Problem with splitting the engine case

[Martin Benade]

Are you sure that all the bolts/nuts are out, including all six of the larger main bearing nuts? Did you dig out the rubber sealing rings under the washers for the big nuts? Maybe I am just admitting to being dimmer than the rest of you, but whenever I have had trouble splitting a VW or Porsche case, it was always one more nut hiding under some sludge. Your engine doesn't look like the studs would be rusted in their holes preventing it from coming apart.

[Curt Dansby]

Hi Jens
I took one apart one time that had been submerged in a flood. I destroyed the head on one side with a wooden 2 x 4 - it just was not going to come apart as intended. That being said, I had no problems splitting the case. In your instance, I would think someone was overzealous in the application of Curil T or whatever they used the last time it was put together. The most important thing is DO NOT stick anything other than a plastic putty knife or a wood shim between the case halves to pry them apart. Slow and steady and rubber mallet wins the race. If you use a screwdriver you will be asking lots of questions in the future about how to stop oil leaks. Patience........
Curt

[Ron LaDow]

Are you sure that all the bolts/nuts are out, including all six of the larger main bearing nuts? Did you dig out the rubber sealing rings under the washers for the big nuts?

Valid point; you really want to poke around at every fastener to make sure someone hasn't hidden some piece of hardware (or software: O-rings), or attempted an 'evolution' of the factory efforts in unexpected ways.
But once you've examined it for those alternatives, I've found that the halves are just flat 'glued' together and it takes breaking the contact at one location; thereafter, it's a matter of getting the shuttle-dowels to release from the other half.
For that reason, I've had best luck applying the mallet to the end of a piece of maple, the other end of the maple on the sump plate opening like the op image. Use some vigor; with that arrangement, you're going to have a hard time hurting anything.
Once the surfaces are released from the adhesive, you can go to the top tabs and apply hardwood/hammer and begin to see the split.
Iterate; it WILL come apart.

[Norm Miller]

Of course you did remove the through case bolt between the cylinders at the bottom, yes?
Try rapping the locating pins with a punch and steel hammer.
The last case I split had been slathered with loc tight and slumbered for 25 years.
Similar effort.

Norm

[Ron LaDow]

If you use a screwdriver you will be asking lots of questions in the future about how to stop oil leaks. Patience........
Curt

If you either do this yourself, or find a case you are using has scratches, there is a fix:
You need a large, dull center punch; you use a hammer to apply that to the scratch (groove) as many times along the length of the scratch as the width of the sealing surface allows. Then, using the best mill file in your collection, you take the 'rims' off the resulting 'craters' until you have a flat surface again, albeit not 100% continuous.
Do it often enough and you will be looking for a competent welder in your area.

[Jens Hansen]

Hello again.

IT WORKED!

Had to wake up early to get it done.
Heated it up all the way with a gas torch and then used a 2 x 4 and a mallet. It worked but it took a long time to get than dull sound. Too scared to hit it too hard.
The studs were corroded so that didn't help.
Time to get the parts cleaned and then I need to figure out what I need to finish the engine rebuild.

Thank you very much for all the replies I got.

[John Brooks]

Try a Jorgensen wood clamp 12" the big one, put it in the oil sump, expand it and keep it parallel so it expands against the case. After 10-15 pounds of pressure on the bottom. Strike the tabs on the top of the case with a dead blow hammer. After a couple smacks if it's not separating, a little more clamp pressure and repeat.
Careful.... You can put enough pressure on the bottom of the case with this clamp to bend a stud. But it will split, the clamp will apply constant pressure to the case, be in the middle of the sump so it's equal on both haves. When you strike the top case tab, the shock wave will travel through the case and the snap them apart.


If this does not work. Soak the studs in white vinegar and have a martini and repeat the clamp tomorrow.