TLDR;
- I've been adulting, finally got some time to make some progress.
- Got some tools.
- If there is some other trick I can try to remove the front crank bolt before I buy the tool, I'm all ears.
- Does anyone know if I can just replace the top "cover" that contains the "nipple" instead of replacing the entire vacuum pump unit?
Has been a while since I touched the TDI, but as the previous posts have it, I got some time to crack into the build again.
As time goes on, I constantly fight the "I'll just..." and "while I'm in here I'll just..." battles that keep progressing me deeper and deeper into the build. This all started as fixing the exhaust and replacing the waterpump and now I'm, well, see for yourself.
Anyways, I have always wanted to have a mint engine bay and subconsciously I think that's where this thread is going. I want the bay to look like the day it rolled off the factory floor. The other "subconscious itch" I have is to get a little more power out of the powertrain. I have 175hp in my head, and I think that will become my goal once I pull the head off and confirm I have a good head/block to get to that number. I'm also human, so all of that can change. I've had plenty of projects I've worked on in the past, but this is my first time getting this deep into an engine build. I want to get down to an empty block and go from there. I also don't know why I chose an AHU as the guinea pig, but I am here and that's that.
Aside from getting married, doing some house renos, and other adulting, I spent some time getting my compressor hooked up.
I have a media blasting cabinet I wanted to have available for this build so it helped to have it hooked up and good to go - the 80gal capacity and flow rate from the 3 heads will be ample for my hobby usage without running at a 100% duty cycle. Since I needed to wire a 240v outlet for the compressor, I can also use my mig welder (which also needed a 240V supply). So win win from the compressor hook up. Sooo, while I haven't touched the TDI, I've been adding some resources to my disposal to aid my wildest desires.
All hooked up and good to go. Need some hoses for the blaster, but at least 99% of the setup is complete.
First thing I tackled was pulling off the valve cover to clean up some of the pitting. I went through and degreased it, sanded it, then did a pressure wash and quick wipe down with acetone to make sure no oil was remaining before laying down some primer.
Coated it with primer. Now I will say, I intended on applying my gloss black coat too, and then realized I should be using something that has a higher temp rating. The paint and primer I had both had a max temp rating of 200F - eek. I already had the valve cover primed. With that being said, I did well sanding and prepping, but will likely be stripping the primer off again to apply one that has a higher temp rating.
Regardless... Looks good for what it is.
My next obstacle, as I touched on earlier, is to remove the front crank bolt. I couldn't counter hold it with the tools I had. I did a quick search last night for the counter hold tool for $50 ish? I might just pick one up, if I had to guess it should be the same tool for all mk3 VW 4cyl platforms, so it will come in handy.
If there is some other trick I can try to remove the front crank bolt before I buy the tool, I'm all ears.
Pretty clean for the mileage as I keep saying.
Other thing I mentioned earlier, during disassembly I broke the "nipple" on the vacuum pump that connects to the hose (honestly it was so aged and brittle, maybe it's a good thing it gave out now?). I found some of the vacuum pumps online, but at $300+.
Does anyone know if I can just replace the top "cover" that contains the "nipple" instead of replacing the entire vacuum pump unit? Don't really see the need to replace the whole assembly.
This is where the block stands now, just have to remove the oil cooler and a few other bits, but very close to being a bare block.