Worn old engine, any advice welcome

[mackenga]

Hello again - another day, another problem with my T25 (air cooled 2 litre auto, 1980). I'm really just looking for some advice - any advice - on how best to deal with a fairly worn out engine. She's done just over 100,000 miles if the odo can be trusted (service history suggests it's been working for the last 10 years at least, but prior to that I've no idea). A local VW specialist had a look at the general state of affairs in there just after I got her and replaced a good few oil seals, as well as re-routing the breather on the right hand side down out of the engine bay rather than feeding it back into the air filter.

I get a big blue cloud of smoke (out the exhaust mainly, not the breather so much) when I start her, and a steady stream of smoke from the breather after that. She misfires quite a bit and the oil pressure light comes on at low revs once she's warmed up. She's got a tendency to conk out when idling (not good with an auto - I'm becoming quite a tap dancer) but still feels like she's got a decent amount of power. Although I'm no mechanic I know the symptoms mostly sound like worn rings and/or liners, so I'm wondering what to do about it.

My dad's old Reliant had this problem years ago and I remember it used to overheat quite badly once it started doing this. This worries me - I've not got a temp gauge so I always wonder just how hot she's getting and how much harm I'm doing. I'm also scared to take her for longer trips now because I'm not sure how long I can reasonably expect her to keep going (and I'm also wondering if I should stop running her and get it sorted sooner rather than later of course to avoid really killing the engine).

I believe I've basically got three options: get it repaired, get a reconditioned or second hand engine, or sell the van on to someone who knows more / has more to spend (being totally honest of course about the state of the engine). To give you an idea of the rest of the van, the underside looks good (I should know, I've spent the last three weeks down there!) and there's mainly just some superficial looking rot around the arches and the bottom of the sliding door. Everything else (except the heater) is fine.

What do you think? I know the repair would be an engine-out job (beyond me, I don't even have a lockup) but haven't had a quote for it. I can get a recon engine for about £1500 (ouch), not sure about cost to fit it or even deliver it. If I was selling I think I'd let her go for about £500 (but it would break my heart ), having paid £1200 plus a few repairs.

Any advice would be massively appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[AngeloEvs]

I suppose you have to ask your self that, having invested a lot of money to repair, what will be the 'payback'? If you use it regularly for trips, hols, etc, then you may feel it is was worth repairing. If it is just a luxury you can't afford and its going to sit on the drive then it may not be worth the investment and better to cut your losses. You are in a difficult position because, as you say, with a duff engine its market value will be low and you are not in a position to repair it yourself. If the rest of the vehicle is mechanically and bodily sound and you cannot forsee major problems it may be worth the investment. If it were me I would look to see what a similar condition Aircooled, year and model (with recon engine), are fetching and compare the prices to your total outlay. If yours is an Automatic then bear that in mind as it can affect its value compared to manual boxes. Alternatively, find a decent garage or mechanic who is prepared to repair it or keep searching for a good used engine.

[murdoch]

had a similar problem the other year, found a second hand engine on the vzi forum for £300 , couple of hours swapping them over on the drive ( first engine swap i've done ) armed only with haynes manual and some tools, made sure it ran, changed the oil and its still going now!
dont give in, give it a go..

[AngeloEvs]

I like happy endings, hope Mackenga has one too, if my engine blew theres no way I would ditch my van whatever the cost!

[jaylo264]

you`re not far from syncronutz in shotts , why not give them a shout ? jaylo

[mackenga]

Thanks a million, I'll have a dig around and see what I can find, used engine wise. AngeloEvs, thanks for the good wishes - you know, I haven't had the van that long but I already feel that way about her. If I have the money, I'll do it - I'd rather get my old camper back to good health than eat There's something about these VWs.

Mechanically she seems pretty good aside from the engine - gear changes feel nice and smooth and no horrible noises, all the brakes work and all the wheels point the right way. Apart from a couple of minor scabby bits the body's not bad either.

On the plus side she does still move under her own power at the moment - might be a good time to visit Shotts or back out to Bus Stop Ecosse (who did her last MOT for me) in Blackwood and get a professional opinion. I'll phone around a bit tomorrow and do a bit of online investigation tonight. £300 sounds a lot more approachable than £1500 and as she is, she could still carry her own replacement engine home if it's not too far.

Would I not need some sort of engine crane/jack to get the engine out? I just have a cheap 2 tonne trolley jack, have a feeling that wouldn't do the job (although actually 2 of them and a couple of friends might do it ... or am I being stupid?). I get the impression the engine's actually the same on the auto as the manual - can anyone confirm or deny?

Thanks again everyone.

[ermie571]

we hired an engine crane from hss - think it cost £30 for the weekend.

Em
x

[mackenga]

Excellent, I hadn't even thought of hiring one! I'm going to have to look into this properly tomorrow. Thanks a lot!

[ghost123uk]

Whilst I am a pretty experienced amateur mechanic I have not yet swapped a VW T25 flat four out yet.

However I am in a very similar situation to you and next week I will be swapping my engine for a guaranteed second hand one I recently bought ( a 1.9 Water cooled for £500 )

Having asked around amongst the experts, it seems the easy way to do it is to raise the rear of the van on axle stands or similar to a minimum height of 2 feet and take the engine out complete with the gearbox, exhaust and rear cross member from underneath, using one or two trolley jacks. No hoist needed ( in fact, looking at it would it come out from above at all ? )

Apparently it makes the job much easier to re-fit the box etc when it is out of the van.

They say 2 blokes can do it easily in a day, barring any probs, and an Aircooled is likely to be much much less hassle / time than that.

I will watch this thread for any further advice from those who have done engine swaps !

p.s. - you should be able to get a good used motor for your Aircooled for a reasonable figure - they are less dodgy to buy used than the water cooled ones.

[Therunner]

Swapping engines is actually pretty easy, we switched our non working airooled one for a 2nd hand one and have since removed and replaced that cos the exhaust was U/S.
One person can do it alone but it's handy to have a friend aound, if only to pass you stuff. Takes a couple of hours to remove and similar to replace. We left the gearbox in both times too, just make sure to support it before you detatch the engine.

We had;

one trolley jack (2 would be handy tho)
one pair of axle stands
one normal car jack (to support the gearbox, tho the first time I just supported it with a length of old seatbelt!)
A selection of spanners and sockets

I did swap the engine on a bay about 15 years ago but apart from that I'm no mechanic. A Haynes and the good people on here are all you need

Melvin

[Willoughby]

Hi Mackenga

There are some well know dodgy VW garages in Glasgow. Watch out. Have a look on the Westy's forum for details.

We done a swap of a 2ltr on Sunday and we have another lined up in a few weeks time. You are more than welcome to pop over and lend a hand next time round. Look on the lothians forum under "Cakes in the Garage" few bods get together get it out re-con it then sling it back in.

We have two good engine builders in the club but you have to haggle a price yourself. Both read this forum so may be worth putting a wanted post up.

K

[CovKid]

I used to have a neighbour that was built like the Green Cross Code man. I used to lower bug engines to the ground, then I'd give him a knock and he'd just lift the back of the car over it - in one go. He could actually (believe it or not) do the same on bays...

[The Silver Surfer]

Their is 1.9 water cooled for sale on Durham Dubbers complete rebuild £300

The lad has a good reputation as well

[T25rc]

Perfect thread to see

I'm buying a T25 devon with a (worst case senario) knackered engine, and it's good to hear the swap is very simple.

How easy are the Aircooled engines to work on, and are parts expensive?