Push Rod Tubes?

[Onex107]

Where do you buy the two piece push rod tubes? I saw some that are threaded with double nuts that would allow you to adjust the tube until it stops leaking, but they want my Vin number and car model before I can order.

[marsolgp]

EBAY…… I got my Empi tubes from ebay…. lots to choose from.

[MichaelFarley56]

Geary,

Do you like your EMPI tubes? My stock steel ones have mostly been good but one or two seep a little. Someday I may swap them for adjustable ones if they seal well. I'm curious what your experience has been. Thanks!

[marsolgp]

Mike,

To be honest, I haven't even used them yet. I bought the aluminum spring type tubes with two o-rings each…. and got them for the same reason you're thinking, to replace leaking stock ones without removing cyl head. Fortunately, I haven't had any stock ones leak yet (or at least, not leak bad enough to justify replacing them).

[mike.smith]

CB Performance (http://www.cbperformance.com/), Mofoco (http://www.mofoco.com/) and Aircooled.net (aircooled.net) are good places to find VW parts.

And you'll want to replace the seals, too.
http://www.cbperformance.com/ProductDet ... tCode=1945

[eppre]

I purchased a set on Amazon.

[Onex107]

Thanks for the sources. I found the adjustable ones, with the double nuts, on Aircooled and paid $10/pc for them. Bill Larson lent me a spring loaded one to look at and said he had some leakage with it. With that design, the spring load lessens as the tube expands. With the threaded tubes you can re-tighen if you have a leak. Logically, that's better. I'll let you know. They are on the way from Utah.
Did any of you prepare the gasket seats in the block or head before installing the tubes. How bad were they?

[Onex107]

Oh, by the way. I thought there must be a way to tighten the standard tubes when they leak. I fashoned a tool from a small set of vice grips that have tapered knife edges that can go between the accordian pleats and expand the tube in place. It worked great on a tube I was holding in my hand, but, when I applied it to the one's in the engine the leak got worse. I guess it colapsed the other pleats that were put in originally. The new tubes should be here tomorrow or Monday.

[vwglenn]

Adjustable pushrod tubes are neat but they introduce another potential leak point where they slide together as there is an O-ring in there. If I remember correctly, the higher quality adjustable pushrods have two O-rings,

I always try to avoid any part that has Empi on it when I can. It's not that they're all bad, it's just that their QC process is weak at best. I much prefer Scat parts when I can get them. You can tug slightly on the ends of the stock pushrod tubes to expand them a bit before mounting the heads. It helps them seat better and keep pressure on the gaskets. Make sure the seam is at the top towards the pistons and not the bottom.

Always use the white pushrod seals. They're better than the red ones. German Elring gasket sets are what I order for my VWs. I always get the whole set every time I need any engine gaskets. Habit I guess but I almost always have extra gaskets in my VW kit even though I rarely need them.

[Onex107]

I replaced the pushrod tubes on the right side of my Aerovee with the aluminum threaded tubes purchased from Aircooled. The tubes are threaded and double nutted. There is a o-ring that goes under the nut to seal the slip joint. There was some interference with the under cylinder baffle on the rear tube and a small amount of the edge of the baffle had to be removed with the Dremmel. I just snugged them up firmly and they are bone dry. A very easy change. I wouldn't hesitate to install them during the engine build if I knew then what I know now.