Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 22:49:53 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Update: Bad Valve Issues/Question, Opinion sought.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
http://williamwareagency.com/forsale/stanvan/shapingup.htm
Try this ............... Its my generic Fix All.
Stan Wilder
83 Air Cooled Westfalia
On Sun, 29 Sep 2002 23:20:24 -0400 Jeff Strickrott <jstric01@CS.FIU.EDU>
writes:
> Hi Again:
>
> Thanks for all the helpful input. Can't trust all that the shops
> say. I
> redid the compression check today with a better compression gauge
> (old
> one had a leaky valve) and observed the following:
>
> #1 130-140 psi, possibly carbon built up?
> #2 120-125, 130 after 10 crank cycles,
> #3 120-130
> #4 100-110, 115 after 10 crank cycles, 130 after I added some oil,
> so
> a leaking piston ring.
>
> What is a good way to reduce/remove carbon?
>
> I have no idea how the other shop was reading a 100 psi? Bad gauge,
> poor
> battery condition. They must be hurting for money to suggest that
> the
> heads needed to be redone. I had not received the total estimate,
> but
> they wanted at least $464 for new lifters (VW parts price, no labor)
> and
> given the cost of rebuilt heads (from Bus Depot), the shops labor
> rate
> $50 per hours, and $150 to RR the engine, I would guess somewhere in
> the
> neighborhood of $1000-$1200. For that amount it would be worth it to
> get
> a rebuilt long block from Bus Depot and put the engine in myself.
>
> Anyway, I readjusted the timing, it was off a little after I put in
> the
> new coil and wires. I did not think the new parts would affect the
> timing, but anyway it is now at 7.5 BTDC. The vacuum improved a
> little
> and I am now at 15.2 inHG. Still not at the 16-19 inHg others
> report. I
> am awaiting the throttle body to air distributor gasket so maybe
> that
> will help.
>
> I am going to learn how to adjust the valves this week. Any
> suggestions?
> I think Stan Wilder had some thoughts on this and I will search the
> archives.
>
> When I first started the car today to do the test, it sounded like
> one
> of the vales for cylinder #4 was sticking. After the engine warmed
> up
> this went away and now I do not hear it anymore. I am in the process
> of
> doing Stan's suggestion of running Marvel mystery oil through the
> system
> to help flush the crap out and hopefully this problem will go away.
>
> I also tested the fuel pressure after I let the hot engine sit.
> Waited
> about 15 minutes. The pressure was about 36 psi and holding steady,
> so
> it does not seem like the injectors are leaking. When I last
> looked,
> about 4 hours later, the fuel pressure was about 22-24 psi and
> holding.
> I will redo the shops leaking injector test later as I can't trust
> any
> of their reported results.
>
> I fixed most of the major leaks in the exhaust and of course
> afterwards
> found some more. For the time being I am just using exhaust epoxy
> sealer. Once I have everything running well then I can dedicate
> some
> time to removing the old system. Backfiring all but disappeared. I
> adjusted the fuel/air mixture by ear, but I will have to go to a
> shop to
> adjust the CO/HC mixture correctly. I have an O2 sensor (unheated)
> but
> placement at the rear of the exhaust does not heat it up enough for
> an
> accurate reading. In the new exhaust I will have the O2 sensor
> mounted
> before the cat and thus should better be able to tune the system.
>
> Tested the van on the road and now it has plenty of power. At 60
> mph, I
> had plenty of peddle left to go faster. Did not time my
> acceleration,
> but will later to compare it to David's numbers. I will have to see
> what
> the gas mileage is?
>
> Regards,
> --Jeff Strickrott
> 82 Westy, South Florida
>
> Joel Walker wrote:
>
> > > I am curious why you say that it sounds like a car
> > with 100k. Actually
> > > the van only has 50k, it sat a lot at the owners
> > house. The mileage has
> > > never been tampered with thus maybe the engine was
> > just never cared for.
> > > It was an older couple who had the car. I have some
> > of their repair
> > > sheets, but not the whole collection.
> >
> > hmm. mostly cause of the compression being down to 100.
> > it should be up to like 130-140 for only 50,000 miles.
> > or so my fading memory tells me. you might really want
> > to check the valve adjustment on it.
> >
> > > The exhaust has the EGR pipe hole and a crack along
> > the crossover. I
> > > have a complete exhaust system to replace it with but
> > have not started
> > > with putting penetrating oil on it to start the
> > removal process yet.
> >
> > those could easily help the backfiring situation. it
> > might even be NOT a 'backfire' but just an exhaust
> > pulse 'burp' out the crack in the crossover or the
> > hole. when you decelerate, you disturb the pulse
> > pattern in the exhaust, and you could get some sort of
> > combination that burps or farts out the hole and make a
> > loud noise, whereas normally, with the pulses all in
> > sync with each other, the noise of the leak is subdued.
> > i don't know all the wherefores and such, but i know
> > that a correctly tuned exhaust will gain power and a
> > badly tuned exhaust will lose power ... all due to the
> > pulses (from the cylinders) in the exhaust. probably
> > best to get the exhaust fixed and then see if you still
> > have the noise.
> >
> > but get the valves adjusted anyway. ;)
> >
> > good luck!
> > joel
>
>
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