Itinerant Air-Cooled

Amskeptic wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:50 pm

I'd certainly drive it. If you have been keeping track of valve adjustments, your warning is if it loses all preload in a couple of hundred miles ....
Colin
(she's a lucky loved companion ... I have seen too many dogs have an entirely different experience)

I certainly did drive it. Sadly, today at 6:00PM, my lucky loved companion was euthanized. Things were going downhill rapidly so we made the call and scheduled the appointment on Monday. My wife and I are heartbroken.

The Bus took her for one last long ride to one of her favorite parks for a "wander" this afternoon (she hasn't really been willing to walk any distance for a couple of months). On the way home, the lifter suddenly got extremely loud. I checked the rocker arm with the cylinder at TDC and I'm able to easily move the pushrod a very large distance - probably the entire travel of the piston in the lifter.

I'm wondering if the cam has worn so far through the lifter that there's no bottom left to hold oil in the check ball cavity?????

In any case, I decided that's it - no more driving it.

It's as if the Bus was happy to make her last afternoon a good one, but wanted no part of transporting her for that final vet appointment (she rode there in the '71 Beetle instead).

vwlover77 wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 09, 2019 8:14 pm

Sadly, today at 6:00PM, my lucky loved companion was euthanized.
The Bus took her for one last long ride to one of her favorite parks for a "wander" this afternoon
the Bus was happy to make her last afternoon a good one, but wanted no part of transporting her for that final vet appointment (she rode there in the '71 Beetle instead).

Lucky life! She is upstairs with all of the angels looking down upon you and us all.

The bus balked? Of course.

Engine comes down if you can't safely get that lifter out.
Colin

Amskeptic wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 10, 2019 4:44 pm

Engine comes down if you can't safely get that lifter out.

I tried one last time to get the lifter out. As before, it slides a short distance easily, then hits a hard stop. Preparations to remove the engine are underway....

I feel for you Don, what a beautiful dog. Had to put my 13 yo GSD China Daisy down July 2nd and still feel the pain. It never gets any easier with the next dog either. At least you have some VWs for a distraction until you heal enough to get another pup. VWs are cool, but no replacement for man's best friend/family member.

skip wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:45 pm

I feel for you Don, what a beautiful dog. Had to put my 13 yo GSD China Daisy down July 2nd and still feel the pain. It never gets any easier with the next dog either. At least you have some VWs for a distraction until you heal enough to get another pup. VWs are cool, but no replacement for man's best friend/family member.

Thank you Skip. We adopted Ella from a rescue organization just 3 1/2 years ago, and she was only around 3 when we got her. She was diagnosed with lymphoma last New Year's Eve. She really did her best to ignore it, but her quality of life was failing on multiple fronts, and we didn't want her to suffer.

So sorry about your Daisy. Dogs give unconditional love like no other creature. Here's to healing for both of us.