Oil Leaks - Rebuilds # 2 & 3

Jacks first...

Engine has to come out...

It was a major milestone to get the engine in and running this summer, but it was hardly the end of that process.  One of the reasons for testing the engine was not just to see if nothing disastrous happened (it didn't) but also to see if any minor problems with the build cropped up (they did).

And away we go!

Back on the dolly it goes

If brevity were my goal here, I could list the things that went right, but in fact the purpose of this journal is to chronicle the actual events, and typically one step forward--getting the engine to run--is followed by two steps back, and this was no exception.

Shortly after shutting down the engine, I had a look up underneath it to see if there were any oil leaks.  Sadly, there were.  From what I could tell, it looked like I had three leaks.  One was from the front, and I couldn't be sure if it was the oil pressure relief nut or the main seal up under the flywheel.  Another leak was obviously coming from the oil screen cover on the bottom, and a third leak was abviously coming from the oil pump.

The clutch comes off first...

Then the flywheel comes off

This meant taking the engine back off the frame and putting it onto a dolly to work on.  All the steps were familiar by now, so I didn't have to spend a lot of time looking at the service manual, thankfully.  I did have to proceed slowly to see what exactly was the source of the leaks and make the necessary adjustments.

The main seal seems good...

...no leaks here

After removing the clutch and flywheel, I had a look at the main seal, and thankfully my nightmare was not realized.  The main seal was fine, and even though there was a bit of oil visible, this was after the flywheel came off.  No oil was inside the flywheel, so this meant the seal was tight.  

The next possible source was the oil pressure relief valve nut.  Sure enough, this was loose.  Not just not torqued down, but actually loose.  Ack.  Embarrassing, but actually, this was an easy fix, as simple as tightening the nut.  That should do it for the front leak.  Now to the bottom.

This cover is a problem

Actually its the studs

This wasn't hard to find.  No question about it, it was leaking from the oil cover, and it was obvious why.  The cover is held in place by six little nuts, which are supposed to torque down the cover on six little studs that stick out of the case.  These studs are notorious for getting stripped when overtightened by an inexperienced mechanic with a ratchet and no sense of how tight these little suckers are actually supposed to get.  In fact, if they are not stripped, it doesn't take much to tighten down the cover, and it doesn't take a lot more to strip the studs.  

Don't worry, Dear Reader.  I didn't strip the studs.

Off it comes...

Studs get some thread locker

I did, however, manage to loosen those studs so that they no longer tighten.  Instead, as the nut gets tightened, the studs simply continue to turn up inside the case.  I couldn't think of how to keep those studs from moving, so I tried some thread locker.  This is a sort of glue that should, in theory, keep the stud in place and allow the nut to torque down the cover.  

Oil screen back in

And the cover is back on

I waited a couple of days for the thread locker to fully dry, then I replaced the oil sump screen and put in some new paper gaskets before I tightened it down.  For a moment, at least, it seemed to work.  I managed to get the nuts on securely and they didn't seem to be slipping.  I couldn't be sure, though, because the last thing I wanted to do was to over-torque them and break the thread locker, so I just gingerly tightened them to the spec torque and crossed my fingers.

The oil pump comes out

All ready for re-assembly

Next I turned to the oil pump.  Thinking that I had incorrectly installed the cover gasket, I took off the cover and remembered that I chose not to use a gasket.  Lesson learned.  I scraped off the case sealant I used when rebuilding it the first time, sanded the inside of the cover flat again (there were some marks from where the cover touched the gears because there was no gasket to separate them), installed the gasket and put the cover back on.  After all these adjustments, I put all the ancillary pieces back on, put the engine back on the frame and fired it up.

It leaked.  Not like it did before.  Not three leaks, just one, but it was still a leak.  The good news was that I knew where it was coming from and I knew how to fix it.  

And the cover is tightened down

A gasket this time...

This time I had to pull out the oil pump itself and see what the problem was behind it.  I know I put a gasket in behind the oil pump, but it was obviously leaking, so I knew something was wrong with it.  I thought I was going to have to order a puller tool just for this job, but after seeing a picture of it online, I realized that I still had one left in my toolbox from a previous VW rebuild!  It was easy to use and in a couple of minutes I had the oil pump out and knew exactly what the problem was.  

Add muffler and some tin...

Ready for another test!

Somehow I managed to leave a small piece of the old gasket on the surface of the engine block, so the new gasket never seated properly.  This was an easy fix, once I knew this.  I scraped off the old gasket and put a new one in, slid the oil pump in, put a new gasket in between the cover and gears and bolted it all down one more time.

Since everything was hooked up pretty much, I just had to drag the battery back over, put the fuel intake hose into the gas can and started it up again.  It ran like the proverbial top, and this time, there were no leaks!

It Runs!

With the engine back on the chassis, it was time to see if it would run.  But first, there were some connections to be dealt with.

Fuel filter behind the engine.

Fuel line through the tin.

First I worked on the fuel system, attaching the hoses with clamps and routing the steel elbow line through the back tin.  I fixed the fuel filter in the line behind the engine tin, which is recommended but not what you see when you open up most VW engine compartments, because most folks are not concerned about the fire risk.

Fuel lines to the pump.

Fuel line at the front.

Thinking about how this car was essentially grounded because of an engine fire, I decided that this was an opportunity to make the change.  With the hoses hooked up to the fuel pump and carburetor on the engine side and the fuel line to the front of the car on the other side, that part was ready to go.

Wires ready to be hooked up.

A new battery.

Finally, in order to test the engine, I had to hook up the electrics.  Not all the wiring was needed, of course, but just enough to complete the circuit and get the engine to run.  This was one of the hardest tasks of all, mostly because I have trouble understanding the electrical diagrams, and partly because I don't have any wires to work with because they were all burned up.  So, I consulted The Samba and eventually figured out how to wire it up.

Starter is wired up.

Ready to start.

Weeks ago, I had already cleaned, painted and re-installed the starter, so now it was just a matter of hooking up wires between the starter, alternator, coil, distributor and battery.  I studied the diagrams, collected the wires and hooked them all up.  I bought a small gas can, put $1.00 worth of fuel in it and inserted a hose from the front end of the fuel line into the 'tank'.

Then I attempted to start the car.

Sputter and stop.

Wires are working.

First, some Good News.  What it did not do:  It did not scream, or grind, or howl or make any sort of mechanical noise that would make me think it was assembled incorrectly, or that some part was somehow loose inside the engine.  What it didn't do is as or even more important than what it did.

Oil is in the engine.

Now, I knew some of this already.  For example, I already knew that the engine would 'turn over'--that is, that it would go through the cycles without binding or crunching--because when I filled it with oil and turned it over by hand (with a big socket and breaker bar) to set the timing, nothing noticeable had happened.  I rightly took this to be a good sign at the time.  However, whether or not the engine would actually function without screaming or crunching under pressure was another matter.  This I could only determine once I was able to get it running on it's own.

But it sure didn't run.

More Good News.  What it did:  It 'fired', which means that I could see that the spark system was working.  I knew this because once I hit the starter 'switch' (actually me just touching the starter wire to the terminal) the engine would cough and sputter like it 'wanted' to run but somehow it just couldn't get going.

Now the Bad News.  This sputtering, it turns out, was only because I put a small amount of fuel into the carburetor to 'prime' it.  When I looked at the clear fuel filter between the tank and the pump, I could see that no fuel was passing through it.  This meant that the fuel pump wasn't working properly.

Or, I had hooked it up wrong.

Both readers know that the more likely scenario is that I have attempted to assemble it in the 'Phillip Way' and that something has been installed backwards, upside down or otherwise reversed from how it ought to be.  Indeed, this was the case.  I had installed the fuel lines in and out of the pump backwards, so of course no fuel was being pumped to the carburetor.

A quick switch of the lines proved this to true, and in a moment, I had fuel all the way up into the carburetor. By this time I had moved the 'tank' up to just behind the engine so I didn't have extra fuel sitting in the main line for months after I conduct this test and the engine is waiting for me to finish the body work.

Now the fuel lines are fixed.

With fuel now getting to the carburetor and a spark getting to the cylinders, it seemed more and more likely that I could get it running.  The biggest question that remained after 'solving' the fuel mystery was whether or not the carburetor was assembled properly.  I haven't yet described the process, but a few months ago I completely rebuilt the carburetor with a kit that I bought from JBugs.  The carburetor is one very complicated device, and even though I took it apart and re-assembled it, I have only the rudest notion of how the damn thing actually works.  Consequently I had little faith in my ability to get it all back together correctly and this in turn made it the weakest link in the attempt to get the engine running.

The only way to really test whether or not I had got the carb rebuild right was to try and start up the engine again.

So, I hooked up all the wires, double-checked the fuel lines, manually closed the choke on the carburetor (I have not hooked up the electric choke) and touched the starter wire to the battery.

Ready for a second test.

Once again, it coughed and sputtered and died.  But now I could see that it really ought to be working.  I could see all three elements of the internal combustion equation: spark, fuel and air, and I could see that it was really 'trying' to run.  The interesting thing about this engine is how forgiving it will be in getting started.  Now, it might not run right, and it might fail sooner than expected, but if you can just get close enough, the VW engine will run.  Anyone who's seen the clip from Woody Allen's Sleeper (or, amazingly, the whole movie) will know how universal this understanding is, and unlike so many urban legends today, it is actually true.

For proof of this assertion, I offer the following video:

Engine Back in Place

The whole reason for making the push and bearing the expense of getting the wheels and tires back on the chassis was to be able to mount and test the engine.

Chassis ready for the engine.

Just add engine to go!

While I could 'bench test' the engine on the ground--or at least mounted on a couple of two-by-fours--using just the most basic of wiring and fuel lines, I felt it would be better to mount the engine onto the chassis for this test.  Not only is the mounting hardware ideal for holding it in place, it will also allow me to test out the various linkages like the accelerator, clutch and fuel line.

Ready for those parts.

All the bits are here.

I dragged the engine out of the garage and laid out all of the pieces in the driveway.  All the various bits that I have already test-fitted at one point or another were brought out, including the engine tin, the coil and spark plug wires, the carburetor, the heater boxes and the muffler were ready to put on.

The starter looked rough...

...but it cleaned up nicely!

I also cleaned  up, repainted and re-installed the starter and solenoid combination on the back of the transmission.  Since I had no idea if it actually worked or not, I wanted to test this thing too, but figured the best way to do that would be to hook it up and see how it works.  The worst that could happen would be that it just won't work.

A lot of tin and part to go on.

All laid out.

I could say the same about the alternator, which I would love to have tested but really couldn't think of a better way to find out if it works than putting it in the engine and seeing if it actually works.  The problem with this approach is that it will be hard to tell if the alternator is actually doing it's job, charging the battery as it spins.  One thing is sure, if the engine doesn't run at all it could be the alternator, so I'll be testing that all at the same time.

This approach to testing is fraught with danger and the risk that something--likely something very small--won't work is very high.  This makes it a very complicated test environment.   I am going to be testing to see if half a dozen new, rebuilt or just replaced parts have been put back together correctly.  Given that this process has been guided by someone who only sort of knows what he is doing, it's very likely that it won't start, won't run, or worse, break.

The heater boxes and muffler.

Everything lines up.

Before putting the engine back on the chassis, I also had some final assembly to take care of on the engine.   Most of the bits had been put back on while it was on the table, but once I moved it to the dolly and was waiting for the tires and wheels, I left a lot of parts that could have gone on the engine off of it, just to make the transition easier.

The heater flap control rod...

All hooked up.

I started by putting the fan shroud with the alternator back over the oil cooler and attached it to the block.  Then, after tightening the alternator strap, and attaching the transmission ground strap, I put on the heater flap control rod, hooked up all the spark plug wires and routed them through the new mounts on the fan shroud.

The transmission ground strap

Things like the heater boxes and the muffler were much easier to put back on with the engine out in the driveway.  These big pieces, plus lots of the engine trim--especially the pieces that go below the pushrod tubes and attach to the heater boxes--went back on without much trouble.  The hardest part is connecting the bottom pieces of tin.   I had to leave this task until I had the engine up on the chassis so I could actually reach the mounting holes with a screwdriver.

With the major bits back on the engine,  it was time to put it back in place.

Getting the engine back on the car was actually a very easy job.  In fact, I did it by myself in just a few minutes.  In fact, it went so quickly that I didn't even get any good pictures.  I brought the engine up as close to the chassis as I could get it on the dolly, then placed the two jacks under the heater boxes.

The engine is in!

Ready to run?

I jacked it up slowly until the transmission shaft was lined up with the clutch, wiggled it a bit to get the engine mounting studs into the holes on the transmission, then, with a gentle but confident push, I shoved it onto the shaft.  I slid in the engine mounting bolt on the starter, and put the two bit nuts on the studs at the bottom.  A few turns and it was secure enough to pull away the jacks.

Next, it is time to test the engine!

Pedals, Brakes and Wheels

With the rear brake lines finally fitted with the new custom brackets, I turned my attention to two other areas of concern; the pedals and the wheels.

Missing pedal stop

The missing piece

The pedals had been refurbished after purchasing the set used at Austin VeeDub.  I went to install them a couple of weeks earlier, but discovered that they would not stay in a resting position because I was missing a part.  This was the pedal stop, a two dollar piece of steel with a hole for a bolt and a curved lip to keep the pedal set from flopping backward when released.

Hole drilled in the pan

Bolt up through it...

The reason I missed it was because the original piece was on the rusted out floor pan, and I think I threw it away.  I don't recall seeing it and it isn't in any of the early pictures, so it may have been missing.

...and the pedal stop is in.

Stopping the pedals...

In any case, it can be hard to catch something you didn't know was supposed to be there, but it was an easy and inexpensive fix.  I ordered the part and installed it in a few minutes.  I drilled a hole in the floor pan where the bolt was supposed to go, then slipped it up through the bottom side.  I used some epoxy to hold the bolt head in place and mounted the stop with no trouble.  Then, with the accelerator and clutch cables connected, the whole assembly fit together perfectly.

Drag out the wheels...

...and buff 'em and paint 'em

The next step was to get the car back on its wheels and tires.  What I really wanted to do next was to put the engine back on the car so I could test it, but I knew this couldn't happen until I had the wheels and tires back on because I knew the weight of the engine made it more likely to tip over on the jack stands that had held the chassis for over a year.  I just didn't want to risk the whole thing falling on the ground.

That lovely VW mark

The wheels were a bit of a rusty mess.  I had the tires removed many months ago, to make the storage easier.  I stuck the wheels up under the chassis, so if they weren't rusty when I put them there, they were when I took them out.  It was all just surface rust and a lot of grime.  I set to work cleaning the wheels and this was one of the most labor-intensive jobs I had on the car so far.  I must have spent at least two hours cleaning, buffing, blasting, sanding and painting each wheel.  This was a tedious and particularly boring job, and if it hadn't been for the vision of the car finally back on a set of tires, I might not have done it.  I kept my shoulder to the wheels, so to speak, and in about two weeks I had them ready for tires.

First wheel goes on

Polish the old hubcaps

Tires were a bit of a problem.  Originally I envisioned buying a set of used tires just to put the car back on the ground.  Figuring it would be another year at least, I thought I could wait to buy a new set of rubber when I was ready to put the body back on.  Well the best laid plans never work out.  In fact used tires for an old VW are nonexistent because they are just not on the road in the numbers they used to be.  So, I had to figure out a way to buy a new set.  This wasn't easy because at this point I have just about run out of money.  I sure didn't have the $300 needed to go get my shiny clean wheels clad in fresh rubber, but I couldn't wait any longer.  So I went to Walmart and bought a set of tires on credit, putting $100 down and planning to pay of the balance at $50 a month.  I had my tires that afternoon, and in a few short minutes, I had reached a major milestone.

The Ghia was back on her feet.

Voila!  A rolling chassis

Next I had to finish the brake system.  Two major pieces were now missing, the front-to-back hard line and the brake fluid reservoir.  The former was relatively easy.  I had the part and it was just a matter of bending it into the right shape and hooking it up.  Like the other lines, it was a little long, but a little looping at the end made it all fit.  I went around and tightened all the fittings again, just to make sure they wouldn't leak when pressure was applied.

Front-to-back brake line

Under the pedals

But before I could apply any pressure to the brakes, I had to fill the lines with fluid.  And to do that, I had to install the brake fluid reservoir and the hoses that connect it to the master cylinder.  This wasn't easy because the the bracket onto which the reservoir properly mounts is actually on the body, up under the hood.  So I needed a temporary bracket to mount it, and this meant making one from scratch.

Cardboard template

It's the wrong size...too short

Like my brake line brackets, this one started with a cardboard template.  I measured it, cut it out and bent it into shape.  I figured out a way to mount it to the floor using one of the drain holes already in it and put it in.  Right away, I found out that my design was flawed.  The bracket was too low and it caused the hoses to buckle.

New bracket and reservoir mounted

This time it fits

This wasn't going to work, so I re-designed the bracket, cut it out and installed it.  This one, about six inches taller, worked perfectly.  I hooked up the hoses and mounted the reservoir to the bracket with a simple screw and a wire harness.  It looks a bit goofy, but it's only temporary after all.

Next, it's time to put the engine back on the chassis.