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Date:         Sun, 11 Feb 2001 16:31:00 EST
Reply-To:     NotaJeep@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Steven Denis <NotaJeep@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: 2.1L Oil pressure problem: Rods: SYMPTOM NOT CAUSE:
              UNBALANCED crank the ...
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 2/11/01 1:36:58 PM Eastern Standard Time, Wolfvan88@AOL.COM writes:

<< Feel free to disagree... >>

Well there seems to be a lot of "hype" there..the counterweights will help the MAIN bearing life as they will have lower loading..as far as the flex?..errr... how does adding weight to the throw of the crank PAST the edge of the main bearing reduce flex? if the crank was flexing enough to change the position of the rod relative to it's journal, then the center main would have to move some ungodly distance.

Your Type 1 blew up NOT because of what you DID but because what you DIDN'T do..Yes, you can bend rods whacking them with a hammer..stretching the bolts? Man, you'd have to be swinging that sledge hard enough to knock the whole thing into the neighbors yard! (and clear the 8 foot fence!)...It is not uncommon for a top end rebuild of ANY engine to become a TOTAL rebuild in short order.. an "iffy" bottom end will put up with the pressure that leaking valves and rings can produce..go back to "as new" power and the bearings just give up..chevy six or the type one four, it makes no nevermind .. You didn't perhaps, as others have done, rebuild the top end after the thing dropped a valve? People DO that and don't think about the bent rod.

Ok..So..counterweighted crank? Sure..it can't hurt..take a bit of weight off the flywheel too and retain the nice idle.. rebush, resize and balance the rods? there is no other way..the loading on the rod and it's strength are the main reasons that the 2.1's blow...Notice the "racing" top rings? a whole bunch thinner to prevent ring chatter at the high piston speed on the 2.1's. these and stretch bolts are more of the "band aids" of which I spoke.. They KNEW that the rod was overworked and that is a way to make sure that the cap stays on the rod..

As far as "why did they stop growing the stroke?"..simple..piston speed is one and rod angularity is the other...even with "shorty" slipper skirt pistons (not known for their longevity in "street" engines) most "big" type one's get wider...long jugs and/or barrel shims.. You can't make the WBX WIDER (ok, you CAN, but remember production tooling and all that?) so to pack more stroke in the WBX "box" you'd get REALLY crazy rod angles and even MORE loading...... I'd be more tempted, if I HAD to worry about it, to use something like a chevy rod, combined with shorter skirt pistons..but these don't exist as it's a piston with the conbustion chamber in it...

2.1's? great torque-..keep the RPM under, oh 4 grand and it will be FINE...

but what do I know......

steve

"Hey! nice Jeep, Mister! " "Look kid, it's NOTAJEEP! "


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