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A "Cathy-esq" Saturday tale



All in all sounded like a shitty day at sea.

Light at the end of the tunnel though so it isn't all bad.


On 5/20/07, Eric S <scirocco@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> So one of my VW friends in the area, kinda down on his luck a bit, has
> been having some transmission issues (he blew out first on a miss shift
> from 5th to 3rd).  He's never done a trans swap before, and lives in an
> apartment, so he bribed me with beer and pizza to bring the car up to my
> lovely air tool equipped 4 car garage. (Scirocco content: have room to
> work in said garage because its still down at the body shop).
>
> Now, plan was for him to arrive here 9am yesterday morning and we'd tear
> that thing out as fast as possible.  Last Thursday, he called me
> concerned, cause his clutch was slipping and had some odd knocking sounds
> from the bell housing.  He assured me that he could make the drive for
> Saturday.
>
> *Queue menacing music*
>
> 10 am rolls around, no buddy, I'm waiting and getting a little worried, he
> lives about a 35-40 minute drive away.
>
> 10:15 am:
>
> He calls, clutch starting slipping bad, knocking sounds, then engine died.
> He's stuck on the side of the road, on a major highway about 15 minutes
> away, on an OVERPASS.
>
> 10:30 I depart with my trusty Toyota Pickup and about 4 tie down straps to
> use as tow ropes
>
> 10:50 Holy crap is he in a dangerous spot, semis going by at 65-70 mph
> with maybe a foot to spare...I climb out the passenger side and quickly
> hook up to the Rabbit (damn american rabbits) and pull him the mile or so
> to the next exit and into a quiet, shaded parking lot.
>
> 11am - 12:30 pm:
>
> Start to investigate no start condition.  Motor turns over well, but
> produced a horrendous racket from the bellhousing area...he is loosing a
> lot of oil out of what I thought at the time was the rear main.  Wish I
> had figured it out then, but it was too late anyway.  So, we've got spark
> and fuel...lets check timing...oooh, wouldn't ya know, timing belt is
> shredded in multiple spots.  Fortunately the main Napa warehouse for the
> Denver area is about 3 blocks from our location.  Zip up there, get a
> timing belt and oil and zip back.  Timing belt swap goes quite smoothly
> and car fires right up with no adjustments to ignition timing or anything.
> Bellhousing racket not as bad, we decide to take back roads at slow
> speeds back.  About a mile from my house, he looses all gears...back to
> the tie down straps that were never intended to tow anything.  Make it to
> my house without further incident.  Note that engine was running really
> hot near end of the drive...interesting, we lost a good 3 quarts of oil in
> 20 minutes of driving.
>
> 12:30 till time of death, 4 pm:
>
> Typical tranny swap stuff...no surprises, having him doing most of the
> work in a logical fashion so he can learn (he asked to do this).  So I
> mainly relaxed with a beer, helped here and there and just gave him an
> order to remove stuff and handed him tools.  He's making good time and
> around 2:30 or so everything is off except the last two mounts, passenger
> engine and tranny mount.  Moment of truth time.  I hook up the engine
> hoist to the engine, we undo the tranny mount and start to tilt the motor
> down....hmmz, nots of crunchy noises, lets investigate.  Interesting!
> Tranny already sliding off the engine, wow, this could be a nice easy
> swap!  I get in the drivers wheel well and start some minor tugging
> manuvering.....
>
> CRASH
>
> 75 lb tranny crashes into Erics (now very sore and scabbed) arm and onto
> the floor...ENTIRE PRESSURE PLATE AND FLYWHEEL ASSEMBLY COMES OFF THE
> CRANK WITH IT.
>
> Yep, if you haven't guessed it by now, his pressure plate bolts had backed
> themselves out and thats what all that racket was, it flailing around
> inside the bell housing.
>
> I pronouce crappy 1.7 liter motor a boat anchor at the instant I see the
> crank shaft.  I bolt snapped off clean, all other bolt holes threads are
> TRASHED.
>
> Time of death for 1981 Rabbit S: 2:52 pm Mountain Daylight Time
>
> And you think you had a bad day.
>
> I really feel sorry for my bud, he tried re-threading those crank holes,
> but folks, this is a hardened crank...its fubar.  He is in a really bad
> financial situation, so I offered him my Fox Wagon on a payment
> plan...he's kinda attached to said dead Rabbit so waffles a bit.
>
> 4pm, done hanging the engine from a 2x4 across the engine bay, car back on
> the ground and promptly rolled into the spot in my garage known as the
> graveyard (since my scirocco shell had occupied that spot for the last 5
> years or so).
>
> Took buddy home, arrived back at 5:30 pm just in time to have my parents
> arrive for dinner.  I am bloody, greasy and pissed off, just how they love
> to find their off spring I am sure :)
>
> Oh well, it was a nice dinner and a funny movie afterwards.
>
> Fast forward to this morning:
>
> I have a dead Rabbit in my garage I have no idea when will be leaving...I
> am over joyed to get this email from my buddy:
>
> "Found a free, complete, good running 1.7 about a mile or two from your
> house."
>
> Looks like Eric gets to do an engine swap now too :)
>
> Oh well...its good to be able to help when someone REALLY needs it like he
> does, makes ya feel good.  Felt that VW brotherhood love that I only tend
> to get when at Cincy...good stuff...but FUCK does my arm hurt.
>
> END OF LINE
>
> --
> Eric
> www.vintagewatercooleds.com
>
> 1981 Scirocco S (TDI swap project)
> 1990 Fox Wagon 1.6 Heron Head 8v
> 1991 Cabriolet (2.0 crossflow 8v project)
>
>
>
>
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>



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87 Scirocco 16v Tornado Red
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