[Vwdiesel] Valvetrain advice

Wed Oct 7 16:39:38 PDT 2015

right. i'm not going to be pounding on anything, but as far as i know the
tool is still called a drift when it's used in a press, which is the method
recommended by VW. i dont expect too much resistance once the head is
properly heated.

and i did slip and use the word grind, but yes, i have a proper neway
carbide cutter for the seats. if i were to rework the valves, however, i'd
do it on the lathe with a precision grinder. still hoping to learn whether
this is an acceptable course to pursue...

i have a source for the valves but i'm hoping to save that $150..

Ralph: yeah! i appreciate the recommendation. i'm pretty confident that my
head's cracks are not bad enough to be worrisome, and like i said i'm
hoping to rework my seats and a new set would not be too expensive.. so,
forging ahead...

thanks for the replies!

On Wed, Oct 7, 2015 at 4:30 PM, <pmdolan1 at sasktel.net> wrote:

> The words used scare the living crap out of me.
>
>
>
> DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE pound the guides out with a drift.  You will
> destroy the head.  CORE THEM properly so that your removal tool is
> SHRINKING the thin remaining shell.   Pounding on the end of the guide will
> make it expand and screw up the bore in the aluminum head.
>
>
>
> DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTNCES give your head to someone with a set of
> grinding stones.  chances are 99% that they wil absolutely screw up the
> valve seat depth.  Unless the shop is extremely familiar with VW heads,
> just don't go there.   Find someone with the correct set of carbide cutters
> and pilots, and they can put the right angles on the seat and the other two
> cuts to set seat width while not removing too much material from the seat.
>
>
>
> You should be able to get a decent deal on new valves from just about
> anyone except the dealer.  Just stay away from Chinese discount parts.   I
> use WorldPac since I can get choice of several suppliers including OEM on
> their site.
>
>
> On Wed, 7 Oct 2015 16:10:26 -0700, Robert Downes <bobdownes at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> 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
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Vwdiesel mailing list
> >> Vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> >> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel
> >>
> >
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