Date:         Fri, 19 Jul 1996 20:52:05 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         SyncroHead@aol.com
Subject:      Re: wasserbox???

In a message dated 96-07-19 10:44:18 EDT, you write:

>Please, what is a wasserboxer??

Horizontally opposed engines are often refered to as a "boxer" engine.  Many
stories on why this description exists, but one is that the pistons on one
side of the engine resemble a boxer's fists making punches.

VW has made more horizontally opposed engines than anyone, but until 1983
they were all air cooled.  For the 1983-1/2 Vanagon (In the USA anyway) VW
dropped their other air cooled and diesel powered engines and installed their
new "waterboxer" ("wasserboxer" if using a German tone, pronounced
"vasserboxer") engine.  This engine is a 1.9 liter displacement flat four
that is watercooled, thus the "wasser" part of "wasserboxer".  In the USA
anyway, this engine was the only Vanagon engine available from 1983-1/2 to
1985.  In 1986 VW installed their "new & improved" 2.1 lite wasserboxer and
used it until the last Vanagon model year of 1991.

Regards,
Jim Davis
87 GL Syncro
88 GL Wolfsburg