Crankshaft Gear and Spacer

[Dick Weiss]

When I said the crank's timing gear cost is expensive, look it up in Stoddard's catalog; It's NOT $25!!!

[David Jones]

Go to CIP1 VW they have the special pullers for the crank gear for $40 and $80. I bought the EMPI one nigh on 40 years ago and it has pulled dozens of gears off easily, they also sell the crank gears again cheap ones and slightly more expensive ones, about $16 and $32. The VW crank distributor gear is the same as well as is the distributor take off gear all cheaper than the identical Porsche parts.

[ray nelson]

Safety Concern!
If you plan on using the oil bath be very careful; some oils will combust above 400 deg F! I got a seriously burned hand when I was not monitoring the temp of some oil on a hot plate! Skin doesn't like to have flaming hot oil applied to it.
Better and safer way might be to use a hot plate or induction hot plate with a steel plate to lay the gear on and carefully monitor temp with an infrared laser thermometer. Better yet find a machine shop that can do it.
Ray

[Norm Miller]

When searching for the crank gear beware, somewhere along the line VW changed the helical angle so there are two near look-alikes

[David Jones]

As I said I have been using an electric hotplate for years with no ill effects. Cheap and quick and safer than hot oil. That was a medieval way to repel attackers from the castle walls and to cook french fries. The temperature equilibrates quickly across the gear. I imagine that a large pot of hot oil was a convenient way to keep a lot of gears simmering ready for use in the early days of VW and Porsche but single use gear heating is probably not the way to go when it comes to a pot of hot oil.
Google this one, it is similar to the one I have been using for close to 40 years.
IMUSA USA GAU-80305 Electric Single Burner 1100-Watts, Black

[Dennis Vogel]

Those gears are still available, although out of stock at Wolfsburg West, $ 25. So why would anyone think twice about messing with that damaged part?

Are we talking about the same part? Any place I can find 539-02-105 in stock, they are between $300 - 400 USD.

[Dennis Vogel]

When searching for the crank gear beware, somewhere along the line VW changed the helical angle so there are two near look-alikes

Hi Norm. Thanks for that tidbit. I am not seeing a part number on ours. So given the other crap I've found in the engine, I wonder how I can confirm this is 356 correct.

Interesting product info on the NLA part listing:

They are not mearly any VW, but were used in the very early 27 hp VW

P.S. While I'm happy to learn about different techniques, I did not mean to start an oil bath debate...

[David Jones]

I am going to check my cam and crank gears against each other and report back but I know I have an original 356 crank gear but I was also sure they were the same as the 40 hp VW gear. Come on Vic put your coffee down and let us know your take.
The gear puller is also available on Amazon for $55. Search with this.
EMPI VW Tools Crankshaft Gear Puller for VW Air Cooled VW Engine 5714

[John Hawkins]

David said: "I am going to check my cam and crank gears against each other and report back but I know I have an original 356 crank gear but I was also sure they were the same as the 40 hp VW gear."

No 40-HP VW gears will not fit.

All 356 (pre-A, A, B, and C) crankshaft gears (for the cam and distributor drive) are based on the 36 HP VW engine, as are several other other engine parts.

Search for new or used VW 36 HP gears if you need a replacement.

[David Jones]

Now I wonder if I may have used 40hp crank and cam gears in some of my engines as I had so many of them lying around. Now I have none so cannot compare. I do have some spare 356 gears though.

[Martin Benade]

I am pretty sure only the 36 hp fits. I think the vw cam gear is riveted and has no dowel holes so it would take a little work to put one in a 356.

[Vic Skirmants]

I mentioned earlier about not over-heating the transmission gears.

[Vic Skirmants]

So what do you guys think?

[David Jones]

Toasty. I doubt my hot plate could get that hot.I am also not going to try.

[Ron LaDow]

So what do you guys think?

It's hard to believe that was accidental.