Air-cooled VW engine - broken cooling fin

[Number_35]

A friend recently bought an air-cooled VW van, with the intention of making it into a camper. I haven't seen the van in person - friend and family live in another province.

The engine is the 1.7 litre Type 4 as used in the VW 411 and 412. With dual Solex carbs, it's rated at approximately 80 HP. (I don't know whether or not the engine is original.)

My friend is working in the engine bay, has removed the steel shrouds, and has found a broken cooling fin.

The broken fin is the 5th one down, between the two spark plugs.

The plan is to JB Weld the broken part back for now.

How significant is the missing section? Can the engine be run without it?

What would the proper long-term repair be?

Thanks.

 

[drtyler]

Does it run now?

Just me, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Yes it can run, but it's just not ideal. IF you can JB weld it back without issue, then go for it, but don't let it impede airflow.

If the engine is unknown, your friend may be looking at a rebuild or refresh anyway. Then you find a good used head and rebuild it with the rest of the engine.

I like the Type 4 engine in the vans better. Around 71 or 72, it became standard for US (and possibly Canada?) vans.

 

[ragtoplvr]

ignore and and drive on. Make sure ALL the shrouds are in place and the belt to the fan is tight. Relocate and increase the size of the oil cooler if you want more reliabilty

 

[fantastic]

If it can be jb welded use the 5,000 lbs+ rated jb weld & do a decent job not to over use it. It will be just fine. Cool wagon!

 

[Trav]

Don't bother with JB weld it is not heat conductive anyway. That is not bad damage, I wouldn't worry about it. Pic of broken off piece?

 

[RooflessVW]

Your picture is too low-res for me to see the broken fin.

If it were mine I would stop drill any cracks. If the fin is broken, I would blend it.

 

[Passport1]

I've worked on plenty of type one and two VW engines and the loss of a portion of one cooling fin didn't affect anything. Tell him to add an external oil cooler and that engine will be good. VW engines unmodified are very understressed.

 

[walterjay]

Don't worry about it. Just drive on. No big deal.

 

[KrisZ]

Probably someone pried on it when removing the head, super common on old air cooled motorcycles. Not a big deal if only one is broken.

Welding another one is the only viable solution to fix it, in terms of restoring full heat dissipation, not looks.

 

[Cujet]

JB weld cannot handle the heat of an air cooled cylinder head. Don't use it. Just clean everything up, make sure the ductwork fits and seals correctly, and run it. The idea of an oil cooler is a very good one. This will do more to manage temps than anything else. However, make darn sure to use good quality components. VW oil cooler kits were very well known for terrible quality.

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

A friend recently bought an air-cooled VW van, with the intention of making it into a camper. I haven't seen the van in person - friend and family live in another province.

View attachment 161341

The engine is the 1.7 litre Type 4 as used in the VW 411 and 412. With dual Solex carbs, it's rated at approximately 80 HP. (I don't know whether or not the engine is original.)

My guess is that it was a replacement engine sold as a "Porche" tuned upgrade of about 10-20 HP. Not sure though...

 

[ripcord]

Also, make sure all the engine compartment seals and rubber are in place so air isn't leaking away from where it was designed to go.

 

[berniedd]

nothing to worry about, leave it alone.

Make sure that small engine tin under the cylinders between the 2 adjacent cylinders is in place. They do contribute a lot to overheating issues if left uninstalled.

 

[DuckRyder]

Is that a Westie?

Don’t sweat the head if you insist on fixing it send it to Rimco (assuming they are still around)

 

[thastinger]

Will never notice it assuming all the air shrouds are in place as they should be. Get a bigger oil cooler for a van.

 

[loneryder]

Make sure those fins are cleaned.

 

[Number_35]

Is that a Westie?

Don’t sweat the head if you insist on fixing it send it to Rimco (assuming they are still around)

Not a Westie - the roof is aftermarket. The interior is "blank slate". My friend is good with wood - I'm sure he'll equip it beautifully.