Date:         Sun, 27 Aug 2000 13:55:49 EDT
Reply-To:     Wolfvan88@aol.com
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Lilley <Wolfvan88@aol.com>
Subject:      Re: Better Mileage Anyone? (without going ala Lilley)
Comments: To: wdavidson@thegrid.net
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 8/27/2000 1:08:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
wdavidson@thegrid.net writes:

> So you're really not talking a stock engine ... and so the information on
>  plugs may not apply to our stock Waterboxers?>>

All I am saying is that using the tri-plug in my 1973 VW Bus with a 2L T4
engine caused the head temps to increase.  And in applying this to the WBX,
while being Water-cooled, the WBX might be able to tolerate the hotter plug
and the heads running hotter, But the extreme heat also could have added to
the head gasket failures, proneness of the engine to overheat and warped
heads.

VW ran the WBX engine hotter (as do many auto makers.  My dad's mazda 626 is
like a blast oven when you open the hood HOT) to help the Vanagons pass
emissions by KEEPING the engine at the UPPER temp extreme to burn off
unburned fuel to pass emissions and that led to a host of other problems.
The ECU chip also keeps the engine at the upper heat extreme by running the
engine almost lean.  VW designed the engine to be strong and last by over
building the engines strength and then limiting to power.  By the limiting
the power, the engines efficiency is also limited, this raises emissions, so
heat is need to reduce the emissions.  VWs engineers, for what ever reason,
chose to power the Vanagon this way.

If you want to make more power, you need to make the engine either bigger OR
operate more efficient.  I choose to make it more efficient.  As a result, I
increased power, reliability and efficiency (I raised the stock average
highway 18 mpg to 24mpg.  I even added a bigger cam than stock).

When we are talking about what plug to use, it is in the context of
increasing power and engine efficiently.  So if you put the quad plugs in,
you need to change a few things to the stock engine.

If you change the airfilter to a K&N to allow for better breathing, you need
to change the muffler at the same time, to allow for the additional air to
get out easier OR you will not see much of a change in power, so to help to
burn the additional fuel/air mixture you need to change the plug to burn it
faster and to help the ECU compensate for the additional air flow, you need
to change it so the engine can run better.  SO you see that if you change one
part to get more power, unless you change other parts to compensate, the
increase will not be as great.

The ECU chip adds @ 10%, add rockers for more, the add the airfilter,
muffler, counterweights, balancing, match porting, coatings, cam increase,
lighter flywheel, etc.  All the changes add up, How big a change in power is
determined by how much you change.

**The ECU chip will not increase emissions because it keeps the engine in the
correct mixture but just does it differently from the stock chip.





>
>  Also... I'm a little confused about the T4 designation... I thought the T4
>  was the Eurovan... no? Seems to be some contradictory uses of the T
>  designations.... Could you please explain?


The engine used in the VW buses up to the 71 was the Beetle engine designated
T1.  In 72 VW redesigned the engine and the new designation was T4.  This
engine was used in the Bus and Vanagons up to '83.5. Then VW went to the 1.9
and then the 2.1L WBX engines.

Robert