Type-3 breather disassembly?

[Max Welton]

I am blasting and painting all the tin going onto my engine. I'd really like to do that with the breather too, but I can't figure out how to get it apart. It looks like the cap has to come off...

Help!



Max

[Bigvwhead]

Hi Max

yes the plastic cap comes off (be carefull not to breat it!!)
then you will find a spanner nut that holds the two peices together, just unscrew off and thereyou have it they make a special socket for the nut but I have used just a flat 3/16"
steel plate cut to the correct witdh and a creasent wrench

There are gaskets in there to prevent leakage that you will have to replace.


Bigvwhead

[Chris V]

Plumber's internal pipe wrench...

[Max Welton]

Thanks!

Max

[sideshow]

I was under the impression that once one removes that plastic cap, it looses it spring and will not reattach back to where it was.
As in removing it for service renders it unusable?

[Max Welton]

Looks reusable to me.



Max

[sideshow]

Looks reusable to me.

Yeah, but does it have any spring left? It might be just like a pop rivet, one squeeze and it is all over.

Rings of RTV and self tapping screws are what I observe on that breather with my enthusiast friends. My self I have only taken one early style apart and noticed that no way was it going back together without divine intervention.

[Max Welton]

OK, is there a trick to getting that flange out? I can get on it with needle-nose pliers but it ain't moving.

Max

[Max Welton]

Well, I gave the breather a night head-down in a can of carburetor cleaner. It was much more cooperative after that.

Anyway, it turned out pretty good. And the cap is definitely reusable.





Max

[stealth67vw]

Looks reusable to me.

Yeah, but does it have any spring left? It might be just like a pop rivet, one squeeze and it is all over.

Rings of RTV and self tapping screws are what I observe on that breather with my enthusiast friends. My self I have only taken one early style apart and noticed that no way was it going back together without divine intervention.

Derek is full of it......... he doesn't have any friends.

[notched]

And if he does, they're not enthusiastic about it...

[blitzvw]

Anyone ever thought of using a WBX breather assembly? It might need to be cut down a bit, but looks cooler and has the added benefit of not having that stupid plastic piece on the top... I've heard horror stories of type 3 engines losing that plastic cap on the top of the breather and losing oil...