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MayorMcCheese
Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2009
Posts: 758
Location: Lancaster PA
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 Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2025 7:57 am Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| GCsambaman wrote: |
| My recent experience with GoWesty is to recommend "Go Elsewhere". |
Please post your experience |
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Abscate 
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 24043
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2025 11:45 am Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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Your experience
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๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐ ๐ ๐ |
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Ahwahnee
Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2010
Posts: 10242
Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2025 11:50 am Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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In a few months I'll have had 20 years with my GW 2.2 rebuilt.
No business gets it right every time and the higher the volume of products and services the more opportunities there will be for problems. And it's the problems that get talked about.
Reliability is great but doesn't make interesting reading. |
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vanis13
Samba Member
Joined: August 15, 2010
Posts: 4459
Location: ABQ NM USA.... Except when not
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2025 12:20 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| Ahwahnee wrote: |
In a few months I'll have had 20 years with my GW 2.2 rebuilt.
No business gets it right every time and the higher the volume of products and services the more opportunities there will be for problems. And it's the problems that get talked about.
Reliability is great but doesn't make interesting reading. |
True that! Maybe make a " how many years you got in your GW engine?" Thread.... And in the first post, out a link to this topic and ask folks to put faults here so yours is a success thread... And then update your success reach year on install anniversary date!
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83.5 Westy with Subaru 2.5, 4 spd manual, center seat, COLD A/C on 134a!, Winter camp heated with an Espar B4 gasoline furnace
www.SuperVanagon.com - some stuff I make |
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Corwyn
Samba Member
Joined: December 29, 2009
Posts: 2430
Location: Olympia, Washington
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2025 2:43 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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GW 2.45 overheated waiting in line at Mexicali crossing. In park, not under load. No more flat fours . . .
_________________
'90 White Westy ("White Lightning")
FAS Gen V 2.0
The Annual Baja Rally
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604813&highlight=baja
"If anything's" gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"
~ Captain Ron ~ |
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Alaskaberrys
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2016
Posts: 1080
Location: SE Alaska
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2025 5:57 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| Corwyn wrote: |
| GW 2.45 overheated waiting in line at Mexicali crossing. In park, not under load. No more flat fours . . . |
Did you find the root cause of the overheat? Curious if you determined it was something in the 2.45 build that caused this, or would have happened to any of the waterboxer engines - rebuilt or not? They certainly have a low tolerance and timeline for overheat.
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'91 Westfalia, Bordeaux Red Pearl 2.1L 2wd Auto
'91 T3 Syncro Doka, Escorial Green 1.9L TD AAZ โGremianโ (to provoke, irritate, exasperate, vex...) |
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Corwyn
Samba Member
Joined: December 29, 2009
Posts: 2430
Location: Olympia, Washington
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2025 11:09 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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This was back when GW was just boring out the cylinders and putting in bigger pistons, thinning out the cylinder walls. It got so hot the bleed ring melted a hole.
_________________
'90 White Westy ("White Lightning")
FAS Gen V 2.0
The Annual Baja Rally
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604813&highlight=baja
"If anything's" gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"
~ Captain Ron ~ |
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 5766
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2025 6:35 am Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| Alaskaberrys wrote: |
| Did you find the root cause of the overheat? Curious if you determined it was something in the 2.45 build that caused this, or would have happened to any of the waterboxer engines - rebuilt or not? They certainly have a low tolerance and timeline for overheat. |
the Vanagon rear engine/front radiator layout is prone to really high engine compartment temps at idle because there is no air from the radiator removing heat in the engine bay. this can stress plastic parts eg the pressure tank, ignition coil, bleeder ring, etc. only when there is forward motion is the engine bay heat removed.
additionally, it is a good idea when having to idle for a long time to raise the engine RPM. this helps coolant circulation on its torturous path to the front as well as keeps oil pressure but more important oil VOLUME up to facilitate cooling.
it's one advantage of removing the idle control system and being able to set the idle speed at whatever your heart desires, something more than the 850-950 rpms the stabilizer want to hold. i find on my own van, an idle around 1100rpm improves take off response.
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-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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?Waldo?
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2006
Posts: 10077
Location: Where?
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2025 8:34 am Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| Some engine heat flows UP and out the D-pillars when stopped. Obviously not as much as flows DOWN the D-pillars and out the bottom when moving. |
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snoop
Samba Member
Joined: June 22, 2007
Posts: 375
Location: SW Oregon
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2025 1:29 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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19.5 years on a GW 2.4L. The rear main seal sprung a leak during break in so had the van shipped to GW on their dime where they fixed the leak and shipped it back to me, also on their dime. It's run great ever since; "It scoots" per Miles Bounds, owner of The No Name Garage in Eugene, OR. 
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87 Westy Camper |
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skills@eurocarsplus
Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007
Posts: 17871
Location: sticksville, ct.
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2025 4:52 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| DanHoug wrote: |
the Vanagon rear engine/front radiator layout is prone to really high engine compartment temps at idle because there is no air from the radiator removing heat in the engine bay. |
What?!
I literally have to beat the shit out of a vanagon on a 90* day to even get the low speed fan come on. It has never come on at idle for me IF you have a SOUND cooling system
Every year I want to take a hammer to my screen when I see all of these "Woes" threads (like "broke down on vacation woes" or some such thing) because truth is, there is probably about 7 member here that I feel keep their shit tight and right and everyone else...I wouldn't leave the driveway with their van.
anyway, I feel a vanagon engine bay is no better or worse than a front engine layout in terms of underhood temps and if anything at idle you have 2 "chimneys" letting heat escape.
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| gprudenciop wrote: |
my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
| Jake Raby wrote: |
| Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
| Brian wrote: |
| Also the fact that people are agreeing with Skills, it's a turn of events for samba history |
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GoEverywhere
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2020
Posts: 933
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2025 6:01 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| DanHoug wrote: |
it's one advantage of removing the idle control system and being able to set the idle speed at whatever your heart desires, something more than the 850-950 rpms the stabilizer want to hold. i find on my own van, an idle around 1100rpm improves take off response. |
It only improves takeoff response because the idle has already 'partially pushed your gas pedal' for you. You'd get exactly the same throttle response by letting the clutch out a little slower, or pushing your pedal a little more as you take off.
Other than that you're just burning more gas and generating a tiny bit more heat than you need to for no real reason. |
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high-speed wobble
Samba Member
Joined: October 29, 2017
Posts: 91
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2025 6:33 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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Just one data point but my GW2200 is 8 years old with 60k miles, no problems.
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1990 Westfalia, GW2.2, Peloquins TBD |
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khughes
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2013
Posts: 895
Location: Phoenix AZ
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 12:31 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
| Every year I want to take a hammer to my screen when I see all of these "Woes" threads (like "broke down on vacation woes" or some such thing) because truth is, there is probably about 7 member here that I feel keep their shit tight and right and everyone else...I wouldn't leave the driveway with their van. |
Dude, where's your sense of adventure? 
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'86 Westy FAS GenV Turbo (Marvin) |
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skills@eurocarsplus
Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007
Posts: 17871
Location: sticksville, ct.
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 1:23 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| khughes wrote: |
Dude, where's your sense of adventure? |
my time is tight on a good day so mitigating any obvious issues is just good practice.
sure, anything mechanical can and will break at some point but I'm always amazed once I get one of these old girls in there and find original date codes hoses etc still in use, a radiator that weighs 800 pounds etc etc.
and yet when something goes tits up, these are the same people who bitch about the cost of a tow or then ask "how far can I drive it like this"
to your point, some people may make the breakdowns a part of the 'adventure' but the added layer of stress and or logistics of roadside repairs isn't fun to me
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| gprudenciop wrote: |
my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
| Jake Raby wrote: |
| Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
| Brian wrote: |
| Also the fact that people are agreeing with Skills, it's a turn of events for samba history |
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SCM
Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2011
Posts: 3406
Location: Bozeman MT
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 2:56 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
to your point, some people may make the breakdowns a part of the 'adventure' but the added layer of stress and or logistics of roadside repairs isn't fun to me |
Amen.
It seems like there was a period some years ago when new members would voice somewhat unrealistic expectations for taking a new-to-them van on extended trips without much prep or even inspection. Certain other members would suggest that dealing with breakdowns was "all part of the adventure".
Sure, maybe if you're retired. Others of us don't see much adventure in camping in a FLAP's parking lot while our limited vacation days tick away.
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'91 Westfalia GL Automatic (GTA "Turbo" Rebuild w/Peloquin) and 2.3L GoWesty Engine |
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 5766
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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| SCM wrote: |
| It seems like there was a period some years ago when new members would voice somewhat unrealistic expectations for taking a new-to-them van on extended trips without much prep or even inspection. |
ima gonna blame John Muir and that dang book "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" for some of this. with cute, over-simplified drawings plus crescent wrench-and-screwdriver mentality, it appeared easy to keep your VW alive. and it was... in 1969 when the book was published. the VW bug didn't really come in numbers to the US until the 1960's so folk were working on only 10 year old vehicles that were rilly rilly simple. ANYONE could follow his hand drawn wiring diagrams of electrical systems along with mechanical fuel pumps feeding a carb. "VWs are EASY!" sure, "They (the 10 year old ones) run forever" back when VW parts houses were as plentiful as donut shops.
fast forward 5 or 6 decades and a coupla hundred thousand miles later. simple things like engine grounds, rusting fuel tanks with leaking grommets, Chinese parts, and the complexity computer controlled engines have brought "The People's Car [company]" to a precipice. some fall off, never to be seen again. some pull back, learn the dark arts of vehicle maintenance and drive away from the cliff.
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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blyhigh
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2006
Posts: 177
Location: The Beaver State of Mind
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 5:52 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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[quote="SCM"]
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
Sure, maybe if you're retired. Others of us don't see much adventure in camping in a FLAP's parking lot while our limited vacation days tick away. |
Retire. Simple as ...
/s
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'89 Syncro Westy |
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SCM
Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2011
Posts: 3406
Location: Bozeman MT
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 6:05 pm Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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[quote="blyhigh"]
| SCM wrote: |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
Sure, maybe if you're retired. Others of us don't see much adventure in camping in a FLAP's parking lot while our limited vacation days tick away. |
Retire. Simple as ...
/s |
Yeah? Iโm only 50 and have 10 more years on my mortgage. Maybe more importantly I have active lifestyle that kinda demands health insurance. I also like to eat food and travel abroadโฆ
Simple, just quit my career 
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'91 Westfalia GL Automatic (GTA "Turbo" Rebuild w/Peloquin) and 2.3L GoWesty Engine |
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Ben714
Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2024
Posts: 3
Location: Orange County
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2025 11:23 am Post subject: Re: GoWesty engine failure thread collection or tell me your story! |
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GoWesty 2450. Previous owner had it installed, but he didnโt even get to fully break it in before financial hardship forced him to sell.
Iโve put about 20k on it. No issues (related to the engine at least) *except*
-a small oil leak that appeared to be from the pulley seal, which eventually stopped before I could attend to it.
-engine still burns oil even though itโs well past the break in period. Probably goes through an additional 2 quarts +/- between oil changes (3k miles) |
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