Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all,

I have a 1.9 petrol T25 1989 watercooled and am having a few problems (i know we all do ) what i would like if you would be kind enough is a recommendation of a general book (not necessarily on the T25 as il get a Haynes) which is a comprehensive and well illustrated on the workings of an engine..........

I am a complete novice and would like to get a good knowledge prior to rolling my sleeves up and attempting a engine re-build
Please bare this in mind when or even if you decide to recommend,

Thank you all

probably the best you can buy..click here

Thanks Rob i will look into it as i have heard it was good, better than Haynes however i have a downloaded version of this and to be honest the diagrams arent that helpful (not sure if this is just the download version?)
Thank you and i will certainly get a copy if it is more clear.....

I teach 14/15/16 year olds to level 2 IMI and the 'bible' as far as I'm concerned is 'The Fundamentals of Motor Vehicle Technoly' by Hilliers.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hilliers-Fundam ... 691&sr=1-1

Martin

Thank you Martin
This sounds like a good starting point for me, much appreciated!

Novice in need wrote:
I am a complete novice and would like to get a good knowledge prior to rolling my sleeves up and attempting a engine re-build

Good grief, practice on a dead engine first, before you perform open heart surgery on your own!

Engine rebuilding is not all about mechanical skill and spanner twirling, it all about preparation and parts.

remember.. A heart surgeon does not start an operation unless the new heart is ready, his operating room and team are ready

Well said Kev ... i certainly wont be attempting anything so drastic until i feel absolutelly ready to (however i have to start somewhere) hence the reading material request.

Unfortunatelly i think in the future it may become a must do job and as such id like to get a head start just in case. In the past i've had numerous engine gasket failures with an MGF i owned and it cost me a small fortune the car was never the same and those that performed the heart surgery were SUPPOSEDLY professionals.

I would just like to learn so that im prepared inorder to prevent being ripped off by unreputable garages in the future!

Novice in need knows his limitations at present, dont worry im not going to attack it just yet lol

you may want to consider that the bentley manual doesnt cover carburettors, it only deals with fuel injected engines. i believe that all the vans were fuel injected in america...i may be wrong.

also its not the type of book that will give you a step by step guide, it is more a workshop reference manual and not really a diy guide like haynes manuals.
that said it is a fantastic resource if you know what you are looking for, but if you are a beginner then id pop for a haynes manual or similar first and start with basic stuff rather than a rebuild.

i am helping a young lad at the minute get to grips with some basic stuff and he said to me the other day that within a day or so, taking it easy and more importantly not taking advice via loads of different sources...(ie trawling the internet till you get an answer that fit in with what you feel you could manage) he has learned to change a starter motor, gear box, clutch, learned the importance of good electrical connections the basics of how the engine in his van works...more importantly he has seen the engine, he has seen what it looks like while its running well so he is more likely to see or hear problems in the future etc etc etc, so i think you are right about doing stuff yourself, there are lots of simple jobs that are easy to do and this saves you money and is massively rewarding.

we are lucky on this site to have quite a few people who are so experienced that any question that comes up is always answered, and seldom do you hear...just run it into your nearest vw garage.

i spend a deal of time reading the technical section, this way i feel for warned of common problems, it helps you not go into panic mode when something does go wrong. its also helpful if you do call out a recovery service as you may well be able to spot the problem even if you cant fix it.
its unlikely that every recovery bloke has a full working knowledge of a 20+ year old van

daz

Well said dug...

more importantly he has seen the engine, he has seen what it looks like while its running well so he is more likely to see or hear problems in the future etc etc etc, so i think you are right about doing stuff yourself, there are lots of simple jobs that are easy to do and this saves you money and is massively rewarding.

i

spend a deal of time reading the technical section, this way i feel for warned of common problems, it helps you not go into panic mode when something does go wrong. its also helpful if you do call out a recovery service as you may well be able to spot the problem even if you cant fix it.
its unlikely that every recovery bloke has a full working knowledge of a 20+ year old van

I I recently installed a new engine into my camper, I knew the engines history and the fella I bought it off, both trustworthy. When I fited it and started it, I just stared at it for ages.... listening to that wonderful sound of a flat four working properly, A low hum with little knitting needle clicks from the lifters and the gentle whirr of the ancilliaries from an engine barely moving on the mountings, now as dug says if ever this engine sound changes I investigate, diagnose and treat.