Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2013 16:01:15 -0800
Reply-To: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Engine woes - what to do?
In-Reply-To: <1572445536.2329507.1387832970848.JavaMail.root@comcast.net>
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Also check your oil pressure, and get an oil analysis. That will tell you the condition of the bottom half. According to Dennis, wear limit is 28 PSI @ 4000 rpm with a hot engine, and no less than 6 psi at idle.
Oil analysis will tell you if there are any bearing wear metals in the oil. At 230k you really can't expect a whole lot more out of the main bearings. And when you increase the compression by doing the heads and maybe rings, the added load speeds the demise of the bottom end.
You may end up patching it up with some head work and saving for a more permanent solution. The reason swaps are popular is the high cost and variable quality of WBX parts today. Exhaust system alone is over $600, and AMC heads need the valve keepers reworked, among other things. Someday parts will just simply be NLA.
It's a quandary, good luck!
Stuart
'85 Westy, waiting for a Subaru swap.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Todd Last
Sent: Monday, December 23, 2013 1:10 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Engine woes - what to do?
After almost 230,00 miles my '88 Vanagon is displaying symptoms of a head leak - I have not yet confirmed this or done a recent compression test, but plan to do so. I have concluded that one of the worst things you can do to your van is not use it. Bad things happen when they are left sitting!
In any case I am looking at my options, and started out thinking about replacing the heads, then thought if I was going to do that, I might as well put in new piston rings too, and well, once you do that you might as well go a step farther and do an engine rebuild. Of course, once you get there, the question becomes, stock, modified (like GoWesty) or engine swap. In looking at these options, it looks like a cost of $5,000 or more. From what I have seen, Subaru conversions can reach over $10K. Yikes!
I was wondering if I could get opinions on the best course of action in this situation, not wanting to spend tens of thousands of dollars. Would list memebers give me their 2 cents worth and if possible, what the aproximate costs for the various solutions range from? I'm not sure if it makes more sence to just install new heads and hope for the best, or go full bore and swap the engine.
What does the voice of experience say? Anyone out there have opinions on the GoWesty performance engines vs. a Subaru transplant?
Thanks,
Todd
'88 Westy
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