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Date:         Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:51:32 -0800
Reply-To:     Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject:      Re: Engine Rebuild
Comments: To: Finn Runyon <finnrunyon@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <E20C50CE-B0AF-4003-A04C-731152BDAFEA@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Hi Finn, how many miles on your 2.1 waterboxer engine ? I ask because .. generally ..the bottom end..the crank and bearings ..those being pretty tired, are what determines when a full rebuild is due.

Generally, if oil pressure is good, and miles are not too, too high .. say you have 120K on that engine ..you might do well just replacing the pistons and barrels and doing a thorough head job.

You can even go a step further , still without splitting the caes .......check oil clearance at the rod bearings with new rod bearings (

with plasti-guage ) and if that's kosher...within spec.. and end play is adjustable to spec still, and main bearings are tight in

the case ...you can get a lot more out of that bottom end yet. You can extend the life of the engine considerably without splitting the

cases sometimes.

just a thought. on the other hand ..if it already has say 190K on it .. then a full, full rebuild would be better of course.

if you do dive in for a full rebuild, one thing you'll want is a machine

shop you like.. at least to rebuild the rods and do head work, polish the crank .........even balance it all if you like.

Finding a good machine shop you like is something you'll need for sure.

if Chris C uses a machine shop .....find out who that is. I do not know the precise details.. but I believe Chris gets them to 2.2 liters using 1600 air-cooled rods,

and a non-stock piston - - something like that.

Everyone who rebuilds engines did their first one at some point. And the reward of doing a really good job yourself is worth a lot of satisfaction.

Scott www.turbovans.com

On 2/29/2012 5:18 PM, Finn Runyon wrote: > Hi All, > > I have asked this question off the list to one of the list Gurus, but figured I would get a larger sample too. I was hoping to get one of Chris Corkin's (aka Tencentlife) 2.2 engines built for the 89 which some of you helped me with a month or so back, but his lead time is late summer. To refresh, the previous owner blew a cooling hose climbing a pass in Colorado, and overheated the engine. There was oil in the coolant, but not coolant in the oil, and I did a through cleaning of the cooling system, changed the oil cooler and although there is no further migration oil to coolant, the compression is low and there is a noticeable lack of power, leading me to think I need a new engine. So, how many of you have rebuilt the bottom end of a 2.2, and would you recommend against me diving in to such a project? Although I have never rebuilt an engine, I am mechanically inclined, fastidious, and have done 90% of the work on my 87 for the last 18 years. That said, any advice on where to source the parts? > > Best, > Finn > 87 Westy Pooh > 89 Westy Roo


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