Date:         Sun, 14 Jul 2002 09:08:45 -0500
Reply-To:     Jeremy Speer <jspeer@POBOX.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeremy Speer <jspeer@POBOX.COM>
Subject:      Mystery Machine back on the road (long)
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Folks,

I'm hoping this will be the last installment in the clutch replacement saga
that began something like a month ago.

Briefly, i had a local VW shop install a LUK clutch kit that i bought from
Ken at Vanagain. My flywheel needed to be replaced too due to a small crack.
The van has been leaking oil from between the engine and transmission ever
since.

Took it back to the shop. They "redid" the job. After only a few highway
miles...drip drip drip.

I took it back again, but this time there were all sorts of scheduling
problems and broken appointments, one that was almost comical. To make
matters more fun the owner of the shop started down the, "this might not be
our fault," road. "Your galley plugs or cam shaft freeze plug might be
leaking."

I then learned the galley plugs can be replaced, but the big plug that backs
up the camshaft, on the flywheel end, according to my sources, cannot be
removed, threads cut in the block and a threaded plug installed. The
crankcase would have to be split in order to replace it.

But a trip to a different mechanic... one that had been recommended by
several folks here in Minneapolis... and the van is back on the road. After
54 highway miles, not a drip to be found. Fingers remain crossed, but so far
so good.

He put the flywheel the previous shop had installed in the back of my van.
It was covered with oily surface rust. The face had not been machined...
just scuffed up with some kind of orbital sander. It was completely missing
one tooth off the ring gear, another was decayed to almost nothing, and the
leading edges of all the teeth on the ring gear, where the starter pinion
slams against it, were visibly deformed. He left the original problematic
main seal was still around the flywheel center flange. The silver spring
inside the seal was deformed at one point and there was a nick in the inside
portion of the seal.

Was the main seal that the first shop installed bad? Was it nicked by the
shop when they tried to seat it? Unknown. The ring gear on the flywheel,
though, was too far gone. I'll try and put some photos online if anybody is
curious what all this looks like.

So, any Minneapolis folks planning any trips? I stopped and refilled my
propane tank on the way home from the mechanic's place... i'm just itching
to take a trip before something else breaks.

-jspeer
'89 Westy, "Mystery Machine"