Gary Nichols writes:
> 
> The "How To Rebuild Your Air-Cooled Volkswagon" book shows pictures and has
> text describing the "windage tray" found attached to and above the oil pickup.
> My engine doesn't have one!  Did some engines not have it?  Did somebody leave
> it out on a previous rebuild?  The oil pickup doesn't even have a hole for the
> bolt to the windage tray, so I am suspecting that either:
>    1) Some years of the 2L didn't have windage trays.
>    2) The PO rebuilt, lost the old pickup, put on a different one, couldn't
>       figure out how to attach the windage tray and what it was for anyway,
>       and left it off.

I've never seen a type IV bus engine with a windage tray.  None of them
seem to have it.  Someone told me once that they did more harm than good
and that VW stopped using them early on.  Anyway, I wouldn't worry about
it (or lack of it, I should say).

> Question #2:
> I am paranoid about the dropped valve seat problem.  How prevalent is it?

I've seen a lot more cracked heads and broken valves than dropped seats.

> What is the experience out there with rebuilt heads?  Do I have 'em rebuilt
> locally by any shop that says they do VW heads?  (Does anybody have experience
> with any shops in the Sacramento, CA area?)  Or should I send them down to
> Mark Stephens because he guarantees "No More Dropped Seats" and pay the
> shipping charges AND much higher prices (twice as much)?

Can't say much here.  If your heads aren't cracked, I personally would
feel comfortable having my local shop install new guides, seats, and
valve gear.  *IF* I trusted them with VW stuff in the first place, which
I do (I go to ForMac in La Mesa - Clark is a good guy).  Mark Stephens
seems to have a great reputation - if there was welding involved I would
go to someone like him.

> Question #3:
> This engine ate a rod bearing.  I am getting the case tank cleaned, but I am
> concerned about cleaning the metal out of the oil cooler.  Should I just buy a
> reconditioned oil cooler?  Have a machine shop clean out the old one?  What is
> the experience here.  What do YOU do?

I would never trust a cooler that had bits of metal flowing through it.
No matter how well you clean it, there is still a good chance that you 
didn't get it all out.  On the other hand, the bearing material is
pretty soft, and a little of it in your oil is probably not as bad as,
say, bits of aluminum.  I would go with a *new* cooler if possible, or
if price is prohibitive, a rebuilt one.  If you don't need the engine to
last 60,000 miles, have a shop blow out the old one - most likely it
will be ok.  It's kind of like birth control.  A new cooler is like
abstinance, a rebuilt one is like the pill, and cleaning out the old one
is like timing.  How much of a chance are you willing to take?  :)

btw, ForMac is at 619-698-7003 for those in Southern California.

-David

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David Schwarze                     '73 VW Safare Custom Camper  (Da Boat)
San Diego  (Actually La Mesa)      '72 VW Westfalia Camper      (Da Project)
California, USA                    '73 Capri GT 2800            (Da Beast)
e-mail: des@teleport.com           '87 Mustang Lx 5.0           (14.17@99.34)
http://www.teleport.com/~des       '93 Weber WG-50              (Da Piano)
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