Date:         Fri, 3 Mar 1995 21:51:27 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         wolf@NetHeaven.com (Wolfram v.Kiparski)
Subject:      Re: 83 Vanagon Water Cooled Camper-HELP

>On Fri, 03 Mar 1995 18:09:45 Wolfram v.Kiparski wrote: 
> 
>>What factors caused the engine to blow?  How many miles were on it?  
>>Engines do have a service life, after which they must be rebuilt/replaced.
> 
>>Just because the original engine blew doesn't necessarily mean that it is 
>>an inherently bad engine. 
> 
>Cause--???. Had 100,000 miles on it. Many places that I  called to ask
>about prices said they don't carry that one cause of problems with the
>warranty, overheating etc. It was the first year that they did the water
>cooled and they changed the design pretty quickly. 
> 

I reposted your reply to me, so that my comments get the benefit of peer review.

100,000 miles?  If a later engine is a direct replacement, then, sure, why
not upgrade?  

I suspect that even upgrading to a 1984, 85, 86, etc. engine may not be
exactly plug and play.  You need to find someone in your area that actually
knows what to do from experience - a blow by blow description of what to do
by email has the problem of not being able to anticipate special problems
if they occur.

Wolf