Itinerant Air-Cooled

cegammel wrote:I'm excited for you, and fully plan to live vicariously through your build. Keep us posted.

Thank you!
Everything is in my shop and the heads are off.
I will keep you guys posted for sure!

Randy in Maine wrote:When you get done with this, please install a good CHT gauge correctly under the #3 cylinder spark plug so that you are aware of the temperatures the engine is putting out. I like the Dakota Digital ones myself.

Should this be put in while i rebuild or can i add it after the engine is installed?

At least install the sender notched into the head before you put the tinwork on. Make sure you have a grommet to seal it in nicely please.

A grommet on the sender? As in rubber? How does that work?

My lowly VDO sender requires only a snugged down spark plug, and perhaps a groove for the sender to seat, if you like... I live in constant fear of breaking the sender off. A better way is certainly appreciated.

Order up the 18" long sender from Dakota Digital and cut the groove in the head using your Dremel tool. Fashion a clip for the wire to the cooling fin.

I drilled a 1/2" hole in the cooling tin where I wanted to run the sender wire and put the wire in a rubber grommet. to seal it up and to prevent chafing. Buy the grommet before you drill the hole.

I just leave the spark plug sealing washer on the plug myself.

While you have everything open order up this set of 5 boots to use on the spark plugs and oil pressure sender so they won't leak the cooling air.

http://www.coolcruisers.com/tierodbootfj.html $10 well spent.

Does any one have a trick to remove the two pushrods on either extremities of the head? The lower cylinder air baffle is in the way and i cant take it off till the pushrods are removed...
Im trying to twist and pull and its not working...

Ended up bending the cylinder air baffle because the head was caught up on it, and removed the last two pushrods tubes.
So i removed heads, cylinders, pistons...
Is that it for a half rebuild? Is there anything i should check or do while everything is off??

When i got home today, i headed over to my neighbours place because i wanted to ask to borrow his torque wrench (hes a mechanic so obviously has one)
I tell him about this project i took on and he then tell me that he has 3 vw vanagon engines exactly like mine and he would get rid of them for like 100$! Clearly id love to buy one and just take the pieces i need and put them onto my engine. But the big question is... How can you know or test pieces to make sure theyre still good? All i need is heads, cylinders, pistons and one pushrod (dented at the tip)
Any suggestions? Clearly buying all new is the best, but were looking at 1900$ difference!!

Where are you? I would buy a couple of hundred buck engines myself...

Did you check the rod bearings? I am afraid that you may be in for a little more work when reassembling. Sounds like it is going well! Also, those bottom baffles have tiny screws...I guess you found those...

cegammel wrote:Where are you? I would buy a couple of hundred buck engines myself...

Did you check the rod bearings? I am afraid that you may be in for a little more work when reassembling. Sounds like it is going well! Also, those bottom baffles have tiny screws...I guess you found those...

Im in Quebec, 2hrs north of montreal.
Why more work when reassembling?
I did find the screws but one is not wanting to come out so i just bent the baffle enough so i could pull off the head.

A key point often repeated on this site is the importance of determing and setting the compression ration of each cylinder. In order to determine CR, you have to know the volume of each each combustion chamber in the head, as well as the deck height of each cylinder. Then you can adjust CR by adding barrel shims to the bottom or sealing rings to top of each cylinder. Or...slap it back together and hope for the best...Proper CRs assure longer life and better balance.

cegammel wrote:A key point often repeated on this site is the importance of determing and setting the compression ration of each cylinder. In order to determine CR, you have to know the volume of each each combustion chamber in the head, as well as the deck height of each cylinder. Then you can adjust CR by adding barrel shims to the bottom or sealing rings to top of each cylinder. Or...slap it back together and hope for the best...Proper CRs assure longer life and better balance.

Hey! Are you talking about me taking pieces off 100$ engine and putting it on mine?? Would the better option be to just use the 100$ engine and put that one in the van?

I would not do that...but I really enjoyed rebuilding my engines...I would buy those engines, rebuild your runner, then build two spares just for fun...but I am a little sick...or...even more depraved...buy those engines, rebuild them, then buy two more buses to put them in...

cegammel wrote:I would not do that...but I really enjoyed rebuilding my engines...I would buy those engines, rebuild your runner, then build two spares just for fun...but I am a little sick...or...even more depraved...buy those engines, rebuild them, then buy two more buses to put them in...

Hahaha! Love the way you think! But... No. Can't afford two more buses.... Yet!

The cylinders are all out but i noticed that where they enter the block, the guy before me sealed with some plastic type of spray... Ill upload pics later if it helps.. But shouldnt the walls of those holes be super smooth so the cylinder slides inside it???

Yes. There should be paper gaskets and permatex in the mating surfaces, but nothing inside of the case...I think. You should also have barrel shims at the base of each cylinder, most likely. They may be imperceptibly gooed on...

Let one of these more experienced guys jump in here...