Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:04:14 -0700
Reply-To: Mike Rouby <mikerouby@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike Rouby <mikerouby@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: In praise of VW inline fours
In-Reply-To: <105830.76325.qm@web33507.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Hate to say this, but these inline 4s are actually modified Audi/NSU engines that VW got a hold of when they bought those companies (and then they refined it). All VW knew to build were aircooled-VWs. The waterboxer was the last 'horrah', the last true VW engine from the VW corporation. It was their vain attempt to modernize the Type 1 engine to 'modern-day' standards. As we all know, it failed. 1991 was it's death knell.
Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM> wrote: One of the best engines VW designed was the four
cylinder overhead cam inline-four .
You could say it "absolutely rocks" with
performance and reliability.
With lots of room for performance upgrades.
I strongly recommend considering a Jetta or Golf
engine (2.0 '93-'99 ABA).
Watercooled Volkswagen engines are plentiful and
cheap. And of course there is the TDI Diesel,
which is hard to find locally.
Inline-four ABA engines have longer rods which
minimize vibration that is prone to the 1.8
engine.
They also have oil spray jets that spray oil at
the bottoms of the pistons.
Mine has been running my 5,000 lb Westfalia since
1999. It now has 210,000 miles.
If you are looking for a suitable replacement for
the WBX , look no further.
You can call me a purist, but I am just a VW
owner. So if you are your own mechanic and a VW
owner ,then the natural progression is which VW
engine can I substitute?
Why confuse the issue with a non-VW engine?
Sure there's a bunch of people out there and here
that want to make money selling Subaru and Ford
technology. Fine.
You might find it an interesting challenge to
find what non-VW engine can be adapted to the
Vanagon. Nothing odd about that.
I'm speaking for those like myself who want to
have a VW engine in your Vanagon ,but not the
original engine.
Sure, the Subaru or Ford might be fast and quiet
and like a WBX and reliable etc, but it's not a
Volkswagen engine.
And reading these posts I see nothing about the
inline four unless it's a Tiico, as if Tiico was
the only inline four conversion out there.
My dad put a VW engine in a airplane . The flat
four design, the weight, the similarity to other
aircraft engines, made it a popular choice.
Part of the Subaru's popularity is due to it's
similarity to the WBX. Oh yeah and you can goo
super fast.
The Zetech is similar to the VW inline.
Similarities are OK.
One Vanagon owner just asked if the Subie sounds
like the WBX.
Another observation-WBX owners like the sound of
the WBX. It just shows how we form an attachment
to the sound of the car.
Would Harley's be popular if they sounded like
Kawasakis?
The inline four doesn't sound like a WBX.
I recognize the virtues of the WBX, but few from
a maintenance perspective . I do like the sound,
and the quietness. I found the WBX 2.1 muffler is
great on an inline conversion.
Try removing the AC compressor or alternator from
an 89 Honda Civic like on a friends.
They designed it to be worked on up on a hoist.
The inline four has it all on one side , easy to
replace a water pump, alternator, AC compressor,
spark plugs, distributor, etc.
Simplicity, reliability, performance,
affordability.
We are a small group of people who aprreciate
drive a vehicle no longer in production and with
diminishing support from VW.
That was recogninzed shortly after the last
Vanagon rolled off the assembly line.
This list has help provide a way owners can ehlp
each other where there is limited or non-existing
help.
A good book on water-cooled inline four VW
engines is the Watercooled Volkswagen Performance
Handbook by Greg Raven
ISBN 0-7603-0491-2
Robert
1982 Westfalia 2.0 ABA '95 Golf
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