Subtopics related to the VW Engine are addressed in the following -
The sub-topics above are largely documentation of the experiences Rob and Dave have had, gleaned from their e-mails back and forth. They are essentially "stream-of-consciousness" dialogue that provide background for many of the procedures that Rob and Dave have prepared. We hope you find them informative, and even interesting reading.
If you put a tiny amount of high-energy fuel (like gasoline) in a small, enclosed space and ignite it, an incredible amount of energy is released in the form of expanding gas. If you can create a cycle that allows you to set off explosions like this hundreds of times per minute, and if you can harness that energy in a useful way, what you have is the core of an automobile engine. In an internal combustion engine, fuel combustion takes place in such a confined space, and produces expanding gases that are used to provide mechanical power.
Almost all cars currently use what is called a four-stroke combustion cycle to convert gasoline into motion. The four-stroke approach is also known as the Otto cycle, in honor of Nikolaus Otto, who invented it in 1867.
The four strokes of an internal combustion engine are:
In this mechanism, mechanical power is supplied by the gasoline/air mixture as it is compressed in the cylinder by a piston, then ignited by a spark from the spark plug. The piston is connected to the crank shaft by a connecting rod. The reciprocating (up and down) movements of the piston rotate the crankshaft, which is connected by gearing to the drive wheels of the automobile.
Here's what happens as the engine goes through its cycle:
Now the engine is ready for the next cycle, so it intakes another charge of air and gas.
Excellent information on the workings of the internal combustion engine, with animated drawings, is given at How Stuff Works.
Note: The gasoline/air mixture burns very rapidly but it should not explode. If the mixture explodes, it causes a pinging noise which indicates that the mixture is being ignited before it is completely compressed and that a change in the timing of the engine is needed. If your engine pings due to a change in altitude or fuel octane, the spark timing should be retarded.
(working from the transmission back through the engine)
The transmission is a box containing many gears, shafts, retainers, shifting mechanisms which is complicated in the extreme, but operates on the simple principle that a larger gear will make less revolutions when driven by a smaller gear. In the VW, high gear is arranged so the twist from the engine makes almost the same number of revolutions going out as when it came it.
The clutch is a spring-loaded friction device which connects and disconnects the engine from the transmission for starting, idling and shifting. The flywheel (see below) provides one face and the clutch assembly provides the other with the two-surfaced clutch plate between.
The clutch assembly is spring-loaded and presses the clutch plate between its surface and the surface of the flywheel to make the connection between the engine and the transmission. When you push on the clutch pedal in the car, you are actually compressing the springs in the clutch assembly through a lever and the clutch release ("throw-out") bearing and letting the clutch plate run free, effectively disconnecting the engine from the transmission.
The flywheel is a round, heavy machined chunk of steel attached to the rear of the crankshaft. The flywheel serves a triple purpose. The machined face acts as part of the clutch. There are teeth all around the outer circumference which the starater assembly engages to turn the engine over for starting. It also serves as a heavy rotating body bolted to the end of the crankshaft to maintain the revolving inertia of the engine through its cycles.
The crankshaft is fastened to the flywheen with four pins and a gland nut (which has LOTS of torque on it! Do we have experience to share!). It runs in four bearings, called main bearings, which are massive and pressure-lubricated. The crankshaft has four cranks, or throws, which serve to translate the back and forth movement of the pistons, through the connecting rods, into the round and round motion of the crankshaft and flywheel assembly. The connecting rod bearings are also pressure lubricated. Both the main and connecting rod bearings are thin shells which can be replaced as they wear.
The crankshaft has a funny sideways gear, called a worm gear, pressed on the shaft next to the cam shaft drive gear. This worm gear turns the distributor drive gear which has a slot on top that turns the distributor and an off-center bump which operates the fuel pump through a push rod.
The crankcase is a split aluminum casting machined in the proper places, which contains that portion of the engine known as the "bottom end" -- the crankshaft and the cam shaft. The crankcase also acts as an oil sump to collect, store, and help cool the oil that is pumped through the bearings by the oil pump. The oil pump fits into a slot in the end of the cam shaft and turns with it.
The main bearings and the cam shaft bearings run through the case so that one half of the bearing is on each part of the case. The cam shaft is gearaed to the crankshaft and has cams or lobes which operate the cam followers, which in turn push the push roads which operate the valves.
The crankshaft pulley is attached to the opposite end of the crankshaft from the flywheel, outside of the crankcase in the engine compartment. The crankshaft pulley drives the generator or alternator with a belt.
The pistons move back and forth in the cylinders in accordance with the strokes of the combustion cycle (see above) and are sealed to the machined sides of the cylinders by piston rings. The pistons are attached to the connecting rods by piston pins which go through the pistons horizontally.
The cylinder heads fit over the cylinders and contain the valves and valve train.
The valve train consists of the push roads from the bottom end and the rocker arms which push the valve open. The valves are returned to the closed position by the valve springs. There are two valves to each cylinder, one intake and one exhaust, and they are operated by the valve train to let the fuel mixture into the cylinder (intake) and then let the burned gases out after the cylinder is fired (exhaust). The heads and cylinders are held tight to the crankcase by long studs which are screwed into the crankcase. The head nuts tighten this assembly down to the crankcase.
The Volkswagen engine is air-cooled, which means that the heat of combustion in the cylinders and heads is carried away by the flow of air. These parts are cast with fins to aid in the removal of heat. A blower (fan) is provided to force air down through the spaces between the fins to carry the heat to the atmosphere. The entire engine is shrouded by sheet metal to hold the flowing air to the most efficient patch. The fan in Type I and Type II engines is attached to the front (front) of the generator or alternator and is thus driven with the generator or alternator by a belt from the crankshaft pulley. The fan is encased in a fan housing which is attached to the shrouding to make an air-tight assembly. The cooling air is sucked from the front of the fan housing and blown down through the cylinders. Also in this fan housing (or just outside of it to the front in the "dog-house" design), bolted to the top of the crankcase, is an oil cooler which stands up in the stream of air like a radiator and cools the oil which is pumped through it.
Note: Definitions/description adapted from "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive --
A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot,"
1976 Edition, pp. 10-14
Disclaimer stuff: Rob and Dave have prepared this information from their own experiences. We have not assumed any specialised mechanical knowledge, but we DO assume that anyone using this information has at least some basic mechanical ability.
We hope you find this information useful, but we don't take any responsibility for anything which happens to you, other people, your VW or any other property or goods resulting from your use of this material.
Feel free to print off any of this information for your own use. If you intend to link this material to another site, reprint it, or in any other way redistribute it, please leave the information complete, including this disclaimer section, and provide a link to this Web site.
Last revised 4 May 2004.
