OK boys and girls......
Can anyone confirm for me that this is TDC #1 cylinder.
Thats the way it's always been on my upright engines but on this type 4 it's all a little wierd.
Queenie's engine refuses to so much as sputter. Now I'm under the car checking valve lash and #1 seems WAY off (particularly intake valve). Help me Obi Wan....your my only hope.

Any guesses who's the DMF?

You should be able to tell TDC #1 by going peering in the hole in the top of the fan housing - mine is marked with a 0 on the fan. It's a bitch to find - I usually put a socket on the alternator and turn the engine over that way.

Fiid.

That is TDC, but check the impeller fan to see the TDC mark (white mark) is in the cut away. Also, you can see the bottom of the fly wheel through a small window on the tranny. there should be another white mark, or a slot.

Go here:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/9...alve_adjust.htm

Oh and don't forget - I think the T4 firing order is different from most upright engines. It should be written on the engine tin.

I think the T4 is 1-4-3-2 where aren't most engines 1-3-4-2.....? Check it anyway - just in case the plug wires are in the wrong order.

Fiid.

the only way to KNOW is to pull a valve cover and watch the rockers...

white mark on fan...check.
does this photo look like the distributor position for #1 TDC?

yes

Actually, the mark is used for setting the initial timing of the engine when it is at TDC. It should equate to roughly 27 degrees BTDC. You need to look at the rotor only. It looks roughly right, but the only way to be sure is to see the 0 in the notch at the fan. Even then, it's best to double check by pulling your spark plug at #1 and trying to stick a screwdriver or something in. Then you know you are at TDC for 1 and not 3....

Chris

Update...

My car finally did start. It needs the valves set, and a few other minor adjustments, but the engine ran and seems to - wonder of wonders - not be burning any oil.

One more day of tweaking and then my mechanic can have his life back. I'll take it to the pay mechanic for final touches early next week.

Cheers to onespeedboy for all his hard work and perseverance in the face of the Type IV quirks.

Yup, you nailed it. This is the only way to know for sure the position of the #1 Cylinder in the 4 stroke cycle.

Congratulations!

Thanks, Charles. It's been a bit stressful for both of us but nowhere near as bad as it could've been. I'm just looking forward to driving it again!

Attaboy Pancho...

OSB: in the end I blame society. Society made me what I am today.
Mica: That's bullshit Onespeed. You're just a white suburban punk.
OSB: Yah, but it sounded so good. Glug...gurgle.


moral: random are our gains in the art trade. Cars too!

OSB: in the end I blame society. Society made me what I am today.
Mica: That's bullshit Onespeed. You're just a white suburban punk.
OSB: Yah, but it sounded so good. Glug...gurgle.


moral: random are our gains in the art trade. Cars too!

Sorry I could'nt have been more help. I had my own headaches prior to traveling with 3 914's to Arkansas.

Glad to hear things are turning out "positive".


B

No worries, Brad. OSB and I have been muddling through the vagaries of air-cooled engines together for almost fifteen years now, ever since I was a crazy idealistic young girl who thought that buying a '67 VW bus was such a great idea...

I've driven tens of thousands of miles on engines that he's built. He knows the basics like the back of his hand. This was his first experience with a Type IV and he did an admirable job of dealing with it, all things considered.

But I'm pretty sure he's glad to be (almost) done with it now.

Mica or Poncho,



why wasn't it firing before?

jbb

One of my fuel injectors had worked itself loose (it appears to have been installed poorly) and another of them had a bad seal. Also, my ignition & FI wiring harnesses were for crap; thanks to (Jeff) bowlsby, they are now in excellent shape! We also went ahead & put new plug wires on - might as well, right? New points & new distributor also. I think that's it for the electrical-type stuff. It seems like something somewhere in all that just didn't feel like making a connection to get the car running, because after the initial trouble it gave with starting yesterday, apparently it finally just...started. No reports yet today on how it's going, but hopefully all is well.