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Air-Cooled Engines | Hand-crafted. Never Rebuilt.

Breaking in Your New Engine

After installation by a qualified professional mechanic, the initial break-in period is a crucial time in maximizing your warranty and the longevity of your new engine.

After initial installation by a qualified professional mechanic, and before starting your new engine for the first time, add three quarts of high-quality grade SAE 30 motor oil with a zinc anti-wear additive.

During the initial break-in period, avoid excessive RPM at all times, and follow this schedule to break in your new engine.

The valve lash clearance should be adjusted to 0.006”on both the intake and exhaust valves.

  • At 300 miles, adjust the valves.

  • At 500 miles, change the oil and adjust the valves again.

  • At 3,000 miles, change the oil and adjust the valves again. This is your first regular maintenance interval. Switch to a high-quality grade SAE 30 detergent motor oil.

Every time the valves are adjusted the engine must be cold, preferably after cooling overnight.

If you plan to drive the vehicle year-round in cold climates, change to multi-grade SAE 10W-40 for the winter months.

From here on, we recommend changing the oil and checking the valve adjustment every 3,000 miles and adjusting the valves every 6,000 miles. 

The Importance of Frequent Valve Adjustment

Many air-cooled VW owners don't adjust their engine valves as often as they should. Valves stems stretch and become longer slowly over time — exhaust valves in particular. Eventually, this stretching results in valves that are too tight and lack adequate lash clearance. Without clearance, valves become too loose in the valve seat, resulting in hot gases leaking past the valve, causing the valve to overheat. It takes very little time for an overheated valve to weaken, burn, and ultimately break.

Even if only minimal adjustment is needed each time, frequent valve adjustment also gives the opportunity to catch a failing exhaust valve before it breaks. Exhaust valves are among the hardest-working components of the air-cooled Volkswagen engine. Over the course of time and incremental adjustments, the valve will eventually weaken and begin to stretch abnormally. If the valve adjustment nut requires anything more than ⅛ turn, the valve is failing; the time to replace the valve has arrived. A broken valve can be disastrous for the engine.

 

Darryl’s Warranty is the Best in the Industry

New Turnkey Replacement Engine
LIMITED WARRANTY

Darryl’s™ Air-Cooled Engines will repair or replace, free of charge, any part(s) of the engine that is defective in material or workmanship or both. Transportation charges on engine submitted for repair or replacement under this warranty must be borne by purchaser. The warranty period begins on the date of purchase by the first retail end user, and continues for a period of 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first. There is no other expressed warranty. Implied warranties, including those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, are limited to one year from purchase, or to the extent permitted by law. All other implied warranties are excluded. Liability for incidental or consequential damages are excluded to the extent exclusion is permitted by law. Some states or countries do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, and some states or countries do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation and exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights. Other rights may vary from state to state and country to country. No warranty registration is necessary to obtain warranty on Darryl’s engines. Save your proof of purchase receipt. If you do not provide proof of the initial purchase date at the time warranty service is requested, the manufacturing date of the product will be used to determine the warranty period.

About Your Darryl’s™ Warranty

If a problem should occur it should be brought to the attention of Darryl's by calling (417) 592-0936 before any work other than diagnosis is started. Unauthorized repairs will not be considered for reimbursement.

For each warranty claim, an investigation will be made to determine whether the warranty applies. If Darryl’s determines that the claim is justified, the warrantied engine will be repaired or replaced. To avoid misunderstandings which might occur between the customer and Darryl’s, listed below are some of the causes of engine failure that the warranty does not cover.

Normal wear: Engines, like all mechanical devices, need periodic parts service and replacement to perform well. Warranty will not cover repair when normal use has exhausted the life of a part or an engine. Warranty would not apply if engine damage occurred because of misuse, lack of routine maintenance, shipping, handling, warehousing, or improper installation. Similarly, warranty is void if the serial number of the engine has been removed or the engine has been altered or modified.

Improper maintenance: The life of an engine depends upon the conditions under which it operates, and the care it receives. Some conditions, which can cause what appears to be premature wear, when caused by dirt, dust, or other abrasive material that has entered the engine because of improper maintenance, is not covered by warranty.

This warranty covers engine related defective material and/or workmanship only, and not replacement or refund of the equipment to which the engine may be mounted. Nor does the warranty extend to repairs required because of:

  1. Problems caused by parts that are not original to the Darryl’s engine.

  2. Equipment controls or installations that prevent starting, cause unsatisfactory engine performance, or shorten engine life.

  3. Leaking carburetors, clogged fuel lines, sticking valves, or other damage caused by using contaminated or stale fuel.

  4. Parts which are scored or broken because an engine was operated with insufficient or contaminated lubricating oil, or an incorrect grade of lubricating oil (check and refill when necessary, and change at recommended intervals). Engine damage may occur if oil level is not properly maintained. We recommend a premium conventional lubricating Motor Oil with ZINC ADDITIVE; SAE 30 for summer and/or warm conditions, or 10W-30 multigrade in colder conditions.

  5. Repair or adjustment of associated parts or assemblies such as clutches, transmissions, etc., which are not manufactured or supplied by Darryl’s.

  6. Damage or wear to parts caused by dirt, which entered the engine because of improper air cleaner maintenance or re-assembly.

  7. Parts damaged by over-speeding, or overheating caused by missing engine compartment seals or engine cooling tins, or excessive debris, grime, dirt, etc, which plugs or clogs the cooling fins.

  8. Engine or equipment parts broken by excessive vibration caused by a loose engine mounting, improper attachment of equipment to engine crankshaft, over-speeding or other abuse in operation.

  9. Lack of routine tune-ups or adjustment of the engine valves.

  10. This warranty is only valid when the engine is installed by an experienced VW professional (proof of professional installation is required before any warranty work can be approved). This warranty does not cover any third party or incidental expenses such as installation charges, storage, towing, lodging, shipping, or other related expenses.

Installation instructions are not included, as it is assumed that this engine will be installed by an experienced mechanic specializing in air-cooled Volkswagens.

Warranty service is available only through Darryl’s. For warranty service, call Darryl’s Air-cooled Engines at (417) 592-0936.