i think my engine is kaputt

[melmelody]

hi again everyone its me back bothering you all again.
started to take a more in depth look at my apparently seized engine last night and something is definitley not right.the engine is still not turning over by hand or on the starter motor so i thought i'd have a look under the rocker covers .took off the right hand side rocker cover(viewed from the rear) and the top end of the engine is bone dry.now i know this engine has not been run for a long time but the inside of the rocker cover is completley dry ,not even a film of oil inside .in fact its got a smokey carbon typeof film on the inside.wierd eh? so anyway i had a look on the other side and when i remved the rocker cover it pissed oil out all over my drive,but not only oil . oil and fuel mixed together. anyone ever experienced this it seems a bit odd to me unless perhaps it dropped a valve and the engine was run afterwards and continued to pump fuel into the cylinder.thing is if it dropped a valve then it must have sounded terrible if they continued to run it, thats if it would run.i don't really know that much about these Aircooled engines and their quirks but is this possible? could there be a valve sticking? and how does the oil get around the engne i assume it must have a pump if so where is this located? could a failed pump be to blame? this would certainly explain the lack of oil in the rocker chamber and if that is the case then i think its safe to assume that the crankshaft is probably siezed too. i know i will have to remove the engine to investigate further i was just looking for any pointers you ladies and gents may be able to provide.waiting in anticipation for all your replies ,thanks for reading, mel.

[albertramsbottom]

Have you tried to turn it over with the sparkys out?

Its just mine had a partial seieze that couldnt be shifted by hand but would just about turn with the starter with all the sparkys out. I dont know about the valves as this is well above my expertese.

If anything this answer is a bump to get some other peoples advice

All the best
Albert Ramsbottom

[VWCamperfan]

How did it stop in the first place? Was it running when last used or did it seize during use? If it hasn't been used for a while the rocker covers can appear to be dry. Oil coming out of one side and not fron the other is usually due to the vehicle being parked on a tilt and the sump oil running back up through the pushrod tubes.
Now... IF it was running when last used then you may be able to free it a little by towing the van, putting into top gear and slowly raising the clutch pedal. If the engine is properly seized then the wheels will just skid. You may be able to do the same by pushing the van too but lifting the clutch pedal a bit faster.
Make sure you have enough oil in there before you begin though.

[albertramsbottom]

Rock it back and forth in 4th gear - might do it

cheers

[melmelody]

hi all ,
thanks for all your replies so far and heres a few answers to your queries.the van was purchased from a scrap yard in germany whilst looking for doors for another t25 i own and when i asked if it ran the turkish chap selling it explained that it had been at his place for 5 monthsand that the engine was shot but that he didnt know what was wrong with it.after buying it anyway i did a bit of investigating into its history and from the german logbook it appears it was taken out of use in jan 2009 so to that end i do know that it has'nt been run for over a year.as for it being parked on a slope no it has been on my drive since about jan this year and thats almost flat and in the scrappie it was parked in a flat piece of field, but what i thought was dead srtange is the inside of the rocker covers .completely bone dry not even anoily film if anything it had a soottie finish to it like it was filling up with exhaust gases ( possibility i suppose burnt out exhaust valve) but what could cause the fuel in the oil on one of these engines other than flooding and it running past the piston rings? any thoughts ideas guesses gladly accepted as i think this is more than one fault and thats why im going off the beaten track so to speak. i was kinda hoping that someone might have experienced one or 2 if not all the symtoms i'm having so keep em coming folks .thanks again for reading ,mel

[VWCamperfan]

Petrol in oil Isn't too uncommon with these engines. Most commonly caused by a split diaphragm in the fuel pump. It allows fuel past and into the crankcase. Might be worth checking there first.

[dugwiththevwbug]

petrol seeps back past the piston rings and contanimates the oil this wil be worse when the oil service intervals have been left for a long while.
the oil as suggested in an earlier post will settle one side if the vans been on an incline and the time the engine has not been run i would expect the other side to be dry.

to try to loosen of the suspected seizure i would remove all spark plugs and spray plentifull amounts of wd40 down the barrels give it a day to do its magic and get a large spanner on the crankshaft and turn it over by hand. If it is properly seized it will be a strip down job.
I have got beetles turning over that have been dormant for 15 years this way just make sure you flush through with cheap oil afterwards and then refill with good oil if it unseizes that is

have fun regards doug

[melmelody]

hi all ,
thanks for all your replies so far ,here is the latest update.
took out all the plugs and sprayed penetrating oil down the cylinders then tried to turn over manually with a socket and ratchet on the 13mm bolt on the end of the crankshaft and its still solid wwhen turning in a clockwise direction and if i try to turn anti clockwise it just undoes the bolt.
while squirting oil down the cylinders i did notice that if you look in the inspection hole that allows inspection of the flywheel it looks like it has blueing on the flywheel.this must be as a result of excessive heat to cause the flywheel to blue so i'm thinking the crankshaft is siezed. won't be able to check much morre until i get the engine out and then i'll whip off the heads and barrels and check if it will turn then but to be honest i'm expecting the worst. is it a major job to do a bottom end rebuild on these engines? looking at it at the moment i dont look too difficult but dont want to split the casing if i'm gonna need special toools etc to get it apart and back together again .anyone with prior experience or nightmare stories of their rebuild to tell me before i start ? id be most happy to hear them just so i can get an idea of what i'm getting myself into. ha ha

[albertramsbottom]

I would source a recon from VW elite or Luari Pettitt and then get you own out a strip it.

[melmelody]

hi albert.
i have another engine that i bought off a member on here and its a runner,just needs a good service and some of the tin replacing but my engine has good tinware and good heat exchangers and exhaust and also has a set of spare cabs etc. just need to get the knackered one out of the van now and then get the other fitted. if its a nause to rebuild the siezed engine i'll just start saving for a recon and put the old one in for exchange when i have some spare cash i think as got lots on this summer and may not have the time to do it myself.