Engine choice
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Engine choice
Hi all,looking for my first camper but not sure whether to go for the 2.1 or 1.9 petrol.I would prefer the extra poke of the 2.1 but i am finding them quite rare and hence hard to find and in holding out for this engine i see quite a number of v.good 1.9,s slipping from my grasp.Can any one offer some advice on what to do please
- Hacksawbob
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http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... ZR8QQfviZ1
theres a blue star on ebay at the mo, 2.1 engine and rear bed, just needs cooker and fridge. (not mine BTW)
theres a blue star on ebay at the mo, 2.1 engine and rear bed, just needs cooker and fridge. (not mine BTW)
member 1168
i went for the 1.9 DG [pierburg carb, bigger valves in head.. model] as the older 1.9 DF [solex carb, small valves !] is supposed to be a tad slo ???
I bottled it with the 2.1 as was worried about the Fi system... Mind the carbs can be fun !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go DG .............. or scooby 160 hoss !!!!!!!!!!!
I bottled it with the 2.1 as was worried about the Fi system... Mind the carbs can be fun !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go DG .............. or scooby 160 hoss !!!!!!!!!!!

Georgedog wrote:OR go Aircooled .... u wont have the hassle i have just had with replacing ALL the water pipes front to back !!Pair of rad pipes .. + pair if heater pipes ......
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Bloody Heater Is FANTASTIC MIND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've just done this on my Syncro. I'd still go for the 2.1 though and stick a carb on it if you're worried about the electronic gubbins.
1985 Syncro Westfalia LPG
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The electronics on the 2.1 DJ model are nothing to be too worried about. Remember that they were developed in the 70's so they are about as simple as it gets. As long as you have a Bently manual and a multimeter you'll be fine. I'd go as far to say that the electronics are more reliable and easier to fault find that the carbs that appear on these vans.
20 years use will have a much worse impact on the mechanicals of a carb than the solid state ECU's on these things.
Dave
20 years use will have a much worse impact on the mechanicals of a carb than the solid state ECU's on these things.
Dave
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First of all i'm not saying that it isn't possible to get more torque and mpg from a carb on the 2.1 but if that's the case then there must be some serious flaws with the FI system.
The FI system is a proper multi-point Bosch system so you get a controlled mount of fuel injected into the air before the cylinder at the optimum time. Assuming everything is working a fuel injector will give better atomisation of the fuel and subsequently a better dispersal pattern in the cylinder, which should give you more power and less emissions. The incoming air is subject to less restrictions than a carb setup and can be used at whatever temperature it is outside without any heating. This means that if its cold the air is denser and more power can be obtained.
A FI system should result in less wear on the engine during cold starts. One of the biggest points of engine wear is when the engine is cold. This is partly due to the extra fuel being delivered to the engine to enable it to run before it's warmed up (auto choke). When the cylinders are cold this extra fuel condenses on the cylinder walls which dissolves the proctective coat of oil meaning the cylinder liners get a hammering. The FI system continually monitors the cooling water temperature and adjusts the amount of fuel injected accordingly so as soon as the engine temperature allows the fuel is decreased and cylinder wear is minimised.
The carb system injects fuel at a single point above the resonance chamber. This means that the whole length of the intake pipes is full of a mixture of fuel and air. The turbulance in this air means that the fuel is never evenly distributed so it's impossible to accurately get an certain amount of fuel into each cylinder. Due to the length of the intake pipes the air has to be heated to stop the fuel condensing on the intake manifolds walls. This is first done by heating the intake air with heat from the exhaust (how many peoples vans does that still work on) and, when the engines up to temperature, cooling water is circulated through the intake manifold to keep it hot. This reduces the density of the air and reduces the amount of fuel that can be burnt to produce power.
The auto-choke system on the carbs is still no-where near as accurate as FI (only 3 settings of choke when warming up) and it gets worse when things start to go wrong (air leaks, intake or choke heaters failing, mechanical parts sticking). This means that far too much fuel is injected removing the oil from the cylinder walls, or too little fuel is used making the engine run lean and its bye-bye valve seats.
The big advantage with carbs is that you can adjust and tune them with different nozzle sizes or air correction valves so you can get more power of most engines by chucking more fuel in.
The reason why all cars are FI now is cause carbs just arent accurate enough to pass emmissions tests due to unburnt fuel in the exhaust and they will also normally give more power and better mpg.
Finally i just want to say that i dont want this to turn into a carbs vs FI fight. Its perfectly possible that you can get a better carb setup on these engines but id argue that that would be due to a problem in the FI system.
Dave
PS: One thing i hate in the FI system is all those high pressure fuel lines running all around the engine bay. One of those goes and your van is a fireball.
The FI system is a proper multi-point Bosch system so you get a controlled mount of fuel injected into the air before the cylinder at the optimum time. Assuming everything is working a fuel injector will give better atomisation of the fuel and subsequently a better dispersal pattern in the cylinder, which should give you more power and less emissions. The incoming air is subject to less restrictions than a carb setup and can be used at whatever temperature it is outside without any heating. This means that if its cold the air is denser and more power can be obtained.
A FI system should result in less wear on the engine during cold starts. One of the biggest points of engine wear is when the engine is cold. This is partly due to the extra fuel being delivered to the engine to enable it to run before it's warmed up (auto choke). When the cylinders are cold this extra fuel condenses on the cylinder walls which dissolves the proctective coat of oil meaning the cylinder liners get a hammering. The FI system continually monitors the cooling water temperature and adjusts the amount of fuel injected accordingly so as soon as the engine temperature allows the fuel is decreased and cylinder wear is minimised.
The carb system injects fuel at a single point above the resonance chamber. This means that the whole length of the intake pipes is full of a mixture of fuel and air. The turbulance in this air means that the fuel is never evenly distributed so it's impossible to accurately get an certain amount of fuel into each cylinder. Due to the length of the intake pipes the air has to be heated to stop the fuel condensing on the intake manifolds walls. This is first done by heating the intake air with heat from the exhaust (how many peoples vans does that still work on) and, when the engines up to temperature, cooling water is circulated through the intake manifold to keep it hot. This reduces the density of the air and reduces the amount of fuel that can be burnt to produce power.
The auto-choke system on the carbs is still no-where near as accurate as FI (only 3 settings of choke when warming up) and it gets worse when things start to go wrong (air leaks, intake or choke heaters failing, mechanical parts sticking). This means that far too much fuel is injected removing the oil from the cylinder walls, or too little fuel is used making the engine run lean and its bye-bye valve seats.
The big advantage with carbs is that you can adjust and tune them with different nozzle sizes or air correction valves so you can get more power of most engines by chucking more fuel in.
The reason why all cars are FI now is cause carbs just arent accurate enough to pass emmissions tests due to unburnt fuel in the exhaust and they will also normally give more power and better mpg.
Finally i just want to say that i dont want this to turn into a carbs vs FI fight. Its perfectly possible that you can get a better carb setup on these engines but id argue that that would be due to a problem in the FI system.
Dave
PS: One thing i hate in the FI system is all those high pressure fuel lines running all around the engine bay. One of those goes and your van is a fireball.