Engine refresh

Cool, just trying to suggest common circumstances where your piston melting air leak may have occurred - we don't want to read that it happened again after all you toil!

 

I appreciate that,

It's more annoying not knowing what caused the piston problem, or the tappet problem, I'm not sure the two are related, I would love to blame fitter error for the tappets , the same thing twice cant be coincidence , maybe the engine would have been ok last time without the air leak, I'm going to be checking again in the morning

 

I'm sure right now you have justified engine paranoia, but it will fade mile by mile.

 

It will. Get in and drive! It’ll be fine.

Have you got an oil temp guage?

 

Hmm - that's what we said last time.
And to icepug before his poptop blew off on a dual carriageway AND his engine blew up.

 

If you become neurotic, the van will never move again! If it blows up, it blows up (and Ade can buy a 1776 ). But it probably won’t.

 

Of course it will, it’s a Type 1, it’s just a matter of time.

 

Dropped a valve seat recently ?

 

Not on an engine I have built, but the 2.0l in the bus had when I bought it. It had been driven to Spain with, amongst many other things wrong, the cup and spring missing from the throttle linkage so 3 & 4 were doing all the work.

 

Just finished 1/2 fitting the temp gauge, just got to run the gauge cable to the rear In the morning,

 

What oil temp should I be looking for and what to avoid,

Do I just slow down to decrease?

 

12 o'clock (110C) is hot enough. The further it goes past that... I used to panic if mine got to 240F which is 115C. Keeping it the left side of 12 o'clock is best if only a little under.
Yep, slow down.

 

From Australia and a long time ago but it’s still valid.

 

248F/120C would worry me but if VW say it's normal who am I to argue. 1957 though. 65 year old advice?

 

120* is pushing it, but up to 100* fine, 115* if you absolutely must.

Temps above are almost exactly what I get. Tootling along between 80 - 90*.

 

And oil was nowhere near as good as it is today. I wouldn’t let mine go above 110C, but it doesn’t get anywhere near that. Cylinder head temperature is more important.

 

Mine sits at 90 whatever I do, but I'm not measuring the sump oil, I'm measuring after cooling controlled by a thermostat on it's way to the bearings. I guess all I know is the cooling works. lol

 

Excellent. Oil temp’s just a guide, but a useful one. You’ll get used to what “normal” is.

 

Your van’s got afterburners ? Cool.

 

Hasn't yours? All type-4's have them - oh - I forgot, lawnmower engines can't take the torque without throwing a rod through the case.