Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:36:05 -0700
Reply-To: neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Engine Removal
In-Reply-To: <d1ea9acf0803111813o54752587l16aa3fbe8f31ab03@mail.gmail.com>
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As I understand it, the pipes can be installed with gas tank still in.
Not sure how that is done though info may be in archives. I found it
pretty easy with tank out.
If you find good used pipes, and can afford it, POR-15 them. I
refurbed mine with POR starter kit. Gave me about 3 coats IIRC. Find a
good place with room to move them around and paint them. If possible,
hang them from the ceiling. You may even want to run a long piece of
bailing wire through them to hang them while painting. Sure i think of
that now! Wish I had thought of that when I did mine..... ;)
Keep up the good work!
P.S. replace the pilot bearing if doing clutch. It's cheap!
Neil.
Oh yah. If you get some more scratch, try Zoltans hoist and method for
putting the engine back in. I just used it on mine (air cooled out.
Jetta in) Works like a hot dam and his system is great when working
with limited room. (height and room to work behind the van)
On Tue, Mar 11, 2008 at 6:13 PM, craig cowan <phishman068@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey Gang. As some of you may know, i've had nothing but engine troubles for
> about....a year and a half now. I just gave up. Something needed to be
> done...
> So i made arrangements with local Vanagon Guy Walt Spak to buy a good
> running 1.9 from him. I still have dreams of a conversion someday, and still
> hope to do one eventually, maybe on my next van. But i need to get this van
> running for the summer, and i am home from college on spring break after my
> spring break plans fell through, so i thought "What better time than now?".
> Yesterday i got down and dirty with it, and successfully removed the engine
> for the first time! I was supprised as to how smoothly everything went, and
> it was so nice having the engine out! I had every intention on replacing my
> engine and all the components, as i have vaccuum leaks, everythings rusty
> beyond use, and my fuel injection system just SUCKS. In addition, after last
> summers exhaust issues ($500 in labor to have them screw up and 'fix' their
> screwup after breaking a drillbit off inside my head...all in order to
> replace a single $2.50 exhaust gasket...), i had no intention on EVER
> reusing that head.
> With signs of headgasket leakage immenant, and a clutch that was too weak to
> make it out of the driveway... it was time to do something.
>
> A single college student with little mechanical background can remove a
> vanagon engine with only an assistant for the latter portions of the engine
> removal. To go a few steps further, today i pulled the entire intake,
> exhaust, fuel injection, and cooling systems, reducing my engine to a block.
> For curiosity's sake....i pulled the heads (some trouble with the cylinders
> trying to come out with the heads....). With the heads off it was obvious
> that this really IS a low milege engine (Supposedly a canadian rebuild) as i
> was told by the previous owner! Not a single crack between the valves, minor
> pitting, and everything looks as if its been working well! Long story short,
> it looks like i'll be reusing this engine and just replacing everything
> around it! Aside from a few broken bolts, and some concerns about fixing my
> one exhaust port "propperly", i think this should be a good candidate to
> make my van run and run well!
>
> Tommorow, I'll be dropping the gas tank (to revise my resealing of last
> year), and replacing the rusted out coolant pipes using a good used set.
> This should be quite a wrestling match, i have NO idea how well these will
> go in, as they were plently hard to get out of the parts car...
> Any tips for this?
>
> Once the engine's back in with a bunch of good new and good used parts, i
> can start on the body : )
>
> Thanks for all the help and advice from so many of you! I've learned so
> much, and i'm confident now more than ever in my abilities to work on
> vanagons!
>
> -Craig
> '85GL
>
--
Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia - "Jaco"
http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
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