Amatuer motor dress-up?

[Mokwepa]

Hi

I have a 1600 kango buggy that is getting a bit of a make over. Ive stripped the engine add ons for a respray as well as the fan housing and shrouds. I am fully aware as to how important the cooling shrouds are but would like to know if the small sled shaped pieces that run only along the bottom of the cylinders (directing the air backwards) can be left off. Ive been told (by volkspares) that it will be fine to leave these covers off because a buggies motor is totaly exposed and cool's better than a beetle with a enclosed engine. My dad recons that the engine will overheat if these two pieces are removed (he built a highly modified vw based GT Puma back in the day). Have any of you left these covers off and blown up your motor???

One more question, im trying to find out what year motor i have. The first two letters of the number stamped into the bottom of the crank case, under the left hand cylinders, is "AS" ive been told that these letters will tell me but i cannot find it. Anyone with some help?

Thanks

[calooker]

They are known as J-plates. You probably don't need them, I have not used them in motors baja's & my Spyder but one thing to remember the help protect the push rod tubes from stones or the like thrown up by the wheels, the choice is yours.

[Edmond]

The code is found stamped where the generator stand bolts onto the casing just under the firing order on the generator stand
The AS on the side of the casing should be followed by a 21 or 41 which tells you what percentage silicon and aluminium was used in the crankase.

[Mokwepa]

Copied! Thanks guys.

If i post that #, can one of you help? Ill leave the J plate off for now but if anyone has blown a motor up please let me know asap.

Thanks again.

[Edmond]

You can check the engine codes out here http://www.aircooledvwsa.co.za/viewtopi ... =38&t=6064

Ive been running my baja without the j plates for 10 years and never had a problem

[Mokwepa]

Thanks for the info.

I got my buggy running today after lots of blood swet and teers. She started up straight away but i had to modify the new exhaust (4 into 1, old was a 2x2 into 1). She sounds brilliant and picks up revs much, much quicker. Bought the pipe from volkspares joburg (R950).

I phoned them twice and asked about leaving the "J" plates off and got 2 different answers. The lady (sharon) that i bought the parts from says that i can leave them off because the motor is not enclosed like a beetle. The second guy says that i will induce a heat sieze(spelling??). This forum says leave it off and my dad says leave it on, thats 2 against 2. I would rather leave it off, less bits to rattle on our serious dirt roads. But i dont want to stuff my engine up.

I drove home 2 day (5km) and gave it a bit of stick and she seemed fine. Out of the tin ware, all i have is the main fan shroud and the 2 cylinder covers. I have left off the 2 " J " plates and the tiny front covers (those small ones that hug only the rear side of the cylindes closest to the back) and the exit ducts off the oil cooler (think its called a dog box). My mate bought a buggy and has the same as what i have currently except that he has the small covers hugging the rear of the cylinders.

What 2 do?? I realy cant afford to blow my buggy up and need some assurance that i can leave these plates off.

If you have the slightest bit of input, please share.

One more question, does the rear engine cage (on buggies) support the engine at all??

Thanks guys
Mok

[JamesD]

One more question, does the rear engine cage (on buggies) support the engine at all??

Nope, well, not the one on the lollette buggies...

[Mokwepa]

Thanks James D69

Any input on the shrouds???

[Edmond]

If those tiny covers are the ones that fix to the cylinder covers and mount near the exhaust port flanges on the heads by the back of the engine I would put them back on as they force the air to flow through the cooling fins on the cyl heads ensuring better cooling, I would also put the doghouse tin back on by the oil cooler as well as the tin that fixes by the bellhousing of the gearbox

On my baja I run all the tin except the j plates and the big rear piece of tin that covers the crank pulley but I might put it back on one day

I have an engine cage on my baja and it does not support the engine at all only has a crossmember running under the gearbox mountings

[ZeroAxe]

Those two little paltes(one each side) that clips onto the sleeves themselves are not called "forget-me-nots" for no reason. Instead of dumping cool air right down the middle of the sleeves(when they are not installed) loosing cooling, when installed, the redirect air 'around' the sleeves through the fins and remove extra heat. So do not leave them out. But if you are talking about those two big plates that bolts onto the heat exchangers, those can be left off. But then your pushrod tubes are exposed to stones that could puncture them on dirt roads, causing loss of oil and well..... a buggered motor. So it is your call......