OK !    What do you mean rebuild ?   The whole engine, valves,piston/cly, etc ?   I question the compression #s  but if p/c`s  are brand new this could cause the low #s until the rings are seated,but not always. How did you "bleed" the lifters and did you re- adjust the valves after running awhile? Do they sound like a "hammer mill" still?  VW says 2 1/2 turns in from 0. I like just 2 turns in.  What is your total timing set on?  Should be around 32 degrees @ 1000-1500 rpm. Is the black plastic timing scale still on the engine? You can not set the timing correct without someway to find TDC. TDC is NOT marked like a type 1. You can not set the timing static. No dist. is the same. I have seen as much as 5 to 10 degrees difference in some.  Make sure your dist. vac/mech advance is working . The rotor should feel like it is spring loaded if you try to turn it by hand. Bottom line is I think your timing could be the issue. Let me know.   :?:

Well !   I would have at least replaced the exhaust valves and inspect the seats as this is the weak link in type 4 engines.  You can`t tell most of the time when a valve head is going to "pop' off or the valve seat is going to come out of the head (common for this engine) or the valve is burning without taken the head apart and inspected very closely.   As far as static timing, if you have a dist. that desides to advance to 45 degrees for some reason(spring breaks) you would never know it,but your engine would just before the heads melt down. I know you have heard that "poping/shotgun" sound on other VW engines that was not the exhaust system. A good timing light with a advance knob would have found this problem. If you are going to work on any aircooled VW, I would highly recomend buying one of these lights. Timing set way to high is certain death for aircools. Some people set timing at 6 degrees at idle,but what is the total advance. You have to know what your dist. is trying to tell you. Press on!!

Also, You do not have to remove the retainer spring from the lifter to bleed .  Not recommend

Yes you can time it right,but it would be easer to show you than to try to explain it here.

Yeah, I knew there was a distributor drive gear puller tool that would have made the job easier...don't have one.

Chip has already gone home, but I suppose I could borrow the tool, and maybe the "How to Rebuild your Aircooled VW Engine" book and get Chip back over here and do it.  I've seen the diagram of how the gear should line up, so I knew it was possible to do.

Thanks, guys! :wink:

I would love for you to look at this one also.  It is Eric Johnson's bus.  He now has it.  If y'all don't get together beforehand, maybe he can bring it to the next meeting, and I can bring my timing light.
 
The advance dial was set to "0".

OK, I said 20 degrees because I didn't write down at what point the notch was lined up with...it was more of an "off the top of my head" number.  I just went out to one of my buses and tried to remember about where the notch was lining up at, and it was more like a 10-12 degrees offset.  With the correct timing for his bus supposedly at 7.5 degrees BTDC, the notch was hovering around 18-20 degrees BTDC.  That was where the bus ran and sounded the best.

Question: Could I have found out how far it was off by moving the advance dial until the timing marks lined up (or would it be at TDC?) and taken the number from the advance dial to give me the difference?  Just curious.

The engine had less than 30 lbs. compression on cyl. #3 when I got it.  Either the head had gotten so hot that it warped, or the shim (seal, whatever you want to call it) between cylinder and head had disentegrated...most of it was missing when we took the head off.  Also, an exhaust stud had come loose and the exhaust wouldn't tighten up, resulting in a LOUD airplane engine sound (wasn't able to seat), and the Type 4 cooling shroud was not connected to the heater boxes (at the bottom, via 2 clamps).  Also, thermostat cable wasn't hooked up.  And, no engine compartment seal.  Most of the vacuum lines needed replacing along with the special black rubber "T" and elbow boots that these injected engines have.  It had trouble starting (cleaned the starter and the commutator and brushes inside...lots of black crud inside and out).
 
Sorry about the list.  The problems just kept coming and coming...

OH YEAH,  You guys and gals who own vans w/ type-4 power plants can blame all your woes on a "Dude" name Dr. Karl Lotz. He was brought in from VW Brazil to head VW-AG after Dr. Heinz Nordhoff died.  This fellow is the father of the type-3, the infamous 411 and 412 and the type-4 engine that we all love and cheris.   This guy was not highly thought of at VW-AG and after a few years was shipped out. The Russian front I think.
  So there!! You now know the rest of the story. :lol: