Uh-oh

[mykubel]

My Thing went kaput. I opened up the hood, looked at the engine and noticed oil everywhere and the belt was loose; took out the dipstick...barely any oil. I am not sure what I am looking at here, if the engine seized or not...but, I do know, I am looking at fixing this myself as I have called local repair shops specializing in the Thing and got quotes for worst case scenario ($3500) to least case ($1500)...and, I cannot pay this.

Can someone walk me through fixing this? Nope--not a mechanic but can patiently learn step by step. I do have the manuals at home as well; just have no idea where to start.

Thanks, S

[doc]

Let's find out what's wrong.

Can you turn the engine over by using a wrench on the crankshaft pulley? The crank needs to rotate a full 360 degrees without hitting obstruction. If you hit an obstruction, stop. Try rotating the other way. You'll most likely hit the same obstruction. If this is the case, your motor is locked up and something is broken internally. This will require engine removal and some level of deconstruction and rebuild.

Engine rotates freely? Drain the oil into something that you can sift through later. Remove the round plate carefully and inspect for metal shavings and parts. Check through the drained oil for shavings and parts. Find anything big? Find lots of little metal shavings?

Grab the crankshaft by the pulley and push and pull back and forth - hard. Can you feel play? Just a tiny bit or a lot?

Take the valve covers off and see if there's any parts floating around. Anything? Remove the rocker arms and carefully pull them off. You now see the springs and in the center of each one the tops of the valve stems. Are they all lined up nice and flat or is any one of them sticking up higher or stuck lower, compressing the spring even with the rockers off?

One by one, take the push rod out. Roll them on a flat surface. Any bent? Just do one at a time and put each one back after you've tested for straightness.

Inspect engine visually? See anything wrong? Loose? Burned?

If the engine is not locked up, try to do a cylinder compression test. A compression tester is cheap at any auto parts store.

Report results here.

Do you have John Muir's "How To Keep your Volkswagen Alive - For the Complete Idiot"? Definitely worth having for a novice in your situation.

doc

[baja5]

Good Advice Doc, also since the belt was loose you need to figure out why. If the belt is old and cracked then replace it. Sounds like the belt came loose and caused the engine to overheat and blow out the oil. Hopefully not fatal.

[Marc]

The Thing engine is essentially identical to a Bug motor of the same vintage, other than the exhaust system. They use a "3-point" engine case that has a place to bolt up a skidplate at the rear (that can be simulated using an aftermarket plate that attaches to the oil pump studs, or the skid plate can be left off, if you use an engine that lacks the 3-pt bosses). Things were equipped with 38A generators (Bugs got 30A) so the pulley, fan hub, a couple of sheetmetal bits, and the voltage regulator are also different. Gas-heater-equipped Things have J-tubes rather than heater boxes and no freshair outlets from the fan housing.
In short, if your engine is beyond economical repair it's feasible to use a Bug motor by swapping some external parts.

[mykubel]

Thanks--I will try the "turn and crank" and see what happens...hopefully--it turns!

[Stray Catalyst]

As the Thing uses an engine that's quite similar to all the other air-cooled VWs, you may be able to score a working engine off Craigslist or similar, for a fraction of what the shops are asking. The John Muir book is wonderful, and will walk you through every step of removing and replacing the engine. If you're feeling ambitious, it will also walk you through the process of completely rebuilding an engine - I've rebuilt two using only that book, with little previous experience. Don't give up on your Thing! I still regret selling mine.

Stray

[wildthings]

What is the cost of a crate engine these days? Might cost a little more than a cheaper rebuild, but its an easy way for a novice to go.

[Stray Catalyst]

If you're willing to take a used engine, you can get one for $500 or so that still has some life left in it. You can get one cheaper if you look around, but you aren't getting any guarantees. Check Craigslist, thesamba, volksrods, and this forum, you should be able to find something.

Stray

[Kubelmann]

Or if your have $10,000 just buy ready to roll Raby motor.