exhaust replacement?

[rustytop]

Early 84 1.9dg

Realise that there are lots of posts on exhausts. However I first just wanted to check the symptoms?
Think we have a hole near the nearside rear engine port. Horrendously noisy when cold and only just slightly less when warm. Noise becomes louder under load and virtually non existent when coasting down hill or at idle.

Engine bay does smell exhaust fumy but I cannot see any specific hole. When the engine was cold I put my hand near the flange that bolts to the engine and could feel a slight puff coming from somewhere but the puff seemed too small to generate the v loud noise that was coming out? Obviously it gets hot very quickly so there is only so much feeling about you can do in that area.

So does this sound like a leak or a engine issue?

If it is the exhaust, has anyone had a full plain steel exhaust system fitted? No-one seems to recommend them on here. Just wondered what expected life would be based on just 3000 miles per year?

Rustytop

[Cruz]

Early 84 1.9dg


If it is the exhaust, has anyone had a full plain steel exhaust system fitted? No-one seems to recommend them on here. Just wondered what expected life would be based on just 3000 miles per year?

Rustytop

Loads have people have recommended stainless exhausts. The only one you can buy at the moment for an early van is a vwspeedshop exhaust. Brickwerks have made stainless early manifold pipes but as yet they are not on the webshop as they are in the testing stage (worth an email?)

Other than speedshop the others seem to be for late exhaust systems (brickwerks and jp exhausts)

And they all come with a lifetime guarantee for you

[CovKid]

its not uncommon for a stud to corrode away, work loose or snap off leaving one or more pipes blowing. Even the tiniest gap can make a horrendous noise under load. May just need a fresh gasket to shut it up.

[croc]

if stud problem and/or threads gone in head - thread inserts are M8 x 1.25

[shepster]

Early 84 1.9dg


If it is the exhaust, has anyone had a full plain steel exhaust system fitted? No-one seems to recommend them on here. Just wondered what expected life would be based on just 3000 miles per year?

Rustytop

Loads have people have recommended stainless exhausts. The only one you can buy at the moment for an early van is a vwspeedshop exhaust. Brickwerks have made stainless early manifold pipes but as yet they are not on the webshop as they are in the testing stage (worth an email?)

Other than speedshop the others seem to be for late exhaust systems (brickwerks and jp exhausts)

And they all come with a lifetime guarantee for you

He's asking about PLAIN steel systems though!

[Cruz]

He's asking about PLAIN steel systems though!

Reason nobody recommends mild steel systems (£308 from JK for early) is that they are not all that cheaper than say the speedshop stainless system (£435).

Why go to all the potential heartbreak of broken studs just to fit something that may or may not be made of chinese cheese? And may or may not last longer than 3 years (regardless of mileage).

Yes you can fit cheaper bike silencers but for full systems you may as well fit it once and forget it forever...imo

[rustytop]

Thanks.

I guess for those that do some research on forums like this, the choice of mild steel vs stainless steel and cost difference becomes apparent. I expect however that lots of T25 owners will just throw the keys to their local garage and ask them to "sort it".

I'm in the "do some research" camp however, and are now more interested in the SS one. Has anyone fitted the speedshop one to an early 1.9DG? Looks like a lot more metal than the standard system and the silencer looks quite chunky. Just wondering if any heat sheilds, valences or anything else need to be modified to accommodate?

Rustytop

[Cruz]

Fiarwynds and Fritz have posted up about it in the past.....try searching for vwspeedshop

[rustytop]

Thanks for this. Cruz I see that you are looking to replace yours as well. Have you decided the route you're taking yet? What have you concluded?

Rustytop

[Cruz]

That was over 12 months ago

Because I was having the engine mounts done I got a 2nd hand late engine mount bracket fitted at the same time then I had a JP exhaust fitted. 12 months on all is well