What do i do?????

[Dougal devon]

Wont any engine you buy be second hand.?

Fair piont rob but for the cost of buying one flat four i can buy two golf engines . And as a rule most golfs will do a lot more than 100.000 miles . Yes the t25 is heavier i know but once i have done the hard bit ie swappped to a golf block there is a load of them out there so they are cheap and easy to find. As i said the mods are hard bit . I would like to keep the flat four but for doubt of when is it going to let me down . Loosing my bus has been a big deal as we used it all the time and i would just like to try somthing else . You have obviously read the posts and i have lost faith in the waterboxer for the miles i will cover as i said mine was sweet even my mechanic friend could not beleive the damage to the block when it ran and sounded sweet several people said if my engine was on ebay at 500 quid the would of bought it so there in lies my issue with a second hand flat four for the money it os abig gamble .

[R0B]

I think you have just been unlucky with that particular engine.My 2.1 has run for the last 6 years that i have owned it with no problems.Whatever you decide,good luck with it.

[Dougal devon]

Cheers dude . You could be right but cost is a big factor and me righting off another waterboxer wont help the guys that still run them . Spoke to a couple of parts companies and it is a lot to do with the fact the dont sell many bits but like i said too them if they were cheaper they would sell more yes margins on proffit are smaller but turnover is larger . They dont seem to get this . Is it not common sense ? At this rate the parts shops will end up with a surplus of bits . I was reading a post possibly one of yours that showed how many t25s are still registered in the uk and it was not as many as i thought . With that in mind i wont junk my old block as one day it might become reasonable too rebuild it .

[AdrianC]

The engine had been rebuilt 6 years ago

Woah up! Right there, all bets on your knackered engine's provenance are off.

What happened? Do you KNOW that the original (70k-6yrs) engine was "rebuilt"? If so, what? And - more to the point - why? And who by?

Or did it have a "rebuilt, honest, Sir, and only (70k-6yrs) on it, too!" engine thrown at it?

[Dougal devon]

Aidrian yes it was a full rebuild will dig out the origional receipt. Spoke to the guys who rebuilt it and they were really helpful . Yes the speedo read zero when the engine was fitted amd the previous owner put tjose miles on it travelling europe . My brother then bought it and was so worried to drive it he only put 200 miles on it . He changed the cooling system and redone brakes and most of the welding but he was not convinced about the engine . I then bought it off him and threw 10.000 mies at it as i said seemed to be trouble free until the miss fire reared its head . Like you guys said could have been unlucky but do you get my piont about cost ? It is always hard to try and get a point across in text as it can seem like you are throwing all your toys out of the pram that is not what i am doing i just feel we are being over charged . As traders you guys are not charities that i understand and as a builder i am in the same boat . Would you not agree if parts were cheaper more people would repair rather than replace? I also have a 20 year old range rover (winter car) and because of the cost of parts it costs next to nothing to keep on the road if i am right there are less classic range rovers out there than t25s so we now have parts noboby wants ie cheap spares.

[AdrianC]

Aidrian yes it was a full rebuild will dig out the origional receipt. Spoke to the guys who rebuilt it and they were really helpful . Yes the speedo read zero when the engine was fitted

You might like to have a read of some of the recent threads discussing off-the-shelf engine rebuilds, especially the economics of how they can possibly be done for the money...

Yes, the Land-Rover world (I'm working on an s3 88" at the mo) is blessed with very low parts costs. It's also "blessed" with some parts manufacturers with a quality reputation so low as to make certain VW suppliers look good. And don't forget that whilst there may not be so many classic Rangies out there, they share a lot of parts with a lot of other L-R products - original Discos, particularly. Our vans are much less parts-bin.

[Dougal devon]

Yes you are right about the dubious quality of some parts . With me i tend to keep the cars i fall for. my range rover is the first landy i bought and have had 5 others but always went back to dot as the kids call her and as for betsy (the bus) my daughter and eldest son are fighting over who gets her first even though my eldest lad has just started to strip his 72 bug (abbie) . It is destined to be the family rat rod . I have had several bugs in my time and i must admit i am not really a purist so i dont mind changing things to suit my needs at the time so with a few tools and a an idea you can make your vdub yours why stick with the norm spice it up a bit change things make it yours not everyone will like it but as they say it takes all sorts .. i have just changed the engine in the wifes bmw and like with the bus for the cost i nearly put the 4 litre block in purely because if i am going to spend out why not put something worth while in ? Wich brings me neatly back to 2000 to put a good waterboxer in or 2000 to fit a scooby or porsche lump in for a penny ay. For me though it seems to be a better and more cost effective swap with golf block and a lot easier than the scooby or alfa route as for a porsche lump i would rather put one in the bug .

[graemeylad]

I am part way through a gti conversion on my t3, so far costs h ave come in at £700
Which includes the engine wiring loom and ecu etc. However i am doing it myself and
And probably need to spend a bit more yet. My particular van was a petrol dg engine and
So I didn't have any of the diesel parts required and had to source everything. To do a tdi
Conversion will be more expensive but will make the van worth a bit more in the end.i
Would say if you're handy with the spanners then do it , theres plenty of info out there
And people with helpful tips on here. I chose the gti route because I had one in the past
And know they are a good strong engine and fit the engine bay of a t3 easy.
if you do go down the gti route though buy a complete car so you can get every thing.
Probably pick one up for £300 complete.hope to get mine fired up in a couple of weeks.
fingers crossed

[Dougal devon]

All the reasons for me are the same . Did the engine need a different sump ? Or is the engine not laid over that is the only real prob i have heard about so i just need to know what parts i need extra to keep the new block happy when it is laid over as have got diesel mounts and bell housing and can have a choice of complete engines . Dougal

[donciuz]

I believe you need the diesel sump and oil pump pickup or the whole pump. I bought a new one from brickwerks for my tdi conversion. Sould fit petrol as well I believe.

[graemeylad]

Sump , oil oump n pick up pipe ( diesel) engine mounts engine mount bars , bellhousing input shaft
spigot bearing, starter motor and bolts, flywheel clutch assembly , water hoses. Engine you intend to use.
Petrol or tdi, oils and coolant fluid cambelt change (RECCOMENDED) while engine is out. Maybe a water
Pump as well, so as you can see it all adds up.

[Dougal devon]

Sump , oil oump n pick up pipe ( diesel) engine mounts engine mount bars , bellhousing input shaft
spigot bearing, starter motor and bolts, flywheel clutch assembly , water hoses. Engine you intend to use.
Petrol or tdi, oils and coolant fluid cambelt change (RECCOMENDED) while engine is out. Maybe a water
Pump as well, so as you can see it all adds up.

Yes you are right but i will end up with somthing that has not cost any more tjan is reasonable for an engine swap. 500 quid for wjat is possibly a duff engine is way to steep . My point in all my rants was simply that with a waterboxer you cannot say it is agood engine because it is soke free and rattle free . I have got pretty much all the bits you listed easily available so it will definatley not be on the road with a waterboxer and i will start the conversion next week . My mate has a 72 bay i have got him thinking now and he is going to go down tje gti route as well. His will end up a muck better bus for the change . Thanks to everyone for their help and input it has help tje decision making and made it much more clear cut. Power is not the be all and end all . Heres to cruising at 65 with my gti powered t25.

[graemeylad]

Well good luck , hope it goes well. Wen I get mine finished I will try n post a piccy or two up on here.
just waiting on a few parts and still have a few jobs to sort out, air filter wiring loom throttle cable exhaust etc,
getting there though.

[Dougal devon]

Well managed to find all the engine bits that i need the guys at southwest splitz are putting them together for me so hope to pick them up soon will keep you guys posted on progress .