Club 80-90 Forums

p373r42 wrote: only to start it up and have little or no oil pressure.
.

I assume CJ will change the oil pump.. and prime it

kevtherev wrote: I assume CJ will change the oil pump.. and prime it

Those both sound like useful things to do, provided I remember to put oil in it. What oil should I use?

CJH wrote: What oil should I use?

The same sort you use now!

mark richards wrote:...give the pulley a good yuck to check for end float...

kevtherev wrote:...the only thing not available is the crankshaft and maybe the camshaft ...

So case, heads, crank and cam are the main bits to worry about then. What's the deal with the end float? Is it always possible to shim it up to the right level, or is it possible that internal crank and/or case damage makes it impossible? I ask because that ebay engine seems to be missing its pulleys so I won't be able to check.

And if I need to replace the pulleys, would the timing on a 2.1 be the same as for a 1.9, so that I can just transfer the pulleys from my current engine? Same goes for the distributor I think - I've seen adverts for distributors for the 1.9 and apparently a different one for the 2.1. Will my 1.9 distributor work ok on a 2.1?

found this though you might have already read it link 1...............end float usually means a bottom end rebuild you would only shim it after everything else is all good. if you scroll down link 2 the permitted end float is there, take a good pair of mole grips and give it a yuck

http://www.oldvolkshome.com/19to21.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.vanagonauts.com/2.1L-Vanagon-Specs234.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

mark

Thanks Mark, very useful links.

So according to link 2:

END PLAY SPECIFICATIONS

Application Specification (mm)

-----------------------------------

Standard .003-.005 (.07-.13)

Service Limit .006 (.15)

0.15mm isn't very much - I'd say that if I can see any play by eye it's probably getting on for that much.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is it about a rebuild that would get rid of that end play? Regrinds and thicker shells stop the big ends rattling, but what stops the crank from moving back and forth.

end float can also show the up and down (axial) movement of the bearings, to check it remove the flywheel over shim it and tighten it up 1/4 turn past finger tight to lock the fly wheel, there should be no movement up and down...................though I seem to recall that the bearings in a 2.1 differ to the previous engines but should still show any wear the same as previous incarnations. once shimmed correctly the flywheel sets the end float.

mark

Thanks Mark

I've got plenty to learn, obviously.

For good or bad I've bought the engine that was on ebay, sight unseen. Worst case I'll have parts to part out to recoup some of the cost.

I'm planning to collect it tomorrow - long shot I know but is anyone planning a journey from Suffolk (IP16) in the general direction of Nottingham in the near future?

Fetched the engine today. Turned out to be a VW/Audi breakers. Used to deal in a lot of T25s but hadn't had many recently. This engine had been sat for a long time and he'd been resisting offers for parts from it in the hope of selling it complete, so we're both happy.

Still none the wiser whether it's any good, obviously, as it's still sat in my boot waiting till I can get a helping hand to lift it out. Even though it's a winter project, I'd quite like to get it apart so I know what's good and what's not while it's still show season and I can make good use of the trade stands. So I'll invest in an engine stand and start it on a course of Plusgas.

The account so far:

let the spanner see the cheque book

mark

Round 1 to me - after a day with Plusgas soaking in I spent 10 minutes between tending the BBQ, and got the inlet manifold and the alternator off without drama. I'd been expecting the alternator to have been bigger than my current one, and therefore possibly worth a refurb, but it's another 45A one. Was that normal on a 2.1?

Also, just in case I was tempted to reuse the old oil pump (which I wasn't) - it's ok, it hasn't got one, nor the cover plate. Maybe the guy at the breakers gave in to the temptation to sell a few parts after all, but I'd be surprised if anybody wanted a second hand oil pump.

Now then, this suggestion to get the head nuts red hot to help free them off - how careful do I have to be around the alloy heads? I'm planning to give the Plusgas a good while longer yet, but when I do eventually have a go, is there a risk that the heat will damage the heads?

OK, moving right along, impatience got the better of me and I had a go at one of the head nuts. Well, they had been soaking in Plusgas all day. And it came off without snapping! There were signs of some sort of lubricant inside the nut from when it was assembled. So I tried another one. And now I've got all 16 off without a single stud snapping - result!

I haven't got the heads off yet though, as the exhaust is still attached. In fact the exhaust studs look like they're going to be a bit of a problem, as a few of them have corroded to the point where the nuts aren't even recognisable hexagons - just little mounds of rust. So I think I'm going to have to take the nuts off with an angle grinder, and then get the mole grips onto the remaining studs once the exhaust pipes are out of the way. So remember, "Stop me if I'm being stupid", if there's a better way please speak up. The bolts through the plastic thermostat housing are similarly corroded - I think there must have been water leaks in this area, since the exhaust studs under the thermostat are the worst of the lot.

As a matter of interest, I found what looks like a date stamp across the crank case joint to the left of the breather tower - 24 3 94. I'm guessing this indicates it's a rebuild, as that's too late to be an original build date I'd have thought. Is there any way to find out more?

got a picture of the engine stamp?

kevtherev wrote:got a picture of the engine stamp?

Here you go.

Got a fair bit more disassembled today. The exhaust headers were unusable anyway so I cut them off near the heads so that I can work on the studs later. One of the heads came off fairly easily then. It brought the liners with it though, and they're still stuck to the head since I'm not sure how much force it's safe to use. They seem pretty well stuck, and if there's any likelihood of reusing them I don't want to distort them. Any suggestions?

The second head just will not budge though. I've got as brave as hitting the stubs (not studs) of the exhaust pipes with a hefty hammer, but it seems really tightly stuck. I used a nut and bolt in a couple of places, unwinding the nut to make a 'pusher' between head and case, and I managed to get a gap of 1-2mm along the top face, but that's all. I have the feeling that the liners are stuck fast to both the head and the case, although it could just as well be the sealant on the water seal that won't let go.

I've found a couple of helicoils (one in a thermostat bolt, one in one of the exhaust studs in cylinder 3) so it's obviously had work done - maybe when it was rebuilt in 1994. The bolts in these holes came out pretty easily.

Anyway, here's a few shots of the interior of the right hand bank. To my untrained eye there doesn't seem to be any damage, so I think the head and pistons should all be reusable, but I'd welcome a more experienced opinion.

Piston 1.


Piston 2. Note the corrosion all across the water seal - I bet that's what's happening in my existing engine.


Studs. They look fine to me - some surface rust but no pitting to speak of.


Outside of liner 1 and liner 2 - pretty rusty. Will these clean up and be reusable, or do I need new liners?



Valves in cylinders 1 and 2. A bit coked up but the head seems ok to me. Won't know about the valve seats till I disassemble further, but it doesn't look to me as though any of the valves was leaking. But I'm no expert.