72-79 Bus Engine Removal in 20 Easy Stepsby Richard Atwell |
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So you need to drop you engine and Bentley and the other manuals (heaven help you) just don't give enough hints for the first timer: here's how.
This article started with photos showing the dropping of my 78 fuel injected bus engine. I've since added photos of the steps that are unique to 72-74 dual carb models using photos from a 72 bus. The 72-74 models are largely the same but some differences have not been documented yet such as the air filter, EGR and air injection pump systems on the 73-74 models. I will update the article as I find these buses but this may take a while because these models are smog exempt and many of the parts have already been removed by the POs and their mechanics.
Most of the procedures apply to any Type 4 engine in a 72-79 bus. If you don't see particular parts then you've got carbs. I've tagged the carb specific photos. There might be slight differences, such as the way the heater booster is wired but you'll get the general idea. I took a few photos out of sequence so if you see something in a photo that was already removed earlier, that is the reason.
There are two procedures demonstrated in this article. You can either remove the engine by itself or as a unit with the transmission still bolted to it. If you choose the unit method, you can skip the steps I've made a note of. To remove just the transmission skip to the end of the article.
The late model busses don't have a removable valence (the section of the body just above the bumper) that can you unbolted from the body. If you've ever seen a split window bus "parallelogram" after a bad car accident you'll understand why VW reinforced the 68-79 body design and made engine removal harder. You also have to understand that despite all the talk VW gave about maintaining the bus yourself they probably expected you to go into the dealer for engine removal and they simply used the lift to raise the bus leaving the engine on a jack or dolly.
I believe it's easier to drop the engine and transmission as a unit or tilt the transmissions/engine combo down to help remove the engine. Although it's harder to pull the engine off the transmission, it takes much longer to prepare to drop both by removing various hoses and unbolted parts.
As for installation, putting in the transmission first is again easier to do if you ask me because it's quite hard to line up the input shaft with the clutch. You also have better access to the bolts and you can attach the accordion heater tubes while only balancing the engine. The only bolts that are difficult to reach are the ones that secure the transmission to it's overhead carrier.
You are going to need a few tools. Some are mandatory and some will help you get the job done more easily. It's up to you; just don't get caught in the middle of an engine drop without them.
Red arrows highlight the written instructions. Grey arrows indicate items for removal that are hidden from the camera. Blue arrows highlight something interesting but not necessary for the removal.
Here we go!
10.1) Getting the bumper out of the way will make it easier to deal with the exhaust and help the engine to clear the body later on. Remove the (4) 17mm bolts holding the bumper to the body. |
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20.1) We're almost ready to support the engine solely on our jack. If you have mud flaps secured to the engine carrier clips with the original style 2-piece brackets, undo the L-bracket on each side. |
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20.2) Using a socket and wrench remove the (4) 13mm nuts and bolts holding the engine carrier clips to the frame. If you have to bang out the bolts with a mallet you have not supported the engine correctly. Fix this situation first. 72-74 dual carbs: (6) nuts hold the clips to the body. |
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20.3) The engine can now be separated from the transmission. This is the hardest part. You have to keep the engine level so you can pull the pressure plate out of the input shaft of the transmission. The input shaft cannot bear the weight of the engine either. Sometimes due to lack of lubrication during installation, the input shaft can stick. Finally the oil filler tube gets in the way during removal so you have to play some tricks with the height of the bus and the engine. Goto to transmission removal steps and return here afterward. |
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20.4) I'm still not a master at this step but eventually I manage to wiggle the engine back enough to clear the input shaft. The key is to start with a level surface, have the jack level and give the engine carrier clips a few whacks with a mallet. Skip if you are removing transmission and engine |
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20.5) Using two jacks, raise the body slowly and evenly. Do not use the jacking points (the emergency jack doesn't push from underneath so don't do it either otherwise they will crush). See Bentley for appropriate jacking instructions. |
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20.6) Once the body has cleared the top of the engine you can roll the engine back. |
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20.7) With the engine clear you can lower the body back down and no one in the neighborhood will be the wiser for it. Hee hee. |
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20.8) Cart your heavy treasure off to the garage knowing you're less than half way done before you can drive again. It's a bus life. If you strip down your engine check out my Vacuum and Fuel Hose article for getting the induction system back together. |
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T.1) Remove the wing nuts from the clutch cable. Do not let the cable turn while you turn the nut. The original cable used to have a slot in the end for a screwdriver to prevent this. |
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T.2) Remove the clamp that secures the Bowden tube to the transmission by undoing the (2) 13mm bolts. |
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T.3) Pull the two leads for the backup light switch. The orientation of the leads doesn't matter. |
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T.3) 72-74 dual carbs: the backup light switch is on the passenger side. Pull both leads. |
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T.3) 72-74 dual carbs: pull the two leads from the vacuum advance cutoff switch at the front of the transmission (nose cone). See Bentley Engine & Clutch page 73 for a description of this unit. It's installed on all 72-74 models except for the 74 with the M/T. |
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T.4) Use a 13mm socket to remove the bolt holding the transmission ground strap on. Look for it above the backup light switch. |
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T.4) 72-74 dual carbs: the ground strap is located in a slightly different location than the FI bus. |
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T.5) Undo the 6 bolts that hold each CV joint on. Do not attempt removal without the proper tool: some bolts are allen head, some are triple square. Clean the heads of the bolts or risk stripping them (screaming afterwards won't help them come out but it feels good). Repeat on the other side. |
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T.6) Bag each CV joint to prevent contamination of the grease and support each axle using rope. |
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T.7) Use a 10mm socket to disconnect the rear shift rod from the transmission shift lever. If you have a screw with safety wire attached then the head maybe 8mm. |
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T.8) Support the transmission to prepare for the drop. I like to use an ATV jack but you can use any floor jack. |
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T.9) With the transmission supports, Use a 15mm socket to move to (2) bolts on the transmission carrier. The nuts are welded to the support so you don't need a 17mm box wrench. When you reinstall these bolts, install the one over the starter first. The second bolt is always harder to thread and if you do the starter one last you won't be able to see what you are doing because it's obscured requiring you to hug the transmission as you blindly fiddle with the bolt. |
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T.10) Undo the (2) 17mm bolts securing the transmission limiting stop (rectangular block). Don't clean this item: leave the dirt as is so you can use it as a guide for remounting it in exactly the same spot. |
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T.11) You are now ready for removal. Grab the shift rod and pull it off the shift lever or hold in it place while the transmission is pulled back. Depending on your jack or dolly you might not clear the rear valence. Since the transmission weights so little, just lower it onto something to clear the rear valence rather than jack up the bus. |
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T.12) A scene from "Dr. StrangeBus: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying about the Leak and Drop the Engine". Eat your heart out Slim Pickens.That's it. See my 091 Transmission Refresh article for what to do while the transmission is out. |
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To support the engine only you need a 8"x18"x1" piece of wood to lay on the motorcycle jack. Position the wood so that it supported the case about 2" behind the engine support bar and under the tabs that protrude near of the engine case.
02/07/04 - Created
03/06/04 - Added transmission information
11/20/04 - Added 72-74 differences
03/01/05 - Added Engine support pictures
06/03/09 - Moved up battery disconnect
09/06/11 - Fixed broken photos, added translate button, updated footer
07/15/19 - Google update: new adsense code, removed defunt translate button