Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Jacksonville FL

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Jacksonville FL

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Mar 16, 2016 7:45 am

The next visit on my list was white74westy with the '74 soon-to-be L90D white Westy:

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This car has a Headflow Masters engine that we had indicted for low oil pressure last year. Adrian at Headflow Masters told white74westy to just box it back up and send it on back, and he'd take care of it. Well, white74westy boxed it back up and sent it on back, and it was determined to need just an oil pump ( "ho no no no," said I )*.

Once again, white74westy had that engine sitting there ready to go, held to a great good standard of excellence, every nut, bolt, screw, wire, engine tin, bracket, everything. We re-installed it on Saturday with that ol' hope springing eternally because we love our buses. Look at the thing:

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Look at that tassle on the poptop. Where's mine? When did they stop tassling?

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Look at the owner of this car pondering:

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We had to ponder.
Took it on an exceptionally breezy test drive. No windows anywhere. Engine pulled pretty well. Oil temps got up to 180* or so. Oil pressure got up to 17 psi @ 2,500 rpm, 30 psi @ 4,000 rpm, real close to 0 psi at idle. Compression readings, 120/80/125/what was the last one? We had #1 playing dead. We had a lake of oil developing under the bell housing. We decided that this engine was to be well-cared-for but driven, come what may.

* Armed with the oil temperature and viscosity and rpm figures that the factory engineers deem necessary for these engines (28-42 psi @ 2,500 rpm), we had a problem and we still have the same problem. Anyone think replacing the oil pump "cures" low oil pressure? I don't. There was nothing white74westy could do but execute the engine rebuilder's suggestion to send it back. There was nothing white74westy could do but listen to the builder on the phone tell him what he was going to do to fix the problem. But the problem really is that there is more leakage in the engine's lubrication system than the pump can stay ahead of, and with this new "sooper-dooper heavy duty" oil pump, the oil pressure problem is the same as before we went through the untold aggravation of removing the engine and sending it to California. We have done our due diligence. We have two gauges reading the same low numbers.

We looked at his original engine, carefully boxed and labelled in a state of disassembly, and it looks like it will be an excellent core for his next rebuild, which he damn well better do himself.

White74westy introduced me to a new member of the tribe, Filthy Dub, with his new Rather Red 1971 high top camper. Filthy Dub and I spent a day getting his new acquisition running and safe to drive. Enjoyed meeting him, enjoyed his intelligence, his career choice, his coffee maker, his dogs, and enjoyed getting the car running and I enjoyed driving it on the streets of Jacksonville without registration or tags right past the cops who materialized out of nowhere.

You have plenty of work ahead of you, youse Jacksonville folks, but we have you driveable, and I strongly suggest that you drive drive drive, let these cars urge you to get them ready for the road, and then take to the road. There are memories to be made.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Jacksonville FL

Post by Filthy Dub » Wed Mar 16, 2016 3:09 pm

The pigs would never have caught us sitting on all that 40hp. :bootyshake: .

Glad to have been introduced to you and the tribe (and having been referred to as intelligent). Ramona is still running fine with the help of my custom manual choke (thanks John Muir) and now I just have to restrain myself from trying to do everything left on our list in the first month of ownership.
1971 Westy Bay Window Bus

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Jacksonville FL

Post by white74westy » Sun Mar 20, 2016 2:43 pm

As always, another successful IAC visit by Colin. I had the great pleasure of meeting Naranja and experiencing the joy of a beautifully unmolested vehicle. What a joy to ride in. We got to do an approximate 60 mile, round trip journey in her, to pick up a couple of items from the local, aircooled VW shop. She purred like a kitten, until the last 1/2 mile before we got back to the house. I'll leave that Colin to talk about in more detail, if he so desires. Needless to say it had a little something to do with a clogged fuel filter. However, it was fascinating to watch the man in action, begin the process of elimination, specific to the issue at hand.

On this visit we had the help of a new member, as eluded to earlier. Filthydub had reached out on another forum about his recent purchase. I could sense a real passion about his new acquisition. I thought what better way to become acquainted with it, than a visit from Colin. During our correspondence, I asked him if he would like to spend some time over at my house, during Colin's visit. Thankfully, he agreed to come over. He was there for the entire process of putting the engine back in place and got to witness the fruits of his labor, when we fired it up!!! There can be no doubt that a long friendship is forming, predicated on a genuine love for these old beasts. I had a really great day with these two.

That is pretty much, where the joy ends! As Colin mentioned, I had Adrian at HeadFlow Masters build this engine for me. It has been anything but masterful. I have outlined some of my displeasure here: viewtopic.php?f=46&t=12500&p=219337#p219337

I have tried really hard to keep quiet about my displeasure, in the hopes that maybe Adrian would provide me with what I paid for. This has been an awful experience! I will not go this route ever again! I suggest that you don't either. In fact, I urge you to steer clear of his business altogether, based upon my experiences.

Colin and I got the bus running and a little more tuned, on his second day. I've been fooling with it just about every day since. I decided that I will attempt to use the engine in its present condition, for as long as it will last. I only hope, that it lasts long enough for me to prep the next engine, that will replace it. Essentially, I'm all the way back at square one. I will be tracking down the necessary parts to put the other engine back together. I will also attempt to keep a running tab on its condition, and post it here for anyone that wishes to follow along.

Without further ado:

I have found any and every excuse to take the bus out, since having the engine installed. It has been a real trip/treat. My children have never known the bus to run, since they were born. However, they both had the belief that, just as they had always been told, since being in diapers, that daddy would one day get the bus running. That day has come! I sent Colin off on a westerly and eventually northerly direction...you'll have to ask him all about that one too. :silent: :joker: Shortly thereafter, I picked up the kids and waited until their mother returned home, to surprise them with a ride around the block in the bus. It was nothing short of awesome, listening to all the screams and giggles! As I told Colin, I went to bed that night with a broad grin on my face. The next day, I just absolutely "had to get gas" in the old girl, so that was her next road trip. She got one day off, as the weather turned wet. The next day, I grew even more brave and decided to take her out for her longest run yet. All told, it was about an hour of driving. It was so much fun! I forgot just how much attention these things enjoy. I was just as happy as can be driving around, when suddenly out of the periphery of my eye, I would catch the vehicle next to me slowing down. Lots of waves and smiles. Pretty cool. What was really fascinating was the number of younger people that took an interest in the vehicle. The bus did fairly well. Once the oil gets hot, however, she is less fun to drive, because I'm constantly having to be aware of RPM at idle. Whenever I would get to a stop light, I would have to fumble around with the brakes, while making sure that I had the idle up enough to ensure oil pressure readings above 0 psi...a real joy as you might imagine. I can only imagine what may be causing the issue. Perhaps it might be the "new and improved" oil bypass system that Adrian has developed: http://www.headflowmasters.com/vw-oil-p ... u8U0I-cGUk Whatever you do, don't allow this to become a part of your engine!!! What a disaster. If that isn't the problem, it could only mean that the clearances and tolerances were never properly measured, before the installation of the bearings etc. Adrian's solution was to put a larger oil pump in place, than the inferior one initially installed. Are you starting to get the drift??? This is absolute BS! How about just doing things as they were intended? There are plenty of reliable resources, that outline acceptable tolerances and methods to rebuilding a type 4 engine. In fact, they have been around a really long time, which tends to suggest that they actually work. No need for fancy gimmicks!

As prescribed by Colin, I have since done a valve adjustment. I also had to reset the timing, just a little. I need to tune the carbs, as they have reverted to their backfiring ways of a few days ago. I'm having a lot of fun driving my bus again! Especially since replacing the worn out drag link. As described earlier, Colin and I had to get a new one from a local supplier. Amazing how nimble and responsive, the bus steering becomes, once you eliminate the three inches of slop in the steering wheel. :geek: It has truly been an absolute joy...just can't seem to shake the impending doom that looms in that engine. Not a good feeling at all. Nevertheless, onwards and upwards!

Colin...thanks again! Always a pleasure! Filthydub, it was a real blast! I'm looking forward to all the projects that lie ahead!

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Jacksonville FL

Post by asiab3 » Sun Mar 20, 2016 3:18 pm

Thanks for the writeup, white74westy! That's so great to hear about your kids enjoying the bus for the first time. :)

I know you've probably been over this with Colin, but have you considered bumping your idle speed on the carbs up enough to appease the hot oil pressure?

Amskeptic wrote:Look at that tassle on the poptop. Where's mine? When did they stop tassling?
JBoyn_74Westy and I were talking about this today. his '74 also has the tassle. We could not find it on any later Westys at the show this morning. I'm wondering, since '74 was the first year for the "parachute emergency brake" pop top orientation, that VW found it redundant or unnecessary… I mean, do we have a hard and fast reason WHY it exists in the first place? I always assumed it was to abate wind noise.

Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Jacksonville FL

Post by white74westy » Mon Mar 21, 2016 5:20 pm

asiab3 wrote:Thanks for the writeup, white74westy! That's so great to hear about your kids enjoying the bus for the first time. :)
No greater sound than the those heard coming from the back of the bus the other afternoon! :drunken:
asiab3 wrote:I know you've probably been over this with Colin, but have you considered bumping your idle speed on the carbs up enough to appease the hot oil pressure?
There is no doubt that additional tuning is required. That said, there is no way that type of adjustment will overcome the shortcomings of this engine. There is literally less than 1psi at idle, when the engine reaches operating temperatures.

Amskeptic wrote:Look at that tassle on the poptop. Where's mine? When did they stop tassling?
If I had to guess...it was just an additional expense that simply was not required.
asiab3 wrote:JBoyn_74Westy and I were talking about this today. his '74 also has the tassle. We could not find it on any later Westys at the show this morning. I'm wondering, since '74 was the first year for the "parachute emergency brake" pop top orientation, that VW found it redundant or unnecessary… I mean, do we have a hard and fast reason WHY it exists in the first place? I always assumed it was to abate wind noise.

Robbie
I always assumed the tassle to be no more than decoration.

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Jacksonville FL

Post by Filthy Dub » Mon Mar 28, 2016 12:14 pm

white74westy wrote:On this visit we had the help of a new member, as eluded to earlier. Filthydub had reached out on another forum about his recent purchase. I could sense a real passion about his new acquisition. I thought what better way to become acquainted with it, than a visit from Colin. During our correspondence, I asked him if he would like to spend some time over at my house, during Colin's visit. Thankfully, he agreed to come over. He was there for the entire process of putting the engine back in place and got to witness the fruits of his labor, when we fired it up!!! There can be no doubt that a long friendship is forming, predicated on a genuine love for these old beasts. I had a really great day with these two.
I really appreciate the fact that you reached out to me. I feel like this community is amazing and I'm glad to be a part of it. I know the feeling of going to sleep with a grin on my face, as my girlfriend kept mentioning how it was funny I seemed so happy and elated after our day of work — and that was even before my bus was running.

I can't wait to continue working on your bus and helping out wherever I can in this awesome little community! Driving Ramona around has been a blast and I get a lot of looks and waves from the beach community. There's nothing quite like passing another old air-cooled on the road and exchanging that moment of excitement when you notice each other and frantically throw up a peace sign or wave.
1971 Westy Bay Window Bus

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