Aircooled VW South Africa

Won`t that affect the cooling even more? You think that will cool it down more?
Will it cause overheating over 90km?

Vw engineers did a lot of homework on the best way to run the motor "cool" and the seal is just one of many pieces in the puzzle, one little rubber doesn't sound like much but if you are planning any long trips I would make sure it was in place or you will be heading for a cooked motor, short trips of a few min would be OK but any open road driving I would not recommend. Please note I am no expert and these are my personal views.

Luckily it is not a warm time of the year, and (as far as I know), overheating shouldn't be a threat without a seal. My Buggy has been running the past 4 years, and almost 40 000km without overheating problems. Of course the engine is entirely open, so there is no 'trapped' warm air causing overheating under an engine lid. Many other aspects can also cause overheating - timing, incorrect points gap, insufficient oil, forgotten 'forget-me-not' plates, plastic bag in the fan housing, BROKEN FAN BELT, etc...

Forget me not plates??? My Baja overheated after 800km, siezed main bearing at flywheel side on crank then turned inside the block!!! lots of damage! Cost me to rebuild the motor in two days at a cost of R1200.00 and from all second hand parts except for seals. It had enough oil new points,gapped correctly, timing set correct (I think) and no plastic bags in fan housing and the fan belt was in place. Don`t want a repeat of those happenings. Unless someone here will sponsor a newly rebuild 1500 engine in the event that it does overheat!!???

If you find a sponsor like that, I need the name too please!

If your old motor spun a rear main bearing after 800km's it was not from overheating, the big end bearings especially on No 2 or 4 rods would have seized first, it was more likely you had a bad line-bore or the end play was not set correctly, crush on the bearing was too much, or the end-play was too tight.

Ok, that makes sense. Motor had done a few thousand kilos before the 800km death trip! Had no signs of damaged on any of the other bearing. Slid the same big ends on the rebuild. (Had no choice! couldn`t get new ones that quick!!) Must say that the crank pulley could be pushed in and out the motor by hand about 5mm. Possible cause?

Still looking Thumper!!

Forget me not plates?

..what we used to call the small pieces of engine tin between the pushrod tubes and the cylinder sleeves. Critical for sufficient air flow, often forgotten during engine assembly, hence the name

trust me about the cooling I described above. I have always had the bootlid raised and can do any trip any day. (assuming the car works...

The two times in the middle of winter (once in CPT and once in JHB) when I closed the bootlid, both times, the car stopped from overheating. Granted, at that stage I thought nothing of the cooling and knew no better, so had no seal or the heater pipe blockoffs in the pulley housing (the fan housing was plugged - that much I knew...)
The overheating in JHB... set off for swartkops at 0600. By the 14th ave turnoff, the car stopped (I stayed in primrose). Raised the bootlid (I closed it the night before), drove the reest of the way there and drove back at 1500, no problems at all or ever since.

Should i plug the fan housing holes where the flexible pipes exit for the heater boxes on the exhaust? Just changed to a GT 2-Tip exhaust thus threw out the flexible pipes. What bout the holes in the tin?

5mm end-play before or after it seized?

Before I set out on that terrible journey!

Should i plug the fan housing holes where the flexible pipes exit for the heater boxes on the exhaust? Just changed to a GT 2-Tip exhaust thus threw out the flexible pipes. What bout the holes in the tin?

Plug those holes ASA(f'n)P!!! The holes in the fan housing should also be plugged, as valuable FRESH and COLD air from the fan gets wasted through those open holes. Measure the size of the hole, and moer walsh (spelling?) plugs of that size in for a tight fit. Those plugs are available at any Midas store. As an alternative, use the lids of aerosol spray cans, and fasten them with hose clamps. Works well, looks k@k, however...

You reckon if i plug the holes all should be fine for the 90km trip to Potch?