[Vwdiesel] Help - messed in the head...

Sat Apr 16 08:34:14 EDT 2005

I've yet to see a VW diesel engine head off.  Interesting!  With no chambers
you wouldn't have to worry about cc'ing the heads for compression matching
between cylinders as in a hi-perf* gas engine build.. ;)

*BTW, for the record, my view of what constitutes high performance has
changed significantly in recent years.  I'm now of the opinion that having
an engine that will run on alternate fuel sources (no dependance on
expensive, vanishing gasoline, propane or natural gas petroleum products
controlled by The Man) for many tens of thousands of hours between rebuilds
on small fractions of a litre per kW Hour represents "hi-performance"!

Rob

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Arnott" <jrasite at eoni.com>
To: "James Hansen" <jhsg at sasktel.net>
Cc: "vwdiesel" <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2005 1:42 AM
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Help - messed in the head...

> Hooo kay...
>
> The head that I have sitting out on the bench doesn't have a "chamber."
> Pop the valves out and it's dead flat.
>
> Interesting.
>
> I retract my statement.  Having only seen about half a dozen 1.6 and
> 1.9 heads, I ain't no expert.  But none of the heads I have have any
> "chamber" except the "swirl chamber." If the cam's on them, you gotta
> lay 'em on their side so as not to potentially bend valves.
>
> Gas motors? They got "chambers." Oil burners? Not the ones I got.
>
> Jim
>
> On Friday, April 15, 2005, at 10:16 PM, James Hansen wrote:
>
> > It also brings the pistons closer to the valve, at some point valve
> > reliefs
> > in the piston would become necessary.  Put some silly putty or
> > plasticine on
> > top of a piston at tdc, set the head on, torque to tennish ftlb, then
> > remove
> > and measure the thinnest point of the putty.  You need a hundred thou
> > or so
> > for a margin of safety clearance.
> > -james
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com
> > [mailto:vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com]On
> > Behalf Of Area31 Research Facility
> > Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 8:56 PM
> > To: Shawn Wright; Gary Shea; Jim Arnott
> > Cc: vwdiesel
> > Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Help - messed in the head...
> >
> >
> > Jim,
> >
> > I understand clearly what you say...but, if you have a head that
> > over-enthusiastic deck shaving has reduced the chamber volume in then
> > by
> > adding more thickness in the head gasket than merely coming up to the
> > piston
> > tops, could also be used as a technique to restore compression ratio,
> > otherwise it will be higher than design.
> >
> > Rob
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jim Arnott" <jrasite at eoni.com>
> > To: "Shawn Wright" <swright at zuiko.sls.bc.ca>; "Gary Shea"
> > <shea at gtsdesign.com>
> > Cc: "vwdiesel" <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
> > Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 10:21 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Help - messed in the head...
> >
> >
> >> Shawn, Gary;
> >>
> >> The head doesn't determine the head gasket thickness, the piston
> >> protrusion does. You could cut 10mm off the head and not affect the
> >> protrusion a bit.  If it had a one notch gasket, replace it with a one
> >> notch gasket. (Or do it right and MEASURE the protrusion.)
> >>
> >> Jim
> >>
> >> On Friday, April 15, 2005, at 07:09 AM, Shawn Wright wrote:
> >>
> >>> On 14 Apr 2005 at 20:18, Gary Shea <shea at gtsdesign.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> It sucks how letting anyone else touch part of your car leads to
> >>>> that
> >>>> part being screwed up :(  I'll never forget the place in Logan Utah
> >>>> that
> >>>> did an inspection on my Vanagon, knocked the press-on drums off
> >>>> with a
> >>>> sledge (before confronting the owner I quietly asked his son, who
> >>>> innocently acknowledged it), warped them beyond repair, denied doing
> >>>> anything improper, and when he finally agreed to replace them and
> >>>> gave
> >>>> me a ride back to my office, agreed with me when I told him that
> >>>> what
> >>>> I
> >>>> liked about Utah is how honest everyone was.  I could hardly keep a
> >>>> straight face on that one...
> >>>
> >>> It's been a few years since I had any work done by a shop, but they
> >>> screwed that up
> >>> too of course. In fact, I think at least half the shop work I've had
> >>> done in the past 20
> >>> years has had problems, and I've always tried to find a shop with a
> >>> good rep.
> >>>
> >>>> I had my TD head valve seats and guides done recently... I brought
> >>>> it
> >>>> in
> >>>> for the initial cleaning and had to come back later because I hadn't
> >>>> brought them the prechamber inserts.  Huh, the sealing surface of
> >>>> the
> >>>> head now has a big gouge in it... sigh.  Ok, so there goes the
> >>>> 1-notch
> >>>> gasket I already bought :(  I did get semi-lucky though, the guy
> >>>> called
> >>>> me when one of the prechamber inserts wouldn't stay in place.  He
> >>>> was
> >>>> afraid they would get pulled up by the cutting tool, just as yours
> >>>> may
> >>>> have.... he suggested we jbweld them in place, I gave him the go
> >>>> ahead,
> >>>> it worked.  I haven't dared to look at them closely since then :)
> >>>> Nor
> >>>> have I had the courage to figure out the new clearance, if I can
> >>>> even
> >>>> think of a way to do it... they couldn't give me the exact amount of
> >>>> metal they milled off the head... it'll be at least a 3-notcher now
> >>>> though, based on what little information they could give me.
> >>>>
> >>>> So I know just how you feel :)
> >>>
> >>> I do have a spare NA head, are the prechambers the same on a TD? How
> >>> do I
> >>> remove them? I'm guessing tap them out with something in the injector
> >>> hole? I'm
> >>> already at a 3 notch gasket, so I hope this won't be a problem. I may
> >>> try to measure
> >>> the piston height, since I got them in last night. I was surprised
> >>> how
> >>> much they stick
> >>> up.
> >>>
> >>> thanks for the info, I will try gather as much advice before I talk
> >>> to
> >>> the shop.
> >>>
> >> "We need a revolution."
> >> "Keep saying that and we'll need a lawyer, assuming they let us have
> >> one."
> >>
> >> Jan Steinman <www.Bytesmiths.com>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >> Vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> >> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel
> >>
> >
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> >
> >
> "We need a revolution."
> "Keep saying that and we'll need a lawyer, assuming they let us have
> one."
>
> Jan Steinman <www.Bytesmiths.com>
>
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