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Post by penguin45 on Mar 25, 2017 18:26:11 GMT
Horrible. Was it the HG when you stripped it down?
P45.
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Post by Matt of the Vivas on Mar 25, 2017 18:44:25 GMT
The HG had certainly blown, but there were lots of other issues. The bores are very ovaled, the worst one was 13 thou oval! Lots of sludge and rust in the waterways between the liners. I just think it was a crap engine! Never mind.
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Post by bent8rover on Mar 25, 2017 20:38:09 GMT
13 thou! It must have been smoking like a trooper.. Had that Quentin put some Ametek in?!
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Post by Matt of the Vivas on Mar 26, 2017 12:38:02 GMT
It did smoke a bit yeah....
I think blind enthusiasm for wanting to drive it convinced me there was no problem, reality is the engine was a bit crap.
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Post by penguin45 on Mar 26, 2017 18:05:12 GMT
Paint the rebuilt unit orange.  P45. |
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Post by cavboy80 on Apr 8, 2017 18:10:29 GMT
   Today i helped Matt do final adjustments to the freshly rebuilt engine. We then headed off on a 40 mile round trip, the furtherest it's done under its own power since it was last on the road in 1989. This was my first time being in a Bug and it's awesome ! It's quite comfy and the noise not too bad. Here it is at our destination, the 100th BG museum at Thorpe Abbotts. |
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Post by penguin45 on Apr 11, 2017 11:08:26 GMT
Nice one, chaps. Didin't hang about getting it sorted either.
Did it get painted orange?
P45.
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Post by Matt of the Vivas on Apr 17, 2017 20:37:54 GMT
Sorry chaps, been too long, busy etc..... Heres some random pics from the engine rebuild. I didnt paint the block at all, i much prefer bare aluminium, much easier to maintain and keep looking good imo.... It went together pretty well, new liners, pistons, rings, all crank bearings, timing chain, oil pump, gaskets....... Fired up first time and seemed to run well.  s1.postimg.org/5lo3o6o8f/17457386_10210356713728864_1331044000465665120_n.jpg      |
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Post by Matt of the Vivas on Apr 17, 2017 21:05:24 GMT
Me and Jason then took the car on its first test run on the new engine - hes posted some pics above. Apart from a very odd groaning noise from the clutch which disappeared after a short while all seemed good - it didnt miss a beat for the 50 miles we put on it that day. Feeling confident, me and another mate went out in it the following day - and broke down after 3 miles. Luckily, we were going past a friends house, so feeling miffed with it with pushed it into his garage and dumped it there overnight. The following day, it started up fine and drove home no problem. I decided it was probably fuel vaporisation as it was a hot day and the engine cover was on (we test run it the previous day with the cover off) so i cleaned and rebuilt the carb, improved the heat sheilding, and moved the fuel line away from the engine. So far its been fine, but its not been hot either, so time will tell.
The speedo has been a pain, the end of the speedo head where the cable fits was worn so i had to make up and solder in a little square adapter to take up the play - so far its ok.
Latest annoyance is an awful rattling from cold that disappears if you touch the clutch, raise the revs above idle, or when the engine warms up. Im fairly sure its a spring loose in the clutch plate, ideally i would have replaced it when i rebuilt the engine but it was fine before.... Im nursing it for now but eventually the box will have to come back out.
Im getting frustrated with the car, when its working its great fun but it does seem like its fighting me all the time.
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Post by Matt of the Vivas on Apr 19, 2017 16:10:23 GMT
The Dolomite and Bug have been out all day on a photoshoot for Practical Classics. The Dolomite performed perfectly, the Bug... Well it only conked out once. Fuel vaporisation seems to be the issue, not that surprising with the cramped little engine bay.
Im coming up with a "cunning plan"......
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Post by Matt of the Vivas on Apr 22, 2017 17:21:53 GMT
Fix for the dreaded fuel vap..... 80mm x 80mm 12v PC fan. Made a frame and riveted it to the existing heat shield.  Here it is in position, blowing directly at the float chamber. Hopefully it will keep it cooler.  Now need to provide some way of it sucking cooler air, otherwise it will just circulate heat around... Engine cover drilled:  And made up a little angled vent from aly sheet:  Looks ok with a coat of paint  And with the cover over the top, its not too obvious, but hopefully theres enough air flow. Theres a fair gap there now.  Need to try it out now, fingers crossed...... |
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Post by genegenie on Apr 22, 2017 19:26:53 GMT
Nice work!
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Post by penguin45 on Apr 23, 2017 23:00:51 GMT
Yeah, nicely thunk.
P45.
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Post by Matt of the Vivas on Apr 29, 2017 18:32:10 GMT
Well, this didnt work, sadly...... Still got fuel vaporisation the last time i took it out.
The speedo failed as well. Also it was leaking oil from the back of the gearbox. Annoyed with it, i stuck it away for a week!
Today, ive had a full day on it, no pictures as i just cracked on and got it done.
I pulled the gearbox back out and dismantled the rear tailshaft housing, turned out the mainshaft nut was loose which is why the speedo drive was slipping, this had also taken out the rear gearbox seal. While i was at it i replaced the front gearbox seal and the two main bearings, i also slipped a new clutch kit in as i had ordered one to go with the new engine but i had not turned up in time - i was under time pressure to reassemble it before the photoshoot....
Ive converted the car to run an electric fuel pump - a Facet Posi-Flow. Im hoping this will stop the fuel vaporisation.
Had a quick trip round the block and its fair to say the car feels transformed - no more nasty groans and rattles from the gearbox and the clutch is nice and progressive. Im off to a car show tomorrow so that will be a decent test for it.
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Post by Derek UK on May 1, 2017 21:59:35 GMT
Fuel vaporisation is pretty rare in this country so unless there is a lot of noise about this on the Bug forums it's likely not the problem. If it is, the heated manifold might be a suspect. Too much timing and a lean mixture might also be worth investigating. What I thought was vaporisation on my Saab turned out to be flooding due to a heavy float, it was leaking. That would come back to life after sitting and the fuel evaporating.
The tight , new, engine will also run hotter than normal for a few hundred miles.
Derek
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