Headflow Masters Turnkey Engine

[Bleyseng]

I'd reinstall it after coating the O ring with that teflon sealant. That stuff works pretty darn good and filling in the little spots.

Teflon sealant = Locktite 565

Yes, this stuff is the cats meow for making sure you have no O ring leaks. Just apply a little bit as the O ring will push in easy but if you glob a ton on it ends up in the head.

[the miz]

Hang in there. Break it down into fun little digestible morsels of swearing, washed down with an occasional beer.
Colin hth

...thanks Colin, that sounds like the most reasonable plan.
miz

[the miz]

...so a lot of water has gone under the bridge since I last updated this thread. The bottom line is that the engine hasn't run for more than 10 minutes at a time since July. The bus hasn't moved under it's own power since the return trip from Colorado...which went very well.

I've been back and forth with Adrian on the phone, back and forth to a disreputable (and expensive) local mechanic, a purported "aircooled VW and Vanagon expert", no less.
I've had the dual carb jets reevaluated by Adrian, given up on the dual carbs in favor of my old single progressive, changed the fuel pump...and still, no luck...engine runs roughly for 5-10 minutes before it dies.
We have a bit of tail pipe spray...sooty vapor/condensation...after the initial start up which subsides...
Rough sounding run...clattery...reminiscent of old diesels...
...the battery and alternator lights won't turn off in the 5-10 minutes before the engine dies.
These are some of the current symptoms/clues.
BellePlaine thinks I might have a valve adjustment issue...although the valves were apparently adjusted (quite expensively) at the shop we visited.
I am wondering about the alternator...too.
I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts listening to this engine run:
http://vid1064.photobucket.com/albums/u ... G_2179.mp4

I am waiting to hear back from Adrian on what the next steps should be, in his opinion...but thought I'd update the thread for any other ideas.
Thanks,
miz

[Bleyseng]

Lots of loud valve noise so its not adjusted right. Hydraulic lifters? Is the cam broken in? How about the rings seated?

[the miz]

Lots of loud valve noise so its not adjusted right. Hydraulic lifters? Is the cam broken in? How about the rings seated?

Yeah, Adrian told me they were hydraulic lifters. I guess I would assume that the cam is broken in and the rings seated, the engine has made a ~1600 mi trip, before it stopped working...

Thanks for the insights...

miz

[Amskeptic]

engine runs roughly for 5-10 minutes before it dies.
battery and alternator lights won't turn off in the 5-10 minutes before the engine dies.

You should be able to rev the engine up to no more than 2,500 rpm to extinguish the warning lamp.

How does the engine die? Does it restart readily?
Colin

[the miz]

You should be able to rev the engine up to no more than 2,500 rpm to extinguish the warning lamp.

How does the engine die? Does it restart readily?
Colin

Colin,
Yeah, that was what I was thinking too...that was definitely the trick to get that isolation relay we installed for the leisure battery to click over...and it was the way it had worked when I was last able to get Vana to run reasonably this summer: start her up, run for a minute or two, rev up to ~2500 rpm, lights shut off.
Now we either have the situation where no amount of revving will shut off the lights, or when the lights suddenly shut off, then engine dies shortly thereafter.
In either situation, when the engine dies, it is like a "quick suffocation"...it can't be brought back from dying with more throttle...that either hastens the death or has no effect.
I have not been able to restart after this occurs...it seems like there is not enough juice left in this poor battery, which hasn't had a good charge in 5 months, to turn her back over...so, I put the charger on and some back the next day: same results.
This is what has led me start to suspect that the alternator might not be working properly???

...any further thoughts?

Thanks,
miz

[Amskeptic]

when the engine dies, it is like a "quick suffocation"...
I put the charger on and next day: same results.
This is what has led me start to suspect that the alternator might not be working properly???

The charger *did help* with cranking speed? How quickly your starter turns is your best indication of charge.
If the engine dies the suffocation death, then the starter should not be able to turn at all and you have a dead battery.
If you are able to crank and crank, but the engine does not fire, you problem is elsewhere. Get a 12 volt tester on the coil and see what the running voltage is at time of death.
Colin

[the miz]

The charger *did help* with cranking speed? How quickly your starter turns is your best indication of charge.
If the engine dies the suffocation death, then the starter should not be able to turn at all and you have a dead battery.
If you are able to crank and crank, but the engine does not fire, you problem is elsewhere. Get a 12 volt tester on the coil and see what the running voltage is at time of death.
Colin

Yes, the charger did help...made it so that I could get started one time...with a super slow crank speed. Second attempt (after engine dies) yields 1 maybe 2 cranks...then nothing.


BellePlaine and I think we might have had a breakthrough...now all we need is time to check it out and verify if we really are on to something:
The supposition is:
-like BellePlaine's new engine, the distributor is oriented other than normally (i.e.: when one thinks one is at TDC for any given cylinder the rotor is not pointed toward that cylinder) he had very similar running symptoms after installing his engine and doing a proforma valve adjustment.
My thought is that this issue could be what precipitated this mess and has caused the engine not to run since I first tried to adjust the valves in July (recalling that it ran well, before I replaced the super-leaky pushrod tube).
So, my current issue is that I can't tell, by way of my normal method, when the cylinder is at TDC, which makes it impossible to correctly adjust the valves...which probably makes it so the engine won't really run right.
I'd assume that the same was true at the shop where the valves were "properly adjusted" as well.
BellePlaine and I are trying to coordinate schedules(tougher than it sounds) so he (who is experienced with this exact problem) can assist me in figuring out if this is the issue.
In the meanwhile, if you have any suggestions and/or tips...I'm all ears....er...eyes!

The battery charge and alternator might be a side issue...or no issue at all...I think we need to sort the above out first.

-glimmering with a tiny bit of hope,
miz

[Jivermo]

I had some problems getting the distributor setup correctly on my engine build-this may help you.

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=12572

[the miz]

I had some problems getting the distributor setup correctly on my engine build-this may help you.

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=12572

Thanks, Jivermo! I'll spend some time reviewing this and see if I can create a mental framework to relate it to my own situation...


miz

[the miz]

...so reading through Jivermo's thread, I wondered if my spark plug wires were set up right...I thought I recalled this not being the case, so...
I found a photo of my engine:


and compared it to Colin's text; "The spark plug wires lay correctly when #1 is at right rear of cap, when #4 is left rear of cap, #3 is left front of cap, and #2 is right front of cap"

...and Colin's photo:


Of course I'll verify this in person later, but they look right: #1 at right-rear, #4 at left-rear, #3 at left-front and #2 at right-front.

So, given that (and that I am now thoroughly confused)...if one has one's "fan timing notch" lined up to 0 on one's timing scale, but is not sure which cylinder is at TDC (presumably either 1 or 3, right?)...is there a "tell" somewhere else (i.e.: maybe the rocker arms?) that would confirm which cylinder is at TDC?
I have read and reread Colin's post on adjusting valves with hydraulic lifters...and maybe I am missing something due to my relative inexperience with valve adjustments...but if one is unfamiliar with an engine and it seems to be set up on a non-standard way, how does one find TDC?

-thanks again,
miz

[Amskeptic]

if one has notch lined to 0 is not sure which cylinder is at TDC 1 or 3,
is there a "tell" somewhere else?

Yes.
The "other" cylinder will move both valves simultaneously as you rotate the engine back and forth a few degrees. See, if #1 is at compression (valve adjustment position), the other cylinder will be at exhaust about to start intake.
Colin

[the miz]

Yes.
The "other" cylinder will move both valves simultaneously as you rotate the engine back and forth a few degrees. See, if #1 is at compression (valve adjustment position), the other cylinder will be at exhaust about to start intake.
Colin

Colin, thanks for this! I'll do a litte further investigation, likely over the weekend, and will provide an update.

Intermediate update:
So, when I've rotated the engine to what I think is cylinder #1, the rotor points at the notch in the distributor body when the timing mark in the fan is at ~+8*:



...would this imply that my distributor is, in fact, set up correctly?

...as mentioned, I will verify the position of the valves per Colin's suggestion.

Thanks,
miz

[Amskeptic]

Yes.
The "other" cylinder will move both valves simultaneously as you rotate the engine back and forth a few degrees. See, if #1 is at compression (valve adjustment position), the other cylinder will be at exhaust about to start intake.
Colin

Colin, thanks for this! I'll do a litte further investigation, likely over the weekend, and will provide an update.

Intermediate update:
So, when I've rotated the engine to what I think is cylinder #1, the rotor points at the notch in the distributor body when the timing mark in the fan is at ~+8*:



...would this imply that my distributor is, in fact, set up correctly?

...as mentioned, I will verify the position of the valves per Colin's suggestion.

Thanks,
miz

You are asking slightly out of sequence.
You SET the engine to "0", then see if the distributor rotor happens to be in the vicinity of the notch on the body of the distributor. More importantly, is the spark plug wire leaving the distributor cap positioned over the rotor's firing end when the cap is installed? As importantly, are the valves closed for that cylinder (we are expecting #1 of course, but verify that #3's valves move as you rotate the engine about 20* to either side of "0".
Colin