ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

Hello all,

Getting pretty frustrated with this engine I reduced compression to help deal with an over heating issue I was having. Now the temps are down but I have a bad exhaust smell my clothes reek of it. It was fine before?. Here is my setup...

1500cc sp motor converted to 1600sp
Compression ratio = 7.3:1
Heads newer sp stock
Carb: pict30/31 127.5 main jet
Exhaust: stock vw header dual system
Fuel: 87 octain
Used all new exhaust gaskets and fastners
Heat risers conected and not pluged
Sprayed intake areas with WD40 no idle change idles rock solid at 850RPMS at least according to my tach/dwell meter

Drive well on the freeway decent power but the exhaust smell makes it not fun to drive the only thing I can think of is it possible to have a leak from insede the heat exchanger itself?

-Eric

get a piece of metal brake line and put it around the edges, see if you hear anything, the sound should be really distinct if they are leakin

Hey Mike.

Thanks I'll try that...

-Eric

Its probably the connection between the end of the heaterbox and the muffler. A leak there will shoot straight along the pipe into the heaterbox then into your car. What I do is slather on lots of high temp RTV silicone before clamping the exhaust grommets.

Ok looks like I have an intake leak darn it . So the engine is comming out again. So question for experenced single port folks what method do you use when tighting the manifold? I mean you got the floppy flanges on either side do they have a specific direction they must be in? Also is there a nut tightening sequence I should be using ie cross to cross or do one side then the other?.

Thanks,
-Eric

am i missin somethin? intake leak=smell inside the car?

Hey Mike,

Sorry no your not missing anything I found out I actually have two issues:

The exhaust smell and I just found I have an intake leak. Seems the two nuts in the front are working there way loose some how even after I tighten em down not sure why?

-Eric

Dumb question, are you using the copper crush gaskets between the head and the manifold?

If they are not lined up just right they can crush "wrong" and not seal properly.

Hey Bluspecs,

Naw not a dumb question actually they are silver metal gaskets not copper. When I took the manifold off it looks like they crushed down right but I'm worried that the nuts loosened up and allowed an air leak. So tring to figure out how to prevent this.

-Eric

I had a shop weld heater box 'repair kit' steel doghnuts on the boxes.
They renew the correct diameter for the crush seals to keep out the exhaust. That was the end of the smell and involuntary sleeping at the wheel

Hmmm... Does the engine vibrate alot? How are the rubber transmission mounts?

I had a few nuts (not manifold) start to loosen up on one of my engines in a car that had bad mounts. I replaced the mounts and they stopped loosening. To be fair I don't know if they stopped because I replaced the mounts or I took them off and cleaned up the engine real well.

That might be kind of a stretch though....

You bring up a good point yeah the engine vibrates some I was thinking is even just loctiteing the darn things and see if that helps could also just be allot of crud on the head and the manifold going to clean both up really well and see what happens

-Eric