Newbie with a question (or two)

[lokisdad]

Hi everybody,
I'm thinking of buying a T25 Caravelle Auto (don't do manuals any more!). I had an Aircooled Transporter back in the l988 and loved it and have decided it's time to add another classic to my collection and went to look at and drive a Caravelle Auto yesterday. It has a few clonks and rattles and needs a good tune up but I am happy to sort these issues. My problem is twofold. The engine, according to the V5 is a 2.1, but the pile of paperwork that is with the car says it had a 1.9 fitted about 12 years ago. I'm going to ask the garage selling it to try and find the engine no. and veryfy this but do you much more experienced people consider this to be a problem? ie. 1.9 vs 2.1 with an auto box? It also has a whine in 1st gear. 2nd and 3rd seem to be OK and the changes are reasonably smooth. Is this whine something I should worry about?
Thanks in advance for any help or info you can offer me.

Regards
Harvey

[blueangel]

Hi and welcome
sorry can't help with questions but i'm sure someone will be along soon
who can.

Chris and Ken

[Budgie7]

Hi Harvey, I am new to this forum as well, but have had my T25 for a few months , it is a 2.1 auto carravelle. There is no noise in any of the gears and the change is smooth, except when going into reverse. When there is a bit of a clunk. Hope this helps a bit.

[Plasticman]

whats the rest of the collection...................
mm

[lokisdad]

Hi Folks,
Budgie7, Thanks for the comment. I thought it ought to be quiet.I'll have to push him to lower the price.

Metalmick8y, My daily drivers are an ageing Mitsubishi 4 x 4 and a not quite so old Nissan Elgrande, which has to be sold to fund the VW. Plus a 22 yr old Mazda MX-5, which some regard as a classic but I don't think it's quite there yet. However my pride and joy is a 1973 Triumph Stag which is now very tidy but undergoing some rolling restoration work. I also have a 1951 'Little Grey Fergie' tractor and a 1965 Honda CB72 motorbike (in bits).

Harvey

[kevtherev]

Is the engine injected?

[Plasticman]

Trust your stag lump is sorted and running nice, post some pickies up esp the fervor
mm

[lokisdad]

Hi Kevtherev, Yes it is injected.

Harvey

[ghost123uk]

Hi Harvey

I'm going to ask the garage selling it to try and find the engine no. and verify

The engine code that will tell you if it's a 2.1 or a 1.9 is stamped on the case at the bottom of the cylindrical vertical black plastic breather tower, next to the alternator. You usually have to remove years of grime to see it !

1.9 will be DF, DG (most common) or MV
2.1 will be DJ (most common), EY or DH

Any of the above engines can be run with either a Pierburgh carb or VWs fuel injection system, though it is rare to find a 1.9 with injection (except the rare MV type which was fitted with it as O.E.). However, yours started out as a 2.1 and if someone has fitted a 1.9 they may well have fitted the fuel injection to it which came off the original 2.1.

If the engine numbers (not the letter code) has been removed and a "VW" logo stamped in place, that indicates a genuine VW recon unit. Some other recon companies remove the number and stamp a star instead.

A good 2.1 is certainly nicer to drive and keeps up with modern traffic better.

[lokisdad]

Hi Ghost123uk,
That's really good info. Whether I can persuade the seller to find the no. is another matter. He's supposed to be ringing me tomorrow so I'll keep you all posted. I may still be interested if it is a 1.9 as I can consider a swap at a later date.

Harvey

[kevtherev]

What year is the velle?

[lokisdad]

Hi kevtherev, Its 1986

[ghost123uk]

I may still be interested if it is a 1.9 as I can consider a swap at a later date.

Aye, don't be put off by a 1.9. They are OK, it's just the 2.1 is a bit better for obvious reasons. The condition of the motor is more important than it's cc imho. Make sure there are no signs of coolant leaks around the cylinder head to crankcase rubber seals, the only trouble here though is the lower half of those big seals is hidden by the metal pushrod protection plate and those cannot easily be removed as that involves removing exhaust stud nuts and that can be fraught with breakage issues. Best to examine what you can see of the seals for dampness or furry deposits (caused by the antifreeze) and then look for any dampness around the inside edges of those pushrod protection plates, the edges nearest the centre line of the engine.

Also look inside the coolant expansion tank. This is the white one at the far left of the engine bay (not the one behind the number plate flap, which should be about half full when cold). The one on the left, with a "Dalek" shaped cap should be full to the brim with clean looking pink coolant (unless some one has used blue antifreeze, which is not correct but not the end of the world). When removing that "Dalek" cap you have to take the thin pipe off it and don't use the stub pipe as a lever to unscrew it, they easily break off if you do that. Look ant the coolant and the inside of the cap for any specs of what look like either coppery or silvery bits. If present it indicates someone has resorted to using radiator sealer stuff and that might indicate coolant leaks from either engine (bad) or radiator (easy fix = new one ~£120).

This thread has only talked about the engine so far and it is worth noting that the condition of the body work is much more important as fixing that will cost a whole lot more than an engine. Check for rust and/or "bodging up" the following places (and any other places !):-

all the bodywork seams, especially the lower horizontal centre ones and the rear quarter ones.
The area around the lower corners of the windscreen
The area where the roof joins the main body
The area around the footwells
The area around the filler cap
The area around the lower corners of the rear side windows
The area around the lower seat belt mounts, the area around the rear jacking point/trailing arm pivot
The area around the insides of the big "voids" at the rear corners. They VERY often rust there and owners often don't notice. It can be a price haggling point for you but is actually not a big job to get fixed.

Have you spotted our "wiki" yet, link to it found near the top left of every page on here and here = https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Main_Page" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[lokisdad]

Hi Ghost123uk,
Thanks for all that info - very useful. I was able to get this vehicle up on a lift and have a really good look at it. I didn't notice any water leak problems but if I view it again I will double check. The bodywork and underside looked in remarkably good condition. The folder of receipts with the car indicate that a lot of work has been done on the body over a period of time and although it has had a recent respray, the underside has not been fettled to make it look good - so I'm fairly happy in that respect. The engine and gearbox does give me some cause for concern, although I'm quite capable of fixing engine problems. The gearbox I would always give to a specialist. The engine sounded OK but I think the fuel injection system probably wants a bit of attention. It didn't misfire but it didn't rev cleanly - might just be timing. However the oil warning lamp and buzzer sounded when I drove it. I managed to find info on this forum and links to the Vanagon sight explaining the problems so I will obviously tell the garage the the engine is worn out and hope for a serious reduction in price! and pray that it is a wiring problem( I can dream!)
I had seen the Wiki page but not read much of it yet. I'll study it tonight.

Thanks again for all your responses to date.
Harvey

PS Metalmick8y - Yes the Stag engine is OK. Not perfect but acceptable and sounds fantastic - V8's always do. I'll post some pics when I can work out how to.

[kevtherev]

I'll post some pics when I can work out how to.

Use Photobucket.com
Easy enough.

The oil light and buzzer would be a real concern to me, as you say it may just be electrical but a 2.1 used engine is £700 or so. From Elite VW it's £1000 with a warranty
I wouldn't be putting a 1.9 back in, and I'd be looking to replace the current one ASAP.
The injectors can be refurbished.
We have a gearbox specialist on this forum.