Date: Sun, 02 Jun 1996 23:25:04 -0700
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: jwakefield@4dmg.net (john wakefield)
Subject: Re: Vanagon engine swaps(long)
Rick Kovacic says:
"I am contemplating engine conversions for a Vanagon camper; my
preference would be a reliable, water-cooled inline or v-style
powerplant that can be adapted to the VW 4-speed transaxle . snip .
. . . .I want to use the existing water heating/cooling hookups on
the late model Westfalia.
Are you familiar with anyone who makes conversion kits for anything
other than a Porsche 911 engine, and what is your opinion of the
success of such conversions?"
Rick, I've been told the VW bus model US citizens know as the Vanagon,
ALSO known as the Transporter in some United Kingdon markets, ALSO know
as the Kombi in South Africa, and known by other names in other markets,
is still in production at the VW facility in Uitenhage South Africa.
They have addressed your question by producing this van series with the
2.1L pancakemachine motor (about which motor I'm restraining myself from
further comments about its total cooling system over-design head-room as
it relates to total in-service user experience) AND the 5 cylinder Audi
gasoline motor which I am told produces 100kW and develops 200Nm. of
torque.
By using the latest VW "stock" parts and design, your transplant
would become much less subject to the "teething problems" often
encountered in seemingly straight forward transplants. I speak from
enough transplant experience I did decades ago that I could easily miss a
few if I tried to list them. If you have an individually conceived and
installed "one-off-special," you are in a very different positon from
having a machine which uses a factory design but simply isn't directly
supported in your own market. Please don't take may words to mean that
I'm opposed to unique creations, I'm not. The more a person experiences
them, the less discomfort owning one generates. But if you elect to
create one, do it with your eyes wide open, having researched every
alternative you can find. Also, know that this approach removes you one
step further from EASY shop support while putting you in the position of
designer. Others who've worked for vehicle manufacturers can address the
amazingly different final in-service experience effects detail design
differences can make (just now, substituting a piece of plastic for a
metal water fitting comes to mind:). Generally, the longer a
manufacturer produces a vehicle design, the better that product design
becomes. VW's long history with their "Beetle" was so successful and
widely known, that "Volkswagen-like improvements" became an American
speach pattern applied to non-automotive areas.
Now, I understand that adapting the 5 cylinder Audi motor using the
factory's approach requires a bell housing never marketed in the US.
Also, you expressed interest in reusing a 4 speed transaxel, presumably
the one you have. As I understand it, there are at least two issues
which argue against this. First, the much stronger Audi 5 cylinder gas
motor's torque curve would probably leave you in top gear feeling like
you should shift up one more gear to lower noise, lower fuel consumption,
reduce engine wear, and all the reasons you now don't normally run around
in 3rd gear instead of 4th. If the torque is obviously there to easily
pull another gear, it's natural to want to shift up. Second, the torque
rating on your original 4 speed box WOULD be exceeded every time you
really used all that additional torque. I believe the strongest US
van boxes had a torque rating of 147 Nm. whereas the current South
African transmission(s) are rated at 202 Nm., a factory design change
they thought necessary to avoid in-service product failures. It's my
expectation that if you just used an American marketed 5 speed Vanagon
box to rocket around town and accelerate as briskly as it can while
avoiding shock loads, you'd never have a problem. But if you decided to
pull a loaded trailer through the mountains or cruise at top speed, you
might cook it. Heavy continuous loads really using all that additional
torque wouldn't be prudent to my thinking. Finally, final ratios and
gear staging difference between available transmissions should be
reviewed. So if you wanted to adopt current VW factory factory design,
ordering both the new bell housing and trans from SA might be justified.
Help in making contact is available.
Finally, we come to Audi 5 cylinder motor selection. I know someone
who just bought an Audi car with a bad trans (reverse output spinning
compared to the one used in the VW bus) but with a good 5 cylinder gas
motor. He paid $200 for the whole car, and plans to replace the trans.
That illustrates how creative digging can allow you to pick up an Audi 5
cylider gas motor at the low end of a large range of prices. If a seller
knows you NEED IT NOW, they have the upper hand. If a buyer knows the
seller NEEDS TO GET RID OF IT NOW, they have the upper hand. You know
how markets work. I'd study one of the multi-year Chilton's Foreign
Repair Manuals to learn motor specification differences for different
years. Pubic librarys have them. I've no interest in having a gaser, so
I've not researched this area.
But if you were a certifiable diesel nut, (blush, that's me), you'd
have other alternative VW/Audi motors to consider. I understand that my
diesel interest is uncommon in the US, but that's only because others
aren't up to speed on what's best in my opinion. Get out your 50 pound
salt lick, because a grain may not be enough to tolerate this: Diesels
are more efficient, often around 31% compared to 26% for gas motors, they
typically last at least twice as long, holding other factors equal, and
the new Audi direct injection Turbo Diesel Inner cooled motors have
closed the performance gap between gas and diesel motors, and without
smoking. Just to illustrate how much cleaner these motors are than their
older indirect injection siblings, Audi/VW calls for oil changes every
5000 miles on the indirect injection motors, and every 10000 miles on
this new cleaner, more efficient, more powerful, fast accelerating state
of the art motor series. I understand that the average usable torque
between commonly used shift points is actually higher for these direct
injection TDI motors than for equivelant peak horsepower rated gas
motors, so they "feel" stronger. My how things change. Only the 90
horse 1.9L has been released into the US market, but salvage yards in
other countries including Canada have them. If you stayed with the four
cylinder version, the transplant should look like a normal service item
to VW shops everywhere a few years down the pike and the bell housing
issue wouldn't apply. Just my perspective.
The Vanagon list has had information on this topic before and will have
more as details are learned.
John Wakefield
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