Hi new forum member looking for some advice please....

[Drgreenthumb]

Hi all new to vw's brought a t25 1981 2.0l Aircooled bus a few months ago and really love it, been camping in her a few times locally and can't wait for a europe trip this summer , i joined another forum before this one but i don't think there were many tech bods on board because no one answered my post maybe its me .

anyway apart from me rewiring most of the inside, fitting a starter motor and bush, new batterys, removing all the heat exchanger stuff ready for a stainless system and cleaning her up a bit i was going to remove the engine to fit a clutch (which is nearly shot) plus the rear main oil seal because i got a leak what else should i be doing to give this engine a good service while its out, i am obviosly going to do the usual service stuff filters and oil/spark plugs/rotor/dizzy cap etc, its just i have never worked on an engine like this..

apart from the tappets being a bit noisy sometimes,she runs really well seems to have enough guts up the hills etc starts first time, although i think its running a bit rich when started first get a bit of petrol smell from the rear.

just one more thing is there supposed to be two fuel pipes or one running from the tank to the engine bay, i have two one goes to fuel pump then T's off to both carbs and the other one is capped off



Thanks in advanced for any help or advice it would be really appreciated....

[martbass]

Hi
Welcome.....

The one line on the tank is meant to be blocked off.
The other sounds right as you describe.

I found this site excellent when I started out with my van.

Have a good trawl through the 'wiki' at the top right of page..........there's loads of info there to keep you going for a while and will answer quite a few possible questions.

[Footprint]

Nice van, hello from North London!

just one more thing is there supposed to be two fuel pipes or one running from the tank to the engine bay, i have two one goes to fuel pump then T's off to both carbs and the other one is capped off

That's normal. The other connection is a return and isn't used on the 2.0l Aircool.

[kevtherev]

your CU engine is at the end of a long line of air cooled engines from VW, the 2.0 litre CU is a great engine made even better with Dellorto DRLA carburettors
We have a wealth of knowledge on this site about your van and it's engine..
Here.. https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Main_Page" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is the gateway to all things T25

Above this post is the archive where you can search for any specific problem, as well as on here "live"

personally I'd change the oil pump and clean the strainer in the sump
If the seal at the flywheel end is being changed, I'd change the pulley end as well.
The engine mounts by now are getting tired and ineffectual they make a huge difference when changed with a new clutch.
All the tinware on air cooled engines is paramount. it's condition is very important to the cooling of your engine.

welcome in fella

oooh metal vents.. very cool

[Drgreenthumb]

Hi
Welcome.....

The one line on the tank is meant to be blocked off.
The other sounds right as you describe.

I found this site excellent when I started out with my van.

Have a good trawl through the 'wiki' at the top right of page..........there's loads of info there to keep you going for a while and will answer quite a few possible questions.

Thanks man that was bugging me the capped off fuel line i suppose its just a spare then?, i will have a look through the wiki now and see how many Q's i can answer myself...

Thanks again

[Drgreenthumb]

your CU engine is at the end of a long line of air cooled engines from VW, the 2.0 litre CU is a great engine made even better with Dellorto DRLA carburettors
We have a wealth of knowledge on this site about your van and it's engine..
Here.. https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Main_Page" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is the gateway to all things T25

Above this post is the archive where you can search for any specific problem, as well as on here "live"

personally I'd change the oil pump and clean the strainer in the sump
If the seal at the flywheel end is being changed, I'd change the pulley end as well.
The engine mounts by now are getting tired and ineffectual they make a huge difference when changed with a new clutch.
All the tinware on air cooled engines is paramount. it's condition is very important to the cooling of your engine.

welcome in fella

oooh metal vents.. very cool

I was thinking about the mounts they look a bit tired and there seems a bit too much movement on the engine on tick over so def gonna order some of them i shall do both the seals aswell now and the oil pump, lucky a nieghbour sold me some bits in his shed from when he owned one and i got a clutch, fuel pump, a complete set of tin ware which i am gonna spray and refit when it goes back in with a new seal to be sure plus loads of tappets,lifters,push rods, alternator , plus loads more all for 20 quid .

more importantly first thing i did was fit the sound system .

[kevtherev]

Some more useful information from TheSamba

1. Get a good quality oil cooler set up NOW;

2. Check for and correct all the possible places at which engine cooling air may be leaking. Also check for hot-air ingress. The most important point of hot-air ingress is at the gasket that seals the engine tin against the sheet flange surrounding the engine. If this gasket is missing or damaged, YOU WILL COOK YOUR ENGINE.

3. Check your thermostat and replace it if it does not test out as per the Bentley manual. Adjust it properly. It cannot simply be removed since overly-long warmup times lead to serious piston and ring wear from dilution of the engine oil.

4. Check your valve clearances. I know that these engines use hydraulic lifters, but if they are adjusted too tightly by an overzealous previous owner, you may have an exhaust valve which does not seat properly. This leads to overheating and destruction of the valve. Intake valves are less critical in this regard, but check while you are in there.

5. Use the right oil! Air-cooled engines run hot. The oil provides a huge amount of the cooling for critical components. If you are in hot weather all the time, I see nothing wrong with 20W-50

6. Do not lug the engine under load! (When coasting or at light throttle, this does not matter). Air-cooled engines under heavy load get hot at low revs, unlike water-cooled engines.

7. In really high temps and heavy engine loads, consider using premium gas if you think there is a chance the engine will pink. The few pennies per gallon difference in price might be worth it. These are very low-compression engines which are known not to pink, but if the combustion chamber is full of carbon deposits, (thus raising compression and impairing cooling), pinking is possible.

[Drgreenthumb]

Nice van, hello from North London!

just one more thing is there supposed to be two fuel pipes or one running from the tank to the engine bay, i have two one goes to fuel pump then T's off to both carbs and the other one is capped off

That's normal. The other connection is a return and isn't used on the 2.0l Aircool.

Thanks man i used to live in london myself SE though, a return of course

Some more useful information from TheSamba

1. Get a good quality oil cooler set up NOW;

2. Check for and correct all the possible places at which engine cooling air may be leaking. Also check for hot-air ingress. The most important point of hot-air ingress is at the gasket that seals the engine tin against the sheet flange surrounding the engine. If this gasket is missing or damaged, YOU WILL COOK YOUR ENGINE.

3. Check your thermostat and replace it if it does not test out as per the Bentley manual. Adjust it properly. It cannot simply be removed since overly-long warmup times lead to serious piston and ring wear from dilution of the engine oil.

4. Check your valve clearances. I know that these engines use hydraulic lifters, but if they are adjusted too tightly by an overzealous previous owner, you may have an exhaust valve which does not seat properly. This leads to overheating and destruction of the valve. Intake valves are less critical in this regard, but check while you are in there.

5. Use the right oil! Air-cooled engines run hot. The oil provides a huge amount of the cooling for critical components. If you are in hot weather all the time, I see nothing wrong with 20W-50

6. Do not lug the engine under load! (When coasting or at light throttle, this does not matter). Air-cooled engines under heavy load get hot at low revs, unlike water-cooled engines.

7. In really high temps and heavy engine loads, consider using premium gas if you think there is a chance the engine will pink. The few pennies per gallon difference in price might be worth it. These are very low-compression engines which are known not to pink, but if the combustion chamber is full of carbon deposits, (thus raising compression and impairing cooling), pinking is possible.

Thanks for all that advice , i am already running 20/50 oil , i have heard to adjust clearence you wind down 1.5 turns from the point of contact with the tappet but i will look into it more when i have removed the engine.
I have never seen the oil light come on and have never even found the oil stat but will check now