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Date:         Fri, 28 Mar 2003 07:45:58 -0500
Reply-To:     Jay L Snyder <Jay.L.Snyder@USA.DUPONT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jay L Snyder <Jay.L.Snyder@USA.DUPONT.COM>
Subject:      Re: hesitation from a stop and replacing afm
Comments: To: laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Keep the rumors of engine unreliability coming--it keeps the prices down.

Steve Delanty <laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM>@gerry.vanagon.com> on 03/27/2003 04:15:28 PM

Please respond to laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM

Sent by: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>

To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM cc: Subject: Re: hesitation from a stop and replacing afm

Fred wrote: >Unreliable?

Sure seems like to me!

>How can you say this?

I could start with the percentage of posts on the list and from all the web articles from people who have wasserboxer trouble... Terminal coolant leaks, rods flung through the side of the block, non-stop fuel injection problems, people afraid to take their families anywhere off the beaten path for fear of breaking down.

My neighbor up the road has a '85 with a rebuilt motor with 65K miles on it. I'll see if I can get a photo of the block to post. That hole in the top sure made an oily mess of his engine compartment. He's tired of fixing it and will probably sell it.

Some problems are to be expected with ANY vehicle, this old, but the water boxer seems to have problems to the extreme. I've been on quite a few automotive mailing lists in the last 14 years, and I've never seen as high of a percentage of motor problems as on the vanagon list. Not even nearly. Well, O.K, the british car lists may be close...

My personal experiance certainly isn't good yet. I've already been left walking by mine a couple times. It takes the enjoyment out of driving wondering when (not if) it's going to break next.

The number of companies offering engine conversions (and the number of people BUYING them) I think says something about the wasserboxer also..

>Most of all the wasserboxers machines I have seen all have big miles to >them.

You mean "big money in them", right? (-: My westy has 308,000 miles on it. It's on it's 4th motor. I have receipts for them all from the PO. The last 2 at least were genuine VW factory rebuilds. 4 motors in 308K is NOT very good.

Next month I will be putting it's 5th motor in. But not a wasserboxer.

Now, in fairness, I'm not doing the motor swap because of any trouble with the wasserboxer itself, which only has about 35K on it and runs fine, but because the digifant injection system is crumbling apart. Time, miles. wear, and heat have taken their toll and much of the wiring, connectors and major parts are brittle, cracked or worn out. Every time I go to fix something I find something else that's ready to die. That's not too big of a surprise, 17 years and 300K+ miles is a long time to expect anything to last so it's not fair for me to blame the wasserboxer for this one... But, there's very little I could do to make it trustworthy other than replace most of the system components and wiring, and that's a hideously expensive proposition. Wasserboxer and digifant parts are NOT cheap! And then I can just wait for the coolant leaks to start... I think I can get more bang for my buck elsewhere...

>Slow yes.

Slow isn't too bad. I've owned a couple '66 buses and a '67. They were slow... But I always felt I could trust them, and only once did one let me down. (sucked exhaust valve) And I knew that was coming for a long time before it let go. Ahhh, type 1 motors were always so cheap to fix (-:

>Unreliable, no.

That's fabulous that you've had such good luck with them! It hasn't been my personal experiance.

Be curious to see a show of hands to see how many folks here have had their wasserboxer break down in the last 2 years, and how many would be afraid to take their wasserboxer on a 1500 mile trip with their family...

>Much charactor, yes

I think the vehicles have marvelous character! They are fun and lovable to the extreme. But I think that I will be able to enjoy that character a *lot* more if I'm not so puckered up worrying about when it's going to break down.

It sounds like your experiance has been quite different from mine, and that's great! If your motor has been good to you, and you love it, that's wonderfulI May it always be that way for you.

I love my bus, but the motor has already been a source of great frustration for me, and I hear that same frustration echoed here on the list daily from other vanagon owners.

I need my Westy for relaxation... to keep my head from exploding. I can't have it be another major source of worry and frustration for me, so I've chosen what I hope will be a more reliable way out...

The extra horsepower won't hurt my feelings either. (-:

I'm sorry ... I'm just very frustrated with mine and I don't want to spend all my weekends working on it.

>Good Morning

It was nice, thanks! Got to go for a nice walk in the redwoods. Found several Calypso Orchids in bloom, which is kind of a rare treat. Beautiful little things if you can get your head close enough to the ground to see in them...

And a good day to you,

Peace.

Steve

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