Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (May 2000, week 1)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Thu, 4 May 2000 12:13:27 -0400
Reply-To:     Bob Donalds <bostneng@FCL-US.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bob Donalds <bostneng@FCL-US.NET>
Organization: Boston Engine Exchange
Subject:      Re: Lifter/Valve question
Comments: To: Bulley <gmbulley@bulley-hewlett.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Bulley wrote: > > Bob- > > As always, I value your guidance. > > My 1982 Westfalia 2.0 liter with 96mm jugs/CW crank is due for what I > consider a "normal" service, but I thought I'd check my experience with > yours. > > I have found that 5-7k after an air-cooled rebuild, it is helpful/necessary > to re-torque the lower head bolts, re-adjust the valves (even if hyd), and > snug up the exhaust manifold nuts. I'm planning on doing this service on > Saturday a.m. (since there is no VW mechanic here). > My questions: > 1. Have you found the need for head re-torque/valve adjust/exhaust > re-torque to be true? Am I just carrying mental baggage from my days > building type 1s? (we used to re-torque lower head bolts at 5k, then every > > > Thanks, > > G. Matthew Bulley > Matt glad your back on the list I have missed your input and wit re-torqueing heads bolts is a time honored tradition with the air cooled engines. As you may know I rebuild single port engines for use in zambonis (ice rink resurfacing machines.) Air cooled enignes in this application live a very hard life that was measured in months not years until I made some simple changes. these poor little abused engines had all the symtoms of the its street counter part but in a tenth of the time pulled head studs burnt valves cracked heads. When I lowered the compression ratio to 7 from 1 from 7.75 to 1 the life of these engines increased to the point that I was putting my self out of the zamboni engine business. I now offer a 2 year warrenty on all my air cooled industrial engines. I keep in touch with the techs that maintain these these engines. As a part of tuning they retorque the lower heads nuts before they adjust the valves. They report to me that some engines don't loose there torque. One of these engines is local and I have stopped in and measured the oil temps after it makes ice. this engine runs at 185 oil temp and its propane fueled but thats another story. The point In am trying to make by telling you this story is that when the engine is within a reasonable oil-head temp range it makes better power, lives longer and it heads nuts are not as likley to loose there torque. I do use the fuelie bug blocks on the propane engines they are made of the same stuff the air cooled vanagon blocks are made of. The bottom line is if the head nuts loose there torque the engine is getting to hot.

Gene Berg was right! he said to me more than once what do I have to gain by telling you to run lower compression ratios. he gained my trust and loyalty.

. When you adjust type 2 valves how many turns do you give? (I'm a one > turn guy, but I know some say 'no clearance' some say '2 turns', or 5/8s > turn, etc.) > Just preloading valves a turn or two would be a mistake some hydraulic lifters cant take much of a preload ever I dont know why. This has become a huge problem for the air cooled vans and I have seen it in the watercooled also. Burnt valves in a very short time is not uncommon even with the good seats and valves. The valves must touch the seats to disapate the heat or they fail. To prevent burnt valves I now tell my customers that they need to do a compression test before and after the engine has had the the lifters preloaded and they preload the lifters at there own risk! I have backed off my customers preloaded valve adjustment with gains of 20 pounds across the board when they just preloaded and did no testing. There has been no report of lifters failng because of valve adjuster lash(clearance) my own van has run this way for 2 years. Its not clear why this is happening but I have personaly backed off the adjusters for the editor of the vanagon manual and cured his low vacuum,poor performance and low compression readings in his own air cooled vanagon.

3. How frequently should I adjust my hydraulic valves (ever?). > It may take more than once to get the valves there they need to be or at least as close you can get to preload. A compression test needs to be apart of any valve adjustment. once the the valves are set and checked for full closing your done with adjusting.

My man at Bentley says (Bentley gets its info from VW and passes it along without passing jugdement they have told me they do not feel free to modify that's been handed to them without a tech bulletin to back it up even when I have proven to them that there is a better way. I did ask them to include my web page address in the next vanagon book but they declined go figure.

I am looking for fuelie bug blocks if anybody has one or more to sell

hope this helps I must get back to work assemble yet another 2.1 long block Bob Donalds http://www.bostonengine.com


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.