[T3] 1st oil change/vavles-need help

[Jim Adney]

On 11 Oct 2015 at 9:43, John L. Morgan IV wrote:

> What can I go ahead and order for Type 3 oil change? and from where?

You really don't need part numbers for this. The strainer and cover 
are reusable: Just clean them and reinstall. The gaskets are often 
reusable, if you're careful removing them. It's prudent to buy an oil 
change gasket kit anyway. They're available from any of the online 
dealers as well as your local flaps. These kits are the same for all 
beetles and Type 3s, as well as buses up thru '71.

The original strainers will have a tiny VW logo stamped somewhere on 
the flange. If you've still got an original, hang onto it. The 
originals are alum, while the aftermarket ones are usually steel. 
Plus, there are multiple different versions, to match up with 
different diameter pickup tubes inside the engine (center hole in the 
strainer.) Don't use the wrong one.

One more note on the strainers: After many years of use, the 6 small 
holes around the edge tend to get swaged inwards, making the holes a 
bit small to get on and off. I use a tapered reamer to slightly 
enlarge those holes, putting them back to the original size and 
making that part of the oil change much easier.

Another note on the 6 cap nuts: Aftermarket cap nuts aren't usually 
tapped deeply enough. It takes a special bottoming tap to do this, so 
it's a step that's often skipped. The result is that you'll run out 
of good threads before the cap nut is tight against the cover. When 
you continue to turn the nut, it will seize onto the 6 mm stud and 
then force the stud to turn in the case. Next time you remove the 
nut, the stud will come out with it. This will work okay for awhile, 
but the threads in the soft case will eventually wear to the point 
where they need to be HeliCoiled and LocTited. This is difficult to 
do exactly right. I made a fixture to pilot the drill bit and tap, 
because I came across it so often.

I use bottoming taps to chase the threads all the way to the bottom 
of aftermarket cap nuts. Note that leaving out the small washer will 
cause the same problem as having 1 mm less thread in the cap nut.  

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