What is involved in piston ring replacement in a 2.1 WBX?

[bugmonkey]

Hi folks,
My name is Neil. I am Scottish but I live in Australia now with my local girlfriend. I used to own a 1972 beetle so when we wanted to get a camper I knew what I wanted. We found a nice looking window van transporter that had been converted into a tin top camper but after a few weeks and our first trip away there are clouds in paradise.

I took it down to get a gearbox CV seal fixed and the coolant flushed out and the mechanic found it was running on three cylinders because one of the plugs was oiled up. I knew something was up because it struggled and shook going up hills. Yesterday, after the plugs were changed, it ran really well but this morning when I went to check, the engine oil (changed yesterday) is quite black after 30km and it is running a bit rougher again.

So it seems the rings on that piston need to be replaced sooner than I had hoped.

On the beetle it could be done by removing the cylinder head and lifting off the cylinder but how is it done on a WBX given that there is the water filled housing around the cylinders? Can it be done by a home mechanic? The amount of electronics on the van is putting me off, as is the thought of draining the coolant and trying to get all the bits off like the exhaust. Even then, can the rings be accessed by just lifting off the cylinder or does the piston need to be removed?

I need to find something like a Haynes book for the transporter because I am not sure how similar the wbx engines are to the Type 1 engines I knew before, however any guidance would be greatfully received

[ghost123uk]

First do an oil pressure test to see if the engine is worth all the effort.
Order gasket set from good supplier (Brickwerks do a good one c/w sealants (important)).
Order rings.
Engine out
Exhaust off (broken stud issues if not done right, even then...)
Heads off (broken stud issues if not done right, even then... and can result in new engine needed )
Check heads for cracks between the valves.
Liners out
Measure (new) ring gaps using the usual "top and bottom" method - to determine if bores are within tolerance.
Check pistons for condition.
Fit rings if above is all OK.
Glaze bust bores.
Fit new "O" rings to liners.
Reassemble using the CORRECT sealants (2 types) = comes with the gasket kit if bought from a good supplier
Fill with coolant and bleed (see wiki)
Usual check of tappets etc.

Fire up hoping all is well re smoke and coolant leaks etc (check coolant for signs of oil during the first week)

I've bound to have missed summat !

Personally, having been down this road(ish,) I would buy a re-con motor. Though to be fair there have been some good threads on here re re-building WBX's. But there have been some were it all went breasticles up - and that must be very very disappointing

[ghost123uk]

E D I T = perhaps don't order the rings until you have checked that the engine has not been re-bored

[kevtherev]

Hello down under
If you join the club proper
There's a downloadable manual for your van in the members section

Good luck!

[bugmonkey]

Thanks very much for the helpful replies. Sorry about the delay in getting back but I only have intermittent internet access at the moment (we're a bit behind the times down here )

The van ran well on our second weekend away so I think it is less urgent than I thought at the time of my original post. The black in the new oil was probably because the previous oil was very black and residue from that coloured it. It was running rough because it was nearly out of petrol; a rookie mistake but at last I now know where on the fuel gauge 'empty' actually means empty

Thanks for your very detailed reply Ghosty and I will check out the membership link Kev. I'll keep and eye out for a good second hand engine locally.

Neil

[REGGAJ]

Hello and welcome Neil . I'v got family in Geelong

[AdrianC]

but this morning when I went to check, the engine oil (changed yesterday) is quite black after 30km

That's not much of an indication of anything. When you drain the oil, you'll never manage to drain _all_ of it - there's always some left, as well as whatever sludge and slime is in the bottom of the sump and various other nooks and crannies.

If you're worried, change it very very regularly a few times, and it'll dilute the grubbiness a bit.

[California Dreamin]

the mechanic found it was running on three cylinders because one of the plugs was oiled up. Yesterday, after the plugs were changed, it ran really well but this morning when I went to check, the engine oil (changed yesterday) is quite black after 30km and it is running a bit rougher again.

So it seems the rings on that piston need to be replaced sooner than I had hoped

Are you sure the plug hadn't just sooted up? or wet from petrol...are you sure it was 'oiling up' people ^^^^ seem very keen to get straight into an engine rebuild before a proper diagnosis of the fault.

I only ask because the plug leads (especially the metal plug caps) are known to break down causing the spark to jump to the cylinder head instead of the plug, which may well give off fuel smoke from the exhaust. If all the mechanic has done was to replace one spark plug it won't be long before the new plug fouls up again. Although plugs are known to break down it is the leads that are more common.
Try removing the metal spark plug cap covers (if it has them) and see how she goes.

Carry out an Oil consumption test over 1000 miles (absolute maximum should be 1 litre although I would expect much less than this from a good engine..200ml perhaps)
Also, have someone carry out a compression check and report back the results.

Martin