[Vwdiesel] Valvetrain advice

[Robert Downes]

well, it's going to cost a whole lot less than $900.
the head itself will run me $200-250 in parts(I'm sure VW's valves are
excellent quality but they are not the only high quality parts available)
and having the work done by a reputable machine shop in seattle would be
around 400 after shipping.

I am lucky enough to have found myself in a lifestyle that allows me the
flexibility to use my own time for such projects. From one perspective,
this is inefficient--i do value my time and in a raw dollars equation, it
would pay to have a professional do the labor--But the time I invest in the
project will not be in the form of labor. Instead i'll be doing work for
which my return is problem solving excercise, deeper knowledge of a subject
which interests me, my increased value to my community as a result of that
knowledge, the community capital gained by seeking help (this type of
capital pays off to both individuals involved in the exchange!), etc.

not to mention that as long as i get to do it on my own schedule, i find
turning a wrench fairly therapeutic.

So, I feel like i'm getting a pretty good deal!
-Bob
On Wed, Oct 7, 2015 at 2:09 PM, Ralph Meyermann <ralphmeyermann at gmail.com>
wrote:

> About how much is this head job going to cost? I know VW is wanting nearly
> $60.00 a valve. I purchased a new complete kolbenschmidt AAZ head from
> www.boraparts.com for $900.00.
> On Oct 7, 2015 3:39 PM, "Robert Downes" <bobdownes at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Folks! though i rarely take part in these discussions, i've been a
>> subscriber to this list for a long time and have a great respect for the
>> spirit of community brought by some of you here. i find this community to
>> be one of the biggest perks of owning these cars and i'm keenly aware of
>> how much i've learned reading this list in particular.
>>
>> Thanks A Lot!!
>>
>> And now, the point: I have a 1.9D (1y) engine in my '81 caddy. great
>> engine, i've never regretted putting it in. i got it for a good price with
>> unknown miles and have gotten my money's worth out of it but the
>> noisy/smoky valvetrain finally got bad enough and the timing in my life
>> got
>> good enough that i recently converted my head into an organized pile of
>> bits. i have pretty good help here from a machinist with with space and
>> tools to loan but i'm having trouble finding complete information online
>> to
>> help me evaluate my parts and determine exactly how far i need to go.
>>
>> i definitely need new guides, and those are readily available. this head
>> has the older, 8mm valves and i also have a source for a set of those.
>>
>> the seats and valve surfaces are clean and shiny, but are visibly worn out
>> of shape (from the worn guides?)
>>
>> my questions are,
>> --i have access to seat grinding tools and help from a machinist to grind
>> the valves flat. how can i determine whether the wear is too much? that
>> is,
>> what is the range of self-adjustment of the hydraulic lifters and is there
>> an established baseline to measure from?
>>
>> --i've seen some nonspecific recommendations against reworking these
>> valves. my valve stems are not worn measurably (the dia. is consistent to
>> .0005" over their length) and i'd love to avoid buying a new set. how
>> foolish would it be to grind them? if the answer is not very, what angle
>> differential  with the seat is normal?
>>
>> --i have a proper drift for removal/installation of the guides, and an
>> idea
>> of how to go about that job, but I WELCOME any tips that any of you might
>> have to ease this part of the work. also, the guide reamer i have is the
>> adjustable variety. is there a target value to ream these to? i've found
>> no
>> info except to use the vw reaming tool. my best guess is to go until there
>> is a small amount of 'rock' via the guide wear test in the bentley manual,
>> but much less than the 1.3mm max. ???
>>
>> I hope that's reasonably clear. Thank you in advance for the help, and in
>> return i promise to get a little more active and help field some questions
>> that are within my sphere!
>>
>> with Gratitude
>> -Bob
>> Port Townsend, Wa
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>>
>