Just looked at a Westfalia this evening. My wife and I were
originally planning on spending around CAD$8000 (USD$5000) on a
Vanagon and then doing a motor swap but came across a '92 Eurovan
Westy for CAD$19,000 (USD$11,875) tonight. It was in immaculate
condition and has 185,000km (115,000 mi) on it.
Every looked good except the motor (Audi 2.5L) made a kind of a
ticking noise. It wasn't exactly a tick sound but similar...maybe a
small exhaust header leak...or maybe it was normal, I'm not sure.
When it first started up, the motor sounded a bit noisy (remotely
similar to a diesel) but smoothed out with 1 or 2 seconds. Now, I've
heard that '93 EVs had a piston slap problem and I am wondering if
that's what I heard on this '92. Opinions?
If it is a piston slap problem, would VW provide a cheap replacement
motor if I'm the 2nd or 3rd owner? Ok, stop laughing, it was worth a
shot.
Is the piston slap problem serious or just an annoyance? Some Jeep
4.0L motors had the same problem but it wasn't supposed to adversely
affect the motor's lifespan (although I've been skeptical).
Anything else I need to watch out for? I might have another look at
it tomorrow in the daylight.
Oh, I do all the work on my wife's Subaru and my Jeep YJ. They're
both really easy to work on. The EV's engine compartment looked very
crowded. Anyone have opinions on that? Is it a real bear to work
with?
When does the timing belt need to be changed and how ugly is the
job? What about the water pump?
One more question: how many miles or km can I expect to get from the
2.5L motor? Has anyone swapped in a VR6? How difficult was the job?
Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my newbie questions.
...lars
