Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 09:28:17 -0700
Reply-To: Brent Christensen <bpchristensen@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Brent Christensen <bpchristensen@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Re: 87 Vanagon Crisis [long]
Bryan:
Some things you have not mentioned that would probably help everyone make
better suggestions:
*Has the engine *ever* had any major work done? (heads, etc)
*By "oil consumption/loss" do you mean that it is leaking or burning oil?
(if it is burning oil, it will produce bluish smoke and the exhaust will
smell "greasy"
*Has the engine had a compression test done in the past?
I'm not a Vanagon expert (yet), but based on my knowledge of engines in
general, and assuming that the engine is bone stock (never rebuilt), it
sounds to me like it is ready to "give up the ghost". Your oil consumption
could be caused by excessive wear in your cylinders, which allows oil to
blow past the piston rings into the combustion chambers (this causes it to
"burn" oil). This will also result in a noticeable loss of power, as well
as combustion gasses getting into your oil and contaminating it.
This can be confirmed pretty easily with a "wet" compression test. You
first do a standard compression test, note the numbers (I *think* 155-165
psi is a good number for Vanagon WB motors), then squirt a good dose of
motor oil (20-50) into a plug hole and run the compression test on that
cylinder, repeating for all the cylinders. If the compression improves
markedly, it is an *indication* that the rings are shot (and that is likely
at 180,000 miles). If the oil has no effect, the oil is likely leaking
past your valve guides (or a combination of both).
The noise you mention is probably due to "piston slap" or "rod noise" which
is essentially also cause by excessive clearance between the piston and
cylinder wall or the piston rod bearings, respectively.
Noise and low oil pressure (your oil warning light) can be caused by worn
main bearings which create excessive "play" of the crankshaft in it's
journals (where the main bearings support the crankshaft). Oil under
pressure is what "suspends" the crankshaft in the bearings. If there is too
much clearance, the oil pump cannot produce enough volume/pressure to
support this very thin film of high-pressure oil between the crankshaft and
the bearings, thereby allowing the crankshaft to "rattle" around in it's
journals.
Bottom line, worst case scenario, you are probably talking about a complete
rebuild/replacement, which I don't think is unusual at 180,000 miles. I
think other list members with more experience will be able to recommend good
replacement/rebuilder sources. Just make sure to have a shop that KNOWS
VANAGONS do the work for you. My experience has taught me that it is better
to buy a good engine from a quality rebuilder/remanufacturer and supply it
to the mechanic, rather than let them rebuild or source the motor
themselves. This is the only way to ensure the quality of the engine. There
are a lot of lousy engine rebuilders out there (especially for VWs)
This is probably more technical detail than you wanted, but I thought I
would try to give you the basics...
Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy "Klaus"
'91 Taurus SHO (For Sale)
'95 Cherokee Sport
----- Original Message -----
From: Bryan <bryan459@PACBELL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 1999 8:41 AM
Subject: 87 Vanagon Crisis
> The long expected crisis is upon us!
> And just so you know who you're talking to, my mechanical skills and
> aptitude are limited to changing oil and replacing wiper blades. So,
> what I need is help in making decisions about the future of our beloved
> Westy. And, yes, money is an issue.
>
> 180,000 miles
> chronic oil consumption/loss
> Oil light is on and buzzing in spite of being refilled to above the
> minimum mark ont the dipstick
> Engine sounds like crap (that's as technical as I can get)
>
> Do I have the dealer replace the heads?
> Do I have the dealer replace the entire engine?
> Which engine do I use for replacement (it's a California car)?
> How much should a head replacement cost?
> How much should an engine replacement cost?
> What else should I be asking this esteemed group of Vanagon enthusiasts?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bryan Ellis
> Rohnert Park, Sonoma County, CA, USA
