AAZ VS Air cooled

[davegeezzer008]

Im having problems getting my AAZ pump rebuilt as bosch don't make many parts for the VE pump any more, so I'm just thinking ahead about my options if I can't get the pump sorted. 

I've other older VWs with Aircooled engines that I've built so what are people's thoughts on building a 2110 Aircooled or similar in a type 3 case and putting that in my Caravelle, I've had my gearbox rebuilt in my camper with a taller 3rd&4th, 
I'm sure this has been looked into before but is it at all feasible?  I really don't want to go down the road of a newer diesel with ECU. 

What are people's thoughts please
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[cobblers]

There's a lot of things you could do before swapping to a 2.1 air cooled!
I'm sure there's someone, somewhere who could rebuild this fuel pump - there's still hundreds of thousands of vehicles around the world using that type of pump, surely there will be a company making knockoff parts, at least.

Failing that - your van is ready to take a watercooled engine, just stick a a DJ in it if you want to go flat four. Converting to Aircooled seems a bit drastic!

[Oren Kipnis]

There should not be any problem to find spares for rebuilding any injection pump. It is a matter of finding the workshop master who is customer minded. In the worst case like I had with my TDI pump, you can find a used unit and refurbish in Germany, like I did, or ship yours and have it refurbished.

If you think going petrol, it is better to look for a 2 litre inline 4 like the "E or AGG. Being of the same series of engine block as the AAZ, you will find it way easier to fit the engine using the engine accessories which you currently have. You will not need to replace the bellhousing.

[davidoft1]

Currently having one rebuilt , what’s the issue with your pump ?

[Dueller]

There's a lot of things you could do before swapping to a 2.1 air cooled!
I'm sure there's someone, somewhere who could rebuild this fuel pump - there's still hundreds of thousands of vehicles around the world using that type of pump, surely there will be a company making knockoff parts, at least.

Failing that - your van is ready to take a watercooled engine, just stick a a DJ in it if you want to go flat four. Converting to Aircooled seems a bit drastic!

agree here but its really up to you

Or what about an AHU conversion, you've most of the bits anyways id have thought

They made them up till 2002 so should be available and theres plenty of DIY guides online

Something to consider is yes you may be able to fix it now but what about parts supply in the future? available? affordable? not in America/on the continent/Africa?

I had a dilema with rebuilding my DG a few years back when main bearings werent available so know where your at

Rebuild the Type 1 motors semi-pro myself and to get to 2.1 and have it push a van is a big ask and cost, far better to stay watercooled and find a solution that works, then again you dont state your skill level so maybe its all doable

I would stay watercooled, fitted a Ford st220 v6 into mine in the end as thats what came along when i was working it out

[davegeezzer008]

Hi guys thank you all for your replies and sorry I haven't answered sooner, I've finally been to see the guy that I took my pumps to to get a full understanding of what's happening, 
Quick back story originally I had a DG engine in the van that died so I put a AAZ in that had sat under the bench for 10yr, ran for a month then seized on pot 2, on strip down it turned out the oil squirter was gummed up probably from sitting around so long, so rebuilt it and after a couple of months dropped a valve and destroyed itself so rebuilt again with a nice new head, upgraded the pump to a 277 which Simon baxter said was the best pump out of all the variations available - this was a refurbed pump I bought off ebay from a firm in Latvia as I couldn't find one anywhere else, It ran OK but I wasn't getting the performance that everyone else was raving about. Had problems with my clutch one night just completely gone so it sat about whilst I got the enthusiasm to sort it which was months. After fitting a new clutch and it didn't solve it sat there a few more months until I took the dash out to replace the clevis pin and hallelujah clutch sorted, tried starting it and it was running like a pig so dropped the tank cleaned the tank and lines out refitted still running crap so I thought must be the injectors which were probably the originals, so had them rebuilt which took a month because of trying to source new nozzles which bosch don't make anymore , after fitting them it's still not running right - absolute pig to start, loads of smoke won't rev completely undrivable, so I'm thinking the pumps gummed up from sitting around for close on 6mnth so I'll bite the bullet and get the pump cleaned/ rebuilt. 
So this brings it upto date the diesel shop here in Cornwall that was recommended by a couple of friends strips the pump and finds the advance piston Is badly worn as well as the pump body, the advance regulating valve has been adjusted to compensate for advance piston and has fallen to bits inside the pump, when he starts looking for the parts online the parts for a 277 are different to whats fitted, on the side of the pump there is a sticker with the part number when he's removed it the original pump number isn't a 277 but a 346!!  which would account for the lack of performance so my eastern European friends completely had my pants down. The second pump I have has a different main body so can't be used for parts so I've got 2 pumps that are scrap. 
I've been online going through all VE pumps that were fitted to similar engines for over a week comparing part numbers looking at which could be suitable and I think I've found a pump that's tuneable like the 277 and is still fairly available which is a 336.

[dcworm57]

Hi guys thank you all for your replies and sorry I haven't answered sooner, I've finally been to see the guy that I took my pumps to to get a full understanding of what's happening, 
Quick back story originally I had a DG engine in the van that died so I put a AAZ in that had sat under the bench for 10yr, ran for a month then seized on pot 2, on strip down it turned out the oil squirter was gummed up probably from sitting around so long, so rebuilt it and after a couple of months dropped a valve and destroyed itself so rebuilt again with a nice new head, upgraded the pump to a 277 which Simon baxter said was the best pump out of all the variations available - this was a refurbed pump I bought off ebay from a firm in Latvia as I couldn't find one anywhere else, It ran OK but I wasn't getting the performance that everyone else was raving about. Had problems with my clutch one night just completely gone so it sat about whilst I got the enthusiasm to sort it which was months. After fitting a new clutch and it didn't solve it sat there a few more months until I took the dash out to replace the clevis pin and hallelujah clutch sorted, tried starting it and it was running like a pig so dropped the tank cleaned the tank and lines out refitted still running crap so I thought must be the injectors which were probably the originals, so had them rebuilt which took a month because of trying to source new nozzles which bosch don't make anymore , after fitting them it's still not running right - absolute pig to start, loads of smoke won't rev completely undrivable, so I'm thinking the pumps gummed up from sitting around for close on 6mnth so I'll bite the bullet and get the pump cleaned/ rebuilt. 
So this brings it upto date the diesel shop here in Cornwall that was recommended by a couple of friends strips the pump and finds the advance piston Is badly worn as well as the pump body, the advance regulating valve has been adjusted to compensate for advance piston and has fallen to bits inside the pump, when he starts looking for the parts online the parts for a 277 are different to whats fitted, on the side of the pump there is a sticker with the part number when he's removed it the original pump number isn't a 277 but a 346!!  which would account for the lack of performance so my eastern European friends completely had my pants down. The second pump I have has a different main body so can't be used for parts so I've got 2 pumps that are scrap. 
I've been online going through all VE pumps that were fitted to similar engines for over a week comparing part numbers looking at which could be suitable and I think I've found a pump that's tuneable like the 277 and is still fairly available which is a 336.

My pump was leaking so had it reconditioned by “Diesel Bob”  in Preston  [url=tel:01254 878582]01254 878582[/url] . They did a great job ,ihust bolted it back on timed it up and away it went . Van runs great . Hope that helps .