Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 18:25:17 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: 1.9l with 23psi @ 4000 rpm
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="UTF-8"; reply-type=original
hi....
re
You can keep an eye on the pressure and see if it gets much lower
> and get your head in the engine compartment and check for knocking
> noises at various speeds from time to time. Keep using the good oil.
I'd say if you hear any knocking noises, it's too late.
I have a fine 1.9 smooth running engine just like this on ...
I just run it in 20W50 and it's quite happy.
I also recommend not using fancy synthetics in very high mile engines.
for starters..
put 20W50 in it ..keep an eye on things.
I have one 1.9 wvxr engine has the oil light on solidly, once warmed up,
any time rpm is below 1,500.
It never did anything other than that.
It's retired now .
and is one of Six 1.9 wxbr core engines I have for sale.
none are seized, no knocking, no rods through the case or anything like
that.
and 2 more botten ends.
I suggest get one to rebuild gradually while you drive the current one on
thicker oil.
I havn't found any harm in operating a very high miles engine that way , at
all.
located Southern Oregon.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "J Stewart" <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2012 3:43 PM
Subject: Re: 1.9l with 23psi @ 4000 rpm
>I think I'd have to agree. Though not quite the same, my '85 Weekender came
>with receipts from a respected VW shop going back 10 years and 30K miles
>stating "Heads leaking BADLY" and dire warnings about what would happen if
>not fixed. I've found "leaking badly" means on really cold mornings a
>tablespoon or two of coolant can be found under the right head. I keep an
>eye on the coolant level and don't worry about it. (then again, I'm kinda
>secretly hoping that a catastrophic engine failure will help me convince
>the wife I need to do an engine conversion!) Jeff Stewart ----- Original
>Message -----
>> Mr. Pickle: (is that you Wes?)
>> I'd just go on and drive it. It seems to me that a flickering oil
>> light when warm at idle is considered rather normal in these engines
>> as they age.
>> You can keep an eye on the pressure and see if it gets much lower
>> and get your head in the engine compartment and check for knocking
>> noises at various speeds from time to time. Keep using the good oil.
>> Larry A.
>> On Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 2:17 PM, pickle vanagon
>> <greenvanagon@gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Just to follow up on this earlier message:
>> > Faced with the fact that I have oil pressure well below "good
>> > pressure", is
>> > the only prudent thing to do to replace the engine?
>> > (There are no symptoms of problems other than the reading on the
>> > gauge.)
>> >
>> > While I've read numerous tales of woe regarding 2.1l with low
>> > pressure
>> > failing spectacularly, I haven't really come across accounts of how
>> > the
>> > 1.9ls fail. Is it likely to strand us on the side of the road
>> > without
>> > warning, or get looser first (which would be easily seen on the
>> > pressure
>> > gauge, presumably)?
>> >
>> > It seems it would be a shame to give up on this engine if its likely
>> > to
>> > have a year or two left on it, regardless of whether its below spec.
>> > For
>> > example, considering that the least expensive route to replacement
>> > would be
>> > to replace it with a "good used 1.9l engine removed from a running
>> > van", is
>> > it really likely that such a replacement would be in significantly
>> > better
>> > shape?
>> >
>> > -Wes
>> >
>> >
>> > On Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 8:49 PM, pickle vanagon
>> > <greenvanagon@gmail.com>wrote:
>> >
>> >> A little while ago I sent the below email to list regarding a
>> >> flickering
>> >> oil light after extended highway driving on 5w50 oil. After this
>> >> email and
>> >> the replies I got, I switched the oil back to Mobil 1 15w50 oil and
>> >> then we
>> >> haven't driven since. I finally got around to installing a VDO oil
>> >> pressure gauge and just got back from a test drive.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> It's funny how high the pressure starts out in the cold weather.
>> >> Easily
>> >> 3.5-4 bar. Anyways, after 20 minutes or so of driving so that the
>> >> engine
>> >> has been warm for a long time, I take t up to 4000 rpms (48mph in
>> >> 3rd gear,
>> >> I don't have a tach) and I get ~1.9bar, so around 28psi. But after
>> >> a
>> >> minute or two of this (which is how long it takes the oil to get up
>> >> to
>> >> temperature, I guess) it drops to ~1.6 bar, say 23psi, where it
>> >> settles.
>> >>
>> >> So I guess this is pretty bad! (I guess I could check the accuracy
>> >> with a
>> >> mechanical gauges, but I'm not holding out any hope for this
>> >> changing
>> >> things...)
>> >>
>> >> So I guess these are my questions:
>> >> How long do I have before breakdown? My understanding is that,
>> >> unlike the
>> >> 2.1l, the 1.9l is unlikely to fail catastrophically, right?
>> >> Is further driving severely reducing the rebuildability of this
>> >> engine?
>> >> In general, how likely is it that this engine can be rebuilt to
>> >> good
>> >> tolerances? (I'm thinking right now about what I've read about the
>> >> case
>> >> journals in the 1.9l engines).
>> >> I know there are high capacity oil pumps that can be installed on
>> >> these
>> >> engines. Is that an effective way to buy some time?
>> >>
>> >> Thanks very much for any advice guys, this is a bummer, but I'm
>> >> sure I'll
>> >> figure out a way to deal with it somehow!
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> On Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 10:27 PM, pickle vanagon
>> >> <greenvanagon@gmail.com>wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> On our returning-home-after-thanksgiving drive, we had some scary
>> >>> oil
>> >>> light flicker.
>> >>>
>> >>> Here are the details:
>> >>>
>> >>> Engine has just a little over 100k miles on it.
>> >>> I typically run Mobil 1 15w50 in it, but shortly before this drive
>> >>> changed the oil to Castrol Syntec 5w50, hoping to achieve better
>> >>> lubrication during cold-starts in the winter. I used a Mobil 1
>> >>> filter
>> >>> (which I've used occasionally before, though now it was replacing
>> >>> a Fram
>> >>> tough-guard).
>> >>> Flicker definitely seemed related to oil pressure. That is: it
>> >>> only came
>> >>> on after driving fast for a long block of time, and then letting
>> >>> the engine
>> >>> drop to idle. After I first noticed a flicker happen once and
>> >>> confirming
>> >>> the oil level was fine, I tried this experiment several times and
>> >>> could
>> >>> often get some flickers out of it, although not always. Raising
>> >>> the engine
>> >>> rpms *at all* would completely kill the flicker. I couldn't give
>> >>> it even a
>> >>> tiny amount of gas and still have flicker, even after a long run.
>> >>>
>> >>> Further mitigating factors:
>> >>> We have an auxiliary battery setup with heavy gauge wire coupling
>> >>> the
>> >>> batteries via a Stancor relay. The auxiliary battery is a year old
>> >>> or so
>> >>> and so almost certainly in worse condition than the starter
>> >>> battery, since
>> >>> that never gets drained at all. I have the batteries set up so
>> >>> that a
>> >>> switch can be used to kill the stancor relay when driving (or
>> >>> force it to
>> >>> be engaged when the engine is off). Anyways, with the stancor
>> >>> relay
>> >>> disabled, I wouldn't get any oil light flicker, as the engine was
>> >>> idling
>> >>> high enough to avoid it. The flicker was only happening after a
>> >>> long fast
>> >>> run *and* at especially low rpms, which would only happen when
>> >>> both
>> >>> batteries where being powered by the alternator.
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> Obviously I find this all pretty scary! I figure the first step is
>> >>> to
>> >>> figure out what my oil pressure is at various operating speeds and
>> >>> temperatures. So I've ordered parts to install an oil pressure
>> >>> gauge.
>> >>>
>> >>> I realize there's a lower threshold (blue) .25 bar switch that VW
>> >>> recommends to replace the existing .3 bar switch, which would
>> >>> likely
>> >>> eliminate my flicker, but right now I'm just worried this is an
>> >>> indication
>> >>> of deeper problems. I've ordered one of these switches anyways
>> >>> just in
>> >>> case my current switch is bad, but the behavior I'm seeing rules
>> >>> out a
>> >>> wiring issue I think, and I haven't actually heard of anyone
>> >>> having an old
>> >>> switch that was still responding, but just at too high a pressure
>> >>> (if
>> >>> anything I would expect them to fail in the other direction.)
>> >>>
>> >>> I also realize the switch to castrol 5w50 may have been what made
>> >>> the
>> >>> difference. But I'm reluctant to throw back in some 15w50, have
>> >>> the light
>> >>> go back off, and then just call the problem solved... I mean, I
>> >>> shouldn't
>> >>> really be that close to the edge of triggering the switch right?
>> >>> Or should
>> >>> I be considering it likely that the 5w50 really was just too
>> >>> unstable in a
>> >>> 1.9l (which has no oil cooler) at high speeds?
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> I'll be grateful for any advice... wow, I hope this engine isn't
>> >>> giving
>> >>> up on us!! I was planning on getting a lot more life out of it...
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>
| 
