Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 16:37:57 -0500
Reply-To: selten <selten2@ATTBI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: selten <selten2@ATTBI.COM>
Subject: Re: TiiCo Conversion Engine
James ,
Did your mechanic wire the O2 sensor into the ECU connector?
If not that would explain the cold running problem. Go to The Tiico owners
site and follow the directions. The O2 sensor helps to enrich at cold temps
and allows clean acceleration almost immediately upon starting.
Good luck
Tom Czerniak
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Winget" <WESTYTRAVER@CS.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 2:45 PM
Subject: Re: TiiCo Conversion Engine
> JAMES,
>
> Sounds like your mechanic DID NOT SET UP THE COMPUTER. you must set the
computer with the vag 1551 or use a vag com. that will take care of the
rough running. as for the loudness and vibration I will not comment on that
as my motor is smooth and quiet but I have heard different stories.
> this motor and ecu must be set with a computer to run properly.
>
> Dan
>
> James Adams <
>
> >Hello,
> >
> >I have recently had a TiiCo engine put into my 1990
> >Vanagon GL and I am not very pleased with it,
> >especially considering what I paid for it. So I
> >thought that I should run a few of my impressions past
> >the expert readers of this list to see whether I am
> >justified in my disappointment or if perhaps I was
> >just expecting too much.
> >
> >Let me enumerate my complaints below - any feedback on
> >these will be very appreciated.
> >
> >
> >1) The engine coughs and sputters if I crank it and
> >drive it right away. In order to avoid this it needs
> >top be cranked and left running at idle for about 15
> >minutes. Otherwise it will drive very poorly (in
> >first and second gear mainly) for about 10 miles.
> >Especially in first and second gear it behaves as if
> >there is some sort of problem with getting gas or air
> >to the engine (coughing, I'll call it) until it hits
> >about 3000 RPMs at which point it races and seems to
> >be getting too much juice. I was under the impression
> >that a modern, and in this case brand new, engine
> >wouldn't require any significant warm up time. I
> >realize that it is always a good idea to let the
> >engine warm up no matter how new or modern it is, but
> >the fact is that I'm a typical American and I don't
> >"take my time" as often as I should. Typically I want
> >to crank the engine and drive away. One reason I went
> >with the TiiCo engine is because it would be a brand
> >new, modern engine which I assumed (incorrectly,
> >obviously) would not require much if any warm up
> >before driving it. I based this assumption on the
> >fact that other modern cars, such as my brother's 2001
> >Jetta, don't require much, if any, warm up, even in
> >the winter time.
> >
> >2) My engine is loud and vibrates *MUCH* more than my
> >previous Vanagon 2.1L engine (rebuilt once). Is this
> >just the nature of this engine ? I feel like I'm now
> >driving a hot-rod and this is not at all what I am
> >used to nor what I wanted. I must gun the engine in
> >1st and 2nd gears and need to drive this engine much
> >more like a race car, which I'm not accustomed to.
> >With my old engine I didn't have to "race" the engine
> >to get normal acceleration, but with this one I do.
> >When I found out that the TiiCo engine is the same one
> >that is used in new South African Golfs and Jettas I
> >went to the VW dealer to test drive these vehicles and
> >they were dreamy. No warm up required before driving
> >it, smooth progression through the gears (no feeling
> >of driving a race car, having to gun the engine, etc).
> > Of course I probably shouldn't have expected that my
> >new engine would feel as smooth and quiet as these new
> >US VW vehicles, but I certainly didn't expect that
> >this new, *EXPENSIVE* engine would be as rough, loud
> >and vibrating as it is. My previous engine was smooth
> >and quiet, and I expected that a brand new, very
> >expensive engine would be approximately the same in
> >this respect.
> >
> >3) The engine has some knocking when going from 1st to
> >2nd and again from 2nd to 3rd gears. This is a very
> >"light" knocking which isn't always noticeable, but
> >when I'm driving between buildings or other places
> >where I can get a good sound reflection I can hear it.
> > Passengers in my van have commented on this as well,
> >without prompting them, so I'm sure that this isn't
> >just in my head. Add this to the fact that I get
> >significant vibration at about 3000 RPMs and you may
> >understand why I feel like something's not all right
> >with the engine.
> >
> >
> >I have had this engine installed by a very experienced
> >and, in my opinion, a very competent mechanic so I
> >don't think that the problems I'm experiencing are a
> >result of a poor installation job. But perhaps the
> >engine can be tuned to smooth out the vibration,
> >remove the knocking, and improve the performance of
> >the engine when it's first started or "cold" ? I
> >realize that an engine needs a few thousand miles to
> >"break in" but I am a bit worried that the problems
> >that I'm experiencing are more serious in nature.
> >
> >Any feedback on this will be greatly appreciated. If
> >anyone can suggest procedures that I might attempt to
> >improve the situation then please forward me your
> >ideas (tune up ? valve job ? obviously I'm pretty
> >clueless about this sort of thing).
> >
> >Thanks in advance...
> >
> >
> >-James
> >
> >
> >__________________________________________________
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> >
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