AAZ rebuild (broke down in Maine)

[libbydiesel]

1stvwparts.com shows the 1-notch for about $60.  They are a vw dealership parts backdoor site. 

[theman53]

Myke sold his business but told me he can still do parts no problem.

Myke_w sold the business
http://www.vwdiesel.net/forum/index.php?topic=29808.0

You are looking for Nathan_b

I can call the local VW shop around here in the AM if you need. There is a guy from the forum coming up for a visit, he might be willing to ship it to you once he is in the states on Saturday. IM me if you are interested.

Myke sold his business but told me he can still do parts no problem.

[RockOcean]

Alright thank you everyone for all the help, I think I finally have everything I need. I ended up ordering a 1 notch head gasket from the local VW dealer today it was only $70 plus $20 for next day shipping so I may have it here tomorrow.

Pre fitting the Sabo rear main with no oil to be left over night before rotating thanks for that tip

IMG_2359 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

TDC pistons are finally in

IMG_2383 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

IMG_2391 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

IMG_2222 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

IMG_2235 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

Would like to paint the block Porsche Mint Green but that will have to wait

IMG_2404 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

Who does # 2 work for?

IMG_2196 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

Flywheel & Clutch install on a mud flap

IMG_2434 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

Ahhh finally she is back in the house

IMG_2461 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

So many things to turn - O yeah my custom oil filler wont work because it hits the A/C pulley.

IMG_2473 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

Love this first real torque wrench I have used with the oil cooler nut adapter

IMG_2502 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

The boyz getting the tow truck ready to follow me back to FLA hahaa

IMG_2539 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

The head in the house awaiting manifolds

IMG_2555 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

Just waiting on the head gasket for tomorrow

IMG_2574 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

[theman53]

I don't know where you are planning on staying, but even if you stay in Florida it might not be a bad 8.00 to spend for a block heater. I am not sure how difficult it is to put into a van since the engine is completely different position. But if you were to sell it to someone up north a block heater is nice. You wouldn't even have to use it or plug the cord into it, as long as it was there and you don't have to drain the cooling system that would be loads easier for whomever would want it later. Just an idea.
BTW everything looks good.

[RockOcean]

Good point, but I think its a little too late to put one in now. Thanks

Well it was no surprise today that the head gasket did not arrive at the stealership. But I did get a hold of a socket for the injectors. I bought a 1 1/16" craftsman deep well from Sears. It fit on two of the injectors but not the other two, but lucky for me Matt has a lathe and we milled out the top part so it would fit. Worked great torqued to 51 ft lbs

IMG_2584 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

IMG_2667 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

[theman53]

It isn't too late. You take a punch and knock out one of the freeze plugs in the back. Mine called for the freeze plug behind #1, then you just insert the block heater and turn the screw until it is tight.

[libbydiesel]

On the vanagon, the freeze plugs are readily always readily accessible.  It's very easy to add a block heater.  The hardest thing about it is draining and refilling the coolant which should be done every couple years anyway.

[RockOcean]

Oh I thought you had to knock the freeze plug out from inside of the block. What about the wiring it was never hooked up and I don't see a wire for it.

[theman53]

If it is that easy to get to I wouldn't worry about it too much especially if you are staying in warm climates. But if you ever go on vacation in the winter it might be a good thing. The wire would come in the block heater kit and you would have to place it where you wanted. It is simple, the wiring pushes on and it is done.

[RockOcean]

I got the head gasket today from VW - man is that thing pretty. They said there was only 1 in the US and 2 in Canada. I should have taken a photo of it but I just wanted to put that thing on.

Today I put on the head and timed everything up using: http://vincewaldon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=28 very helpful instructions. Tomorrow all I have to do is put the turbo and piping on and crank her up :- )

This is not the gasket I put on - I had to go with the rare 1 notch since I did not get the block deck shaved to meet the 2 notch range. As you can see I was prepared with a 2 and 3 notch.

IMG_3377 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

[RockOcean]

Finished up the van today :- )

Runs a lot better then it did before it broke. I had a problem with the valve cover gasket that was leaking really bad until I realized that I was missing the concave washers for the 3 nuts that fasten the valve cover. I was able to make it work with 5 washers on each one.

IMG_3479 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

IMG_3579 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

IMG_3545 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

IMG_3531 by RockOcean.com, on Flickr

[burn_your_money]

Good to see you back on the road! That's a nice looking van, definitely worth the investment.

[nathantheengineer]

Well done mate, has got many more fun miles left in her now!

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

Nice job getting it back on the road and documenting the process! What was the total cost? Did it fall between $1700-$2300 on page 1? PM me when you make ur way down to FL (if you pass by CT and NYC). I'd love to get a ride in it. I can show you my 92 Eco which runs on WVO and my 81 Caddy I just picked up.

[RockOcean]

Thanks I drove it 250 miles today runs a lot better then when I first got the van. I would say 10 to 20% more power, and the same for lower EGT's. Also my oil pressure goes from 40-80 moving pretty much right with the rpm's (I hope this is a good thing?) Where as before it kind of stayed around 40. One problem that I thought I had fixed by shaving 2mm off the flywheel has not been fixed - and that is after driving the van for a good 30mins I will have to wait 30 mins for the van to cool down before it will start again (starter sounds like the battery is not charged enough, but it reads 100%) . When I got done with the re build I pulled the fuel thru the injection pump and then left the injectors cracked to get the air out. I had to crank it about 6 times before the fuel came out - then I tightened the injectors. Had to crank it six more times to get it started, while doing that at one point the wire going to the starter got really hot (you could smell it).

What are the chances the wire is bad? - Due to a loss of voltage to the starter when the engine it hot after driving for a half an hour or more. Hahaa stupid question I guess I should just change it - thank you all for all the knowledge on making this rebuild happen. If you want to follow me on my eventual driving around the world in my Westy, checkout my website www.RockOcean.com or my FB Blog www.facebook.com/FreeRockOcean