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Official GoWesty Engine Feedback Thread
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16CVs Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:43 pm    Post subject: Official GoWesty Engine Feedback Thread Reply with quote

Moderator note: This is the official feedback topic for all GoWesty-built waterboxer engines, including the new 2.7.

I am interested in comments regarding Go Westy's bigger Engines . I am interested to hear ,total miles ,oil leakage and consumption . Reliability and drive-ability issues . As well as cruise ability ,like going over Donner or Grapevine in California .

Have you re geared or changed your Wheel / tire size up or down to make up for increase displacement .

Warranty issues and if you installed it and maintain it your self . I am not interested in Comments about , Subarus ,bostigs and Tdi's ,Volvo or other non Waterboxer VW engines .

I am buying a 2.5 with 50K on the clock and it burns about a quart in 500 miles . Not a deal breaker ,Still runs strong. I just need to get a course of action to get it repaired . The previous owner said the pistons always had piston slap . I talked to Taylor at GW and he said that is normal because of the dis similar metals . Once warmed up it goes away .

I realize that anything other that with anything other than stock there
are always trade offs .

So if you have a GW 2.3/2.4 / 2.5 . Lets talk about them here . Good bad or indifferent .

Save your negative comments for some else's thread . I know a guy who is pulling a TDi and putting a WBX back in so anything is possible .
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Last edited by 16CVs on Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:51 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Vango Conversions
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are a few threads about the larger go westy motors. The search engine on here sucks but you should be able to find it.
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16CVs Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 8:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I tried , it was painful trying to find enough to read . You have to dig through every post to find anything .
Find me a thread that is direct and I would appreciate it .

Stacy
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wildenbeast
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 8:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's some...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6553593

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6535766

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=422689

Instead of using the samba search feature, I typed "site:thesamba.com go westy 2.3" into google to get the links above. Good luck with your research.

Bill
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joseph928
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 8:52 pm    Post subject: GW motor 2.3 Reply with quote

Blue Bay Bus Love my 2.3, talk about it in one of the other posts. But yes bigger tires 215-75-15 and new gears in 3rd and 4th and new RP -617's and locker. Go Westy did the trans. to, 50,000 miles later all is well! Very Happy
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Syncronoid
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 8:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GW2.5 with 13k miles. One year old. Runs like a champ; no problems here. 16" BFG AT wheels. Stock gearing. Usually do 45mph (with a full load) up over Grapevine, Donner, Santiam and Siskiyou Summit. Usually cruise I-5 at 65mph; could do 70mph or more no problem, but what's the hurry.
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Vango Conversions
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Syncronoid, would you care to share your tire size for the original poster? The rim size doesn't affect the rpm but the overall tire size does, I'm sure this would be helpful to her deciding if different gearing or tire sizes would be beneficial. There are lots of tire sizes that fit 16" rims, some are smaller but most are larger than the stock 185r14.
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syncrodoka
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The OP is a he. Wink
Good point on tire size being important not rim size, with tire size the overall diameter can be figured out.
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Syncronoid
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry, 215/70-16.
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Jedi
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

love my GW 2.2L... Cool
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is my GW engine experience. It's a 2.3L

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=358928
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 12:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So what has happened to the present day ? is the van still running ,have you fixed the problem or have you just parked the van ? 2 years is along to have no comments on such a major problem .

Stacy
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 8:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

16CV's wrote:
2.5 with 50K on the clock and it burns about a quart in 500 miles


The oil consumption is pretty high and should require some investigation. Do it so your trip is more pleasant.
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insyncro
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 8:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

2.2, 2.3....maybe 2.4 Laughing
2.5, an oil drinker and now 50k on it....rebuild pending, IMHO.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 2:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

2.3 with about 25,000 km on it. Runs great, lots of power.

One cylinder has wet sparkplug and blue smoke on startup. GoWesty will honour warranty as soon as I get pictures to them of the heat tabs

Gregor
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 2:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Strange that the larger GW engines seem to have oil consumption problems. I bet the previous owner knew what they were doing but if they didn't...

Running a wbx motor with the oil at the max level will cause the oil level to drop down to the 1/2 way point between the full and low marks rather quickly where the consumption usually stops. If they kept the oil topped off that could explain the consumption. If they waited until it gets to the low mark and then they add 1/2 quart and it's still burning a quart every 500 miles, that's a problem.
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So has anyone had theirs apart and done any work on it . Like a valve job or rings or even head gaskets .
These things seem to be so great that no one has had to work on them ,or their warranty is still in place .
I will be tearing into mine in the months to come ,I do not imagine it will be any different then any other WBX .
Hopefully I will just have to source rings and some gaskets sets .

Stacy
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slo356
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 7:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Contact Syncro Safari. I believe he just installed a GW 2.5 approximately within the last 5K miles.

Btw, any engine that has piston slap may be OK, but is a sign of poor tolerancing. It has little to nothing to do with dissimilar metals...think the better manufacturers tolerate it? No way!
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 1:33 pm    Post subject: GW Basher? Try this: Three bad GW Engines in a row. Reply with quote

For anyone considering a GoWesty engine, consider this: I had three of their engines go bad on me after an average 13,500 miles. I'm diligent with maintenance and have the repair record (and $20k+ in bills) to prove it.

First 2.5L lasted 500 miles. Threw a rod. GW blamed a new guy at the engine builder who blocked a lubrication hole in the crankcase. Replaced at GW's expense.

Second 2.5L threw a rod at about 30k miles. Pro-rated warranty coverage applied to purchase of a 2.4L at a 35% discount.

Third 2.4L showed low oil pressure at 10k miles. Teardown revealed a burnt piston from an overheat (a mechanic screwed up a coolant change in Phoenix, AZ), but also: a warped case, cracked crank, and shot bearings. Karmakanix's head mechanic said those engine-totaling problems were likely because it was sold with a warped case to me initially (the way crank saddles were rehoned provided the clue), but the overheat voided the warranty so I was out of luck, even though overheats don't cause these problems.

Lucas, GoWesty's head, had no explanation of how an overheat caused a warped case, shot bearings and a cracked crank. He offered 50% off another engine if I replaced the entire coolant system, but I was done dropping $10,000 every two years with GoWesty by then. You can imagine why.

If GoWesty's claimed crank failure rate of 1% is to be believed, I'm a 1-in-a-million case. They haven't sold anywhere near that many engines yet, so I don't believe it. I think crank failures are an order of magnitude or two more common than what they let on. Class action lawsuit territory to me.

Be warned. Besides, even their strongest engine only get you 125HP. I'd advise *anyone* to look elsewhere.


Last edited by inkysocks on Mon Jul 15, 2013 1:51 pm; edited 3 times in total
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 1:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Three bad GW Engines in a row Reply with quote

inkysocks wrote:
For anyone considering a GoWesty engine, consider this.



Inky ~ when did these engine failures occur / when did you buy the GW engines? 5 years ago or more recently?
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