Carnage - Don't Ignore the Green Light, Not for the faint of heart! Options

[ThinAir]

I finally got the case apart on the engine that lost the freeze plug and seized up. The only bearings that froze were the #1 and #3 mains. They spun in the case and the dowels cut a groove in them. Going simply by looks, the case appears to be just fine.

The bearings that came off the crank have the the number 021.105.531.E on them along with a KS symbol, VW logo and picture of an elephant. I've heard somewhere that this probably means that the crank is still the original grind and has never been turned.

If this is the case, does this mean there is any hope for salvaging the crank? Or is it a lost cause simply because the bearing froze onto the crank surface?

Here's a photo of the whole crank, pictures of #1 & #3 follow.

[Malmz]

(momentarily out of deep lurk mode)

Just a little history on the motor. It came in a rust bucket from Venice CA. I drove it from the seller home. The car had been serviced by Ottos for a number of years.

Ernie drove it for quite some time before the plug popped.

It looks like it had been together and running for a long time. Tons of oil leaks... It may never had been split from the factory like Mike said.

Ergo, either the thing was mis-assembled long, long ago yet still running with the pin out, or the pin shifted / jumped when the oil failure happened and it just looks like it was assembled incorrectly. Personally, I can't see it running for years and years with the pin out of place, but I'm no lower end mechanic.

HTH,
sm