How to - Set the Compression on your Volkswagen Air Cooled Engine Part 2

In the last video we went over how to determine and calculate your compression ratio.
This video we are going over how to correct your compression ratio, lapping the cylinders to the heads and verifying everything is set to finish the long block.
Thank you for watching.
Please like, comment, share and follow along!
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[@eduardorodriguez3262]

Once again you're never too old to learn something new Great vid Gary👍🌴🌴

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thanks bro. We can all learn something from one another, one of the great things about KZbin.

[@WolfHausMotorwerks]

So many people do not "lap the cylinders" to the head. It's quite critical in my opinion. Nice Video!

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you sir. Just trying to show my progress, right or wrong.

[@KCPurpleBug]

Gary Glad to see your working, I am back in Kansas City and ready to start back on mine

[@VWJawbreaker]

Glad your back home, enjoy your weekend.

[@48busman]

Thanks Gary. Awesome Video.

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you for being here!

[@douglasbarnhart3324]

Thanks for the video Gary.

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you for always being here.

[@martinharris5017]

6:43 Good to see you using Cooltins on the barrels. I was initially skeptical about these but a talk by MikeFN sold me on using them and they definitely work.

[@VWJawbreaker]

I’ve heard mixed reviews on them and I’ve had mixed luck with them. They were already on this engine and he wanted to stay with them so we did lol

[@richpeacock5768]

Nice I like that valve grinding compound two-seat your heads. Great video thanks Gary😃

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you sir.

[@HubertusSchaper]

Hi Garry it comes along very well, nice work👍🏻🔧. ☮🇳🇴greetings.Hubertus.

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you sir. Have a great week!

[@jimlester5003]

Great video Gary. I did the lapping when I did my engine over. It had been leaking like crazy. Now it's nice and tight. I enjoyed the deck height setting and the simplicity of these engines. Be well. Jim

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you Jim. Glad you enjoyed the video. I’m sure it’s covered somewhere out there but it doesn’t hurt to cover it again. Have a great rest of the week 👍

[@VWBEETLEOVAL1955]

nice work Gary, that engine is perfect on compression on all four cylinders now. great video and keep them coming mate.

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you sir. We’ll have a fire up video soon!

[@deanrobinson3717]

Always helpful, great vid as usual

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you sir, appreciate you as always!

[@SladesVWBeetle]

Good video! Very informative! Well done!

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thanks, hope it didn’t drag out too much.

[@SladesVWBeetle]

@@VWJawbreaker I don’t think so 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@teddyallen6338]

Thanks, excellent video

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you!

[@TheEZGZ]

Nice Work!

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you sir. I had to rebuild some Dellorto carbs and referenced your vids several times. Thank you once again for all of your knowledge!

[@vintage76vipergreenBeetle]

Thanks for making the video. 👍

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thanks for always being here 🤙

[@wickedwerks]

Super helpful! well done. Getting ready to build a few motors here. Guess I need some more tools 😂

[@VWJawbreaker]

If my nonsense can help someone then it was worth it! May want to weld those heater boxes back on 😂

[@wickedwerks]

@@VWJawbreaker still tied on with brake line 😂

[@VWJawbreaker]

@@wickedwerks if it works then don’t knock it! Killer roadside fix btw, you deserve a pat on the back and a steak dinner from a British Giraffe 😂

[@zimms-world]

Excellent video. Gonna be a great engine

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thanks buddy.

[@kyridgejumper]

Great how to video

[@VWJawbreaker]

Glad you found it helpful.

[@ChipsAndSparksGarage]

Nice work, Gary. 👍Hey, why don’t you just send that motor over to me!😆

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you sir. Well, pretty sure my buddy would stab me if I did that 😂

[@kevinhamling1963]

Hey man great video. ✌🏻 Peace.

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you Kevin 🤙

[@busman5429]

I have a 1910 motor I refurbished set mine at 10:1 to much?? Always happens with age were jugs need shim some down and some up ..The best part of working on VW's for me was refurbishing or building a new motor I really loved doing that task.

[@VWJawbreaker]

Hey Dan! Hope you’re doing well my friend, we could use an update video from you! 10.0:1 could be too much or it could be ok, that depends on the heads and cam used and in what vehicle it’ll be in. I right with you, I love building engines, always have no matter what my hands were into.

[@Paulman50]

The hard works done, what compression ratio did you set it at.

[@VWJawbreaker]

This one was set to 8.25:1. Should be good with the current engine combo.

[@hussianmohmmad4613]

Nice work .more hi less temp Lower bolts no Silicon bond little ☹️

[@VWJawbreaker]

Not sure what you mean.

[@DesertRatFabrication]

Nice Gary, i learn something new on setting up the engine from you everytime, i liked running the 13mm socket in the push rod tubes, i have a question do you ever find the head studs loose at the case and if you did how would you secure them, thanks buddy

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thank you sir. We all have different ways that seem to work for each other. The head studs can be lose at the case as long as they are ran in all the way, it won’t be an issue.

[@DesertRatFabrication]

@@VWJawbreaker yeah Gary the reason I asked about the studs is my heads on the Baja would need re torquing every once in awhile I finally figured it out, that the studs would back out a little bit, since the case was oily and dirty I had kind of a difficult time putting a thread sealer I ended up putting some lock tight and it seemed to work pretty good, of course I ended up selling the Baja but I think the problem was solved, does that sound ok to you what I did, thanks buddy

[@VWJawbreaker]

@@DesertRatFabrication yes sir, makes perfect sense and good call on the fix 👍

[@prkid424]

You planning on doing one on rocker geometry?

[@VWJawbreaker]

No sir, it was already good. I have other videos on that.

[@pekacasper7194]

Hi Gary...your 040 heads 50ccs include step??

[@VWJawbreaker]

Yep.

[@1reb]

Sir, how can the compression be check while engine in vehicle?

[@VWJawbreaker]

You can use a compression gauge to check the psi, but that will not tell you the compression ratio. O my way to know the compression ratio is to do what I did in the video.

[@michaelmounts1269]

Great video...haven't seen t his covered well anywhere else. Question: when I did my last rebuild, I installed Chrome alloy steel rods...CB performance suggests valve clearance of only 1-2 thou...as steel doesn't expand like stock aluminum rods...everyone tells ne I'm crazy and that I should stick to 6...any advice????

[@VWJawbreaker]

Thanks. Chromoly push rods need zero lash… adjust until you can just paint the push rod. .001-.002” will make them tick real loud. Aluminum push rods, like the stock ones need .004-.006”.

[@jimlester5003]

I'm running the steel pushrod and you want to adjust them so that you can spin them with no rocker movement. Zero lash. I can attest to the fact that .001-.002 they are very loud and sound all wrong. Lol.

[@VWJawbreaker]

@@jimlester5003 thanks Jim for confirming my thoughts!

[@michaelmounts1269]

@@jimlester5003 I can too😂

[@briansmythe3000]

Bess Has got copper Gaskets between the head and the Barrel , I donno if it was a stock factory motor or not Have you seen that before bro, are they in Place of the Shims between the case and Barrels ? Im Putting stock AA pistons and Barrels in , Just Wondering

[@VWJawbreaker]

Copper “head gaskets” are not a factory thing. Those are used instead or in conjunction with barrel shims to get the compression correct. They say that the copper shims are not meant for people who daily drive as you need to retorque the heads more often. Others have said they are fine to use. I prefer the barrel shims and no copper.

[@briansmythe3000]

@@VWJawbreaker Ok I get it yeah it had no shims on the Case end I might piss them off then and use the case shims Thanks heaps Bro Much appreciated

[@pierreduplessis1507]

Bought a "rebuilt" motor that didnt have shims on the case. After a few months it started leaking oil and slight drop in compression. The tins on the jugs wast even there.

[@VWJawbreaker]

Woah, that’s not good at all…. The lower air deflector tins are super important. Not all engines need shims between the case and the jugs, but they all do need sealant.

[@pierreduplessis1507]

@@VWJawbreaker no sealant between case and jugs. Luckily i installed a oil temp gauge it shown oil temp is hot and the dash light came on too point oil is low. Before any trip i make sure there is enough oil in the motor. Luckily a mech buddy of mine shown me the missing plates. Istalled them and also made plate too get air onto the pushrods too help cooling. Currently running a 10in x 9inch custom oil cooler with a 7in fan with thermostat for long distance travel.

[@Figment078]

Just had a whole conversation about static vs dynamic compression (now that my 10:1 1915 is on the road and RIPPING)... what ratio are you aiming for on this build?

[@VWJawbreaker]

Those conversations can go no where quickly as so many do not understand the difference. With this w110 cam and little overlap I went with 8.25:1. My 2054 has 10.0:1 and is just fine but I’m also running an FK8 cam, big heads and 1.4 rockers.

[@Figment078]

@@VWJawbreaker yeah, before you know it you're talking about all the fuzzy math involved. ugh. (I'm running C35 cam so my dynamic is down around 7.5:1)

[@VWJawbreaker]

@@Figment078 that’s a great cam but it doesn’t have that much overlap…. Your dynamic is higher than you think.

[@VWJawbreaker]

Oops… I ran the numbers and I came up with 7.8:1…. Close enough.

[@Figment078]

@@VWJawbreaker odd, I re-ran the numbers through a different calculator and came up with 9.8:1 what was I saying about "fuzzy math"???

[@pekacasper7194]

New shims....new deck height.,..new valve traín geometry??

[@VWJawbreaker]

Yes, always need to verify valve train geometry and correct it if needed.

[@JA-gc4df]

Wish I could make it to this point. Ordered a brand new aluminum case, chromoly crank and new bearings. When bolting everything in the case, crank doesn’t spin 🤦🏻‍♂️. Tried a new set of bearings and same thing, slow process to figure this out I guess. Crank mics in spec so either the bearings aren’t marked correctly or the new case isn’t bored correctly 😐 😑

[@JA-gc4df]

And that’s with no dowel pins, so it’s not a smashed bearing either

[@VWJawbreaker]

Woah man, double check the OD of the bearings and make sure they are in spec. Also, check that new case very carefully, been hearing some have been getting cases out of spec.

[@vintage76vipergreenBeetle]

These are the problems, that are going to stop younger folks from buying over priced air-cooled cars/parts. Expensive engines parts that need machine work already. 😡🤬

[@VWJawbreaker]

@@vintage76vipergreenBeetle I agree, it’s killing a lot of us.

[@JA-gc4df]

It’s definitely a killer since I have no VW machine shops nearby. So everything has to be shipped out. It’s actually the reason I went brand new, to avoid the shipping. The cost of shipping used parts plus machine work didn’t seem worth it. But now I’ll have to ship new parts. Costs much more now.

[@Trenajones65]

So I’m installing some 87 mm jugs on my engine. Do I need to check the deck height on them?

[@VWJawbreaker]

Anytime I change anything out I check it…. Deck height can vary from one set to another from what I’ve seen.

[@Trenajones65]

Thank you sir!! Your videos are very helpful.

[@VWJawbreaker]

Glad they’ve helped you out!

[@graupe1]

Great Video, but I am currently trying to calculate, what Compression I should go with. What are the Criteria for this? I cannot find anything online.

[@VWJawbreaker]

The CR you are shooting for is determined by the specs of your cam.

[@graupe1]

@@VWJawbreaker oh my cam is a parts bin special with not a good data sheet

[@VWJawbreaker]

@graupe1 it should I be marked in the front of the cam face. Then go to aircoooed dot net and look at the specs.

[@graupe1]

@@VWJawbreaker I checked online the datasheet isn't very helpful I can get angle duration and lift can I calculate the compression with that ?

[@VWJawbreaker]

@@graupe1 what are the numbers on the face if the cam?

[@natewelch6608]

So why did you do that? I’m new and a little lost for the reason of doing that?

[@VWJawbreaker]

These engines are air cooled and not water cooled. It’s all part of having the proper engine combo. The compression was set too high on this engine and would have ran too hot especially going into a bus.

[@natewelch6608]

@@VWJawbreaker ok I have a new bug to me 1967 and it has a motor that has a serial number AE357783 and it seems to be a 1600cc from a 71 bug. What should the compression be or you had a gauge tool. What should mine be? And what’s that tool called? Thank you!

[@VWJawbreaker]

@@natewelch6608 problem is, just because you have a serial number on the case doesn’t mean it is what it says it is. These engines are old, someone could have been inside that engine at one or many points. You can assume and take a guess on what size the engine is… Sorry, only way to know for sure what size engine you have is to pull it apart.

[@natewelch6608]

@@VWJawbreaker do you have a video you have made or know of one that I can watch to show me how to go about doing that to know what size motor I have and understand what to do?

[@VWJawbreaker]

@@natewelch6608 I do not but the video before this one shows disassembling the top end of the engine. You’ll need to measure the inside diameter of the cylinder, also known as the jug. That will tell you on mm the size of the piston. Next you’ll need to measure how far the piston travels from the top of the stoke to the bottom of the stroke. That should be 69mm for stock crank.