Date: Wed, 25 May 2016 19:53:00 -0700
Reply-To: M's gmail <mjhart853@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: M's gmail <mjhart853@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Engines: what to choose
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YAET (yet another engine thread)...
Seeking your wisdom:
- My situation: '87 2WD Westy with original 2.1l waterboxer @ 200k miles. Still running OK today after 100k miles & 10 years in my hands, but I have plans for some long trips next year & think it is finally time to address the 'engine question'.
I have replaced all hoses, s/s pipes to front, radiator & fan, coolant tower, fuel lines as preventative maintenance plus water pump over that time & have never had a 'real' breakdown or major failure. Reliability of the engine has not been an issue for me - the core engine has not been touched since the head gaskets were done @ 80k miles, 8 years before I bought the van (i.e. 18 years ago).
Having said that, the miles are pretty high & perhaps I'm finally getting tired of needing to change down on the slightest incline....that plus not being able to run the AC on a really hot day as it raises the engine temperature a bit too much for my comfort...(yes I do have working factory Westy AC, still working perfectly after I rebuilt it myself 7 years ago..). Having this work properly is one condition for future trips in the summer (from the SO).
Some specific questions for you all;
(1). do the GoWesty engines really deliver 'high performance'? Do you really see a power difference? How about reliability? Can you run the AC & still drive at 70mph on a hot (100-110F) day? How about all those peripherals - reliable to date but getting very old (eg original AFM, ICV etc).? 2.3 or 2.45??
Anyone with a GoWesty powered Westy in the SF Bay Area that I could drive?
- I could live with another VW waterboxer if it solved these problems...
(2). does a Subaru 2.2l (the only truly legal model for CA) give that much more power or reliability? I doubt I have the available time to do my own install, so this option looks to be at least 2X the cost, so would need to answer my questions above better than the first option.
(3). I'm currently biased against other options;
- VW inline 1.8T: yet more money, doesn't properly fit below the engine lid
- Bostig not legal for CA
- turbo diesel: no 'standard' install it seems
Any experience or comments much appreciated!
Mike Hart
'87 2WD Westy 'T3WESTY'
Palo Alto, CA |