Date: Sat, 27 Apr 2002 18:52:32 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: 1.9L exhaust system comments
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
the little steel balls will fall off ................
------------------
Stan - Shot is part of MIG welding, your exhaust will blow them OUT. They
will not suck back to your engine.
-------------------------
common failure of throwing a rod or breaking a crankshaft
---------------------------
Stan - A full 95% of Waser Boxer I've seen in wrecking yards have a rod
sticking through the case.
-----------------------------
engines would routinely turn a quarter of a million miles with no
problems.
----------------------------
Stan - Every now and again an engine is assembled that actually is what
the engineers designed with proper machining, proper spacing, proper fit
(actually blue printed) but the bulk of the engines are produced to get
you through the warranty period.
Your engine was not built by an expert! It was built by a line of people
dancing around holding their urine until they got a relief worker or they
got a bathroom break. They just stick in what comes in the next box
coming to them.
Quality control is supposed to release only good parts but in reality if
you've got one of those rare very good engines it was built by Fate and
not by any professional engine guy.
Stan Wilder
On Sat, 27 Apr 2002 19:29:28 -0400 SpaceKommander <jboldway@BEE.NET>
writes:
> Hello, I just got a new exhaust system for my 85 Westy - the exhaust
> was
> made by JP group in Denmark - I guess it's OEM stuff. Very heavy
> duty pipe
> gauge, massive connecting flanges. However, there are two problem
> areas I
> see. first is a large amount of welding "scale" - little balls of
> weld that
> attach themselves loosely to the interior of the exhaust pipes. When
> the
> exhaust gets hot the little steel balls will fall off (I was able to
> knock
> most off with a screwdriver) and can get sucked inside the engine.
> Little
> pieces of steel inside the engine aren't so good . . . .
>
> Second - the "U" pipe that the O2 sensor attaches to has a fairly
> large
> restriction in it. The area where the two pipes merge in to the
> large pipe
> just before the O2 sensor area has the pipes folded in - it looks
> fine from
> the exterior but if you look inside you see the cross-sectional area
> of the
> round pipe now is a "D" section with the flat side of the "D" almost
> in the
> middle of the pipe - about a 1/3 reduction in cross-sectional area.
> Pretty
> massive restriction in my book. I plan on removing this restriction
> and
> having a weld bead placed on the exterior of the pipes.
> I've posted pictures on my website.
> ftp://ftp.cottagesoft.com/users/jboldway/vw1.jpg and vw2.jpg - first
> is a
> shot of the restriction (note backwards facing "D" in left hand
> exhaust
> port), second is an exterior shot showing where weld bead will go.
> The
> restriction is in a very bad spot - where essentially two venturis
> exit in
> to the same area - pipe going from large- small - large is a venturi
> - how
> a carburetor works. It's a high pressure/low velocity in large area
> going
> to a high velocity low pressure area in the narrow range, then back
> to a
> high pressure area low velocity after the restriction - but two
> venturis
> exiting in to an area smaller than the combined two inlets results in
> a
> pressure gradient extending up in to the venturis - essentially a
> roadblock. This leads to a whole host of problems - exhaust back
> pressure
> causes restricted breathing, poor flow "tuning," increased exhaust
> valve
> temperatures, etc.
> Ok, while on technical subjects - onward to the wizardry of VW water
> cooled
> boxer engines. I'm on a roll now . . . heregoes . . . You have an
> aluminum
> alloy block with water jackets which go up to the head on the outer
> periphery of the head. Inside you have two steel cylinder barrels
> that mate
> up with the middle areas of the heads. Eight LONG bolts attach the
> head to
> the crankcase. This is truly evil. Steel and aluminum expand at
> different
> rates - so in the heating/cooling thermal pattern of engine
> operation the
> head gaskets see non-uniform pressures on them - essentially the
> head
> gaskets are forced to expand and contract. This should not be
> happening.
> So, my two cents says that head bolt torque is vitally important to
> engine
> head gasket life.
>
> Anyway. What's this talk of inferior and weak & flexy crankshafts?
> Due to
> many reasons - flow restrictions and ECU cutoff - the engine won't
> rev past
> 5,500 RPM anyway - and I've never heard watercooled VW engines
> having a
> common failure of throwing a rod or breaking a crankshaft or wearing
> out
> the main bearings due to "crankshaft flex." I think the lower end is
> almost
> bulletproof. I have over 200,000 miles on my 1.9L and usually rev it
> up
> near 5,000 RPM before each shift - and the previous owner did same
> and
> cruised the highways of Kansas for hours at 4,500 RPM. Kansas isn't
> a small
> state. 4 hours each weekend at 4,500 RPM should rule out any "crank
> flex"
> problems. OK, if you are some yahoo with Dellorto 42 IDAs and open
> headers
> trying to turn 7,500 RPM then maybe you have a valid point.
>
> Comments? Boston Bob? Ken? How many wasserleakers are replaced due
> to
> broken cranks or connecting rods? I'm sure there are some, just
> don't think
> it's the primary reason for engine replacement. I think if VW had
> done a
> proper job with the heads (sleeved steel inserts in an alloy block)
> the
> engines would routinely turn a quarter of a million miles with no
> problems.
>
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