Date:         Wed, 17 Apr 1996 09:05:00 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" <SMAHER@gi.com>
Subject:      RE: Alpine Developments, V6anagony


>Steve: so where was the pilot bearing? Sounds like in the flywheel.
>Enquiring minds want to know. R.e. the vibration, I have a 1700 Type IV on 
a
>Beetle 'box, also vibrates, mostly when shifting down between 3000 and 2000
>rpm.

Yes, the pilot bearing was press-fit into the flywheel, not the crankshaft.
And sure enough, the vibration I felt, was usually in the 2600-3200 rpm
range-- quite a coincidence! Later, after the clutch died, there was an
extremely *heavy* vibration, right at those same engine speeds in any gear.
I think this was partly because major pieces of the clutch had broken off
(springs, other fragments) and become lodged in off-balance places between
the clutch disc and pressure plate.

Since the day I've had the V6anagon, the vibration manifested itself in
a strange way: the shifter handle rattled like a cement mixer, at the
RPMs I mentioned (2600-3200). This was most noticeable in third gear,
but was present in all gears. Keeping a heavy hand on the shifter knob,
damped out a lot of the vibration, but of course did nothing for the
*cause* of the vibration.

I still think the main cause of the vibration, was misalignment. I haven't
yet had a chance to measure for this. But when I do, I have a hunch I'll
find that the engine is sitting maybe 1/8" to the left of center (or
whichever direction) on the adapter. I also wonder how snugly the adapter
fits into the bellhousing opening. It has a ridge machined all the way
around, about the same size and shape as the ridge on the mounting flange
of a type-4 engine I would guess, so that the adapter can't slide back
and forth on the bellhousing. I wonder how precise that part of the
fitting is, too?

When I have a chance to measure, I'll let you all know.


>'6? Series IIA SW - factory fitted Lucas immobiliser

Is this by chance a Sunbeam Alpine or Tiger? If it's an Alpine, then it
must be a '62 or '63, with straight tail fins, and rounded corners on
the doors and bonnet. It should also have leaded-in seams (invisible seams)
from the rear corners of the bonnet to the windshield, and from the bottom
front corners of the doors down the rocker panels. And, praise the Lord,
the top is actually foldable, which it virtually wasn't on the Series-1
I learned to drive on.

If it's a Tiger, it's a '66, with curved tail fins and square corners on
all the doors and bonnet. If you notice a slight engine miss that won't
go away, try crossing the #2 and #3 spark plug wires. And putting 
aftermarket
vents in the rear corners of the bonnet may look tacky, but will help the
engine run cooler, especially in heavy traffic.

BTW, any part from Lucas has a good chance of becoming an "immobiliser",
usually fairly soon after it's installed. Over here, Lucas is referred to
as the "Prince of Darkness".   :^)

    _______
   /\ o o o\         Steve Maher   smaher@gi.com   75461,1717
  /o \ o o o\_______   San Diego, California
 <    >------>   o /|
  \ o/  o   /_____/o|      '80 VW V6anagon
   \/______/     |oo|        '66 Mustang Coupevertible
         |   o   |o/       '89 Son Sherwin
         |_______|/
                     http://www.lookup.com/homepages/76242/home.html