Itinerant Air-Cooled

At Colin first visit with me in early June, while trying to adjust my valves (hydraulic) we discovered that 7 of the 8 valve adjuster screws were "coked" (frozen) onto the rockers . As such, the valves were not adjusted and new german valve adjuster screws and nuts were on my shopping list.

Fast forward to today - Colin arrived again right on time, and I was armed with all my tools and 8 brand new german adjuster screws and nuts ready to undertake my valve adjustment.

After tending to a bit of rust on my dog leg, we headed for the valves. Everything was going great until Colin asked me "Did you tell the place where you got the adjuster screws that they were for a '78 with hydraulics?" At that point, my blood pressure spiked, as I answered "Yes, in fact I emailed them before I placed the order to make sure they would fit..." Turns out my online vender SENT ME THE WRONG SIZE ADJUSTER SCREWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You gotta be friggin kidding me....unbelievable.

After cursing about the online vender, now we go to Plan B (figure out how to back off the 7 frozen adjusters while making it possible to re-use them). With Colin's ingenuity, we removed the rockers, then broke the adjusters off with vise grips (thus scoring the threads). We then used the nuts and/or the rockers to "repair" the damaged threads by gently advancing the damaged areas through.

We put everything back together, adjust the valves, and take it for a test drive. My engine was making a bad clatter, and after 20 minutes of driving, it did not clear up. So we head back, pop the valve covers, and realize that one of the valves was WAY loose. Colin quickly re-adjusts, slap the valve covers back on, and I fire it up. My engine has never sounded that quiet and smooth - EVER! =D>

Colin, thanks for thinking outside the box. I am now confident enough to take off my rocker assemblies, and adjust my valves by myself - something that I would not have even thought to attempt a year ago. When my historically abused engine finally takes a dump, I "might" now have the guts to try to rebuild it myself, but I hope I can keep her going a while longer before that happens (she has been through a lot, but her spunkyness tells me that she wants to hang around a bit more longer).

I took my bus for a nice drive tonight - she was a happy camper

Very discreet. "Online Vendor". I like it.

We must be getting old, what with this talk of blood pressure. You are way together getting this visit recap written up so quick. I am glad to hear your ride continues to improve, hope to see you on the road, one of these days!

Mr Blotto wrote: After tending to a bit of rust on my dog leg, we headed for the valves.

So we head back, pop the valve covers, and realize that one of the valves was WAY loose.

(she has been through a lot, but her spunkyness tells me that she wants to hang around a bit more longer).

Ya know? after all that attacking the dog-leg, we never did get back to it, did we? It will want a top coat. Pleasepleaseplease stop the rust on that bus. It really does have a good heart and deserves to go into the future with as much metal as we can save on it. What a nice driver it was.

Remember how the engine gave us that mysterious TINK! as we were working? It was trying to tell us that #1 intake pushrod was not seated in the lifter.

Congratulations again on the arrival of your new daughter, your equinaminous daughter in the presence of rushing freight trains. . .
Colin

Hey good for you Mr.Blotto. Enjoy the last few weeks of good driving weather while you can!

Colin,

We (wife, daughter, & myself) drove the Westy to Williams Bay, WI for our annual quest to pick pumpkins, and enjoy a nice fall day. I am not sure what was nicer:

1 - Spending a beautiful day with my wife and new daughter ;

2 - Eating a home-made carmel apple (grannysmith of course) in the fall sun; or,

3 - Driving my Westy, through SE Wisconsin and taking in the start of the fall colors.

Well, I gotta say that #1 takes the cake, but #3 is the runner up. My Westy has not sounded or performed better as it does now in the 2.5 years that I have owned it. Thanks for silencing my clattery valves/lifters. I think my engine wants to hang around for a few more years

Mr Blotto wrote:Colin,

We (wife, daughter, & myself) drove the Westy to Williams Bay, WI for our annual quest to pick pumpkins, and enjoy a nice fall day. I am not sure what was nicer:

1 - Spending a beautiful day with my wife and new daughter ;

2 - Eating a home-made carmel apple (grannysmith of course) in the fall sun; or,

3 - Driving my Westy, through SE Wisconsin and taking in the start of the fall colors.

Well, I gotta say that #1 takes the cake, but #3 is the runner up. My Westy has not sounded or performed better as it does now in the 2.5 years that I have owned it. Thanks for silencing my clattery valves/lifters. I think my engine wants to hang around for a few more years

Well I am glad to hear that the car kept up its end of a nice day. Do peruse my rust eradication posts popping up in the Type 2 forum. . . you might be able to make another daughter as needed, but you can't just make another VW, good god did I just say that?
Colin

Amskeptic wrote:

Mr Blotto wrote:Colin,

We (wife, daughter, & myself) drove the Westy to Williams Bay, WI for our annual quest to pick pumpkins, and enjoy a nice fall day. I am not sure what was nicer:

1 - Spending a beautiful day with my wife and new daughter ;

2 - Eating a home-made carmel apple (grannysmith of course) in the fall sun; or,

3 - Driving my Westy, through SE Wisconsin and taking in the start of the fall colors.

Well, I gotta say that #1 takes the cake, but #3 is the runner up. My Westy has not sounded or performed better as it does now in the 2.5 years that I have owned it. Thanks for silencing my clattery valves/lifters. I think my engine wants to hang around for a few more years

Well I am glad to hear that the car kept up its end of a nice day. Do peruse my rust eradication posts popping up in the Type 2 forum. . . you might be able to make another daughter as needed, but you can't just make another VW, good god did I just say that?
Colin

4 cans of rust catalyzing primer and 2 cans of rubberized undercoating are sitting in my garage awaiting deployment.....

Didn't know you were such a sweetie, Blotto! Yeah I feel the same way about my kids, a very special bond. Sure am glad the universe is set up this way and we have our health. What more could a feller ask for????

There's nothing better than a beautiful drive with the family in a well-running VW! And it's good to hear that you are immersing your daughter in the VW culture early on!