Hi everyone, So, I got the new radiator from bus depot yesterday and installed it tonite, put in a new thermostat, too. I have also replaced the water pump, flushed out the lines. The engine is still overheating, and the radiator doesn't get hot. I ran the engine with the coolant hoses on top of the engine bay(thick ones, the rad supply and return hoses) disconnected, and the water pump seemed to work, as coolant was coming out of the bottom one. Very low pressure, though it seemed. I didn't want to run the engine for too long, or create a huge mess, so I shut it off after 5s. I drained the oil (engine cold), and the oil seemed "weird" (hm, I know-weird), I mean it looked very thin and almost creamy. Would that be coolant mixed with oil? Does, when the head gaskets fail, internally, coolant get pumped into the engine, and there's not enough pressure to get it up to the radiator?? Anyway. I have browsed through the archives and have been following the posts recently about Suby and VW I-4 conversions. The compression test I did checked out at 165-175 psi thruout. This seems outrageously high, as opposed to 135 spec. Does that tell me anything?? I use my van mostly as a work horse, for different projects(remodelling, ski trips, some camping) It is not my primary transportation, and I am happy with the limited bhp the WBX puts out. I will go with rebuilding the WBX 1.9 engine. I saw an ad that said "$975.00, installed" for a 1.9s. This seems awfully little. How long would such last?? I don't want to spend too much money on this van, but if I can get it rebuilt for about $1500, plus me myself pulling the engine, etc., I go for it. Any recommendations for shops in SoCal??
Cheers BTW thanks for all the input...
Matthias Kuster, L.A. CA-- 1984 WBX 1.9 Wolfy Manual |
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