VW engine basics

This is going to take a little time,I would like to go step-by step 0n a stock bug engine breakdown and build.There were many versions of the air-cooled vw engine,but I'm going to concentrate on the early bug(pre-'79). Excluding the injected motors this is as basic as a car engine gets.First,using a long throw floor jack,raise the rear of the vehicle almost as high as the jack will go(explanation later) and lower it onto jackstands,placed under the rear torque tubes. Next drain the oil,disconnect the battery and disconnect the wiring from the motor,this is the hot lead to the coil,electric choke,alternator/generator and oil pressure switch(if there's any confusion,mark the wires as to what they are and also where they connect).remove the rear pan,making sure to remove the heat riser seals and the engine heater flexible tubes . Next remove the throttle cable from the carb,should be an 8mm(5/16). Now,it's time to crawl under the car,locate the fuel line(on the driver's side)and pinch it off,or,disconnect it from the steel line on the engine and put a plug into it (a golf tee works good)making sure that you pull it offfrom the engine end. Reach above the clutch wing nut and pull the throttle cable out of it's tube.Remove the heater tubes and cables(if they're still there)and put to the side.Now you're ready to remove the mounting bolts,there are only 4 on the engine(maybe 3 depending on who had it out last). There are 2 on the top,one above the clutch cable and one opposite it on the other side(also the top starter bolt),depending on the model,you may have to have someone hold a wrench on these(17mm/11/16"),these 2 nuts are in the engine behind the fan shroud,you have to reach around the rear(uncomfortably,I might add)to remove them, take one off and loosen the other one but do not remove it! Put the floor jack under the round oil drain and take the weight off the engine,now remove the 2 lower nuts and the last top nut.Grab the tailpipe(1 of 2)and with your other hand grab the top of the fan shroud and slowly pull the engine to the rear,when it gets close to contacting the rear of the car drop the jack a little,continuing to wiggle and pull,if this seems difficult,raise the jack a tad,and keep wiggling until it's free. When all is clear,drop it slowly the rest of the way down.If it won't clear the rear apron,tilt it forward,or, let it off the jack onto the floor.They don't weigh anything so just pull it out.Have a friend help you pick it up and put it on a workbench. I promise,more tomorrow. I'll go into breaking the motor down and what to check while you're doing it.Tom(sprecher48)sorry kids, the wife just called she's stuck!Please be patient, This is a work in progress.

Before picking the motor up(by hand,don't forget!lift with your legs!) or use a lift. Place some cardboard or a fender blanket under it to soak up excess oil,yes,there will be oil, and set on the bench.You can use an engine stand, but unless you have a VW specific stand it's kind of a pain because a VW case comes apart down the center. Now remove the the throttle tube,pull straight out and place to the side.At this point,it's a good idea to use coffee cans or the like to put like items in same can, helps to mark them also. Next remove the rear pan and put aside. Now it's time to remove the generator and shroud, if this is a dual port engine with the offset oil cooler, remove the cooler cover and snorkel(if it's still there)and set with other sheet metal. Disconnect the distributor from the coil,take the belt off the generator,depending on the generator the nut will be either a 21mm(13/16")or a 19mm(3/4")there should be 2 slots in the pulley by the body of the body of the generator,place a large flat blade screwdriver into one of the slots and brace against on of the screws that hold the ends on,remove the nut and the rear of the pulley,it's 2 piece, make sure to pay attention to the shims on the outside and between the 2 halves as this is your belt adjustment.Pop the plug wires out of the looms and pull aside. Loosen the generator strap(2 13mm or 1/2")and slide out of the way.On each end of the shroud you will see a screw or a 10mm bolt,sometimes you just have to loosen them,sometimes they must be taken out. Lift the shroud up and to your right and set aside.