Where Does the Time Go

It's been some time since my last blog entry and a lot has happened.  I started an auto shop class for homeschooled children and we've restored five VW's.  These include a '65 bug, '68 bug, '71 411, '63 ragtop bug, and another '65 bug.  I'll post some pictures when I get some time.  In the meantime, I'm looking for another project for our next semester class.  Perhaps a bus, dune buggy, or perhaps a Ford Falcon, or BMW Isseta.  We have to keep our options open.  By for now.

Ron (ovo)

Catching Up on the Past 3 Years

Here it is May 2014, almost 3 years since my last post.  Where has the time gone?  In July 2011, I wrote that I had picked up a set of new front suspension ball joints but had not yet installed them.  Well, not long after that Blog Post, I found a shop nearby that had the tools and knowledge to get them installed.  The job took four days, a press, hammer, torch, and lots of cursing.  The end result is a bus that handles like a new bus again, which isn't saying much, especially in the Santa Ana winds.

A lot has happened during the past three years. I had two job changes, an aging father-in-law who needs a lot of help, and many, many family life events.  Our oldest son, who has special needs, finished high school and was offered a job by a generous man at our church.  This is something that I never dreamed possible.  Our other two sons have been working on high school and college at the same time.

In the midst of this our middle son started driving, so we picked up a '64 bug in December 2012 that needed a lot of work.  Of course it didn't run, so we had to tow it home.  Over the past 1 1/2 years, we've gone through the whole car from front to back, rebuilding, replacing, and refurbishing everything.  The car's engine, an original 1200cc 40hp, had never been opened up since it was assembled at the factory in 1964.  The car was still (barely) 6-volts, had only minimal rust, and had been repainted (poorly) once.  The interior looked as though it had seen its fair share of rodents.  Besides the wear and tear mentioned, the car was in surprisingly good shape.

The restoration included everything mechanical, (engine, brakes, suspension, steering, shifting, etc.), interior upholstery, body work, paint, window rubber and trim, running boards, tires, and a whole lot more.  The car now drives, stops, and looks beautifully; ready for another 50 years of service (hopefully).  The only upgrades we made to the car have been a 12 volt electrical system (with Alternator), and front disk brakes for safety.  The engine was rebuilt to original 40hp specs.  (Its not easy to get a speeding ticket in a car with only 40hp).

Here are some photos, before and after:














Notice that it is now painted in its original L519 Bahama Blue.

As I was completing the final assembly on this beautifully restored piece of road art, I couldn't help but think that it would now be driven by a teenager, with all the pitfalls, potential dents, scratches, crashes, dings, etc.  "Let it go,"I told myself.  Just, "Let it go."  These fine machines were meant to be driven and used.

Along with the restoration of the little '64, I also started teaching an auto shop class on Saturdays.  This is done through a rather large local homeschool group.  Needless to say, a couple VW's have been brought back to their glory.  The first class rebuilt a '65 bug, and the second (current) class is finishing up a '68 bug.  No buses, yet.

Here's a couple photos:





That's it for now.  Happy bus (and bug) motoring.

Ron

Catching Up On All The Work

I guess I should catch you all up on the bus happenings.  It has been a very busy year with work, family, and various other commitments.  I have not had the time to do much blog updating.

Since the last engine replacement I wrote about in December/January, I decided to rebuild the spare Type-4 2-liter engine that was sitting in parts in the garage.  I took everything to the machine shop in March, where the machine shop owner told me it would be several weeks since his assistant was off work due to an injury.  Conemac Machining in Canoga Park has been in business for the better part of at four decades, handed down from father to son.  They have specialized in VW and Porsche engines since the beginning and do excellent work.  The job took the machine shop the better part of three month, with several phone calls made to check on the status. 

In late June, I finally got the call to pick up my engine.  This was the first time I have actually had someone else build my engine.  Rick told me all the work he had done, and that it was brought to like-new standards, with proper deck height and compression ratio, flywheel thrust clearance, etc.  He upgraded the exhaust valves and all valve seats in the AMC heads, and changed the valve springs to “Hydraulic springs.”  The engine looked and smelled like new.

Based on this, I decided to pull my almost new motor out of the bus and replace it with the new one.  I took a day off work in mid-June and made the swap.  It took about six hours of labor, but now the bus has a new motor with about 110 miles on it, with a great broken-in spare motor with about 2,000 miles.  I know this must seem weird, but I have always dreamed about having a good spare motor.  If a problem ever crops up, just pull out the motor, replace it with the spare, and take the time needed to do the repair while still driving the bus.  Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, that is pretty much it for now.  I bought some new front suspension ball joints to replace the 252,000 ones that are groaning, but have not built up the courage to install the new ones yet.  I’ll need to do it sooner than later, especially once the Santa Ana winds kick up in the fall/winter.  Driving the bus in the wind on the freeway can be a scary ordeal with the worn suspension parts.  I have asked around to various garages to see if they can install them, and I have researched on the Internet what the job entails.  I found a ball joint tool kit at Harbor Freight, but have not made the investment yet.  Perhaps once summer is over.

Happy Bus Motoring.

Ron  (o v o)

Broken Exhaust Manifold Stud

Every once in a while I think to myself, "I should have left well enough alone." Last night was one of those times. I decided to change the oil, do a minor tune up and adjustment, and tighten a few bolts. It was tightening the few bolts that got me into trouble. I noticed a slight exhaust leak sound coming from the left side exhaust manifold and traced the sound to the joint at the head. I decided to tighten the nuts that hold the manifold onto the studs. Three of the four nuts tightened slightly, but as I tightened the fourth one, the stud broke off just below the level of the manifold.

Arghhhhh, and a few other choice words popped into my head. This was immediately followed by, "I should have left well enough alone."

I removed the manifold and saw that there was about an inch of stud sticking out of the head. Perhaps this was enough to grasp with a vice grip to turn the stud out. Unfortunately, I could not get the vice grip on the stud without first removing the number four cylinder push rod tubes, which meant the push rods had to come out, which meant the valve rockers had to come out, which meant the valve cover and EGR filter had to be removed. I also had to remove the warm air duct that comes from the heater valve (California model only).

Once everything was removed, I gripped the stud with the vice grips. The stud would not budge. I worked the stud numerous ways over the next two hours, even heating the stud boss with a torch to expand the aluminum. Nothing worked. I cried and gave up for the evening. Through the night, I formulated a plan to cut the stud off at the head, drill it out, and rethread the head with a tap. Fortunately, I had a spare stud. The stud is called a step stud. The head end is 9mm x 1.25mm thread pitch. The nut end is 8mm x 1.25mm thread pitch. Very hard to find. I wandered off into dream land thinking about the bus sitting unusable in the garage for the next few years before I got up the energy to remove the engine once again

Skip to this morning...Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. Sorry, I know that line is already taken. Plus, my hair is hi and tight I don't really need a comb. Anyway, I spend four hours doing all that I had dreamt of through the night. I drilled, and drilled, and drilled, and drilled some more. Slowly, so as to go straight and not too far. Too far would mean drilling through the valve guide, a bad and costly mistake. This drilling required serious eye protection since I was drilling up while laying on the ground underneath. One tiny piece of metal in the eye and it would mean a day wasted in the emergency room.

Once the stud was drilled, I cut it off flush with the head. There was no turning back now. Everything appear centered and straight, which was no small feat. It took about an hour just to drill the stud and leave an almost paper thin outer shell. I retrieved a 9mm x 1.25mm tap and had to fashion a long extension bar to work it into the head. The new threads were in soon and I was able to thread the new stud into the hole. Whew! That required a lot of slow patience and careful work.

Once the new stud was in, it was just a matter of re-assembling everything back together. While I was there, I re-adjusted the hydraulic valves all around to two turns past contact. Once everything was back together I fired it up and the engine came to life, quiet, smooth, and seemingly powerful. No more exhaust leaks.

In the end, this was probably one of the most frustrating times I have experienced while working on the bus, and I thought to myself over and over that I should have left it alone. But, in the end the exhaust leak was repaired and everything was put together the right way. I experienced extreme sadness, pain (cuts, burns from the torch and hot pieces, and muscle aches), relief and great joy. I guess that is what VW bus ownership is all about. The vehicle brings forth all emotions.

Happy Bus Motoring

Ron (o v o)

Compression/Deck Height

Since the new engine was installed in December, it has been running really well.  The weather has been cold and rainy.  I noticed that once it was warmed up the starter had a hard time cranking it over.  I made a mental note to pay more attention and initially thought about compression.  Then the weather warmed up in January.  We had temperatures in the mid to upper 70's, and even close to 80.  Gotta love Southern California, except for the Santa Ana winds.  Along with the increase in ambient temperature came some knocking noises in the engine once it was warmed up.  It even had increased head temperatures, and the oil light flickered at idle after a freeway run.  Argh!

When I built the engine, a machine shop owner told me not to worry about the piston to cylinder deck height since the new AMC heads had a built in raised gasket area.  I measured the gasket area in relation to the thickness of the cylinder wall and decided to take his advice.  The added compression gave the bus a bit more power to get up the hill. 

Unfortunately, once the engine warmed up on warmer days, it appeared I had a clearance problem between the piston and cylinder head.  The metal parts, especially the aluminum piston, expanded and then there was contact between the piston and cylinder head.  Not enough to stop everything, but enough to cause some noise and concern.  With this problem, there is no way I am going to be able to take the bus to the beach for a fishing outing.

Today after the yard work was completed, I removed the engine and tore it down to the short block.  I replaced the rod bearings while the case was still together, just in case there was wear from things banging around.  They looked ok, but not perfect.  I had never replaced rod bearings in this manner before, so I was a little nervous, but everything worked out okay without any parts falling inside the case.

I then shimmed the cylinders and managed to get .055 inch in deck height.  I reassembled everything and installed the engine just in time for Diana to get home from running her errands.  I had to use a work light since the sun had set partway during the install.  The engine started right up, without any hesitation by the starter motor.  I sounds smooth so far, but tomorrow should tell how it runs on a warm day.  The weather is expected to be sunny and 72 degrees.

Next time a machine shop owner says, "Don't worry about deck height," I think I will follow the book.

Happy Bus Motoring!

( o v o )

Ron

Speaking of Oil!

One particularly boring rainy day, I was on-line and visiting some of my favorite informational VW bus websites when I discovered a growing number of tips on modern engine oils.  There was so much information out there that I wondered how had I missed this information before.  Apparently, a few years ago the motor oil industry changed the formulation of their oils to be more in line with modern air quality requirements.  This included the removal of certain elements like Zinc Dialkyl-Dithio-Phosphate (ZDDP for short).  Phosphates can shorten the life of the catalytic converter.  The new formulation works well in modern engines with roller cam lifters and the like, but not so well in older technology engines with flat cam lifters, since the elements provide the ability for the motor oil to adhere to the metal parts, providing lubrication and separation.  VW Air-cooled engines, with their old school flat cam lifters are not a good fit with the new motor oil formulations, and result in prematurely worn camshafts and lifters.

Again, how had I missed this information.  This was suspiciously suspect when compared to the camshaft and cam bearing problems I have been experiencing:  Cam bearings that last 5,000-10,000 miles before needing replacement.  When I think back to the time my camshaft and bearing problem began, it offers much to ponder.  Perhaps this was the government’s way of secretly ridding all the older cars and engines from the road in an effort to clean up the environment with newer smogless vehicles.  Or, perhaps this was the automotive industry’s way of doing the same in order to sell more new cars.  Maybe someone in the oil or auto industry got stuck in traffic behind a VW bus going up a steep grade and concocted an evil plot of revenge.  Must research further!

Anyway, this was enough to sell me on the idea of changing my bus’s motor oil.  New engine = new oil, perfect timing!  Once again the informational websites pointed to “Brad Penn” Green Oil, with plenty of ZDDP for older engines (Take that, government and auto industry!)  It is not easy to find locally in stores, but plenty easy on Amazon.com at $4.80 per quart.  That’s okay.  Even the store brands are close to that amount and if it means a longer lasting camshaft, lifters, and cam bearings, well then…

After a couple of weeks of running the Green Oil, everything seemed to be going along okay, except for the oil leak mentioned in the previous post (bad Chinese Flywheel seal).  I happened to be speaking with a neighbor who has been a mechanic in the auto industry for a few decades and specializes in 1960’s American cars such as Ford Mustangs, Galaxies, and the like.  He asked me what motor oil I was using in the bus and asked if I had heard of the “Zinc Problem.”  He said that new motor oils were no good for older style engines because of the lack of Zinc, and that there are problems with Camshaft and Lifter wear.  He said he believed it was a government conspiracy to get all the old cars off the road.  I told him, “Funny you should mention that.”

Happy Bus Motoring

Ron ( o v o )

Bus your bus leak oil, or does it just mark its spot?

I decided to replace the engine in the bus in early December.  I had built a new one with good parts, new AMC heads, Webcam Camshaft, used and polished standard crankshaft, reworked rods with all new bearings.  I had good used pistons and cylinders, but replaced the rings with new ones.  I didn't realize there is currently a worldwide shortage on VW Type 4 crankshaft bearings, but fortunately I have a couple extra sets stored away.  (Word on the street is that a company is tooling up to reproduce the bearings in China - Go figure!)  Crankshaft bearings that used to sell for $50-$60  are now going for up to $400, if you can find them.  This is an excellent running gem of a motor, smooth, with a good power band.  It should last many years - hopefully.  The three month old engine is now the spare, and is also an excellent running motor.

Well, within a short time of replacing the engine, a small oil leak developed.  In the old days, that would have meant immediately pulling the engine out and fixing the leak as quickly as possible.  Now, given my busy work schedule, coupled with the fact I have lived with leaks for so long, I have grown accustomed to their presence (as much as it still irks).  Still, new engines should not leak oil, period!

This new leak was suspiciously in the area of the center and flywheel end of the engine, meaning it could be a flywheel seal, crankshaft seal, or oil galley plug seals. Type 4 VW engines are notorious for leaky oil galley plugs.  That’s why, when the engine case was inspected by the machine shop, I had them remove the oil galley plugs and drill and tap the holes for threaded plugs.  The thought of the possibility of one or all of these new plugs (or even one of the new seals) leaking was enough to keep me awake at night.

So, on the first Monday evening after Christmas, I pulled the engine out of the bus and removed the flywheel.  The oil galley plugs were dry.  What a relief.  The lip of the flywheel seal was suspiciously wet.  I inspected the surface of the flywheel where the seal rides and it was perfectly smooth.  Not a scratch.  It just did not make sense.  I pulled the seal out of the engine case and inspected it.  I compared it with a couple of extra new seals I had in my spare parts pox (it’s always good to have spare parts).  This seal has a black outer rubberized surface, with a brown inner rubberized surface.  According to the molded-in manufacture information, it was made by “Elring.”  One of the extra new seals was identical.  The second new seal was a bright orange rubberized seal made by Victor Reinz.  The Victor Reinz seal was much thicker, and in fact was similar in thickness to the engine case surface that it is set into.  The Elring seals were much thinner than the corresponding engine case surface, causing it to be possibly installed slightly “cattywampus.”  Aha! Perhaps this was the problem.

I searched a couple of trusted Internet sources for information on the two seals and discovered the “Elring” seals used to be made in Germany and were considered to be of high quality.  Sometime in the recent past, the company outsourced their manufacturing to China and the quality dropped significantly.  In fact, several type 4 engine owners have now begun complaining that their engines leak oil because of the thin Chinese Elring seals.  The Victor Reinz seals are made in Brazil.  The thought that I had been taken again by cheap Chinese parts was too much to bear, and I had to take the rest of the night off.

Early the next morning (about 6:00) I was back at it.  I installed the new orange Victor Reinz seal, along with a new crankshaft seal (the round O-ring inside the flywheel flange).  The flywheel (five bolts torqued to 80 foot pounds) and clutch parts came next.  I installed the engine and by 9:00 am, the bus was running again. 

I have since driven the bus about 100 miles without a single drop of oil leaking from the engine.  That hasn’t happened in years.  Since cleaning up the garage floor (yes, the bus is parked in the garage while Diana’s new Honda is outside on the driveway), there is no longer the usual telltale sign that a VW even existed in the garage, err, except for the spare engine and parts, that is.

If you are tired of your VW bus marking its spot and can’t figure out the problem, try checking for the cheap Chinese flywheel seal that may be the culprit.  It will make your New Year less oily, as it has mine.

I was going to post a photo of the seal, but it is a pretty boring part to look at. Please feel free to use your imagination, or visit one of the other informational Internet sources for a good view.

Happy bus motoring

Ron ( o v o )