Where to get the very best wasserboxer?

[itchyfeet]

They are aware of the need to be careful about the lower barrel seals and are sure they are OK and undisturbed.!

if you remove heads you MUST replace lower seals or you will have problems later

'undisturbed' is jargon for can't be arsed.

[itchyfeet]

my cracked head is now here
https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Pe ... stud_depth" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ajsimmo]

As promised...

More to follow.

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[ajsimmo]

Yes, that really is a load of silicone gunk around the bottom seal! Is it any wonder it had oil pressure issues too - I wonder what's in the oil pickup?
Half the head nuts were loose on the leaky side. Probably due to burning/blowing out the unnecessary sealant from under the compression seal, thus relaxing the clamping force.

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[Trundler]

Blimey....

Many thanks for all this info guys. Is it a lot of extra labour to do the bottom seals??

[itchyfeet]

Blimey....

Many thanks for all this info guys. Is it a lot of extra labour to do the bottom seals??

No once heads are off slip barrels up, remove circlip and pull gudgeon pin off

described here

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.p ... 0#p8156269" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Trundler]

Well, after much consultation, and considering of the advice received on here (thank you) I have ordered a new AMC head and gaskets from VW Heritage. Everything else looks OK so we are not going to disturb the liners and I've said I'm prepared to take the risk that all will be OK with the bottom seals.

I realise this is not the 100% perfect, attention to detail, ultra cautious, bombproof repair but I'm hoping it will keep the old girl going for a bit (fingers crossed) until I can give her a new heart.

I really like the wasserboxer and I applaud it's ingenuity, even though the solutions chosen come with ... er.. issues.

Assuming the engine seems OK once up and running again (clutching my lucky horseshoe) it will give me a little time to reconsider the whole issue of what is the best engine to eventually fit. I know there's the originality question to consider but I am an enthusiast for USING the van, first and foremost, not mending it. I suspect there are engines I could choose which would give better service with fewer issues when repairs are needed.

We are moving to Spain in a year or two so Diesel may be the way to go - with LPG availability (or lack of) in Spain being what it is.

[itchyfeet]

Can't believe you would not spend a few more hours and do the lower seals but it's your choice.

[ajsimmo]

Trundler, if your engine was built by the same person your bottom seals may well be as ugly as the ones we've just had to do. IMHO (and Itchy's) it's false economy to ignore it if you know they are probably lathered in silicone gunk.

[itchyfeet]

And impossible not to disturb them, as the head comes off it will lift the barrels, nothing else holding them down, dirty rusty coolant/ sludge gets under seals.

O rings when old get compression set, that means they loose their round shape, and are permanently deformed.
Take any barrel off and the seal is flat, it won't push any dirt out like this it just traps it, it also will not form a good seal when reused because it has lost it's shape.

[Sir Brixalot]

I hope mine isn't full of silicone! Might explain why the 5 others from that supplier quickly failed

[itchyfeet]

I wondef if the silicone is used instead of replacing seals?
I has always assumed it was some misguided belt and braces.

VWH sell seperate seals....why, more expensive than a kit?

top seal 5.73 x4
lower seal 11.50 x4
compression seal 5.60 x4
water jacket 21.60x2

135 quid

[Sir Brixalot]

Like the others have said, might as well get it done. Better than it failing on a motorway at night in the rain which happened to me.

[PetenAli]

I've not been on the forum for a while - work, getting my trials Beetle back on the road, travelling in the Syncro etc etc. What I can add to this thread is that 025 Motorsport aka Ian Holman, aka silverbullet has built us the best waterboxer imaginable. This thread https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=142235" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has been mentioned earlier and pretty much tells the story. Our 2.5 WBX is the first of its kind and not surprisingly there have been a couple of snaggings - Ian has dealt with them immediately and at no charge. He is hugely skilled as well as being completely conscientious.

We ran our engine in on a 5000 kilometer circumnavigation of the Iberian peninsula. It ran faultlessly. We spent a lot of time in mountains where the Syncro had to climb long steep gradients and the increased torque was fantastic - like having at least another gear. Also fuel economy was comparable to the original 2.1 DJ

Not surprisingly I am keeping to the usual service schedules, oil changes etc. Next development will be a rolling road session. I have driven several Scoobie EJ25 Syncros and I'm confident that this WBX will match them both for torque and power.

[Trundler]

Well, the engine was built back up, without replacing bottom seals (which is NOT a simple extra task) and at the moment it seems to be fine. It runs smoothly, no unwanted steam from the exhaust or anything so fingers crossed it will be OK for a while.

There are no obvious cracks visible in the old head but the fault may be concealed within the ports or something.

So, she's mobile again but I am not confident in the long-term reliability of this engine so in the longer term the idea of an engine swap is rearing its ugly head again.

I've decided I don't want a Diesel and the only engine that fits nicely in the engine bay is a flat four, so its back to the choice between a top-class WBX and a Subaru. I now know where I'm likely to go for a WBX (silverbullet or ajsimmo) but £5k for a 2.5 is far too expensive. I could put an EJ25 in there for far less than that and have all the advantages of a more modern (and better-designed) engine.

As ever, it's a difficult choice between a Subaru and a standard top quality WBX 2.1.