Looking back through service bulletins .. Fuel flap deleted, model year 1974 production August 1973 on .. A T4 engine in a bus model year 1972 production August 1971 .. Looks like my manuals came via the AA when it was a real club.. my father in law who lived in Ireland used to come over and use the RAC as a London club with a cheap car park and accomodation.
Notice the 72 t4's didn't have a top engine access hatch. Some had ebers in the engine bay too - nightmare to work on those ones. My 74 doesn't have the filler neck welded to the side panel - has anyone seen this?
Don‘t mix T# and type#. A T4 is a watercooled type 2 A type 4 engine is something different. We differentiate in Germany: - a T2a (earl-y bay) - a T2ab (8.1971 - 7.1972, mix of round bumpers, large taillights, etc.) - a T2b ( the late bay) - and T2c for later Brazilian models. The top engine hatch was only used in model year 1973 with the bigger type 4 engine, not the smaller type 1 beetle ones There had been many modifications and optimizations every model year - and sometimes in-between - than documented by fins in part lists.
We call it a T4 engine because of its vehicle of origin. A Transporter T4 is a cheap rusty vehicle that plays loud music until 3 in the morning on campsites, and the diesel version of the same is slower than a Transporter T2b.
Zeds post uses lower case 't' as an abbreviation for 'type'. And for your records our 1977 my, model year!, 1978 registered, 2.0l GE engine code T2b also has an above engine hatch. So are we to assume you mean FROM 1973 the t4 flat four aircooled engined vans had this feature?
Thanks, I was being lazy, I usually refer to them in full - type-4 engines. The 72's with type-4 engines - none had a top hatch, I guess it took some feedback for VW to realise how difficult they are to work on the carbs with the aux fan in the way and the ones I've seen all had ebers with duct running past the LH carb too which made things even more difficult.
