Date:         Fri, 1 Aug 2003 15:05:28 -0700
Reply-To:     Jeffrey Schwaia <jeff@TSSGI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey Schwaia <jeff@TSSGI.COM>
Subject:      AVP Engine Update
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

A few weeks ago I asked the list about any experiences with AVP engines.
The responses were pretty much split, 1/2 good, 1/2 not so good.  I asked
because I had just bought an '86 Wolfsburg Westy that had an engine noise.
The PO had been told that it had dropped a seat and needed a new head.

Anyways, to make a long story short, I finally got around to dropping the
engine and taking a look inside.  I was hoping that all I needed to do was
replace a head or two, unfortunately that wasn't the case.  Bear in mind
that this van has a meticulous maintenance record (I have all the receipts).
Below are the particulars:


-AVP Longblock installed at 129,540 miles, $1850 for the longblock, $3562
out the door.

-Cylinder head (right side) replaced at 141,614 miles under warranty due to
cracking (engine noise).

-Push rod tubes (left side) replaced at 143,023 miles due to leaking.

-Rocker arm studs (left side) repaired/replaced at 154,833 miles.

-Now, at 158,835 miles, it's in my shop.


The rebuilt longblock has ~29,000 miles on it and still looks fresh from the
outside.  I pulled the motor yesterday and took off the heads before heading
home.  The good news: the sealing surface on the heads looks brand new, the
bad news: whoever rebuilt these heads should seriously think about another
line of work.

The first thing I find is a burnt valve on #3 cylinder (no, it's not an
air-cooled motor).  The seats have been replaced, very poorly done.  The
seats have been cut at a single 45 degree angle and way too deep into the
head.

Since I now know that metal particles from the burnt valve have been
wandering through this engine, I decide to split the case.  The pistons and
cylinders were obviously replaced (with Brazilian Cofabs), however, the
wrist pins slide out way too easy.  There's tons of play in both the small
end of the rod and the piston where the wrist sits.  So much for those
pistons.

I split the case, as expected, all the bearings look sketchy due to the
metal particles in the oil.  The crank looks okay, 1st under on the mains,
std on the rods, nothing out of the ordinary.  The camshaft is another
story.  I've pulled type 1 cams out of WBX's of few times in the past, and
that's what I originally thought I'd found when I split the case, however,
after further review, it may be just a really poorly ground rebuilt.

So, after checking everything out, I've decided I can reuse (or rebuild) the
following items: case, crankshaft, rods and all the other little tidbits and
hardware.  Looks like an expensive rebuild.


Back to the AVP aspect: the longblock came with a 12 month/12,000 mile
warranty.  One head was replaced within warranty.  Another needed repair,
twice, just after the warranty ended.

I guess I should be glad it wasn't me who spent over $3500 getting the
engine rebuilt, I was the lucky one who bought a cherry camper that needed
an engine, cheap.

I just thought I'd share my experience with the list.

Cheers,

Jeff