[T3] flaps

[Jim Adney]

On 16 Aug 2013 at 9:23, Chris Sheridan wrote:

> How can I tell if my flaps aren't opening. I'm noticing that my oil light
> is coming on after a 10 minute drive (10 miles)
> and the engine smells hot when I shut it off.

If the light is coming on while your driving along, that's bad. If it 
only comes on when you come to a stop and the engine is idling, 
that's not particularly troubling.  

Were you the guy who just had his fan housing off? If so, are you 
sure you got the flap control pushrod put back on securely? There 
should also be a spring that pulls the flaps open if one of the 
pushrods comes loose; was that there?   

Otherwise, there's no really easy way to tell. You can look under the 
right side of the engine and see if the thermostat is expanding when 
hot and contracting when cold. Then you can remove the air cleaner 
and pull out the double spark plug holder that's just in front of the 
right side of the fan housing. You may be able to see, or feel with a 
wire, thru that hole, where the flap is.

One of the things I ALWAYS do when I have one of these engines apart 
is to saw a shallow kerf in the right end of the flap rod. Saw it 
parallel to the flaps, and you'll always be able to see it and tell 
where the flaps are. You can also use this as a slot for a 
screwdriver, to check whether the shaft is free or not. I've always 
felt that this is something that VW should have done at the factory.

-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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