Getting the syncro back on the road

[ajdenette]

The ventplug is on the engine sideso that stays with the engine but yes the syncro has a plug that goes to a hard plastic line and off to the frame whare a 2wd just has a loos fitting plug.

[fusername]

The vanagon late model and bay window, they use different beellhousings, but do you know if the throwout bushings are the same? If so we could have a small money making project if you are interested...

[ajdenette]

don't know but i can check i do have a lathe... i saw a poly bushing once cant remember ware or if it was bug but it is more of a necessity than a desire

[fusername]

Well if u have a throwout arm unmounted, just cross your fingers it uses a 22 mm shaft and measure.

[ajdenette]

Finished hooking up the engine after putting new heads on it and a new bell housing to fix the clutch arm


then I got to pulling the old radiator to put in the new one while the cooling system is empty


though it was definitely time for it this was what was left on the floor after i picked it up, the fins are disintegrating


Tomorrow is installing the radiator, fuel pump, muffler, and add the pile of fluids.


oh and I think i need to clean the garage back up.

[ajdenette]

ITS ALIVE!!! After many weeks or reasembly prime the fel pump, turned the engine over a bit to oil it, plug in the coil spray some eather in the intake (for esiere fire) turn the key and vrooom man that felt good.

now back to find why there is fuel coming out around the fuel pump.

[ajdenette]

some pics andvideo of the running vanagon



The photo shows the new belts with their name flying by.

[fusername]

Huzzah! You going to the show in it tomorrow right?

[ajdenette]

2 weeks ago coasting down hill the van stalled and was very tough to restart after restarting the engine ran very rough I managed to get the van into the garage and it sat until the next weekend when I could look into it. When I did the initial valve adjustment some of the lifters were very soft and as these lifters had a history of dropping pressure I figured a good valve adjustment would solve the issue and it did. During the valve adjustment I found the pushrod for the intake of number 1 half in the cup for the rocker but still in the lifter, though I thought I had seated it properly I am human and I could have made a mistake so I swapped it for a spare and went through all the valves. The van ran grate after that so I went down the street, after hitting the clutch to make the u turn and the van dies after rolling off he street and seeing the local cops drive buy (very lucky all 4 tires were off the street and he was more interested in the dirt bikes ) tow the van back up the street and look at it some but find nothing obvious. So I left it to ponder it over the next week and prepare to go through the Fuel Injection looking for my problem. Before starting the troubleshooting to help rule out the week of sitting I tried to start the Van and it will not run again hmm I decided to look at the intake valve for cylinder 1 and low and behold it had dropped the pushrod this time completely and it is stuck once again.

So my question to those more knowledgeable than I is what could cause the rocker to drop the lifter when I let off the gas. My thought and some one else I asked think it might be due to bad valve springs so before I go to all the work of swapping in the set of springs off another engine I thought I would ask here for any other suggestions? In the morning I will pop the cover and snap a picture of the pushrod as well as the one previously dropped.

[fusername]

now that there is some weird poop. try asking in the engine forum, any flat VW w/ hydros could suffer from this problem. oh and I have seated the pr in the wrong place EVERY time i pull a rocker at least one misses. not running AMC springs are ya?

[ajdenette]

I keep track of my build here but I did post a thread on the other site and got some useful things to look at and low and behold I got some real answers and another headache.

After pulling the valve cover this time I found this the first one dropped but stayed on the rocker half way and bent the rod.



So I pulled the rocker and pulled the rod which turned out straight minus the dented tip and the ugly rocker seat.


After taking a new rod and comparing the adjusters and valve's I found 2 with issues


So the van is going to get pulled into the garage and the head has to come off again so I ordered a gasket set for that as well as an engine gasket set for another engine I have that lets a little coolant loose. Shortly after placing the order I find a voice mail on my phone (bad reception in the apartment) from Van Cafe checking that I had not made a mistake when ordering and that the engine gasket set includes everything in the head gasket set

On a good note great views and no more floppy mirrors with a pair of these

[ajdenette]

Double post soill just share another pick of those awsome lT truck mirrors

[morgoon]

Man, hang in there,

hope all is going well

[fusername]

that is a weird angle and I can't tell if it is a dropped seat (sorry man!) or a stretched valve. which is it?

[ajdenette]

Well my friend Peter was parting a van that had a Boston Bob engine that had 65 miles on it butte oil pressure system was going haywire and the po just disconnected it, the wiring for the oil pressure system was taped together and in really bad shape the engine had a no name Fram imitation filter on it and oil all over it including a pretty heavy flywheel seal leak but I got it for free and I paid him in metal to increase the weight of the rusty hulk he was sending for scrap

So a glutton for punishment I put new gaskets for the heads as they were quite crusty and started replacing other oily seals hoping to get it to hold more Oil and leak less plus I added an oil pressure gauge to be able to get a real reading of oil pressure. The goal is to get this engine prepped and hope it holds together for a bit to get the van going while I inspect both heads and at least pull the passenger side one. Fuser I am looking to you for advice on a shop that knows what they are doing with a Vanagon head, I believe it to just be too tight valve guides that are grabbing the valves I hope my SI Valves are fine

Well this is going to be the last update on this for a while (no pictures its just an engine on the stand) as my wedding is next weekend and honeymoon after that so at least 3 weeks before I get back to finishing up this engine and preparing for a swap.