Itinerant Air-Cooled

While doing my tune-up yesterday, I noticed that there were two hoses that were competing for the same space. The first is the big hose that goes from the fan housing to the heater box on the right-hand side of the engine. The other is the small hose that goes from the oil filler/alternator pedestal to the air cleaner.

This was never a problem before the Bustoration people in Arizona replaced the generator with an alternator, which required a new alternator pedestal that puts the oil filler itself a little farther to the right. It looks like Jerry just crushed enough of the large hose to permit access to the oil filler nipple. But that resulted in the large hose tearing and trying to fall off its connection to the fan housing.

From what I can gather from the John Muir book, the purpose of that smaller hose is to collect fumes from the crankcase and route them into the air cleaner and carb for burning. In other words, it's a smog thing.

After the tune-up, I took it on a twelve-mile trip to the homebrew supply store and back. I left the little hose off, and noticed no difference in the way the bus drove. So can I safely leave that little hose off? Should I cap the nipples where the hose attaches?

JLT wrote:While doing my tune-up yesterday, I noticed that there were two hoses that were competing for the same space. The first is the big hose that goes from the fan housing to the heater box on the right-hand side of the engine. The other is the small hose that goes from the oil filler/alternator pedestal to the air cleaner.

This was never a problem before the Bustoration people in Arizona replaced the generator with an alternator, which required a new alternator pedestal that puts the oil filler itself a little farther to the right. It looks like Jerry just crushed enough of the large hose to permit access to the oil filler nipple. But that resulted in the large hose tearing and trying to fall off its connection to the fan housing.

From what I can gather from the John Muir book, the purpose of that smaller hose is to collect fumes from the crankcase and route them into the air cleaner and carb for burning. In other words, it's a smog thing.

After the tune-up, I took it on a twelve-mile trip to the homebrew supply store and back. I left the little hose off, and noticed no difference in the way the bus drove. So can I safely leave that little hose off? Should I cap the nipples where the hose attaches?

That hose absolutely must be attached to the air cleaner. The crankcase pressure both "blows" and "sucks" and you do not want to ingest engine compartment dirt into the crankcase through the breather.
Also, hose-free oily vapor will make a fine mess of your engine compartment/engine in short order.

Thanks for the quick reply! You must not have much to do...

Amskeptic wrote:
That hose absolutely must be attached to the air cleaner. The crankcase pressure both "blows" and "sucks" and you do not want to ingest engine compartment dirt into the crankcase through the breather.
Also, hose-free oily vapor will make a fine mess of your engine compartment/engine in short order.

Indeed, that both blows and sucks. So it looks like I'll have to fit some sort of ell onto the nipple at the oil filler and replace the hose with a longer one. I hope that ell doesn't constrict the flow too much.

Another question: since there have been so many generator-to-alternator conversions, why hasn't this come up in the past? And did VW do a re-design of the fan housing to move that heater hose connection farther to the right to avoid the problem?

I think the problem lies with not-quite-right aftermarket alternator stands. They are too short where the filler is attached, or the angle is too wide, or
both. Sometimes the filler can be rotated so the breather hose outlet sits higher and doesn't mess with the preheat tube as much. But then the drain
tube (if present) that disappears thru the engine tin might not fit properly. I solved that problem on my engine by cutting out a section of the drain tube
and splicing back together with a short length of breather hose. There were later versions of the filler that were sans drain tube. I would have trouble believing that the drain tube is in any way essential.

But eliminating the breather hose could have some bad consequences: excessive crankcase pressure, blowing oil out around the crank pulley, ditto
out the flywheel seal, blowing grease/oil out various places in the fuel pump, etc. I have experienced some of those problems just from having the
breather hose kinked.

JLT wrote:Thanks for the quick reply! You must not have much to do...

Amskeptic wrote:
That hose absolutely must be attached to the air cleaner. The crankcase pressure both "blows" and "sucks" and you do not want to ingest engine compartment dirt into the crankcase through the breather.
Also, hose-free oily vapor will make a fine mess of your engine compartment/engine in short order.

Indeed, that both blows and sucks. So it looks like I'll have to fit some sort of ell onto the nipple at the oil filler and replace the hose with a longer one. I hope that ell doesn't constrict the flow too much.

Another question: since there have been so many generator-to-alternator conversions, why hasn't this come up in the past? And did VW do a re-design of the fan housing to move that heater hose connection farther to the right to avoid the problem?

The factory did a fine job with introducing a new breather with an offset nipple. The aftermarket breathers are next to useless and are commonly way too small. The fuel injected uprights have an even bigger breather with a bigger hose yet, because as you well know, breathing is important.
Colin

cheap too small krome krap



still-carbureted breather change for alternator-equipped uprights



factory fuel injected

Thanks for all the responses. After thinking about it and trying for a workaround, I gave up and did what Jerry did: I just installed the heater hose and crushed a depression in it to allow the breather hose to be reinstalled. It offends my sense of aesthetics, but at least everything is hooked up.

The oil filler cap assembly does not rotate at all, so I figure it's screwed down all the way.

JLT wrote: The oil filler cap assembly does not rotate at all ...

The filler is held onto the alt/gen stand by means of a special nut, which is accessed from inside the filler. It requires a "special tool" to tighten/loosen
it, which may be store-bought or home-made/improvised. Any VW parts joint should have the tool, and it's not terribly expensive.

Truly gargantuan efforts are sometimes made in the name of aesthetics. I think that may be the real distinction between humans and "lower forms of life".

kreemoweet wrote:
The filler is held onto the alt/gen stand by means of a special nut, which is accessed from inside the filler. It requires a "special tool" to tighten/loosen it, which may be store-bought or home-made/improvised. Any VW parts joint should have the tool, and it's not terribly expensive.

Thanks for the tip. If my "fix" doesn't work well, I'll take a look at the situation the next time the engine comes out and I can get a better look. I could probably take the alternator pedestal to Kombi Haus here in Sacramento and borrow their tool to adjust it.

JLT wrote:I could probably take the alternator pedestal to Kombi Haus here in Sacramento and borrow their tool to adjust it.

I made that tool out of a 24mm socket, using a dremel, above Los Alamos:

Amskeptic wrote:
I made that tool out of a 24mm socket, using a dremel, above Los Alamos:

Of course you did!

JLT wrote:

Amskeptic wrote:
I made that tool out of a 24mm socket, using a dremel, above Los Alamos:

Of course you did!

It still removes late model steering wheel nuts and oil pressure senders and it snugs up breathers all across the country.
Colin

I bought a 1" internal pipe wrench for removing the breather. Easiest method I've found yet.

https://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-13 ... ipe+wrench

Hobug wrote:I bought a 1" internal pipe wrench for removing the breather. Easiest method I've found yet.

So what do you do when you need to remove the steering wheel? I suppose you have to go get some other tool all together. Not me! I just use my All In One Breathe O Wheel® socket.
Colin

Amskeptic wrote:

Hobug wrote:I bought a 1" internal pipe wrench for removing the breather. Easiest method I've found yet.

So what do you do when you need to remove the steering wheel? I suppose you have to go get some other tool all together. Not me! I just use my All In One Breathe O Wheel® socket.
Colin

I only work on one end at a time. Right tool for the job and all that.

well, I broke down and ordered the tool. It came today ... eleven bucks with shipping.