VW 1800 AW code engine cylinder head cracked need help.

Many thanks. I fitted 145 mains and 55 idles as recomended by eurocarb when I phoned them. The rest of the jets are as supplied from carbs via JK Asvpurchased. vac for dizzy advance is from rh carb and lh is blanked off. Only balance between them is via the servo feed from metal pipe on the rear bulkhead connected to both carbs. Still waiting for compression test results and hydrocarbon figures from mechnic. Fingers crossed.

 

Well finally had the compression rest done and attached is the figures. Still cant get the hydrocarbons down and finally fitted the RH under-tin so all the tins now in place. Took the van on a 30 mile trip yesterday with town and country roads and temp steady at 110C and got to 120C on a longish stretch. Planning to take it on a longer run next weekend to test motorway stretch before oad trip at end of month. Any comments from the experts on the tuning figures.

 

I think the MOT pass rate for HC is about 100ppm (I think), so you're still way up. When my head was cracked (and my HC were up) I could see petrol pooling and running out of the tail pipe.

Compressions seem a bit low for a rebuilt engine? Would expect 120ish? Someone with more knowledge will be along though I'm sure.

 

135psi for a T4 engine? The numbers point to problems.

 

Leak-down test next.

 

I would be getting someone better to rebuild it properly, however painful that is. It seems like you've had your fingers burnt (twice).

 

Have spoken to heritage and sent pics of the set up as well as the results as posted. The heat indicator is still white and they say its not clear if the engine has overheated and keeep saying same thing repeatedly. Carbs set up, tins, timing etc dispite having told them its been checked several times with a great care and cost including Rolling road tuned . They have agreed to send engine back to ssv but at my cost until proved it a faulty engine. If they say its caused by overheating then no come back And they will bill the repairs if needed and shipping. Would be good to know if anyone had engine problems with heritage ssv supplied engines and warranty outcome?.
Also any recomendations of good trusted vw experts near Luton area would be appriciated.

 

Well latest update is
1. Done 30 miles on town and country roads and temp maxed out at 120c.
2. Done 40 miles each way on sustained motorway speeds of 55 - 60 MPH and 1st run temp maxed out at around 125c on a hot Sat afternoon. Way back in the late evening at cooler temp it stayed steady at 120c.
Am using Morris 30 oil just changed 200 hundred miles ago and going to change to 15W40 for the two week road trip planned for 1st August and stop if temp gets above 120c.
Any ideas as to which oil manufacturer to use ?
Thinking of Ultra triple QX mineral oil as on offer at the moment .
After road trip may take decision to get engine out and fight warranty claim.
Many thanks

 

Any old brand of mineral oil will do.

 

Thanks guys. I'll go ahead and do oil change to 15w40 and go from there.

 

What are you considering making a warranty claim about?
The engine apparently produces much more BHP than it would have done when it was new but the cylinder pressures are so low it would be impossible for the engine to produce 94 BHP – it would be more like 49 BHP.
The oil temperature seems high but how accurate is the gauge?
To me the data just doesn’t make sense. The power is too high but the cylinder pressure is too low. The oil temperature is too high but heat indicator suggests the engine hasn’t overheated.

 

As per the comments of @77 Westy what is the claim for on Heritage?

So proven issues you have:

1) Its running with excessive HC (presumably at idle?) - you have an MOT calibrated probe that has measured this. As an aside, if its subject to an MOT check (post '75) then it would pass at those levels (just). I've had worse!

And issues you may or may not have:

1) It may have low compression, although all you have to prove this is a scrap of paper from a high street type MOT and service centre. This may be spot on, or it might not be. At odds with this is the results of a rolling road giving you good power and comments that it drives well. Engines with low compression don't drive well! I'd get a second opinion on this - ideally by someone who does vw's regularly with a proper screw in tester so you know its done right and you can trust the results. The dyno result from the rolling road is just a direct read out of wheel 'power' whereas the compression test has variables that need controlling by the operator.

2) It might be running hot. Difficult to say as your gauge may be accurate it may not. Have you tried your probe in a saucepan of boiling water? The heat strips used by the engine builders tend to be quite cautious so if its not 'gone off' you're probably not that hot. Have you attempted to use any other test method (IR thermometer, probe down dipstick etc etc to check?)

Some mad ramblings from my head:

a) The only issue Heritage will consider a warranty issue is low compression. How have you run it in? Like a nun? Or with some loading to get the rings to bed in? Is it that low - second opinion?

b) The issue of high HC that can't be bought down, depends what's causing this. It could be running rich (dodgy float valve? excess fuel pressure?), or it could be running lean (lean misfire gives higher HC). Or it could be oil blow by which may be due to your possibly low compression. Is it only idle and just off idle that is running with high HC? Strange as it sounds, has anyone tried upping the idles a size to check its not actually a lean misfire issue? If you tell Heritage it runs with high HC they won't care (not a warranty issue unless you can prove its oil blow by caused by poor compression) but will use it as a reason it isn't their fault (citing bore washing from excess fuel or overheating by bad carb setup).

c) How many miles have you done - is it broken in? Engines do run warmer when 'new'.

d) How is it to drive? If it drives really nicely, there probably isn't much wrong with it. Sick engines don't run well. If it pick up well and can go up hills, and is responsive when you use the loud pedal I'd suggest the compression is probably ok.

e) If you didn't have a temperature gauge, how would you say it was running? Does it smell hot?

f) Do you have any air leaks, which would tend to increase temperature?

g) Is the dizzy timed to a timing mark or maximum advance flat out? May be over advancing if its a new 'generic' type dizzy?

Whilst rebuilt engines can be poorly assembled, it is often their installation and the ancillaries that give rise to issues.

Good luck sorting it all!

 

I have just changed the oil to 15W50 Mineral oil and filter so not running on SAE30 anymore and sealed up all the holes on the cool side with Aluminium tape. Engine runs fine and bus seems to pulling ok so will run as is on the road trip and see how she is .

Got the build run data from heritage and compression at delivery was 115 all cylinders as below so seems a bit low as general consesence seems to be that a good rebuilt engine should be 120 to 135.

 

Sorry the oil chance was 15W40 as finger trouble on previous post.

 

Call me a cynic, but on a test requiring 115psi minimum, all cylinders achieving exactly this number is more than fishy.

 

^^ fishy to say the least - all cylinders EXACTLY the same at the minimum required?

 

Is that ^ correct, or should it be 49 BHP?

 

What we don't see, is that VWH engine building isn't a constant thing. My understanding is engines were outsourced, then outsourced elsewhere, then subbed out, then built in house by possibly a turn-over of builders. What is meant by in house I don't know either. They supply engines.
I have had related to me conversations regarding solutions to tight part fitment, with at least one of these builders, that would cross them off my list.