Hi all,

I haven't posted for awhile, my project car was stabled for the winter.
72 SB.

But it's back out and I just got it legal finally so now I'm going to
start driving it. So that's why I would ask for your feedback on this
issue, just to get ideas. I'm slightly concerned that it could be
something critical and some of you I am sure have enough experience to
identify possibilities or issue warnings.

Basically what it does is that it does extra clicking when you start
it. It starts fine and runs fine. But at first it seems kind of like
the starter doesn't disengage. Also, the clicking is kind of
intermittent and not predictable, or IE sort of random, so it's not
like a consistent clicking I would expect every engine rotation or
something. It's more like the kind of clicking you would get if
something is really loose and so only contacts whatever it's knocking
when the random vibrations send the two things together.

So I am thinking it may be the starter solenoid is not DISengaging.
Normally if your starter solenoid goes bad or you don't have sufficient
current to the solenoid coil you will get a "click" instead of a crank
when you try to start it. But my problem seems to be the opposite. It
clicks a lot when you crank it over as if the teeth are having trouble
mating with the flywheel. Then it seems to mate and the engine starts.
Then after the engine starts (which is right away without incident) it
clicks for a couple minutes after that (as if the solenoid doesn't
quickly disengage or something). Actually it's probably more like an
extra 15 to 30 seconds that the clicking remains not a "couple
minutes". I don't think it takes that long. So I wonder if in my case
the starter SRING may be old and doesn't any longer return the solenoid
plunger to "home" correctly. After it runs for a minute it works it's
way back out of trouble. Has anyone heard of that happening?

I don't know if that's it at all, it could be something else, which is
why I would ask for your ideas and I'll look at it this weekend.

As history, I had to replace the rear main seal and clutch last fall
and had some trouble with that. I don't know what went wrong but I had
to separate the engine from the car 3 times. each time I looked
everything over and found nothing wrong, put it all back together and
had some trouble with the clutch engaging correctly. The last time it
was no different but for some reason it went together ok the last time.
Except the knocking sound everything else is fine. I think the
knocking may have shown up at this time but it's hard to say for sure.
I didn't run the engine much before that due to the rear main leak
being quite bad.

I also solved an issue with my belt flipping (warped pulleys were
replaced). And my fan was rubbing my shroud. Most of my alternator
belt and alignment problems were because the engine was from a baja and
the tin was all missing so I had fit on aftermarket tin. It was not as
well fitting as one would hope but I think it's all ok now. I bought
this car when I was 17 or so and I'm now 30 so it's been a long
project, but from what I recall the guy who I bought the baja engine
from said it was "just rebuilt". That's why I'm willing to put the
effort into it. Who knows if that's true and if it craps out I'll just
get something better. But if he was right and it should give a bunch
more miles then I obviously want to take care of it and learn the vw
zen on this engine before I shell out cash for another.

I have replaced the carb and diz and I put in electronic ignition and
set the timing and it runs great and passed emissions with flying
colors. So I don't suspect any problems with those new components.
Also it was clicking before I did all that anyway.

I have not yet adjusted the valves but I plan to do so soon. I wonder
if the clicking could be the rods due to a loose valve or bad
clearance? If so I know that's not good. I've only driven it a couple
of miles. I don't think it's a real engine knock type sound since to
me it seems to have something to do with the starter but I don't have
that much experience so I could easy be wrong.

So anyway if you have feedback let me know. I know it can be hard to
identify what "that knock" is when someone posts on the net like this.
But the key I think is that it seems associated with the starter, or
maybe it's just when the engine is cold.

Thanks,
Chronologic