Club 80-90 Forums

Hi guys,

I bought a 1985 T25 camper van back in June with the intention of using it a few times and selling it on but I have come to like it so much I am now going to keep it.

I've had it out the last four weekends, normally just short journeys of no more than 400km but already I am getting tired of its lack of power.

I'm not wanting it to perform like my car does but it would be nice to get up and over hills without slowing everyone else down and leaving a cloud of black smoke behind me.

So my question is this- what is the easiest and cheapest way for me to get a bit more go into my camper?
I'm just looking for an engine that will let me keep up with traffic and tackle hills without struggling.

Any suggestions or information would be greatly appreciated.

Alan,

Dublin, Ireland.

petrol or diesel?

Thats a tricky one- I have bought the camper with a 1.6 diesel engine installed but the paper work for the van came through and said it should be a 1.6 petrol.

I don't mind which I go with next, as long as it is cheap and easy to do.

cruising_r32 wrote:Thats a tricky one- I have bought the camper with a 1.6 diesel engine installed but the paper work for the van came through and said it should be a 1.6 petrol.

I don't mind which I go with next, as long as it is cheap and easy to do.

Maybe you should have a look at the engine before filling up!! MAy make a difference to the power and smoke!!

ninja.turtle007 wrote:Maybe you should have a look at the engine before filling up!! MAy make a difference to the power and smoke!!

Funny, but if it is a petrol engine and I was told wrongly, it has somehow managed to drive about 2000km on the wrong fuel....
The smoke only really shows when first started (grey'ish smoke) and when you try make it accelerate hard (black smoke).

look in this section of the forum..theres loads of conversion topics from a 1.6 d ..just a few topics down is big daves which is from a 1.7 but more or less the same thing
the cheapest one to do, depending on how much you pay for the engine ,is the 1y

Thanks Waldore, I've used the search button and have been reading for hours but coming from a turbo charged jap back ground I've got a steep learning curve ahead of me and just wanted some straight answers.

Do you know if anyone has ever taken the time to draw up a chart comparing the different engines that will fit into a T25?

Engine code, engine cc, engine fuel, torque, bhp, mpg etc ??

you might find the answers you need on the brickyard.im not clued up with all the engines and hp n stuff..i just know my 1y (1.9 n/a)cost me 150 quid off ebay and i spent about 20 quid on brickwerks for some parts to make it work..and its not the fastest thing on the road but its not embarrasing anymore like the 1.6 n/a was.
the 1y for you would be the cheapest and simplest alternative IMHO
oh..and i get around 35 to the gallon

this is a good starting block...
http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/VehicleSpec ... diesel.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's a pretty useful website, thank you.

Holy crap- I knew my engine was under powered but 54bhp from a 1.6
My old Honda CRX had 105bhp from a 1.5 n/a

Would I be right in saying that the 1V (1.6T 80bhp) would be an easier conversion as it does not require the SDi, Fly by wire, ECU etc that the 1Y (1.9 64bhp) engine needs?

every conversion with the 1y i have seen on here hasnt been fly-by-wire.dont know if anyone else knows more ?
just type into the search on here ' 1y engine ' while in alt engines forum and you will see all the threads about it

also with the 1v you would need stuff from a turbo diesel engine t25 to make the conversion,as you have an n/a its gonna get costly

Do you know if anyone has ever taken the time to draw up a chart comparing the different engines that will fit into a T25?

there's some good stuff in the wiki about different engines.
Would be a good idea, especially if it included stuff like approximate cost and man hours.

An alternative to the 1Y engine is the AEF (64BHP 1.9n/A diesel out of a Polo for example) That's what I did and we think it's great, even with the standard gearbox. It won't give you any more top speed but much better performance. If you go for a turbo engine you'll have to change the gearbox too, along with a load of other work.

The AEF is almost the same engine as a 1Y but has a different injection pump (some folks on here will slag them off....take no notice!). They are cheap and easily found.

There is a complete guide to the AEF transplant on the brickyard. It's almost a straight swap, but with some fiddling. You would have to do most of the fiddling to fit a 1Y anyway.

They are great as long as you keep it standard, and don't want to add a turbo or run it on chip fat.

Mine was a 1.7D KY and struggled on hills, always with my hand on the gearstick. Fitted a 1.9 1Y and it is a very worthwhile change. Sounds a lot quieter and returns 35mpg plus. With the 1.7 I didn,t mind cruising at 50mph BUT the four miles of traffic behind me did !

peteabbott wrote:With the 1.7 I didn,t mind cruising at 50mph BUT the four miles of traffic behind me did !

yep that is how I feel.