VW Engine Building: Assemble Short Block Part 1, cam, crank, lifters

Aircooled Volkswagen Type 1 engine building video: Assembling the short block, Part 1. Mike Smith starts off this segment by going through all of the items in the engine gasket kit. He covers differences in engine cases that relate to the gaskets, and shows how to install various o-rings, camshaft bearings, crank bearings, and lifters.
This section is critical, because it's real easy to get the crank bearing off center when it's dropped into the case half. The VW crank bearing dowel pin holes must line up with the pins in the case half.
Mike Smith also covers the various VW camshaft gear designs in this VW engine building video clip.
TECH TIP: Bearing Oil Hole Alignment, from HotVWs magazine: www.hotvws.com/content.php?con...

[@actualsurfer]

Best vw engine building video I have ever seen and I have watched 50+. You provide insight that others dont have or wont give. Looking forward to the rest of the videos. Thank You.

[@trevcessna1723]

Excellent video, I'll watch it again before I assemble my engine...waiting on new crank, cam, lifters and bearings.

[@craigmonteforte1478]

Good video, thanks The last one i redid was over 35 years ago back then i do remember having to buy the main separately but every mechanic knew What all the gaskets were for not like it is today of course the VW i was driving i bought for $200.00 bucks and a set of used tires to a buddy that just graduated college. And bought a used car because of his new career the Bug was running litterally on 1 cyclinder As 2 of the plugs were dangling on the plug wires in the bay and the threads were stripped in the block it was my first time using heli coils and i was amazed they worked that engine was rebuilt with cheap Brazilian parts and last i knew the motor was still running in a buddies Beetle 25 years later my Bug was scrapped because of rust issues i didnt know how to fix correctly. At that age so the motor was pulled that rebuild kit from a local auto parts store was 113 dollars and it included 4 pistons and the rings Plus gaskets I knew the Brazilian stuff was crappy but I couldn't afford German parts and the car was needed as a daily driver I had been looking for basic aircooled videos on the older Beetles for a while on KZbin many show very little on the process other than what they transformed one into and how it runs in their vehicle ? Ive always thought that hey if i got 5 grand laying around i can order one from Ebay and have it shipped to my house too i guess many of todays generation dont rebuild the old ones i grew up always doing that To save money my first car had a blown motor that i rebuilt With my father

[@DragRacingTV]

Some classic VW memories... I've watched Mike Smith "rebuild" a VW engine out of used parts, with the only expenses being a gasket kit and some sealer, then get 35k miles out of it. These little engines are pretty amazing.

[@actualsurfer]

Subscribed.

[@tonygreen3528]

If the cam pops out, the cam bearings need clearancing on the side,

[@ricardolevario9548]

How do you measure the lifters on a vw bug

[@user-ss6zt2mo1l]

Thanks for the video !

[@DragRacingTV]

+Greg - thx for checking it out! hope that it helps with your engine build.

[@user-ss6zt2mo1l]

DragRacingTV I owned 2 Beetles 34 years ago. Absolutely loved them. In high school when I was 17 our shop teacher helped me rebuild a VW engine. It was fun to go back in the video and remember. Now I think it would be fun to rebuild one again. Thanks

[@DragRacingTV]

+Greg - it'll be easier this time, thanks to the collective wisdom of the internet! but a rebuild might cost more than it did back then :-(

[@user-ss6zt2mo1l]

DragRacingTV true. I do love KZbin for all the great information out there on everything we can imagine. It's such a great resource. Thanks again.

[@MrGarcon98]

do you use grit brake in oil on the top of your cam? for brake in , witch is not the same as crank oil of course . thanks for all your vids they are great .

[@DragRacingTV]

+MrGarcon98 thanks for watching the vids... people will coat the cam/lifters with a specific cam break-in lube, followed up by the initial engine startup and run time at the proper rpm, which is critical in order to keep the cam from going flat... many moons ago i used 20w non-detergent oil for break-in only, per the old berg recommendations, because it allows the swarf to fall out of suspension? but when the flat cam epidemic hit all pushrod motors 20 years ago, the game changed completely, here are some old flat cam threads from 2000 or so: www.oceanstreetvideo.com/vwtech/CamsGoingFlat.htm

[@MrGarcon98]

+DragRacingTV thanks again , it all has to do with zink enough of it or lack of it . confusing how to find out how much . i learned at a young age run the engine @ about 2k rpms for 20min to break the cam in and your good to go ! thats was with enough zinc in the oil . thanks for answering me sir ,

[@khanyisomakubalo4408]

hi ... am currently working on a polo 1.6 2002 model... but having some trouble when i put in the crank... once the crank is in and tightened the crank doesnt move when turning it manually ... i have thought of taking it back where i had it fixed but just want to find out if there could be other reasons why it is getting stuck....

[@DragRacingTV]

***** the crank itself could be bent, it should be checked for straightness on a jig, like we show at rimco... if the crank was turned, or the block was align-bored, incorrect bearing size could be binding it up, i try to get the bearings from the shop that did the machine work... you might be able to check the bearing clearances with plastigage, and/or measure the journals: www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/ccrp-1202-how-to-check-bearing-clearances/

[@dwightgeorgecarlson]

Do those 'springs' rest on/touch the bores into which the lifters fit?

[@DragRacingTV]

+DG Carlson no, the springs that hold the lifters into the case halves are inside of the lifters, they put tension on the lifter, and that's what holds it in place.

[@dwightgeorgecarlson]

My 66 bug still has the 6 volt crank. I see there is a metal and a paper gasket to fit onto the four dowels of the crank. Do you know if both the paper and metal gasket are to be used? If so, in what order are they to be placed on the dowels? i.e. if both are used which one goes against the crank and which one goes against the flywheel?

[@DragRacingTV]

+DG Carlson now that's a good question! for anyone wondering about this, near the bottom of this page is a pic showing the differences in the flywheel area: www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=488279 so make sure that your flywheel isn't setup for the o-ring, since some of the 1966 engines had o-ring seals, and some 1966 engines had the paper/metal gasket setup, and who knows what was altered before you got the car. My Bentley manuals only go back to 1966, i think that's when the factory made the change here in the U.S., the manual only mentions the metal gasket, and also notes the change to a rubber seal... i couldn't find any mention of the paper gasket, neither in that Bentley nor in any of the other material that i had.

[@johncollins5552]

@@DragRacingTV The paper is for the 36horse from 68 up I believe. Common in Europe not in USA. I love these videos,I did a top end rebuild 4 years and 40,000 miles ago and plan on splitting the case for the first time this summer. I lacked courage to do this before but feel better about it now. Thanks dragtv.

[@triariicat8448]

my thrust bearing had a tab on it and there is no tab recess on the cam bearing surface, what do i do?

[@DragRacingTV]

That is rare, but it can happen with some dual thrust cam bearing sets that have a tab on each of the bearing halves. Since you only need one tab for the entire cam bearing, the way to handle it is to carefully grind the tab off of one of the bearing halves, make sure that there isn't any area standing proud that would keep the bearing half from being fully seated in the case. You could also grind a second tab slot in the other case half, but that's more difficult.

[@1osmosiss]

What was the black paste you put on before the grease?

[@DragRacingTV]

it looks kind of like paste, but it's actually assembly lube or grease on the surface, which is then rubbed and mixed with oil, afaik the intent being that there will always be a lubed surface for initial startup, regardless of how long the engine has been sitting... i think that one of the counter arguments is that engine oil is thin because it's designed to get into the smallest openings, so will it flush thick grease out of a bearing surface area, in a timely manner.

[@noeortiz3668]

DragRacingTV

[@MrGarcon98]

question please ,,, if i needed the cam to have more thrust lets say that its too tight , is there ? a safe place on the thrust bearing we can san off a little material ? thanks

[@DragRacingTV]

+MrGarcon98 i've heard of people sanding one end of the bearing, i've heard of people putting a brass drift against the end of the cam and whacking it with a hammer in order to flatten the bearing, etc... i've never had to do either, so i can't speak to what would work there, i'd suggest calling your parts supplier/machine shop, or worst case, googling it.

[@MrGarcon98]

+DragRacingTV thanks ill check it out , a worked as a millwright for a long time i am sure if i had to id figure a way to shim it ! but asking never hurts thanks a million .

[@dwightgeorgecarlson]

What exact type/brand of assembly lube do you use?

[@DragRacingTV]

+DG Carlson it's been so long, i can't remember what brand mike was using there.

[@doranjaffas9645]

I have a Great Plains 2180 CC aircraft conversion in my experimental airplane. The vent tube is maybe 3/8" in diameter. There is a small but messy leak that so far eludes me. Wondering if the vent tube should be larger diameter and the engine is building up too much pressure? Anyone else had this issue??

[@DragRacingTV]

i don't know that i ever had an aircooled vw that was totally dry, over it's entire lifespan... if nothing else, the rear main seal would always start leaking sooner or later. if you are able to identify the source of the leak, it'll be a step in the right direction.

[@doranjaffas9645]

DragRacingTV Hello, Thanks for the reply. The oil leak appears 5 be coming from the lower rear crankcase seam. The manufacturer said permatex was supposed to be used. No evidence is seen. Will clean up the motor and lay some over that area of the seam.

[@DragRacingTV]

rear crankcase seam as in where the flywheel would be? if you guys don't have that flywheel seal problem, and it's not leaking there, you might indeed be able to fix it by covering up the seam... i just went thru this with a 22re oil pump cover, i had to finally cover the seam with 2-part epoxy, to keep it from leaking... rtv didn't hold, the oil leak was under mild pressure, maybe permatex would have been enough.. if your leak is on what would be the pully end of the motor, it could be relevant to internal crankcase pressure.

[@doranjaffas9645]

DragRacingTV It seems to be related to pressure build up. Am wondering if enlarging the crank case bent tube should be larger. I will clean the leak area and rough it up. Then I'll try the two part epoxy . This only leaks about 4oz an hour but it really makes a mess inside the cowling and on the belly of the airplane.

[@MrPyroBomb]

I placed in my crankshaft just like you i place the bearings the same i tested it and it rotated but when i putted on the other half and putted al the bolt on tighten them down it was stuck frozen i dont get it anymore..

[@MrPyroBomb]

Got it the small Distributor axle was coming up and blocked all

[@DragRacingTV]

congrats, that's good news!! it could have been much worse.

[@MrPyroBomb]

DragRacingTV Yeah stupid axle 😂

[@MrPyroBomb]

DragRacingTV I putted in the timing crank in wrong but cant find the video where you tell how it must be in

[@DragRacingTV]

at about 12:20 on this video, you can see how the gears are set against each other... dropping the distributor drive slug in, and then setting the initial timing at tdc, is in the other video, here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2S7qHl7r8hjsJo