Club 80-90 Forums

Probably been covered, i havent seen it yet so if someone can point me in the right direction...

What is best... 2.0 Aircooled van or 1.9 watercooled. Pros and Cons of each?

Yep, endlessly. Heres one:

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.p ... &p=8016448" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Try searching for "Aircooled or watercooled" or similar.

Parts for Aircooled often harder to find - cold vehicles unless you spend a fortune on decent heat exchangers or a Propex. I cut my teeth on Aircooled 25-30 years ago and apart from Beetle engines, they're more expensive to fix. Watercooled vehicle has a rad and pipes so more choice on donor engines.

damn it! i flicked through the wiki and searched for it on the forum i used "WBX and Aircooled though", I assumed it must have got archived! Sorry!

Nah, its ok. This one surfaces now and again.

I'm a big fan of the Aircooled engine (basic bug lump). Its an ingenious, simple and reliable design that could almost have been drawn by a child. Work of art. Its biggest drawback in a van (Type 2) was the fan housing as it stuck up and made it difficult for VW to sell their vehicles in the commercial sector. The sliding door became essential. They produced a flattened aircooed version of the engine - used in the T25 but within 2-3 years of production they had moved to an adapted bug engine with holes for the water cooling (the WBX). It wasn't perfect by any means (think of those head studs in water) but it had more poke and could pull more weight. It also kept the driver warm.

It still made rear-loading a bit of bind though and thats why they had to give in, and fit the engine in the front to compete with the rest.

Both Aircooled and WBX engines are agricultural by modern standards. They are not cheap to run. Personally I wouldn't want to own an Aircooled now - at least not the 2.0. and to be honest I think Aircooled engines have had their day, even if there are still enthusiasts (including me). The price of parts is just ridiculous given the little you get back. Some pieces are obsolete now. They're brilliant when in good order but a money pit when they're not. The 2.0 is also a pig to get to anything.

When my 1.9DG lump goes, I'm fitting something more efficient and cheap/easy to service. I don't want a power horse. Sadly VW lost that aspect over time and we've moved on a good deal.

Now I'm a daily driver. My Caravelle is my ONLY transport so it has to be running. By and large it hasn't let me down in a catastrophic way and I'm thankful for that at least. I've watched friends and family go through 10 or more vehicles and mine is still going. They'll be cooing over their latest purchase, like they did with the other nine but when you add up everything they've spent, it far exceeds what mine has cost me - even including my poor MPG. Swings and roundabouts perhaps.

Unfortunately I'm at the point where my engine has given up, or certainly on its way. Is my daily driver also. It has water marks around the head, and oil seal gone. The body work has seen better days too http://s258.photobucket.com/user/joshs1 ... t=3&page=1 I think I will keep her going till death, but I would also like to restore it.

I am thinking about buying a new van I wasn't sure whether to go WBX or Aircooled. I wouldn't mind doing a engine switch on mine if I can get the bodywork sorted, but at the moment it is getting closer to being cheaper to buy a better van. Hence the question.

What engine would you transplant in?

Still haven't made my mind up over the last five years. Definately not a Scooby but can see the attraction. Something far more workhorse. Alternative engines threads have plenty of suggestions.

If the choice is 1.9 wbx or 2.0 a/c then defo the wbx. But the better answer would be neither.
If you're going to stick with flat 4 petrol then a good 2.1 dj running on lpg is the best by far.
If you want to expand the choice further, you could buy a cheap 1.6D and put a 2.0 8V GTI engine in, then lpg that. You'll never want to drive another Aircooled again!

ajsimmo wrote:If the choice is 1.9 wbx or 2.0 a/c then defo the wbx. But the better answer would be neither.
If you're going to stick with flat 4 petrol then a good 2.1 dj running on lpg is the best by far.
If you want to expand the choice further, you could buy a cheap 1.6D and put a 2.0 8V GTI engine in, then lpg that. You'll never want to drive another Aircooled again!

why a 1.6D? Gearbox?

Because the Golf GTI AGG engine fits the same way as a diesel engine in a T25. You need the diesel bell housing, input shaft and starter on the gearbox, and diesel flywheel, clutch, engine mounts, sump, exhaust etc etc
I only said D rather than TD because of the sump being a better match, and a naturally aspirated diesel (CS/KY) is often cheaper than a Turbo (JX).
So if you're buying a van just to convert to GTI, buy a diesel.

ok cool! Worth bearing in mind then. thanks

ajsimmo wrote: If you're going to stick with flat 4 petrol then a good 2.1 dj running on lpg is the best by far.

Is almost the right answer for me...but if you could LPG a 2.1 running on DRLA delorto carbs.. I would have that


oops I just let a bit of wee out

So not the way to go https://www.facebook.com/ABSSalvage/pho ... =3&theater For those not on FB: 2.5 Audi tdi

It might solve my rust problem if I worked out how to put it in?