TheSamba.com :: View topic - Woking on a GEX engine!! Have a Few Questions.

Fri Jul 29, 2005 2:54 pm

Howdy,

I've been working on my friends 81 vanagon westy with a GEX engine. The engine has around 3000 miles but has already required a head to be replaced. A local VW guru put on another GEX head and it hasn't run since.

Yesterday I did a valve adjustment and installed an old progressive carb with a 009 dissy. It fired right up but will not idle at all, I had to keep pumping the gas for it stay running. I could hear a bad compression leak coming from the 3 - 4 side with the newer head but the valves train is super quiet and the engine revs out very smooth. After playing around a bit I put my hand on the intake runner for cylinder #1 and it was very hot. I checked the rest and found #4 to be the same way. Sounds like bad news to me. What could cause this?

Also, the bottom end is in good shape. I know it's a GEX but I think he can get away with new pistons and cylinders and 2 better quality heads. The owner said the last compression check had a cylinder with crazy low compression, like 26psi or something. Hopefully he meant 126 psi but I think all signs are pointing to rebuild. So my question, topend only or tear it all the way down? I beat the hell out of my gex crank and rods for over 80,000 miles. How bad can the cranks, rods and bearings really be?

Fri Jul 29, 2005 4:34 pm

I wouldn't trust it.
They consistently use beat down, worn out, mismatched parts and your case will probably be no exception.
Why waste all the time and effort on the top end with a questionable bottom end?

Fri Jul 29, 2005 4:40 pm

GEX = Bad News

Best to start to gather parts for a good motor. Take the pile to a good place like Rimco for machining. Or take it to a good place (German) that knows them real well. There is a place in Santee, CA called Volkers that will build you an awsome motor with old world attention to detail. You might have to seek a place out that can do a good job for you. Then you stick it in.

Fri Jul 29, 2005 7:01 pm

NEVER USE A 009 DIST ON A VANAGON___________EVER [-X

Fri Jul 29, 2005 7:05 pm

Sat Jul 30, 2005 4:54 am

I'm not letting anyone else touch the engine and avoiding shipping across the country. The owner wants to avoid spending alot of money and I thought a quality top end would be the most economical choice. I examined the camshaft when the heads were off and it didn't have the normal type 4 wear pattern at all and the endplay was good. Does anyone here acually have a real experience with gex? I know they are known low quality and have read all the threads covering peoples opinions. But, like I said in my first post, I bought GEX crank and rods and assembled an engine and never had problems. I guess a bottom end inspection is a good idea but I'll be kicking myself in the ass if everything looks good. The overheating cylinders were caused by vacuum leaks, so I'm still trying to get it to run properley. The 009 is just a spare from my tool box, but it can work fine, even with Kadrons. Installing the dissy at 10* BTDC and setting the timing from there to get proper advance works everytime.

Sat Jul 30, 2005 5:19 am

Wrong advance curve. 009 are for bug motors. keep it in a square port head and see what happens. :agrue:

Sat Jul 30, 2005 5:44 am

I have seen what happens with a square port engine. I agree that a vacuum advance dissy works much better, but the 009 can work if thats all you have around. Anyway, this thread was not intended to be about a 009 dissy. I'm suprised that someone didn't tell me to scrap the progressive. I know all about peoples opinions but I'm just trying to get the engine running to see what we have to work with. So far it's looking pretty bad but I prefer to not tear down just because GEX built it.

I'll let everyone know what I find if I have to go down that road, I'm trying to be optimistic at this point.

Sat Jul 30, 2005 10:17 am

Take your chances by not splitting it and measuring it. How lucky do you feel? You could win. But odds are against you. Good luck.

Sat Jul 30, 2005 12:05 pm

r39o wrote: How lucky do you feel?

I've been asking myself that for a couple days. I still don't know. Luckily my friend just found a 2.0L from a 79 bus in his barn. At least I'll have spare parts to work with if the gex stuff lives up to their reputation.

Sat Jul 30, 2005 1:20 pm

brent lehr wrote: r39o wrote: How lucky do you feel?

I've been asking myself that for a couple days. I still don't know. Luckily my friend just found a 2.0L from a 79 bus in his barn. At least I'll have spare parts to work with if the gex stuff lives up to their reputation.

I'd overhaul the '79 and be done with it. Just check it out and fix what it needs. They're good engines if they haven't been horribly abused... or overhauled by GEX, which is actually the same thing as abuse. :lol: You're far better off doing that than dealing with ANYTHING GEX.