Page 33 - Transporter Talk Issue 195

that was not the correct belt that was in it. I must have broken one of my personal Rules-'Never assume'. That will teach me not to check the product in the packet. A correctly sized belt was fitted in moments.
While I was at it, I dug out my trusty strobe light to check the timing. My engine seems to run best at about 7.5 degrees BTDC. It was registering over 12 degrees. My crank has a pully with degrees marked on it fitted in 2012. This really makes timing checks and corrections so much easier to do. However, notches made by VW on the pulley wheel are very accurate if that is all you have.
Took the van for another test drive. It was just the same, perhaps a little worse. I was not happy. Then the whistling started. Yes, a loud whistle.
I quite liked it actually, as it made my van sound as though I had a turbine engine fitted. But my engine should not whistle. This may indicate compressed gasses forcing their way out somewhere, but where? The noise was louder towards the offside rocker cover. My hand could not feel escaping gas in that area. Turning the engine off, I removed the rocker cover and started the engine again. Again, nothing obvious escaping that could be seen with the naked eye, and nothing abnormal felt (carefully) with my bare hand. It was pleasing to see a good flow of oil for the rockers. The engine was turned off before oil went all over the heat exchanger.
My brother had let me use his compression gauge to aid diagnosis of my engine
problem. Not for attaching to each spark plug home to test cylinder compression (although I should have done this if room in the engine bay allowed), but the port on the left of the carburettor and the port on the manifold (not all VW manifolds have this port). Instructions with the gauge show pictures of the gauge demonstrating various readings and their meaning. The lower manifold port reading showed a 'waggle' (don't know how else to describe it). The upper port on the carburettor indicated a gauge reading of zero ('Normal' according to the chart) and the chart also indicated that the lower port 'waggle' may indicate burnt valves in the cylinder head.
Getting dark now, so I packed my tools away and left it. Tomorrow I may have to be brave and remove the offside cylinder head. I believe this can be done with the van engine in place, and I was getting ready to put theory into practice.
At 5am I woke, having the sudden thought that I had missed doing something obvious. The Manifold to the cylinder heads (where the alloy manifold pipe on each side of the engine splits in two) and joins each cylinder head. The engine tinware had obstructed my view of this. Nipping outside I dug out a 13mm spanner and a 13mm socket with flexible connection, and stuck my head in the engine bay. Sure enough the offside manifold was making a bid for freedom. Tightening both of the two nuts it was done. It was only 5.30am, and too early to start firing up an engine. Especially an air cooled one.
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