Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2003 07:08:30 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Email Fact on Engine Rebuild?
In-Reply-To: <C11775EA-CAA0-11D7-B133-000393799582@suscom.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Jesse, you have an interesting project ahead.
There is much in the archives on rebuilding these engines. It is my
opinion - but many will disagree - that if the WBX is rebuilt properly,
certain precautions take, and then treated well and serviced properly,
it will give you relatively trouble free service for 200,00 miles
easily. Typically, someone buys a used Vanagon (all there is now) and
the PO has neglected doing the necessary preventive maintenance and also
driven the He-double toothpicks out of it. Then the new owner moans and
groans about how unreliable the Vanagon and WBX is. You have to consider
that the machines - even the newest - are now 12 years old. My 85 GL
gave me 115,000 ( I bought it used with 90,000 miles on it.) trouble
free miles - after replacing the power steering rack when I first bought
it. Had 205,000 miles on it when I sold it. My current 88 GL is now
15 years old. But I maintain the heck out of it, and it serves me well.
It is my daily driver, and I have little trouble with it --- NOW!
When I first got the 88 GL , it had 86,000 miles on it. Within 1000
miles of my purchase, the tranny went (manual) and I had to have it
rebuilt. At about 90-91,000 the engine blew. Burned a hold in a piston,
I decided to have it torn down and rebuilt from scratch. I possibly
could have saved the day by just doing a cylinder change, but though it
more prudent to have it rebuilt completely. When the engine was pulled,
that was when I discovered that it was the second engine in the van
already since new. There was a yellow tag on the engine case that said
on it :Re-manufactured by VW of Canada. That meant the somewhere between
new and 86,000 miles someone had burned up the original engine and had
to replace it. And here I was at 90,000 miles replacing the replacement.
So when I refer to the PO neglecting the vehicle or abusing it, I know
where-of I speak. That being said, sind I put in the a newly rebuilt
engine, I've had no trouble and now have 40,000 on the new engine.
Regards a rebuild, the one thing I would recommend outside the normal
rebuild procedures, is to have counterweights welded to the crank, and
the rotating assembly of the engine balanced as a unit, including the
clutch disc and flywheel.
List member Robert Lilley has done extensive work on his WBX to achieve
higher horsepower and performance without building a radical engine, and
I think he did quite well. His goal was not to make a high horsepower
brute of a WBX engine, but to increase the longevity of the engine. His
approach was to eliminate vibration by balancing the engine, ceramic
coating of certain parts to reduce the effects of heat and reduce the
tendency for head corrosion which leads to the dread "head leaks" of
coolant, valve train changes to improve breathing, etc. He also added a
5th gear package to the tranny for better highway performance and to
reduce cruise RPM.
Robert posts to this list fairly frequently so you may catch his e-mail
address easily. By all means contact him about the particulars on his
project. He's a good guy and willing to talk to you about it.
Also, "Cat Man" Stan Wilder of this list, is now in the ceramic coatings
business and you might contact him about ceramic coatings for you
engine. He is into 2nd - maybe even 3rd - generation ceramic coatings
for engines now.
Good luck with your project.
regards,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
jesse and monica wrote:
> Hey All,
> Contemplating a complete engine rebuild in the not so distant future. I
> have build inline four's before...but this will be my first flat four.
> I know the bentley always shows the factory tools to do certain things
> like "pulling the distributor drive gear" and things like that. But I
> have found with building inline fours that a lot of the times you can
> use something else or make a tool to do the job. My question is...what
> tools are essential with doing an engine rebuild on a flat four? And
> seconds....Is there an email fact that someone has made up with step by
> step instructions on removal and installation as well as tear down and
> rebuild steps? The Bentley for the Vanagons is really weak compared to
> the Bentley for Scirocco's and Golfs. I am going to be rebuilding a 2.1
> liter. Any help would be great. Just want to make sure I have all my
> ducks in order before I jump into this.
> Thanks everyone...
> Jesse
> 86 scirocco
> 89 vanagon
>
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