Resilience

[BellePlaine]

Resilience is a virtue that enables people to move through hardship and become better. No one escapes pain, fear, and suffering. Yet from pain can come wisdom, from fear can come courage, from suffering can come strength; if we have the virtue of resilience. - Eric Greitens

For a parent who lost a child, it is impossible to go back to the way life was. You can’t bounce back, but you can grow stronger. This thread was titled "Broke Down" because it was the beginning of an honest realization that life was going to change, symbolized through my VW. As many of you know, we lost Emma last September just three days before her 8th birthday. We must grow stronger or become crippled by the pain.

This thread is now titled “Resilience” as our VW now symbolizes my family’s path forward. A long time ago, when my wife and I were dating, we’d talk about someday having a family and an old VW camper to take on vacations. This is what we’ve done before and what we will continue to do.


So I purchased the engine above from Aeromech and my plan for it (and the bus) is to prepare it for installation. Aeromech didn’t have much historical information, only that it sat for 10 years in a local garage on the shelf before he got it. It was a used engine with unknown hours and missing the thermostat and flaps assembly.

I asked him for a compression and flywheel endplay check which came back as:

1 - 120
2 - 132
3 - 128
4 - 134 and 0.0035 end play.

Check out this part number on one of the heads. Can identify the manufacturer?


I'll post more photos and project updates soon.

Cheers - Chris

[Jivermo]

Good to see you back.

[Amskeptic]

This thread is now titled “Resilience” as our VW now symbolizes my family’s path forward.

A) I purchased engine from Aeromech
it sat for 10 years in a local garage on the shelf

B) compression 120/132/128/134
end play 0.0035"

C) part number on one of the heads

A) We get to retrofit fuel injection, yay!
B) good 'nuff
C) does not compute
Colin

[BellePlaine]

Of course, this engine is going to get the fuel injection treatment, in addition to many "bus tasks" to accomplish this summer. For starters, I wanted to do a better job installing my CHT sender then I did on the previous ovaled-out sender. On the old one, I had to JB Weld it to a fin near #3.

So I purchased this bitchin' 14 mm ID ring sender on a 12 ft type-K thermocouple protected by a stainless steel weave.
http://thesensorconnection.com/cht-sens ... -and-14-mm

I also bought some of these connectors.
http://www.omega.com/pptst/SMPW-CC.html



And this thermometer to plug into the CHT sender during tune-ups.


Next I used my dremel to carefully cut a notch in the #3 cylinder spark plug well to seat the sender.


Don't worry, I plugged the hole and used my venturi shop vac to keep metal shavings from entering the engine.


Here's the CHT sender with the connector.

[Jivermo]

Very nice!

[Amskeptic]

Of course, this engine is going to get the fuel injection

Of course, maybe. I PM'd aeromech for any information on camshaft profile and valve sizes, just in case the information is available. I am so done with performance camshafts that kill the fuel injection down low where people will devote pretty much the rest of their lives trying to bridge a driveability gulf . . .

my bitchin' 14 mm ID ring sender on a 12 ft type-K thermocouple protected by a stainless steel weave.

But, but, what gauge does it work with?
Colin

[SlowLane]

Nice indeed. I used similar connectors from Omega when I installed my thermocouples. The nice thing about them is that the connector materials used on the + and - terminals are the same as the thermocouple wire materials, thus avoiding the creation of any unwanted cold junctions. Assuming that you are planning to run thermocouple wire all the way to the gauge, the use of these connectors will help to ensure that you get the most accurate readings you can get from your gauge.

It also appears from your last photo that you've twigged onto the fact that, in thermocouple world, the RED wire is the Negative lead. This is a subtlety that can easily escape us when we are so used to red meaning Positive in normal circuits. Getting it mixed up on a thermocouple can really throw your readings off.

But, but, what gauge does it work with?

Why, any gauge which interfaces to a K-type thermocouple. eg. Dakota Digital, Auber Instruments, MGL Avionics.
NOT VDO, which uses a J-type thermocouple.

Check out this part number on one of the heads (022 101 351H). Can identify the manufacturer?

Ratwell has this tidbit on his Head Rebuilding page. Scroll down to Part Numbers and find that part number was used on ED engines.

[BellePlaine]

It also appears from your last photo that you've twigged onto the fact that, in thermocouple world, the RED wire is the Negative lead. This is a subtlety that can easily escape us when we are so used to red meaning Positive in normal circuits. Getting it mixed up on a thermocouple can really throw your readings off.

Yellow = positive and Red = negative was in highlight on the instructions, but yes, it could have been easily switched.

But, but, what gauge does it work with?

Why, any gauge which interfaces to a K-type thermocouple. DD, Auberins, MGL Avionics.
NOT VDO, which uses a J-type thermocouple.

I have a VDO gauge, and I wanted to be sure to order to correct thermocouple so I emailed VDO's technical help line and was told that they use K-Type. See, see!



I sure hope that it works!

[BellePlaine]

Check out this part number on one of the heads (022 101 351H). Can identify the manufacturer?

Ratwell has this tidbit on his Head Rebuilding page. Scroll down to Part Numbers and find that part number was used on ED engines.

Good to know, my engine case is an ED. Hopefully this is an old school 1800 rebuild without any fancy, reliability-stealing performance shenanigans. Should be two peas in a pod with my 002 trans.

[SlowLane]

I have a VDO gauge, and I wanted to be sure to order to correct thermocouple so I emailed VDO's technical help line and was told that they use K-Type. See, see!

Okay then. Sorry to have confused you. It's been several years and a thousand miles away that I provisioned myself with a VDO CHT gauge and four sensors (with the intention of using a 4-way thermocuple switch to allow me to select which cylinder I was watching). I was pretty sure that the VDO sensors were J-type. The colours of the insulation should give it away: J-type uses red and white, K-type is red and yellow (in America, that is. See http://www.omega.com/techref/colorcodes.html)

The only picture I can find on the web of a genuine VDO ring terminal sender is at Aircooled.net. Looks to me like red and white.

Hope the VDO gauge works for you too, but given that it isn't temperature compensated, and given the amount of work you are putting into the CHT sender installation, I think you'll be happier with a Dakota Digtal or an Auber Instruments gauge.

[BellePlaine]

We had a span of warm weather a few weeks ago so I dropped the old engine from the bus. Then began the job of transferring the fuel injection components over. The above photo shows were I'm at with it now. Check out the CHT sender connector mounted to back tin:



The story with this engine is that it sat for 10 years in a shop before aeromech got it. Now take a look at this:

While I was here I pulled the pressure plate to see check the condition of the clutch.

Yech! 215 Assembly for 1800.




The cheep-skate in me wants to know if I soaked that pressure plate in a bowl of parts cleaner, could I possibly salvage it? What about the clutch disc, couldn't the rust be sanded/cross-hatched off?

Here's the flywheel. I'm going to have to remove this and have it resurfaced, aren't I?

[BellePlaine]

While we're here, this is a pic of my 002 5-rib transmission.


I assume that the small puddle of oil is because of a leaky input shaft seal. I have a new one on order. How can I tell if the release bearing is worn?

[Amskeptic]

While we're here, this is a pic of my 002 5-rib transmission.
How can I tell if the release bearing is worn?

Did you index the pressure plate to the flywheel before you took it off?
( ) Yes, OF COURSE
( ) Index?

You can carefully and methodically sand the flywheel and pressure plate surfaces with a carefully and methodically applied regimen of 180 grit followed by 220 grit (at least four passes each) then polish the diaphragm fingers where the release bearing contacts them.

A release bearing that spins smoothly and a little "viscously" is in all likelihood suitable. A frictionless easy spin suggests no lubrication in the bearing. A sloppy frictionless-but-rough spin is a no.
Colin

[BellePlaine]

While we're here, this is a pic of my 002 5-rib transmission.
How can I tell if the release bearing is worn?

Did you index the pressure plate to the flywheel before you took it off?
( ) Yes, OF COURSE
( X ) Index?

I take it from your question that I should have made a mark to remind myself how to put it back together. But look at the rust shadows; it might not be too late.

You can carefully and methodically sand the flywheel and pressure plate surfaces with a carefully and methodically applied regimen of 180 grit followed by 220 grit (at least four passes each) then polish the diaphragm fingers where the release bearing contacts them.

A release bearing that spins smoothly and a little "viscously" is in all likelihood suitable. A frictionless easy spin suggests no lubrication in the bearing. A sloppy frictionless-but-rough spin is a no.
Colin

I'll report back after I visit the release bearing and spend some time with sandpaper. Thanks.

[Amskeptic]

Did you index the pressure plate to the flywheel before you took it off?
( ) Yes, OF COURSE
( X ) Index?

I take it from your question that I should have made a mark to remind myself how to put it back together. But look at the rust shadows; it might not be too late.

Not to remind you of anything . . . to maintain rotating balance!
( ) A
( ) B
( ) C
( X ) D
( ) F
Colin
(see me after class)