Date:         Thu, 8 Aug 2002 15:11:31 -0500
Reply-To:     Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Why this type IV engine caught fire,
              spun the mains and ruined everything.
Comments: To: gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

If someone has never had a Type IV or other engine laid out across their
garage floor they don't know how gruesome that one little picture is.
It just screams ........... "check everything again", at me.
After about six of these type IV rebuilds I never gave much thought to
the way that case just snapped together. I know now that initial snap
without force is the sign of OK.
This could have happened to the best rebuilder in the world if he were
distracted or worrying about his aching back.
The owner of this burnt van was very disappointed and after working for
five hours getting the engine and transmission out, there was another
four hours of stripping off the curled sheet metal and scraping off
melted plastic and rubber debris, I think you could say I was
disappointed too.
After several hours of checking the rods, crank, bearings with
micrometers and cleaning various parts for a better inspection I just
decided that this whole engine had to go into the dumpster. I reached the
point that I was about to use a cutting torch to melt off the 2&4 pistons
to get the case separated.
There just wasn't anything left in the engine that I'd consider running
myself and I wanted the temptation to use any of these parts gone from my
thinking.

Stan Wilder




On Thu, 8 Aug 2002 14:58:25 -0400 "G. Matthew Bulley"
<gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM> writes:
> On my very first Type4 rebuild (1984) I left out one of the
> crankshaft
> dowel pins. Couldn't find it, and thought "hey, I'm smarter than
> VW...
> the motor can do without some tiny little pin..."
>

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