[T3] Tight exhaust valves

[Jim Adney]

On 28 Dec 2013 at 9:51, Jacob Adam Schroeder wrote:

> With Bob, Keith, and Jim telling me I need to get the thermostats & flaps
> installed, I think it would be foolish to ignore their collective wisdom.
> Is this something I can remedy with the engine in the car or would this
> type of a fix require pulling the engine?
> 
> I still have the thermostat, but I don't have the flaps anymore.  I do have
> a second fan housing (with flaps) but the flaps there seem rusted in place.

You can do it in the car, but it's not easy. You have to remove the 
fans and the fan housings, and you can do this without removing the 
muffler if you pull off one piece at a time. You'll also have to 
remove the right upper cylinder cover, which can be tough go get off 
because of the screws at the front that are hard to get to with the 
engine installed.

You will probably have trouble removing and installing the fan bolt, 
because the clutch will slip. If it's an AT, you can get a friend to 
jam the ring gear with a screwdriver from below, but on an MT, you'll 
have to remove a spark plug and feed a length of rope into one 
cylinder to hold it. If you do this, make SURE that you're pushing 
toward TDC against CLOSED valves. To get this right, you'll have to 
remove and reinstall the rope between removing and tightening that 
bolt.  

You should be able to free up the shaft in your second fan housing, 
but first saw a shallow slot in the right end of the shaft, parallel 
to the flaps. This will let you check the flap position at a glance 
at any time in the future and also check that the shaft is free using 
a screwdriver in that slot. It's something VW should have done!  

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