A while ago I had a crank pulley problem with my '91 Liteace where the key sheared and by the time the pulley wheel stopped turning, the crank had worn away the internal diameter of the pulley wheel. A S/H pulley was fitted a few weeks ago and everything seemed fine.
As it's no longer my daily driver and only gets used for camping I have decided it's cheaper now to sell the Ace and go back to my '63 VW Bus which has been mothballed for the past few years.
Off my Ace goes for the MOT and halfway through, the crank pulley wheel stops turning! I go back to the garage that fitted the wheel (she's done no more than 30km) and the answer is, the end of the crankshaft is worn and the load of the belts on the crank wheel is shearing the key.
This was mentioned by them when I was looking for a S/H pulley, so before I gave the part to the garage I measured the end of the crank and the internal diameter of the pulley wheel, now I know digital verniers are only accurate to 2 dec places but the crank measured 29.97-29.98mm (damn awkward spot to reach innit!) and the int dia of the wheel was 29.99mm, I wouldn't say 30 microns max is worn! But then again what would I know, I've only spent over a decade working on lathes, millers & welders.
Which leads me to my predicament(s), is the original garage right and I need a new crank or did they rip me off and fit the pulley without a woodruff key.
Do I pay another garage to do the job again, is it really worth spending any more money on it only to sell it on?
She's done 120k km and up until now been a perfect runner, I have all the mot's since imported and apart from a small ding in the side door mint condition, hmmmm, I rekon I'd be lucky to get 1500 quid with a full MOT!
Now, browsing BBC spares for the first time the other night I had a right eye opener, do they actually get those prices for S/H parts?
OK, it would come in drips and draps and I'm sure I'd have the odd letter off the council but it's looking like my Ace is now worth more in spares than with an MOT, I have no qualms about letting her chassis sit on 2 pairs of axles stands all winter if it means the best return for me, but would be a damn shame to see such a lovely vehicle go that way.
What is the best option "For Sale.." or "Breaking for Spares... 5sp man...." ?
Hmmmm..... Those curtains would look nice in my splitty

- (#13848) sLaTEsTa, 20 Oct 04 20:30

Yes, a lot of the time we will pay those prices to get the spares we want, when we want them, but that doesn't mean the spares themselves are actually worth that much. We are also paying someone to keep them in stock, accept payment over the phone and despatch them promptly in presentable condition.

This story does not ring true. I presume that when you measured up you would've noticed if either keyway was significantly damaged. If not then I'd suspect that they either didn't put in any key, relied on the taper, or they put in an odd scrap of steel. New keys are available and cheap. Try again.

- (#13848) Dave Mason (Sussex), 21 Oct 04 03:22