Final update. I pulled the cam bridge off yesterday. Here's a pick of the head where it mates up:
Something very obvious is that one of the two oil feeds (upper right hole) is completely dry. The bridge has a common cavity that feeds both camshafts and one feed is close the exhaust and one is...
Yep. I agree. Too bad. Such an amazing driving car, but I'm done with VW for a while.
Low mileage engines are available (~20k miles) and are about $8k. Then labor to swap it in.
I'll post my final RIP when I conclude this BS.
Update after a few months... Sorry in advance for the length and rambling of this...
FYI - the tabbed bearing is a very common ACL 2T1644-STD bearing for lots of VWs. It's slightly larger diameter than the factory stock ones, plus the tab. The journal is machined to accept this one.
So, as I...
FYI - I did take some measurements of the machined cap... so if you happen to have access to a CNC...
It's 73.3mm diameter. The total thickness is 19.1mm, equidistant from the centerline. Tab is 8.48mm wide and is 42.65mm from the machined edge of the cap.
I'm trying to cross reference the...
A few posts back - the one with all the pics shows the new lower bearings installed making it 360. Installing a new upper OE bearing is super easy - it just rotates up in those slots. OE bearing doesn't have a tab on it. I'm at 95k miles with 55k of that on a Sachs performance clutch.
Agreed...
This is true and I considered it but couldn't find OE caps for sale anywhere - even VW Parts doesn't list them on their website. There are billet caps available, but they would need machined as part of a total rebuild.
If anyone knows where to purchase a single OE cap for the center journal...
Oh... let me reiterate what a total crap design this is... Can't replace a high wear item with out cutting out pieces of the engine or dropping the entire transmission??? And the mix of torx and multiple triple square sockets is nuts.
Also, had they used a flanged bearing with 360 degrees of...
There cannot be another way without cutting the mid-pan - they may go a step further and tig weld or braze it back in once done. I don't see that mid pan section providing any significant structural value and I'm not worried about it.
Regarding the dial indicator - I have a mount with a strong...
Finally have an update to this!
It is possible to do this with engine/trans in the car, but only if willing to cut out part of the mid pan. I decided to go this route given lack of other good options. Basically, dealer or shop would go with a new block and crankshaft - easily a $10k+ cost or...
I would like to see how they do it on this engine - seriously. The only way I can see would be to cut out the upper pan where the journal is and to make a custom triple square wrench to undo the side bolt holding the journal (which wouldn't be too hard). The issue is the two bolts that go into...
Spent some time this Saturday... it is not possible to get to the bearings without removing the transmission and transfer case. The main crank seal bolts go into the upper oil pan. The transfer case blocks access to the triple square that needs removed to drop the crank journal.
Obviously, at...
It's a daily driver. 95k miles. Mods are Sachs performance clutch (@40k miles), VW OEM DMF, APR short shift kit and braided line, and JB1 with very mild tune on it. I drive it spirited, but within reason - never thrashed it. No race or autoX on it. Pretty benign stuff.