Crankcase breather

[jadney@vwtype3.org (Melissa & Jim)]

>From: Jeff &/or Paula <jknipe9@idt.net>

>Could someone do me a favor and list the internal components of their
>Crankcase breather, top down?  I wonder if mine is assembled correctly
>and/or missing anything.  From top down I see:  
>
>1. Plastic cap
>2. Spring (approx. 3cm.diameter x 4cm.length)
>3. Washer-like disc (approx. 4cm diameter with 1cm hole in center)
>4. Cup-shaped thingie with hole in bottom that nests into the breather
>neck, held in place by lip of cup.

This is the correct array of parts for 69-71.  [68s had a unique blue foam 
"sponge" that iced up in the winter and caused trouble.  Most of these have 
been thrown out so if you have one it is a rare item.]

>I would have thought a solid disc would lessen oil loss out the breather
>(as it is on a BMW boxer engine), though I realize you'd then have to
>fill oil through the dipstick tube. 

Indeed the dipstick tube IS where you are supposed to add oil.  If you pry 
the plastic cap off all the time it will soon stop staying in place.

>Also, if the parts are correct as
>listed, what good does the cup thing do?  The washer could just sit
>where the cup does... Anyhow, something doesn't seem right but I'm
>confident (hopeful? overly optimistic?) that someone here has the
>answers.

I'm not sure why VW thought they needed both the cup and the washer.  The 
whole thing forms a bit of a labryinth that limits how much oil mist gets 
out.  All engines have some blowby, good ones just have less.  The black 
painted breather box allows the oil mist to settle out.  The gas portion is 
fed to the aircleaner to be burned up and the liquid portion either drips 
back down the way it came, or down the vertical pipe that feeds back into 
the sump via the dipstick pipe.

The arrangement for other years was different, but yours was a very good one 
that worked well.

Jim
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       Melissa Kepner                                    Jim Adney
       jadney@vwtype3.org              jadney@vwtype3.org
                             Laura Kepner-Adney
                             Madison, Wisconsin
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