How to Rebuild VW Air-Cooled Engines: 1961-2003. Prescott Phillips
few bins. Most of these things will be put through the parts washer and inspected later. The parts you are going to replace can be recycled or sold outright. No need to clean them for this project.
Get out zippered bags and permanent markers. Put specific hardware in the bags and write on the bag in a language you can understand. Don’t get caught up in the correct terminology. The only person who has to understand what these things are and what they are used for is you. Putting smaller items to replace in metal bread tins or old-school coffee cans will keep everything in one place.
Don’t throw anything away until you are positive you no longer need it. Even a junk part that will only be used for reference is worth saving.
Taking pictures is a great way to reference parts and assemblies later in the process. You can take photos with your smart phone or a digital camera of things while they are still together the correct way, as you disassemble, and once they are in parts. Keep the photos organized for referencing later. When in doubt, take a picture. It’s easy and free.
Engine Disassembly
The main disassembly process will be exactly the same whether your engine is a 40-hp model from 1961 or a 1,600-cc fuel-injected model from 1979. The long-block will have nearly the same amount of parts and come apart in the same order. Let’s go step-by-step through the entire teardown process.
Disassembly
1. Remove the Gland Nut
Removing the flywheel can be a chore. It’s easiest to remove it before installing the yoke for the engine stand. The flywheel is held to the end of the crankshaft by one fastener called the gland nut, which is actually a big bolt torqued to 253 ft-lbs. Install the Helping Hand flywheel holder you made out of angle iron. Loosen the nut with a 1⁷⁄₁₆ (36-mm) socket and 3/4-inch drive breaker bar. A piece of pipe over the breaker bar will provide more leverage. Do not attempt to break the gland nut loose using a 1/2-inch drive socket and breaker bar. You will find the breaking point of these tools very quickly.
Shown here is the gland nut we just took off compared to a new one. You can tell someone had previously taken it off using the wrong tools (perhaps an adjustable wrench from the looks of the rounded off corners). This will need to be replaced with a new gland nut.
2. Remove the Flywheel
Use two long pry bars to wiggle the flywheel off the dowel pins. It shouldn’t take much effort. Be careful not to let the flywheel fall to the ground. Once the flywheel was removed, it was obvious why the gland nut was removed once before. The factory rear main seal (which was black) had been changed out for a new modern rear main seal (orange in color and made of a better silicone-based material).
3. Bolt the Yoke to the Case
Attach the engine stand yoke to the back of the engine case. Notice that it is attached to the left or 3-4 side of the engine only. This is so when the engine case is split apart, one half will stay connected to the stand while you remove the other half. The yoke will not fit straddling both halves.
4. Lift the Engine into the Stand
Slide the yoke into the stand. It weighs roughly 200 pounds, so don’t try to lift this alone. Get some help; better safe than sorry. Now is a good time to start draining the oil. Most sump plates will have a drain plug, but later models eliminated the plug, which forces you to loosen the sump plate at its six studs to get it draining.
5. Remove the Carburetor
Using a bent or curved 13-mm wrench makes removing the carburetor so much easier. Your carburetor may be full of fuel, so it is wise to empty it by turning it upside down and letting the fuel pour out the vent tube once removed. Note this is a stock Solex 34PICT carburetor and the vacuum lines have been plugged due to the vacuum advance distributor being replaced with a mechanical advance distributor.
6. Remove the Fan Shroud
Next to come off is the fan shroud and generator assembly. First, loosen the clamp holding the generator to the stand using a 13-mm wrench and a 13-mm socket. Slide it back toward the fan. Next, loosen the three bolts attaching the fan shroud to the tin work using a 10-mm wrench. There is one by each intake end casting and one by the oil cooler. Lift straight up off the oil cooler.
7. Remove the Intake Manifold
Loosen all four clamps that hold the sections of the intake manifold assembly together using a #2 Phillips screwdriver. Behind the fuel pump is a nut holding the center manifold to the case, remove it with a 13-mm socket. Next, remove the two nuts holding the end casting on the 3-4 side head with a 13-mm wrench. Pull the center section and 3-4 casting off as one piece. Finally, remove the casting on the 1-2 head using a 13-mm wrench.
8. Remove the Cooling Tin
This is what it should look like with all the cooling tin removed. All the sheet metal is attached with 6-mm flathead screws. Depending on how complete the engine you have is or what type of vehicle it was previously installed in will determine what sheet metal it has and what it will need when reassembling. Some of this hardware can be difficult to remove without sheering the heads off. Try to rap them with a ball-peen hammer to shock them loose and save you from having to drill them out and reestablish some threads in their place. Be careful using a locking pliers to loosen them. Penetrating oil and some patience would be a better route.
9. Remove the Crank Pulley
Here is a tried-and-true way of removing the crank pulley with minimal damage. Make sure the crank bolt was removed using a 30-mm socket and all the cylinder tin is removed, then tap the backside of the pulley closest to the center as possible with a large screwdriver and a hammer. It doesn’t take much force and it should walk right off. Crank pulley pullers tend to distort and permanently bend the thin metal pulley.
Even if this engine ran, it wouldn’t have lasted very long without severely overheating and self-destructing. The cooling fins are packed tight with oily crud, rat droppings, and other debris. Stored cars are magnets for furry animals to make homes and start a family.
10. Remove the Generator Stand
Remove the