Better day wrenching today compared to yesterday. Jetta front wheel bearing changed w/o unusual difficulty. Also changed in Redline MTL into the gearbox. The two things would have cost $450 at the VW dealer so I saved about $380 after cost of parts. Jetta's running pretty smooth again.

Volvo time... Considered pulling the timing cover w/o removing radiator or fan. That looked possible, but awefully difficult working quarters. Not a big deal to pull the radiator except lack of drain plug. Drain radiator by breaking lower hose connection means that coolant goes everywhere and what you can catch gets a bunch of grease and grit in it. (Damn cheap-ass Swedish engineering!)

Radiator out, fan & wp pulley off, things are looking pretty good. Design of front crank pulley keeper system redeamed those Swedish engineers, whom I've been cussing under my breath more than a little bit lately. Bolt comes out easy and pulleys just fall off. Timing gear cover came off without a fuss, but lots of nasty gasket crud on both cover and block. Oil pan gasket intact.

On-the-spot decision to put in steel gear set (rather than hold it for a future engine rebuild.) Managed to pull crank spacer, crank gear, and fiber cam gear w/o too much trouble with odd assortment of pullers and prying devices.

Got the steel gearset and a modfied front cover with late model lip seal ready to go in tomorrow. I'll mind to polish the sleeve that the seal rides on, goop the inside of the lip seal up with moly, and center the seal to the shaft as best possible. Also need to turn the oil squirter so it's pointing at the gear mesh point. Then to assure a good seal on the timing cover and oil pan, fan on, radiator back in, and onto carb conversion project!

Thank goodness for wine, to ease the aches and pains from a long day of wrenching!

Later,
Al