Building an AutoStick Engine

[FlamingChris]

Hiya Chris,

.......someone about to tell me why i couldn't get the right end float - the crankshaft was too long.

Ouch!  Wrong crankshaft, I presume?  A friend of mine was putting together his engine at about the same time I was building the engine in this thread.  He opted for an aftermarket counter weighted crankshaft from CB Performance, a reseller with a good reputation.  It turned out that his crankshaft also was a bit too long.  He had no problems with his endplay but did have a problem at the other end of the engine.  He could not get his main pulley to align properly with the generator pulley. 

By the way, how are coming along with your project?   

Sorry i didn't notice you replied on this, it didn't show up as unread for some reason.

My project's coming along nicely, I finally got all the engine issues sorted by scrapping the new crankshaft and having the old one inspected (to find it wasn't bent from the old engine dropping a valve) and ground. The car's now going off to the garage to have a few bits of paint touched up where my cat's took a disliking to the roof, then it's just onto the wiring. I should really do an update on my thread...

[Bookwus]

Hiya Sean,

..........why put the oil filler baffle plate (steel one) on the way you have? Most of the manuals I've perused (and done myself) have it at 90 degrees to the way yours is oriented.

This is an excellent question.

Sean, I too have seen the baffle oriented differently from time to time.  Quite honestly I spent a good deal of time taking a hard look at this little gizmo and how it fits on the case.  To orient the vents downward and pointing at the case seam would have meant forcing the baffle down somewhat over the studs.  On the other hand, the baffle simply slips into place in the orientation I show above.  That tells me that the baffle is made to go on with the vents aimed at the flexplate.  But there's more...........I could not get the baffle to seat into the case hole when the vents were pointing toward the case seam.  And there's still more..........upon doing a bit of research I found that Tom Wilson in his book How to Rebuild Your Volkswagen Air-Cooled Engine (ISBN 0-89586-225-5) makes a point of orienting the baffle with the vents pointing toward the flywheel (flexplate).

Now all that leaves me with a couple of questions.  How the heck did you get that baffle to seat itself in that hole?  And the other question is simply, I wonder if it matters all that much?  The vents are pointing downward to allow the draining of the oil.  The crankcase gasses can still make their way up through the baffle.  Does it matter?

[Bookwus]

Hiya Chris,

I should really do an update on my thread...

Yeah, you should!  We'd all like to see how you're coming along with that project!

[Sidco7]

Great thread Mike.

One quick question to clarify, the seams on the push rod tubes, I'm a little confused. Up or down? I might have misunderstood your instruction, but I thought you mark the seams to orient them upward, but in the final assembly pictures, the marks are down, therefore the seams are down.

Myself, I would want the seams up, so if there was any kind of hairline crack along the seam, the sitting oil would not seep out.

Also, you've mentioned the seals for the ATF pump are easy to get, could you elaborate? I've been all over and anyone over a parts counter in my neck of the woods just look at me with a 'deer in the headlights' look and a 'are you kidding?' type smile.

Again, Great thread.

Cheers, Sid

[Bookwus]

Hiya Sid,

One quick question to clarify, the seams on the push rod tubes, I'm a little confused. Up or down? I might have misunderstood your instruction, but I thought you mark the seams to orient them upward, but in the final assembly pictures, the marks are down, therefore the seams are down.

Aha!  Being an old teacher I can see that you sir, are a visual learner.

You are correct about the desireability of having the pushrod tubes oriented so the seam is up top.  Perhaps I did not make that clear when I wrote about that step.  I made those marks you noticed 180 degrees out from the seam so they should be visible when looking at the bottom of the engine.  That's my easy-to-see checkpoint for the correct pushrod tube install.

.....Also, you've mentioned the seals for the ATF pump are easy to get, could you elaborate? I've been all over and anyone over a parts counter in my neck of the woods just look at me with a 'deer in the headlights' look and a 'are you kidding?' type smile.

Yes, I too have seen that awful blank expression.  The internal seals for the AutoStick oil/ATF pump are available but you can look high and low at most VW parts retailers and you'll find nothing.  It's almost as rare to find any of those catalog jockeys who know anything about an AutoStick.  Here they are.............

http://www.evwparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=113115219&Category_Code=

or buy the complete reseal/regasket kit.............

http://www.evwparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=001198101&Category_Code=

And do visit the Parts forum here at VWAR.  Dave (hercdriver) has put together a great list of "where to find it" for AutoStick parts.  It's in the sticky at the top of the forum titled "Sources for AutoStick Parts".

[Sidco7]

Thanks for the info Mike.

I've also been looking for the o-ring that is on the one way clutch support (item 2 Fig 8-2) see attached (hope you can see my pictures)

Along with that the gasket item 3.

Looked around that site evwparts and found the ATF seals, but not the O-ring.

Any suggestions on that one?

Cheers, Sid

[Sidco7]

Aha!  Being an old teacher I can see that you sir, are a visual learner.

Yes, Unfortunately I have that tendency. It really is a curse. I've gone back and actually read your text properly (instead of the usual scan through) and it very clearly describes your procedure on marking the tube. I have to apologize and I promise to read a little more carefully. 

Cheers, Sid

[volkenstein]

Sid,
    IIRC "Crasher" made up a batch of the support tube gaskets. PM him and try your luck. That "O-ring" (No 20)? I think VW never actually fitted it. If yours didn't have one - don't bother. I've looked at two thus far and neither had them, or the place (groove) to fit them. Actually, ask Crasher to see if he has a part No on his EKTA fiche for it.

B.O.T.!! Dinner ready yet Mike


Regards
Sean

[Airhead]

Mike

Can you detail how you adjust the end-play using the feeler gauge method, Im familiar with this with a fly wheel on a manual transmission but on the AS
the flexplate seems less flat and even unlike the hard metal surface of the flywheel.

Thanks

Steve

Airhead

[Bookwus]

Hiya Steve,

In order to get your endplay measured with feeler gauges you'll need a measurement tool, feeler gauges, and a homemade bracket.

The measurement tool looks like this..............




It gets bolted to the case flange like so............



So that it fits over the little homemade bracket that gets bolted to the flexplate as in this picture.............



Now it's important that the flexplate and crankshaft assembly is gently tapped forward to its furthest extent.  Do this by tapping the main pulley with a rubber hammer.  With the flexplate at it's furthest point away from the case adjust the measurement tool adjustable bolt so that it just touches the face of the metal bracket you installed on the flexplate.  Now tap the gland nut (and consequently the flexplate) back in toward the engine until it bottoms out.  Again, a rubber mallet is a good tool for this.  Now, with your feeler gauges, measure the gap between the face of the metal bracket and the end of the adjustable bolt on the measuring tool.  That will be your endplay.