Club 80-90 Forums

About 3 years ago I went through a huge process of considering various replacement engines for my '87 Syncro (Subaru, TDI etc) and in the end kept the faith with a replacement wbx from Elite VW This engine went kaput almost immediately and Elite (to their credit) replaced it under warranty with no qualms.

Now, only 35,000 miles down the road it has problems with steaming when cold and evidence of oil in the coolant (oddly, no sign of coolant in the oil). So I'm now thinking it needs to be replaced AGAIN.

My question is, where would you go to get the very best-built Wassserboxer? I believe the quality of the build is the most crucial thing for reliability of these engines

Ten cent engines are reportedly the very best, but he lives in the colonies.
On here there are a few engine builders
asjimmo
Silver bullet
To name a couple of trusted traders

I wouldn't buy a reconditioned engine of any company that does not provide a build sheet.

Yes, I noted that Aidan provided a comprehensive sheet with my gearbox rebuild but there was no such document with the Elite engine.

Hi no experience of them but there is a feature in the October issue of Camper & Bus mag for "The VW Engine Company" the feature reads well and if they live up to the article would be a safe bet. Been going since 1980 with long term staff and all machining done in house everything crack tested etc. http://www.thevwenginecompany.com

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=142235" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I went down the route of looking at engine rebuilders and came to the conclusion that I'd go with the campervan shack in Grantham. Luckily I didn't get my engine rebuilt, mostly down to the honesty of the owner.

They are not cheap, they do the job properly, which in my view is worth paying for.

Thanks for the input guys - all very interesting.

Itchyfeet - thats an interesting thread. The idea of an "ultimate" WBX is a seductive one. Perhaps I could patch this engine up to make it serviceable for a while and get silver bullet to build me a monster WBX. It would all depend on budget.. as always.

You asked for the very best I assumed you had a budget for it

Perhaps you shold have asked what can I get for your budget?
I think the 2.5 would be closer to 5K by the time VAT is added but its a bit of a guess, price on application I think.

Trundler wrote: Now, only 35,000 miles down the road it has problems with steaming when cold and evidence of oil in the coolant (oddly, no sign of coolant in the oil).

Hi Trundler
You might not have to write that engine off just yet. Have the oil cooler checked out first, as the symptoms you describe are typical of a failed unit. (If it were cylinder bottom seal, for example, you would, more likely, have coolant in the oil but not oil in the coolant.)
I hope you get sorted as easily as that, but if not we would be happy to help with anything from a repair to a full rebuild as required. (But not 'til next year now, as we're fully booked for engines!).
Andrew

Sent from my SM-T210 using Tapatalk

The oil cooler was new at the same time as the engine but I will check on that, thanks.

itchyfeet wrote:You asked for the very best I assumed you had a budget for it

Perhaps you shold have asked what can I get for your budget?
I think the 2.5 would be closer to 5K by the time VAT is added but its a bit of a guess, price on application I think.

I think only a fool has an unlimited budget...

Trundler wrote:

itchyfeet wrote:You asked for the very best I assumed you had a budget for it

Perhaps you shold have asked what can I get for your budget?
I think the 2.5 would be closer to 5K by the time VAT is added but its a bit of a guess, price on application I think.

I think only a fool has an unlimited budget...

There are a lot of fools on here then
Including me.

[/quote]
There are a lot of fools on here then
Including me.[/quote]
So you'll have a Porsche 911 engine in yours then. Latest watercooled 3.8 with Vario Cam of course.

Ian is building a 2.5 wbx for me at the moment, it's not a cheap option....

philyoung wrote:Ian is building a 2.5 wbx for me at the moment, it's not a cheap option....

He didn't ask for cheap he asked for the very best
Go on give us a clue on cost?