Ok,so i thought i might save a bit of cash and work on my car myself-the clutch,pressure plate the thrust bearing were in very very ordinary to say the least working conditiong,grinding every gear etc...so i got the new gear,spent all day replacing it with the old stuff,all ready to put back in so i check all my flywheel bolts are tight-and wat do u know-SNAP! snapped the bolt clean off which was not a funny site after spending the day getting everything right....1 week later,everything sorted and back togethor,few more parts replaced,new exhaust etc,all ready to go back in,cars jacked up,engine is in engine bay almost in the right spot when the jack gives way,SNAP! bottm left engine mounting stud,snapped flush...now over to the drawing board to see what i can do to rectify this problem...its good experiece for a 17 yo to get,and it teaches me what is actually in the motor and stuff,but its these mishaps that make me wonder,why didnt i leave it to the pros at the mechanics? hopefully i can get it sorted by the weekend...
.............so your cars at a pro shop and 'snap'............ a bolt sheers, they just fix it (maybe not for free, as the bolt was 'worn', or a bolt wont come off, so out comes the oxy...it was rusted in they say, no choice but to torch it....same sh+t...different place....different price.
it's a pain in the arse at the time, but everytime you kick a new goal, you save money in the future, many times over ... so it's all good, just not good now...if you get my drift.......good onya for having a go....!
its the only way to learn😊 but at least you will be able to do more yourself next time, to tell the truth its how i learnt ,by doing it myself or helping a mate at times when he needed help, just think of it as starting an apprenticeship on how to fix your own car👍
look at it this way... by the time you're 18, you'll both have the know ho and the tools and spares in the back to keep the machine going through mad max like armageddon.
VWs probs can be often but also can be overcome.... modern machinery... when its had its day.. its really had its day.
is that the bottom stud that sticks out of the tranny? They are pretty generic and you should be able to grab one off another tranny. from memory they are M10mmx1.25 stud
Durie Ben Automotive Engineering
2 Park St Teralba 2284 (02) 4950 8248
"engine is in engine bay almost in the right spot when the jack gives way,SNAP! bottm left engine mounting stud,snapped flush..."
Also - good lesson that jacks dont always work.
the stands were under the car,it only moved bout 5/8s of F*ckall and it was done..its the stud which comes out at the bottom of the engine,under the flywheel,clutch etc..
My theory is to spend some of the money you would have paid someone else to do the job on tools. Each time you do something on the car your tool kit gets better and the jobs get easier. Could be worth investing in a decent torque wrench to get rid of that snapping sound!
When i had the kombi i was wayyy too scared to touch anything.. but the beetle seems alot more simple or easier to me.. I have fixed a few minor things, like replaced a pipe, glued the 'bung' from the carby back in and tightened the accelarator cable..
soo nothing big but impresses the boys when i tell them ive been working on my car 😎 :P heheh
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace- Jimi Hendrix
Che Castro wrote:is that the bottom stud that sticks out of the tranny? They are pretty generic and you should be able to grab one off another tranny. from memory they are M10mmx1.25 stud
I think you mean "stick out of the engine case".....................no studs stick out of the tranny.:thumb
My advice, just do it yourself and learn !
Before each job, run through in your head what you think may go wrong, then you are more prepared "IF" it does. Buy a good manual, and find as many"old" engine's etc to practice on...............................also sounds like you may need to purchase a good quality torque wrench (E.g.Warren and Brown) as this will help you with the correct torque settings for bolts/nuts. :thumb
having a go means you know more about your car. The money you save from doing it yourself should be used to purchase new tools for any future jobs. That way you are building up some assets instead of paying off someone elses.
there is the feeling of satisfaction of knowing that you can fix it yourself, but there is the odd stuff up involved but the main warm and fuzzy from all this is having the knowledge
well i know what you are going through.. (haven't broken anything yet)... i have taken the motor out of my beetle for the first time and it is certainly an experience doing so... figure if i can get the motor out then most other things on it should not be too difficult... am replacing the clutch and thrust bearing also as i had a suspected thrust bearing failure only now not so sure... the only way to learn is to do it yourself.... yes you will save money... and yes you might stuff things up once in a while but the pros might do the same ( you cant predict snapped bolts etc when undoing things)... but you'll only make the mistake once.
Get yourself some decent books on the car as this will help you with instructions on how to do things and how things should look.
Good luck
see.... air and water do mix 😉
1974 1300
1997 MK3 Golf GL
2003 NB Cabrio
2012 Golf VI GTI
2014 Audi A4 Quattro
best feeling is when you get a quote for the job first, then the realisation of how much cash you just saved is a good excuse to buy more goodies for your dub!
when we're mpulling motors (in or out) i usually put the stands under then pull the jack down so as the car is resting fully on the stands. 🤓safety nerd🤓
It is really great to here that you are doing it you self. If it wasn't for a friend telling me and showing me how to do things I would be a lot poorer and would be stuck on the side of the road not being able to fix it my self. So go for it, well done.
Marc
If you can't laugh at yourself you can't laugh at anyone else! Because life is to short not to LAUGH
All the bad things can happen when your work is done by pros, you just pay the extra to fix it.
When you work on your car the ownership changes over. If spill some blood the car then owns you.
I'm well and truly owned after 16yrs of vws.
Chris.... kombi pilot, oval dreamer... finisher #26971 2005 city to surf
When i got the bug i went thru the serivce record and found a reciept for one of its last services.
the guy paid someone about $200-250 to change the oil, gaskets, and spark plugs. $40 in parts the rest in labour. 🤪
Makes ya feel good when it is cost you is parts, beers and the occasional grazed knuckle.
sleeper wrote:the look on your face when you put everything back together and realise you forgot a gasket...PRICELESS 🤪
putting the type 4 pushrod tubs in with sealer,
rockers on,
valve adjustments,
tappet covers,
euphoria of having the engine sealed,
and then noticing those bits of under cylinder tin...
:duh
and then putting the fan housing on without those other bits of tin... Donald Trump couldnt even buy those expressions.
Chris.... kombi pilot, oval dreamer... finisher #26971 2005 city to surf
I would rather stuff it myself and learn from it than pay someone else to stuff it up, and have to argue and bash heads to get them to fix it! Nuy the idiot guide, get some half-decent tools, and have a go!
All of the above and remember - everything you do wrong is just another excuse to have a beer and plan a fix...... at least it will be when you turn 18 🙂
Used to work with a guy who's mate raced an apendix J EH holden. Not a good start.
He loved overtorquing bolts. My mate said he'd "torque it up til it snapped and then take it back half a turn..." 😀
Anyway, they built the car up for the Aussie GP one year. Got it on the trailer and all the way to Adelaide. He took it out in the first heat and put it into the wall. My mate wasn't impressed. 😠
thanks for the feedback on this,good to know that there are toehrs who do work themselves,and it does certanly save some of my 1st yr apprentice wage(bugger all) but and helps me know how to do it nxt time...so about the engine stud,i spent all lastnight and today freeking out wondering how i iwll get it back out,and if i cant get it out,what will i do? i got home tongiht at bout 8 to see dad holding easyouts and drill bits,we looked at each other with a blank look not knowing wat we were doing but thought,why not give it a go anyway..so i got the number 1 drill out,then the easy out-no bite..number 2 drill then easy out..no bite! number 3 drill and easy out..haha now were talking! my first smile in over 24 hours,the stud came out with no hassles at all.so its off to the mechaninc tomorrow to source another stud then back into the shed tomorra arvo and get this sucker back in the back of the bug,its been nearly 2 weeks since ive heard and drivin the bug,so im kinda getting keen to get back in and give her a bit of stick for wat shes out me through lol..isaac
so yesterday i got the motor back in and runs liek a pearla now,had a little drama early on,had ignition leads mixed so it wasnt idling or firing right,fixed that,and it was sweet.today i got my muffler fitted to my new extractors and im loving it,goes so much better with the new clutch and exhaust,even has a little bit more poke now.i had my problems with the hole thing but im glad its over and i have learnt from my mistakes..hopefully i can do it all again without braking anything,and in less time.
