Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2002 17:13:10 +0000
Reply-To: Mike Finkbiner <mike_l_f@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike Finkbiner <mike_l_f@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Boston Bob Engine - 4300 Mile Update
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
In April of last year I had a 2.1 WBX Boston Bob engine with the modified
cam installed in my '87 Westfalia. We had some interesting times with
vacuum and fuel pressure, and had to re-adjust the valves a couple of times,
but eventually things worked out.
Since then I have put about 4300 miles on the engine, and thought some of
you who followed the story last year might be interested in an update.
I have tracked gas and oil consumption pretty carefully. Over the last 3000
miles, I averaged 16.5 mpg. The vast majority of that is on the highway,
but the little driving I do in town pulls it down substantially, because
driving across Moscow takes about 10 minutes, and it never warms up.
The worst highway mileage I have had, 14.7 mpg, was last July, on my way to
Portland. The AC was trying it's best to deal with 100 degree weather, and
we were doing 65 in the teeth of a very stiff breeze.
The best I have had was later that month, 19.6 mpg, rolling along at 65 on
the level in Eastern Washington, with the west wind at my back, and
temperatures in the 80s.
Generally I seem to run more than 17 and less than 19 mpg when I fill up on
the road.
It's not as good as I would like, but not bad either. This summer I am
tempted to buy an adjustable fuel pressure regulator and tinker, but unless
I can pick up another 2 mpg, it would take a fair while to pay for it.
Oil consumption has been a bit of a concern. It doesn't appear to be
marking the driveway with more than a drop or two, but over the last 680
miles in my book, I have added 1/2 qt of oil, a rate of a little over 2 qts
per 3000 miles between oil changes. Totalling the last 3000 miles, I find
that I did add a bit over 2 quarts, so it seems to be staying about the
same.
Following the interesting discussion last year about oil levels, I have been
keeping the dipstick level about halfway between the full and add lines, and
I watch the level pretty closely.
Some folks have thought that the rings aren't thoroughly set yet. Bob
thinks that I might be loosing some oil from the front seal, and indicated
that he has had some engines that just do that. We'll see.
Overall, it's a nice feeling to have a solid engine, with all new hoses and
fuel lines. Depending on finances, I want to have the transmission rebuilt
at some point, and then if I keep up on my maintenance, I should be good for
another 10-15 years.
Having just helped Matthew Pollard with his Tiico installation, it's
interesting to compare the two. Overall the Tiico is stronger and more
reliable, but if you have to pay a mechanic to do it, the price will be
quite a bit higher than the WBX swap. The Tiico directions are terrible,
and it will always be an unusual combination, so unless you are pretty
mechanically inclined, I don't know - - -
If my Westy were a daily driver as well as a camping and long trips vehicle,
and I wanted to put a lot of miles on it over the next 10 years, it might
have been worth the extra money, but I think the WBX will do the job for me.
It's also comforting to have a Digitool on the dash. Being able to check
sensor levels on the go has been a real help. I don't have to worry so much
if things are behaving differently. For instance, on that trip to Portland,
I was working both the engine and AC hard, and noticed sort of a click-sag
from time-to-time. Checking the output voltage, I saw that when the engine
sagged a bit, the voltage dropped, and I was able to figure out that it
happened when the AC clutch kicked in.
This summer I'm looking forward to more travelling, with fewer worries.
-Mike Finkbiner
'87 Westy
Moscow, ID
Mike Finkbiner
mike_l_f@hotmail.com
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