'68 Semi Auto

FlamingChris · 28 May 2009, 13:41

Is there any chance somebody could post up photo's of each seperate component between the flexplate and the gearbox, or at least list them, then i can send those photo's onto my mate to hunt for the parts this weekend. That'll mean if i don't have the parts i can get them ordered up asap and maybe get my engine from here:

to here:

Bookwus · 28 May 2009, 15:04

Hiya Chris,

Do you have a Bentley (shop manual not the car!)? If you do Figure 8-2 (orange cover edition) on page 16, Section 9 has everything you need for an AS bellhousing scavenger hunt. All parts are pictured and listed.

If you do not have a Bentley (shame on you!

) I can try to scan mine and post this diagram up later. I'm not too sure what sort of quality I can produce with a scan, but I'll give it a shot if you need it.

volkenstein · 28 May 2009, 16:02

Chris,
Here's the plate, cover and T-O bearing, a little UFO-y :

The T-O bearing is quite a hefty assembly..call it roughly 3" OD...

Here is the carrier plate on the back of the bellhousing where it all bolts to :

NB, this Bellhousing has been removed from the trans to get to the clutch components. If your trans has the bellhousing on it, chances are the whole clutch assembly is undisturbed....

HTH
Sean

FlamingChris · 28 May 2009, 16:31

Phew! It makes sense now...i suspect all those components are still in behind the bellhousing. I, foolishly, assumed that it would be similar to a manual and when i saw what appeared to be an empty space (with the old TC seal still there) where the engine would bolt up to i assumed a clutch would have to go in there. When i saw those arms off the bearing from Lee's photo's that had me not so sure about what was in that sock as it most definitely doesn't have 'arms' (especially not yellow ones). Now i could still be completely wrong and the the previous owner may have removed them but i'll send my friend round to have a look and get some photo's. Is there anyway you can see the clutch components from the outside?

Mike,
I do have the bentley book (albeit the later orange one which is wrong for my car) but unfortunately i don't have it out here with me, fortunately i have you guy's to pester for answer's instead!

Bookwus · 28 May 2009, 16:37

Hiya Chris,

The only way to take a gander at the clutch components is to take off the bellhousing. I would not recommend doing that unless you are having a problem with something in that area. Those components are usually in pretty acceptable shape. Were it me, I'd take my chances of just bolting the engine up. In any event, short of taking the bellhousing off, iot's the only way to find out if everything in there works.

Oh......and do you want that scan of the bellhousing components?

FlamingChris · 28 May 2009, 19:13

Yeah i'll take the scan, it'll give me a good idea of how it goes together.

FlamingChris · 08 June 2009, 23:08

Right now i've got back home and been and had a look I'm pretty sure those clutch components are undisturbed. Now tonight i've been out rooting through boxes trying to find those little bolts for attaching the TC to the flexplate, fortunately i've found them as i seem to remember reading they were a strange thread. Now with those 12 point heads what tool am i looking for to wind them in?
Also i got my tinware back from the powdercoaters and i'm very impressed with their work, the only problem is they got my bits mixed up with someone elses and i have a dual port piece of tinware, hopefully they'll be able to get in contact with the other guy and we'll swap our parts over before the weekend.
Now that it's coming so close to fitting the engine let me be sure that i have everything i need. I've got a new TC seal to fit (any links to threads or tips on how to fit this would be handy

) and i've found my TC although it needs cleaning out a bit, I've got the engine with the flexplate attached.......do i need anything else??!??!??!

Bookwus · 08 June 2009, 23:22

Hiya Chris,

Quote from: FlamingChris on 08 June 2009, 23:08 ... Now with those 12 point heads what tool am i looking for to wind them in?

The problem with giving you a straight answer on this is a semantic one. That socket is called by different names depending on where you are. My suggestion............take one of your flexplate bolts down to your tool store and get a socket to fit. Remember too that you'll need to torque these bolts down to 18 ft/lbs (IIRC) so you will need to mate that socket up with your torque wrench as well.

QuoteAlso i got my tinware back from the powdercoaters and i'm very impressed with their work, the only problem is they got my bits mixed up with someone elses and i have a dual port piece of tinware.......

Murphy's Law in action.

QuoteNow that it's coming so close to fitting the engine let me be sure that i have everything i need. I've got a new TC seal to fit (any links to threads or tips on how to fit this would be handy ) and i've found my TC although it needs cleaning out a bit, I've got the engine with the flexplate attached.......do i need anything else??!??!??!

Insofar as the engine to bellhousing connection............I don't think so. Do make sure that you peen the TC into place.

FlamingChris · 13 June 2009, 01:31

Right, well the powdercoating place are going to re-do me the cylinder head while i'm away at work (boy did that 2 weeks off go fast) and now i'm just stuck trying to sort my end float, well more just trying to remove the flexplate but i'm sure i'll free it off eventually.

Quote from: Bookwus on 08 June 2009, 23:22
The problem with giving you a straight answer on this is a semantic one. That socket is called by different names depending on where you are. My suggestion............take one of your flexplate bolts down to your tool store and get a socket to fit. Remember too that you'll need to torque these bolts down to 18 ft/lbs (IIRC) so you will need to mate that socket up with your torque wrench as well.

In the case of that socket I managed to find one in another socket set of mine that fit's quite nicely.

volkenstein · 13 June 2009, 02:58

Chris,
Rattle gun or using the rope trick with a suitably long breaker bar/extension/socket are the two easiest (and least destructive!) methods. Otherwise you're up for welding long bars on pulleys and other things. There have been posts on the rope trick and other flexplate holding
fixtures.

Regards
Sean

FlamingChris · 13 June 2009, 13:10

I have employed the rope trick but it's not removing the bolt that causing me the issue, it's the flex plate is stuck on the four dowels at the moment and i can't get my hands in there to give it a good enough wiggle to free it.

Bookwus · 13 June 2009, 15:42

Hiya Chris,

Whoa there, Nellie!

You don't (as in shouldn't) take off the flexplate with your hands. You could tweak it by doing that.

Instead, take a hard and close look at how the flexplate mates up with the crankshaft. Do you see the "extra" holes in the flexplate that are not engaged by the crankshaft dowels? Notice that these holes are also threaded? Get a couple of 6mm bolts and thread them into the holes until they bottom out. Then, alternating between bolts, turn them gently with a wrench and you will force the flexplate away from the crank. Very nicely thought out removal system by VW.

FlamingChris · 13 June 2009, 17:29

Ahhhhh that's very clever, i thought they were there for a slide hammer (which i don't have). I shall try that out now!

FlamingChris · 13 June 2009, 19:31

Well that worked a treat. This is the end float i've got:

So i then worked out i'd need two 0.3 shims and a 0.24. Just to make sure i put in two 0.3 shims and checked the end float but i got a maximum of 0.06. So i took the flexplate off and made sure it was clean in there and put in a 0.3 and the 0.24 shim and then checked the end float, this time no matter how much i pushed and pulled the bottom pulley i couldn't get a reading at all.....I'm stumped! Any ideas....

Bookwus · 13 June 2009, 22:20

Uh-oh....................metrics. I'm officially lost.

I do all my measuring in inches so I'd have to do conversions for this to make any sense to me.