IRS: the final

The last 2 weekends were a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Last week Sunday my friend Rui and I installed the engine. Upon the first start a shreeking noise couldn't be ignored.
As the engine, flywheel and starter were the same as before and the sound appeared to come from the gearbox, I suspected the gearbox to be faulty. So, engine out again! Nothing in the bellhousing, no rub marks, no metal flakes. All looked fine. Then I removed all the type 3 cooling stuff to check for signs of rubbing or wear. Again, nothing- everything looked perfect.
Then I organized another gearbox - a big Thank you to Thomas - and mated the egine to the box, outside of the vehicle. Upon start the same annoying sound appeared again!
Was there something wrong with the engine? It ran fine before. The only thing I worked on was the oil pump. To remove the oil pump, all cooling tins and propellers had to be removed again! Then, at least there were minor signs of contact between the gears and the oil pump cover - but this couldn't be the source of the noise.
As I was certain the engine MUST be o.k. internally, I reassembled it yet again - Thank you to Ralf for the spontaneous help!
Sunday morning, all wires, the header, exhaust and heater pipes had to be mounted again.
Guess what, the same story again. Shreeking noises. Then Olli stopped by, checked the situation and pointed towards the starter - which was also a possible source of the noise. So, we started the engine and removed the starter with the engine running and: The noise was gone!
So I harvested the Streaker and used it's starter in the type 3  with instant success, the engine ran beautifully, no disturbing noises!

Finally, I used the "noisy" starter in the Streaker and it works perfect - just like before in the type 3! I don't know exactly why, but I don't care anymore, both engines start with no issues- success in the end!
Tomorrow will hopefully see the Fastback back on its wheels for a proper test ride...

Breaking news:Edd China quits Wheelers Dealers after 13 seasons!

See for yourself:


Sad to hear, but I totally understand his reasons. I've learned a lot from him and I am convinced he will start over bigger and better as before. Already looking forward how exactly...
Wrench on, Edd! 

Another inci"dent"

When you think you're almost done...
Yesterday I planned to re-install the engine, when I checked the CV-joint to subframe clearance once more:

About 3-4 mm clearance - which is far too less. With the added weight of the engine and some torque applied during launch, there will be problems...

So, first of all, I needed a tool...
A worn out Porsche 944 CV joint outer ring came very handy, the outer diameter is 100 mm. I added a handle for "operation dent-ist"

This tool, a blow torch and a hammer was an effective set of tools. I "dented" both legs within 30 mins. A rattle can primer and some black paint and it was done!

Now there is ample clearance!

While I was at it, I changed to the correct IRS specific E-brake cables. The swing axle cables were a tad bit short...

IRS Subframe: work continues

I am moving along...
brakes assembled:

Swapping from swing axle to IRS requires a modification to the shock absorbers. The internals are 100% the same, there is only 1 difference: The sleeve in the lower rubber mount: On IRS, there are longer sleeves:

Swapping one for the other is a simple matter of using the vise and pressing in the long sleeve and pressing out the old at the same time.

The brake hard lines had to be re-routed, too:

I used the brass fitting attachment points on the IRS brackets which are from a beetle chassis:

Shift rod connection also done - safety wire was added later - make sure you use the type 3 specific "hockey stick" in the gear box!

On a beetle hockey stick, the grub screw is attached from the top, so the counter sunk hole is in the wrong area!

This is the current status:

Starter motor, clutch cable, handbrake cables, drive shafts shock absorbers are installed!

finally: IRS Subframe

With the engine out to fix the oil pressure issue, I decided to finally go ahead and install the IRS subframe.
First step: Out with the old:

Next step is to assembly all the bits:

 Porsche torsion bars, the IRS arms, urethane bushings, rubber mount for the gear box and the "Cup" cradle - so maybe some Cup struts might follow...

Then, shove it all under the body and lift it into position - sounds a little easier then it is,,,

but eventually, I made it! 

The IRS arms are already in their final position. I only hope the torsion bars are adjusted correctly!
Well, this will only be seen after the final assembly, with everything in place and the car back on the ground... 

A nice, dry bellhousing - I hope it stays dry - Of course, I already filled the gear box with the appropriate oil and replaced the input shaft seal.

Assembly of brake lines, drums and so on will follow soon!

Oil pressure issues...

After the winter break I started the Volksback for the first time. Unfortunately, the doubts I had about the low oil pressure were confirmed. So. I had to remove the engine again, to fix the problem. But what IS the problem? I used the "wisdom" of the internet and also a forum which I think is a good one, especially when it comes to engines and issues with engines: http://bugfans.de/forum/~
The answer to my problem is (hopefully) the oil pump cover gasket. In the Victor Reintz engine seal kit, this particular seal is made of a superb material, but way too thick! it is ~0,3 mm, which allows the oil pressure to decrease drastically. I checked what else I had in my parts stash and found a 0,1 mm "paper" gasket:

this would be a step in the right direction, but after measuring the gap between the gears and the housing - which was 0,03 mm - I decided to use the Loctite 574 only. 

The problem on the Type 3 is the fan and housing, the whole engine needs to be stripped in order to fix the oil pump - maybe not this much, but I checked some other things at the same time. 

The engine is together again and will be in the Volksback soon.

But with the engine out anyway, I made the decision to finally tackle the IRS subframe installation...