It Drips! It Drips!

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliot · 2004-02-25T15:47:26+00:00

I did my very first valve adjustment today and have the bandaids on my fingers to prove it. Pretty proud of myself.While I was at it, I replaced both valve covers and bails, this due to apersistent oil drip-drip-drip from the left valve cover. Last time I didthis, trying to solve the same problem, I just used a new gasket. Didn'tdo any good. This time, the Wonderbus got new gaskets (w/ gasketcompound between gasket and cover), new steel covers and nice pretty newbails.Drip remains. And no, I am not talking about myself.Other than welding the cover to the head, what else might I try?

M

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliot 22 years ago

Is it safe to assume that when Bentleys says "single-carb" they are referring to the Type 1 engine? And "dual carb" means Type 4? Or is it more subtle than that?

If I have the Type 1 engine, which I guess is what Bentley's calls the "single carb" engine, what you say about replacing the covers matches up with what Bentleys says: no can do with the fixed-length types w/o pulling the engine and head.

But can do with telescoping covers and by removing that mysterious and wondrous assembly called the rocker arm and setting it aside. Probably on the lawn here. Then the pushrods can be slipped out, cleaned and used by the kids for lawn darts while we somehow pry the leaky pushrod cover loose (pound on it with a hammer and bend it, pinch it with vice grips and pull it out?. The we smoosh in a new telescoping one. Next, find the kids and have them bring back any missing pushrods, and install new silicone rubber seals (per Bentley, "single carb" engine, therefore Type

1) and slide the pushrod(s) back in place. Installation of the rocker arm assembly is, as they say, the reverse of the removal procedure with the exception of making sure that all the grass clipping have been wiped off it.

All of this is purely academic because I don't yet know if my leak is a leaky pushrod cover. I just got hung up on the Type 1/Type 4 vs. Bentley's "single carb"/"dual carb" nomenclature.

Vote

J

jjs 22 years ago

Oh, Mike, just get the serial number off the engine and match it to the chart in Bentleys. Heck, just knowing where the serial number is will probably tell you more about the engine than asking here.

Vote

B

Ben Boyle 22 years ago

Vote

M

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliot 22 years ago

It's a new Brazilian engine with 6,000 miles on it. I'd be real surprised if Bentleys knows about it.

Vote

I

Ilambert 22 years ago

Squirrel

Vote

E

Eduardo Kaftanski 22 years ago

Some brazilian bugs came with 1600cc engines and dual cars stock. Early

80s... never got to you int he US, though...

Vote

J

Jim Adney 22 years ago

Assuming you've already made sure that the sealing surface on the head is clean, try better quality gaskets.

Cheap ones are thinner than good ones, so there ends up being less pressure on the valve cover.

-

----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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

Vote

S

Scott H 22 years ago

"Eduardo Kaftanski" wrote

Thanks Eduardo. I have a tendency to sometimes forget about other markets. The Brazilians especially had lots of variations that the rest of the world didn't see. Didn't the VW Brasilia have a dual carb Type 1 engine?

formatting link

-- Scott

Vote

M

Max Welton 22 years ago

At the risk of getting everyone totally confused, the Brazilian Puma was type-1 VW based from about 1968. The engines were of various displacements and at one time, featured Kadron carburators. The Kadrons were, I believe, designed specifically for the Puma. I even have a Kadron manifold from a Puma!

http://63.230.74.177/misc/kadrons/MVC-010F.JPG Max

Vote

J

Jan Andersson 22 years ago

You can get them out without pulling the head (or engine), but you can't get the stock tubes back IN.

1) remove valve cover 2) remove rocker assembly 3) pull out pushrods 4) reach under the engine, armed with sharp nosed tin snips (faster) or a hacksaw blade (slower) and cut the tubes in half 5) pull the tube halves out and chuck them in the garbage bin.

.........

6) install new silicone seals and spring loaded aluminum pushrod tubes (Or threaded type, whichever you prefer). Do *NOT* use the black nylon plastic spring loaded pushrod tubes. They are to be used ONLY as a temporary emergency fix.

Jan

Vote

M

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliot 22 years ago

. . . and the "........." section is the part where I sit down and think to myself, "What have I done?"

Jan -- thanks for the step-by-step and warning about the plastic covers.

Follow-up question: what kind of emergency are people expecting that would cause them to bring replacement pushrod covers on a trip? Shrapnel from a land mine?

Vote

M

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliot 22 years ago

Got my gaskets from Aircooled. Seem to be some slightly rubbery-squishy gray compound. Recycled althletic shoes or something.

Vote

E

Eduardo Kaftanski 22 years ago

yes... brasilias down here are extremly cheap (US$500 for a runing one) but rust to dust as you watch them... 70s brasilian steel sucks, and the car just seems to love rusting itself to death....

Vote

J

Jim Adney 22 years ago

Yes, it is. The biggest type 1 motor is 1600. The type 4 motor came in

1700, 1800, and 2000 cc versions.

-

----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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

Vote

J

Jan Andersson 22 years ago

I believe they were developed for the racing crowd, Off-road races etc.. where you could probably damage the tubes. These nylon telescope tubes wouyld get you home, otherwise you'd be stranded out there with oil spewing out of the engine..

The "kiddies" then found out about these and started usiong them on the street, because they were so incredibly cheap and easy to install. (Who would know how to remove and replace a head, right? It's so damn intimidating ;) )

Jan

Vote

B

BergRace 22 years ago

Big mouth is intended for use with high lifting camshafts and/or ratio rockers to eliminate pushrod rubbing against the tube..

J.

Vote

B

BergRace 22 years ago

All T1 engines have the exhaust ports exiting front and aft of the cylinder heads, all T4 engines have exhaust ports facing down, between the pushrod tubes..

J.

Vote

M

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliot 22 years ago

The very idea intimidates the heck out of me! The most advanced piece of automotive work I've done to date is adjust the valves. As soon as the rains stop the engine is coming out. That'll take me to the next level. Someday, someday, I might pull a head.

Vote

M

Max Welton 22 years ago

Mike, I just scored some more of the nice soft cork VC gaskets. They are the right thickness and seem somewhat softer than the rubber kind the local parts place sells. I've been using them since 1999 with good results. I put them on dry and clean and have no leaks.

If you'd like, I can send you a pair to try.

Max

Vote

M

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliot 22 years ago

Send 'em on! My address has been emailed to you. And thanks!!!!!

Vote

It Drips! It Drips!

Join the Discussion

Didn't find your answer?