Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2012 13:57:10 -0700
Reply-To: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Conversion Choices
In-Reply-To: <4AB552F8-C710-4A75-BCB6-2CD0506907ED@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
I have never considered the engine balance in thestock Vanagon Diesel compartment as nothing about it looks unbalanced, except mine does, as it has a Jetta intake manifold that reaches the left firewall.But I think it's just an illusion.
Here's an explanation I came up with after getting out the scale and measuring tape,
based on a stock Diesel Vanagon.
In the VW inline four, the crank shaft is at centerline of the vehicle. (looking thru the license plate hole).
I just weighed a shortblock, came out to 121 lbs.Cylinder head weighs 33 lbs.
The intake manifold about 10 lbs
Lets add it all up and say this cylinder head, the intake man, and all that's attached to it weighs 50 lbs.
If we remove the cylinder head with intake manifold, we have a cast iron block that has a width of about 15 inches. From the crank centerline, we see about 7 inches of iron block on either side , with the heaviest part dead center.
The block is centered, with equal amounts of it either side of the centerline.
Looking at just this it would be obvious that the block, the heaviest part of the engine, in center balanced.
Ahh, but wait til you put back the 50 lbs on the left side, you say.
Not so fast, grasshopper.!
We have on the right of this center line a aluminum oil pan and muffler bracket,half of the muffler, alternator and alternator bracket, right side engine mount,oil cooler, mount and large oil filter that holds a quart of oil, a coolant expansion tank, and battery box and a battery.
I weighed it all and it comes to just under 100 lbs.
All this is to the to the right of this centerline. This doesn't count the extra weight of the coolant , or the 5 quarts of motor oil. The battery alone weighs 38 lbs.
But lets not leave the left side lighter than the right- there's the mounts, the exhaust manifold. That ought to balance the engine and the rear of the van quite well.
I'd say the VW engineers had it figured out before it went to the assembly line.
Robert.
I'll admit that I do not know for a fact that an I4 would add weight to the DriversSide but in all that I have seen ~ & it is quite a few ~ the majority
of the mass of the engine & intake & exhaust sits on the DriversSide of center which leads me to believe that the weight that would normally be on the
PassengerSide if a Boxer was in there is moved over to the DriversSide. An EJ25 with accessories weighs in around 265 & from the info I've been able to
find on the www a VWI4 is very slightly more than that & I'd guess that about 1/3rd of that weight would be moved from the P'Side to the D'side in an
I4 conversion ~ that would be an extra almost 90lbs that the D'Side (which always has the drivers weight & in the case of a Westy, a lot of WestyStuff)
just doesn't need especially way back in the RearEnd where it can be very influential in just how well the back of the bus follows you down the road ~ &
if it should be enough weight to cause the Van' to lean to the D'Side that could make the Van' top heavy in that direction as well. All just spec' of course
but IMHO worth considering.
ORR ~ DeanB
