Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 11:18:15 -0800
Reply-To: Brian Cochran <rangerbrian@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Brian Cochran <rangerbrian@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: EXPERTISE NEEDED! oil pressure woes con't. part 4
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Okay, When I got to the end of your letter and saw "BOSTON BOB" well,
jeez....expertise received! ( i'm about to send you money anyday now for
rebuilt heads...... )ANYWAY... You are the first responder to say "bearings"
and such. You didn't address why the oil pressure came back up to normal
at slower speeds. Yesterday I put 35 miles on it (two trips) and the oil
pressure was fine. When hot, 20 psi coasting at about 15 mph, but step on
the gas and it's up to 35-40psi in a hurry. Idling at 8-10psi. The engine
was put in by a dealership in Denver (confirmed newly rebuilt, by ???) about
70,000 miles back. I'm going to do the heads, the AT is in a ragged shape,
so I bought the gasket kit (but haven't decided what to really do with it.)
I'll probably drop the whole drivetrain since my front seal is leaking and
that bugs me (and the salmon-Pacific Northwest here). I have the complete
engine gasket kit already. So if I just need bearings on the crank what do I
need to purchase? just bearings and rods? What about main bearings? What
size? Can I just mic the rod surfaces to see if they are out of round?
Probably not since this is my only car and I need it at the end of a
four-day weekend! (what I mean is I need everything I required before I
started the job. I can't wait for parts to come in the mail. What I want,
and NEVER have had YET, is to feel good about my vanagon in terms of it
reaching it's destination. Everytime I sit in it and drive, I know in the
back of my head, it might not make it. And that Sucks!
To answer other points made by others, I'm a fan of the oil cooler. If it's
on the '86 and up 2.1's why would it not be needed for the 2.1's in older
cars??
As for the oil level, I check it before leaving and it was in the middle of
the two marks (cold). For what it's worth, I'll mention, while I'm thinking
of it that my engine hates having the oil checked while running, let alone
the oil cap removed. Breathing issues!! It will stall with the cap off,
rough with the dipstick out. Just a FYI, maybe that is a norm.
I don't know about synthetic oil. I'm skeptical and ignorant.
Oh, Boston Bob, I was just on your website a few days back and I couldn't
find your rebuilt heads, just new ones? Any insights? I am considering the
new engine, what's the shipping time. (are they there waiting to move, or
is it a build by order, 6-8 week kind of thing?
Thanks for the info, and I would appreciate a response to the question of
the oil pressure coming back up after being low. That really baffles me!
Brian Cochran
84 westy
Carnation WA
>Dennis, Ranger Brian and the list
>
>on
>I push this van sometimes to 85 mph into the mountains of Vermont fully
>loaded
>in the summer never a problem. I have also been building 2.1 engines for
>use in
>the early wbx vans for years and have never had one complaint about the
>engines
>running hot or oil lights coming on
>Lets face it Ranger Brian has the low oil pressure at hot ilde due to
>the extra clearance
>at the con rod bearings and the engine WILL throw a rod very soon so
>stop driving the van
>and fix the problem or you will need a core, a new engine and or lots of
>cash or credit
>It has been my experiance that the crankshaft does not wear
>when the rods bearings start to fail. I see this on a daily basis
>
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