Date:         Wed, 24 Jan 2001 18:12:04 -0500
Reply-To:     Derek Drew <derekdrew@RCN.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Derek Drew <derekdrew@RCN.COM>
Subject:      Re: Crankshaft Endplay Adjustment Hits Me Flat
In-Reply-To:  <6D98540C0CD2D311808500E018C1EBFEF8E49C@novant1>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

I just received a call from Boston Bob on this issue. I cannot think of
anyone more qualified to comment since he makes this measurement as part of
his daily work all the time. He made me feel better when he said this
measurement drives him nuts as it did me.

His take on it is that if there is any grease in there it will affect the
endplay and distort the reading, and so to install everything dry.

He says to avoid using even oil except that you might have to use oil on
the first thrust shim if neccessary but to install everything else dry.

He said people operating under his direction always want to put just a
little oil on there, and he tells them not to do it! No grease. No oil. He
says the oil will definitely affect the measurement.

Also, he says to take the measurement at top dead center only. I did not do
that.

He says to avoid using any hammers as well--just to push it one way then
the other.

So now the new concept is to install without oil on the shims and then
measure from the center of the flywheel.

Bob was also animated about the procedure he posted a few weeks back to
improve flow in the motor, but wouldn't provide HP estimates, saying this
would be giving me BS since the HP hasn't been measured on a dyno.
Nevertheless, I thought it was worth noting that he offers this procedure.

Agreement is wide that at the end of the day it is not likely I will need
much adjustment, or any.

At 03:24 PM 1/24/01 -0700, you wrote:
>Measuring endplay is not a brute force task. Remember that your crank is
>going to move this amount every time you press the clutch, accelerate,
>decel, etc.  If you are bending the flywheel almost .009", you are torquing
>way too hard.
>
>We always check endplay near the edge of the flywheel with no problems.
>Also, we always use oil, not grease, on the shims.
>
>Z
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Daniel Schmitz [mailto:djs@GENE.COM]
>Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 3:19 PM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: Crankshaft Endplay Adjustment Hits Me Flat
>
>
>Measuring from the outside would be fine if you aren't flexing the
>flywheel when measuring. Prying with a screwdriver while measuring
>endplay near the edge of the flywheel will give erroneous readings.
>
>I am willing to bet (my currently not running '87 Westfailure) that your
>endplay is within tolerance.
>
>Dan
>
>Derek Drew wrote:
> >
> > Thanks. I found this helpful.
> >
> > I will remeasure from the center of the flywheel.
> >
> > All the manuals I have show it being measured at the outside, and I
> > definitely think the flywheel was flexing, so in the center this should
>fix
> > the problem and get a better measurement.
> >

_______________________________________________
Derek Drew                                            New York, NY
CEO & Co-Founder
http://www.ConsumerSearch.com/
===========================
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for product reviews on the Internet
Jan. 2001, PC World Magazine
==========================
80 South Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10038
derekdrew@rcn.com
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