more power from a 2.0 cu ?

[vwaddict]

Hi All, ive done a quick search on this & came up none the wiser......

My 2.0 cu is pretty guttless & it absolutley die's on hills (40-45mph if im lucky) on the flat eventually it will get up to 60-65 (with no head wind), when pulling away it feels like it wants to go but just can't, iv'e had a old pro look at it & he set up the timing & carbs etc with mildly better results.....

As this is my 1st T25 2.0 cu im not sure if thats its ?? the last bus i had a few years ago was a 69 bay viking that i put a recon 1641 in with a standard carb & that went a whole lot better.

So what can i do to improve performance ? carbs ? fuel pump ? coil & dist ? or lighten the flywheel ?

Ive got to get it running better than this before its taken on a proper camping run !!

Thanks in advanced....

[Richiee722]

Hi there
I feel your pain .
I too have a 2.0cu which is super slow.
Mine is a 1981 Westy that struggles to get to 50-55mph on the flat.
I've changed all of the normal things , plugs, leads ,cap , even a coil ,done the timing etc but nothing has made a difference.
Just as I was about to give in and except that 55mph was the future, my van failed it's MOT on emmissions and after a bit of fettling, the garage has diagnosed the the vacuum units on the dizzy are knackered so it's not advancing the timing.
They rekon it will solve the speed issue as well so fingers crossed.
I know this doesn't help you but might give you a glimmer of hope .
Good luck mate.

[BOXY]

The two critical things are weight & power. The CU only started with 70 BHP and a fully loaded van could weigh nearly 2 tonnes. If I wanted to make my van faster I'd start with a session on a rolling road to see how many horses I'd lost in the last 30 years. Depending on the result I either have to learn to re-calibrate my expectations, or empty the fridge and stick some Dellortos on it.

[faggie]

theres something wrong my 2.0 if its that bad mine could do over 80 mph on motorway a bit heavy on fuel but was not that bad and definitely more go than my 1.9 wbx motor if you want more power fit 2400cc barrel n pistons makes a vast difference or fit a 1.800 cc an code motor

[dickie14]

It does sounds like there's something wrong - my CU used to crack 70 on the flat (I only ever saw 80 down long, long hills...) on its original engine with a totally standard setup. Westfalia camper full of heavy furniture too.

A few years ago I had to have the engine replaced and got a Vege one fitted but it never went as well, struggling to get above 55 and completely useless on hills. Fitted Dells and it only got a bit better so I took it to a rolling road and it punched out a comical 24hp! No amount of tuning seemed to get much more and it ultimately turned out the camshaft was heavily worn! One rebuild later (outside of the Vege warranty - grrrr) and it was back to it's more sprightly self.

Keep investigating - if you can get it to a true specialist they should be able to get to the bottom of it faster (and cheaper) than regular garages. Hope it's cheaper to fix than mine was!

[ajsimmo]

My money's on carb balancing first, incorrect timing second, then all the other carb tuning adjustments third.
You don't say where it's been done, so it might be spot on, but I see lots that are a mile out even after being "set up" elsewhere.
Also had one in that flatly refused to perform whatever, turned out it had virtually no lobes left on the cam! New cam did indeed bring it to life.

[vwaddict]

Thanks for the all the advise....... the guy who had ago at setting it up has been working on vw's for years so i'm thinking he's done the best job he can......
one thing i will say is it has the idle stabiliser unit missing/bypassed i guess that shouldn't be a major problem tho.

I am planning on having the engine out over the winter to do the mounts & replace rusty tinware etc....i was also thinking i might even have it too bits while im at it, where is the best place to get all the engine parts from for a cu ? bearings, gaskets, rings..... etc

But in the mean time can anyone recommend someone in the bedfordshire area who can set up these carbs properly ? because im begining to think its a defo carb issue.

[Choppski]

Hi, I'm posting to keep tabs on this thread. I too have a Viking on a CU engine which has now just done 117k. I can cruise at 55-60mph all day long ( just drove 7 hours back from Cornwall and didn't miss a beat) and have got up to 80mph but I bottled it as everything was rattling and the old girl certainly told me that she wasn't happy. However, she does run out of guts on hills and I have been down to second gear on the long slog if a hill near Bodmin on a30, ( but was fully laden with family, bike rack and 4 bikes with a Viking, so I am not really complaining!) so anything that will get her more guts without too much cost on fuel would be most welcome!

I run on a totally original spec engine and set up.

[petethefeet]

Hi all,
I have just done the A30 across Bodmin and back across to the A303, yes I was struggling to get up the hills but our van is a CU auto so I only have 3 gears to choose from. Our van is running a std CU with twin solex brosal carbs at 90,000 miles. But I can get a true 70 mph but only on the flat

[Dream-Drive]

The Universe is having a laugh. The CU, or now the CV?
Interesting topic.... I just regressed back to a CV 1980 Pop Top. Manual. (Wish it was Auto!.. but it would be even slower!). Real Snails........ 

Power? well I am hoping for a bit more oomph in the CV, but lets see. 
CU?... Think of it as a wind up toy!..... you have to pull the strings hard to make it spin that fast. 
The Type 4 engine is bullet proof. You NEVER see them with a rod through the case, unless we are racing, but normally, they are super super strong engines and don't mind the revs. 4500 is a top cruising altitude. Oil consumption on a big AC is indeed getting close to .5 litre per 1000. Carbs need someone who knows how to balance the three of them.. Within reason, a Type 4 in standard format is not too fussy about anything, be it "pooh" petrol or LPG, but watch out for your exhaust valves, they are highly vulnerable on this engine, the wbx much less. Cooling........Advantages... A history dating back 60 years at time of build. It's a big pusher. Strong, Sturdy, bullet proof reliable for the first 25 years. Not bad. It's a legend Engine and a joy to drive, like you have to drive this engine!..... if you are lazy, so is he!. Have fun. I love the 2 litre CU/CV. Nice engine. 

[Mona]

In comparison my CT will cruise at 50-55mph, touching 60 occasionally. Hills depend on the run up, but I usually get to the top above 40mph. That is pretty empty, although it has a high top so wind can adds or remove 5-10mph.