Reading posts you often see the phrase "end float" used - I assume its movement of the crank within the engine case - am I right, can some one describe what it is??? Cheers B
Any rotating shaft (like the crank) is likely to move axially (back and forth) as well as going round, as the engine's not perfectly balanced. Not a big deal, but needs to be controlled by some means. In the VW engines, it's brought within spec by adding circular shims (thin metal plates) between the flywheel and the case. This is normal stuff. Problem is, especially on type 1s, that pressure of the clutch (quarter of a ton or more) forces the crank bearing nearest the flywheel into the soft magnesium case, making a circular indentation, so that the bearing shell can move back and forth. You can't remove this movement by extra shims, as the case itself has been damaged. Wouldn't really be a big deal, except that with excessive movement over time, the dowel pin holding the bearing loosens, the dowel hole becomes oval, and the dowel may let go of the bearing shell. This may spin and cover the crank oiler hole. Result: dead engine. Excessive end float will indicate how hard a life the crankcase has had. The only remedy is to machine the case and fit a bearing shell with oversized shoulders to make it a firm fit again. There's a limit to how much wear you can fix by this method - too much, and the case may be scrap.
If you take off the flywheel, there'll seem to be massive endfloat but endfloat can only be checked with the flywheel attached.
If you've got a type 4, 'tis true - n aluminium case will be more robust. It's the light mag alloy of type 1s that is the problem. Another downside of excessive crank movement will be wear on the crank oil seal. It's designed to seal something going round and round, not back and forth (and round and round). The lip may wear, causing oil to piddle out of the flywheel end.
