Look Ma: No Engine!

I took my engine out for the first time yesterday. It's not that hard actually but don't tell Dee because she's under the impression that my voice is a little deeper and my underwear a little less roomy today.

Vol 3 of Bug Me Videos shows how to do it but Rick fails to mention what to do when you're up to your elbow trying to undo one of the top nuts that hold the engine into the car and your other arm gets attacked by the world's most determined horse-fly. The little bastard had me dancing all around the garden trying to escape it before I eventually managed to clap my gloved hands on it - a shame really because in my new found masculinity I might have mounted it's head on a plaque in the hall had it been in one piece.

Another small problem was that the same top nut was a little reluctant to come all the way off the bolt. It came far enough that the head of the bolt would release from it's locked position and turn with the spanner. Most irritating, but with my right hand reaching up through the wheel arch to push the bolt back and my left hand on the spanner I eventually got it loose.

The final problem of the day was the when I came to lower the engine onto the dolly that I got from VW Heritage and discovered that the wheels of my 3-tonne jack were too wide to go between the wheels of the dolly. It hadn't occurred to me to check. Luckily the rear valance on my bug is bolted into place as opposed to being welded so I didn't need to raise the car up as much as Rick does in the video before pulling the engine back and was able to use my 2-tonne jack to lower the engine the necessary few inches onto the dolly.



At this point I was able to remove the louvered panel attached to my firewall and unclip the wiring that runs behind it. Although that was mission accomplished (the whole reason for doing it was that I needed to get to those wires) I obviously had a good look around and while I was at it I found the bits shown below inside the clutch/flywheel housing on a little ledge next to the gear from the starter motor:



Obviously I was shocked because no way should there be any bits of loose metal flying about in there and judging by the little marks on the inside of the casing, they had indeed been flying around at some point. I posted about it on VZi and Moby5153 identified the clips as being transit clips for the clutch pressure plate that should have be removed after clutch installation. I already had evidence that the garage who fitted the engine didn't really know what they were doing and this merely compounds it.

As for how the hell a spade connector got in there...