Engine code prefixe "OH"

[chatdgouttiere]

I purchased this buggy early spring, which I was told had a 1968 VW 1600cc engine.
I've had no luck so far trying to clearly identify the engine in order to be able to tune it up.
Here's a picture of the engine:
http://danielbolduc.fastmail.com/vw/
Unfortunately, the picture does not show the prefixe of the engine code, but it is "OH", which is non-existent in any of the engine code lists I have seen so far online (there's "H", there's "AH", but there's no "OH").
Can anyone help me identify this engine or point me to a resource that could help?
Thanks!
Dan

[lastmanx]

a true 1968 motor is a 1500 cc single port motor. not 1600cc. in the john muir book you will find how to tune it up. setting your valves correctly is most important. setting static timing at 5 before top dead center always works. pull the spark plugs and replace with what was in it. your pics show the motor has been modified probably unnecessarily. if you actually have a 1968 1500 cc it has a unique intake manifold. it is also a very good design that works great in stock condition. I have had 3 they all worked great. if the motor is running now; I suggest you learn as much as you can before changing anything until you understand why you change something. check your endplay to find the condition of the engine, by tugging on the crank pulley. if it moves in and out excessively the motor will be worn and may not be worth the trouble. see my article on the 3 books newbies should read. don't sweat it and don't feel you need to modify stuff. good running stock motors are fine for buggys.

[manxvair]

There is no way of knowing what's in the engine without tearing it apart, who knows what any previous owner has done. I would replace with what's on it now, adjust valves to a standard setting like maybe .004 intake & .006 exhaust, or try to determine what push rods you have and set by them, static set the timing by the pulley mark, monitor the plugs for color (rich/lean) and drive it until you are able to tear it apart and determine the components that it's built with. This is just my opinion.

[chatdgouttiere]

Thanks to both of you for the quick feedback!
I'm currently reading the John Muir book. Very interesting indeed!
I have many years of motocycle maintenance, but this Beetle is new territory to me. I don't intend to change anything on this engine, at least until something blows up in my face, but right now I want to take care of the annual maintenance. I had the car inspected by an antique Volkswagen specialist before buying it, so I'm kind of confident on the overall condition (and yes the pulley is very sturdy). But I enjoy taking care of my toys myself, so here I am with this new toy of mine.
The front axle lubrication, engine oil and transmission oil went fine, but I took a chance with the spark plugs, because they were in very bad shape and they were set at 0.022, which is not according to specs, so I set the new ones to 0.028, and it turns out the engine seems to like that.
Now I'm concerned that I don't have any pulley marks at all, so I'm not sure how I can check the static timing and dynamic timing. I believe you can replace it with an aftermarket pulley that has the timing marks?
For the valves, I guess I'll have to take the time to take the covers off and see what's underneath, because the covers are not stock, and I'll need to remove the exhaust pipes to get to them.
Any pointers on the pulley and the timing marks would be appreciated.
Thanks guys!

[lastmanx]

the muir book describes the pulley marks and how to find them. they are actually small v groves filed onto the pulley inside edge. a new degree pulley is not needed. read the timing section, and get it ready to set, by having the distributer rotor pointing at cylinder #1 firing order. then look at the pulley for a mark it should be there, as it may be timed correctly. it may be faint and is easily corrected with a small file and paint dot. both procedures in the book. better pictures showing your exhaust and valve covers would help, as the exhaust is usually not necessary to remove to get to the valve covers. Removing the exhaust is actually one of the more difficult tasks to perform on a vw. the studs are normally badly rusted and without great care can easily break off. leaving a nightmare to re-tap them. the procedure is also in the muir book. 2 other books will help you. a Bentley shop manual (good photos) . and the H-P book How to prep dune buggies and baha bugs. the bently shows good pictures of what you should look at rather than cartoon drawing. the buggie book will give you a better understanding of which stock parts work best and simple trick solutions . in the early days of offroading stock parts were used. the tips still work today. your background and willingness to do it yourself are just what you need. I was much like yourself 30 years ago, I now have built a dozen or more without formal schooling. good luck, join the club for more access to this site and read, read, read. its all here; look and see.

[lastmanx]

I had a thought about that pesky O before the H. clean the numbers with paint thinner the O could be the VW mark which is stamped within a circle as a trademark.

[chatdgouttiere]

It turns out there is no such thing as an engine code starting with 'OH' (as you well know, but I didn't). After cleaning with a metal brush, the 'O' turned into a 'VW' logo (http://danielbolduc.fastmail.com/vw/). I'm relieved to finally know for sure what's pushing my car! Thanks for the tip!
And thanks for the other tip as well! These marks on the pulley, I was looking for them on the 'outside' of the rim (even though I've seen a video where it was very obvious the marks were on the inside but anyway). I looked again, on the inside of the rim this time, and found them of course! I'm getting somewhere!
I also posted a couple of pictures showing how close the pipes are running to the valves cover, but you're right, it might be possible anyway to pull off the cover without removing the pipes. As long as those bolts are not too long. I'll most likely come back knocking at the door when I get there.
There's another picture called 'rear_axle_dust_cover' which I posted there because I need to get one, since one of them is ripped, but I'm not sure what it's called. Could it be a 'Nose Cone Boot'?
Thanks again guys!

[manxvair]

I think you will be able to get those valve covers out of there, it could be hazardous if you were to try to do it with everything hot. The other item is an Axle Boot
https://www2.cip1.com/searchresults.asp ... =axle+boot

Cip1 is based in Canada and should be easy for you to get, you might want to consider replacing both of them while you're at it, be prepared to loose some trans fluid when you do.

[lastmanx]

good news. the engine # means its August 1967, which due to production standards it came in a 1968 beetle. 1967 and 1968 1500 cc motors can be slightly different due to the heads and intake. too technical to worry about or explain: both are great engines designed to be 12 volt. the axle boot keeps dust out but more important is that it keeps trans oil in!!!. it does not look oily. it should be an oily mess. I suspect your trans has no oil. at any rate its ready for an oil change. the boot replacement is less messy if the trans is drained anyway. the procedure is in the Muir book. its simple but messy and needs to be done correctly. all vw procedures will be frustrating, so just take your time. stock high quality oem boots work best. ovoid colorful decorative "heavy duty" ones; they usually aren't . Stop driving the buggy until the boot and 90 weight trans oil are changed. But before any work is done, read front to back the muir book at least once. you don't need to understand every procedure just need to get an overall understanding of how a vw works. there is nothing magic about it.It is a machine. Finish the Muir book so you can ask specific questions on diagnosis rather than what is this part? Ultimately with time you will have to preform the maintenance section of the book to determine the condition of your buggy, thus putting it back into top condition in the process. Your valve covers are after-market. stock valve covers use a funky bail clip to attach. the bolts are short and will clear. they use a rubber o ring at the bolt which can leak oil. their design was for high performance high pressure motors that then had a crankcase relief valve drilled in it. yours don't have the valve just the high performance look. No matter if it is working let it be. the stock valve covers by being spring held allow excessive pressure to burp out if necessary. (just tech stuff) As a side note, this site has every answer to all your questions you don't even know to ask yet, join the Manxclub, get a member number, and you will get all access to see those answers asked by others just like yourself stored here for all time. this site is less visited as every thing has changed media wise to cell phone facebook sites. Good luck you can do it!

[chatdgouttiere]

Thanks for the cip1 site, Mike! I ordered my parts from them, including the axle boots.
Thanks lastmanx for all that info! You guys rock! I did change the transmission oil already though, since I did not need to wait for any gaskets. About the right quantity came out. Except for this being a slow process, it went well. But back then I thought the boots were just dust covers. I guess I'll just have to top off the transmission once I'm done with the boots. I totally agree with you about OEM stuff versus gadgets! I'm reading, I'm reading
Here's an off-topic question: how do I get a member number?

[rzeller]

Here's an off-topic question: how do I get a member number?

It's simple, join the Manx Club: http://www.manxclub.com/membership.htm

[chatdgouttiere]

So going back to those valve covers, if I understand correctly, my beetle has no chance to burp since it has those 'high performance' covers, and most likely no crankcase relief valve drilled in. That can't be good, since the German engineers saw those burps coming and developed a mitigation device, right? It would probably be a good move to just reinstall original valve covers, if that is still feasible.
Meanwhile, the oil drain gaskets just came in (wow, cip1 is fast!) so I can do the engine oil! I also changed the fuel line filter and that made me wonder why in the world nobody would install a 10$ tap on that line if you have to change that damn filter every 6000 miles! So I installed a tap! I don't have a son, but thanks to my buggy, now I know what it must be like to change the diaper on a boy
Thanks for the link!
Dan

[lastmanx]

you can go back to the original type valve covers, but you don't need to. I mentioned the difference to you as a way of identification to your covers. in other words you have the look of high performance "race" valve covers, but have a stock engine. people paint race stripes on cars , but that doesn't mean they have a "race" car. your engine has another crankcase relief system. it is at the lower end of the stock oil fill. it can and does vent there, leaving a drip of oil and condensation occasionally on your driveway. on the end of the metal pipe is a rubber piece; that is the valve. in many cases it is missing and should be reinstalled. at any rate you are suffering from newbie parts changing fever. we all got it. the cure is to resist it until you understand how everything effects overall the performance of the buggy. the biggest issue with any type valve cover is oil leaks. if they don't leak oil no fix is necessary. to return your bolt on covers to stock you will NEED a pair of stock covers new gaskets and new retainer bails(spring clip), and most important is the original valve train bolts and lock washers. the race covers you have eliminate the stock set up. when you fully understand what I have said you can then make the decision to replace or keep them. complete the maintenance section in the Muir book first. get what you have in tune first. chances are good it will work as you want when done. many buggys see only 2500 miles each summer season so 6000 miles every 3 years, so many don't need the valve as the small spill of gas from changing the filter is caught with a rag. you do not need to reinvent the wheel. but you can do whatever you want, as it is your buggy, just do it after you understand if it is worth your time and labor. keep at it your doing fine.

[chatdgouttiere]

I agree with you about the season mileage! Here up north (not much more north than you) the buggy (or motorbike) season is kind of short unfortunately!
Good to know that there is another relief system to compensate for the (unfortunate) aesthetic change of the valve covers that was done. No, I'm no into changing parts just for changing parts. Only if necessary, and again, I have to set my priorities, because as for many folks, the buggy has its own budget, and as mentioned, the season is short, so while we are in the season, only the necessary stuff will be done until winter storage time comes.
Going back to those valve covers, are those sort of standards? What I mean is how do I order gaskets for these? Beacause I did look around and I did not find any brand name or identification number anywhere on them, making it hard to order online.
Always nice reading you, lastmanx! Your help is truly appreciated!

[manxvair]

Those valve covers use a standard VW type 1 cork type cover gasket with an O-ring under the bolts, just be mindful of how tight you tighten those bolts, I like to use a box end wrench so I have a good feel of the tightness, tight is tight, broke is BROKE!