank it will raise up metal around the punch marks, then the flywheel will sit on these little raised sections and not sit flat on the back of the crank...and will then come loose as torque and vibration eventually cause the little raised spots to flatten back out....dowel pins were a slip fit into the crank, not a press fit

[Starbucket]

[volksworld]

wow you really are clueless

[old DKP driver]

Follow what Tim and Zundfolge are recommending.
Smart & Safe answers.
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V.W.owner since 1967

[Starbucket]

[raydog]

This makes for great entertainment, but i gotta ask, what are "dowles?"

[Starbucket]

[PDX_VW_Erik]

[modok]

This is pretty common.
IMO, put in dowel pins that are .001" larger.

Or, just ignore it.

[volksworld]

ahh...ok ... i get it now...had you said" remove the dowels from the crank, lay them on the bench and put 3 punch marks 120 degrees apart on their sides then tap them back into the crank" (still not a great idea) maybe i would have not misinterpreted your answer...as the original poster could very well have also misinterpreted it...i've personally seen cranks where idiots tried to stake loose dowel pins into the back of the crank by making punch marks AROUND the dowel pin in the back of the crank with terrible results....no one here is a mind reader but i guess i'm a moron because i couldnt understand your vaguely worded answer

[Zundfolge1432]

You’ll soon learn that no good deed goes unpunished. The fact that you have years of experience means shit here.

[modok]

There is always more to learn.

[Starbucket]

I would reply to VW but he just doesn't get it that NO ONE made him class monitor