there are a lot of weird/weak things about the original tiico instalation.

I own one. I notice the adapter bell housing set up only has 4 bolts I
think that hold the adapter plate to the engine ..
I was able to mod that some to get 5 .
(diesel vanagon has a total of 7 bolts I think , bell housing to engine
block and oil pan ) .

congrats on upgrading to a better engine installation, whatever you got.

Scott

On 12/7/2013 10:54 AM, Robert Stevens wrote:
> On Dec 7, 2013, at 11:32 AM, Derek Drew <derekdrew@DEREKMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> BELLHOUSING BULIMIA
>
> (HARD STATING --  Diagnosis Bellhousing Cracked)
>
> When I bought my Syncro in April of '02 it had a TIICO in it.
> Within about a year this same thing happened to the bellhousing.
> It began with a periodic labored starter turnover, then firing up.
> Eventually it took on a dead or dying battery symptom because
> the housing was so broken the starter was binding way off 90 degrees
> and the engine wouldn't start at all.
>
> A shop I took it to just replaced the battery, not noticing that made no difference
> at all. Of course, never have returned to that shop. Had the van towed to another
> shop that diagnosed the cracked bellhousing immediately and have used them
> periodically since.....and got rid of the TIICO in '05.
>
> Bob