I think the general opinion is it needs a rebuild but check endfloat before you go on with it as it could show you that the case needs too much work
No, I'm saying your bearings are suspect because your oil pressure is low. But before you even consider replacing them to cure the low oil pressure you need to know if the case also needs machining. The end float is a good indicator of that. If your endfloat is out of spec the cure is to have your case line bored with a new thrust face and narrower bearing to fit that. But!!! There's more - it might be your oil pressure is low because the case is warped and someone fitted new bearings to it either without realising or to without caring how long it lasted and it could be your case has already been machined to the max and is now scrap. There is no way to know without dismantling it, but if you decide to throw the towel in, you don't want to dismantle it because you will want it to trade in for another. so, it's more of a one thing at a time jobby - first off before you dismantle anything a very good indicator for the state of it all is end float. If for example you found it was miles out, you KNOW you are at a MINIMUM in for case machining, new bearings. But it could be worse - your crank journals might also need machining, your case could be warped beyond sensible use etc. Or want deefer said in far less words!
Or, after checking the end float you could still get it a new case if if came to that BUT you might find the rest of the internals are so worn you basically need a new everything at which point you would slap it back together and trade it in or go loopy and build a super duper uprated engine as you'd be buying so many new parts anyway. There are so many options and they are often steered by the state of what you have.
Measure end float before taking the flywheel off - it will measure several mm after the flywheel and shims are removed: the flywheel is acting as one end stop. The oil pressure not rising with RPM is a bit strange , as the 25 psi at 2500 RPM is about right , you would expect more at higher RPM, typically 10 psi per 1000 rpm to around 40 psi, maybe somebody stuck the wrong spring in the pressure relief valve, or it is partly stuck open.
10psi/1,000 rpm is an old wives tale, it should be up at 40psi by 2,500 and stay there, that's the whole idea of a dual relief case.
Elite engine in Essex sell reconditioned engines, does this look good value, It is the easiest option but my fag packet sums put a rebuild of mine at around 400, but there are going to be things I've missed
And I know I'm clutching at straws but could it be the pressure relief thingy sticking is it worth undoing it and giving it a clean or poke,
Unlikely. Diminishing oil pressure: worn bearings or (type 1 speciality) the case halves opening up around the centre split main bearing. If you've got the case stripped, bolt the bare case halves to spec then shine a small torch behind the join in the centre main bearing webs. If you can see a crack of light, it's opening up, so will need a bit of machining. I wouldn't go looking at recon engines until you've assessed what you've got.
Ok thanks, so once I have removed the engine and checked the endfloat, what would be the next step if the endfloat is acceptable
No, Elite VW is where you go to get a cheap engine because yours just blew up and it's the last straw so you decide to sell the damn thing and you want to write "new engine" on your advert. I really wouldn't if you intend to keep and drive your bus yourself. It would probably make the 1 year/10,000 miles but not necessarily, you might be going back over and over again - they can swap 'em out in about 1/2 hour! They are what they are, I don't mean to malign them because they are cheap. Too cheap, it doesn't add up, they must spend 20 minutes building them. For example they can't mess about measuring anything, they don't have time - straight in there with a line bore, new guides and valves so they have a pile of parts to slap together without looking. lol
Ok, well that rules them out then, I think my main concern is striping it down and then finding myself stuck with no idea how to rebuild it for the best, it's been a long journey, how long roughly would it take from start to finish including machine work are we talking months or weeks , the engine shed is only up the road for the machine work if their any good , I don't know, I don't really want a bus I can't use for months
The better cheap end of the market is The Engine Shop (probably what you meant as they are indeed up the road from you). https://www.theengineshop.info/ Don't give up too quick, you may find your end float is in spec and you don't need to do anything except replace bearings and piston rings and sort out that spark plug. One step at a time remember.
You could even get some idea right now before taking the engine out by grabbing the pully and yanking/pushing on it to see if it moves a lot. Try it, guess how far it moves and report back. mm's is bad.
Thanks all, I'm a born worrier, ironicly also an ex mechanic, Thanks all for putting my mind at rest, Engine out tomorrow
It’s fine if you do decide to get stuck in. The aircoolers look weird, but are very, very simple beasts. Might need to invest in a few more tools, but everything’s pretty straightforward. Most probs are due to wear, esp on type 1s. Main issue I’d say is find someone competent to do the machining if needed, but there are folk around.
Right I've pushed the pulley end forwards towards the front of the bus, hard, set my dial indicator at 0, pulled equally as hard and it moved to 8 lines , I know 1 revolution is 1 mm , see pic, I hope this is good
Well that's nice to hear, I know it's late , I've still got to go to work yet, but what would be the next step, I can drop the engine tomorrow,
