2.0 Type IV Dilema

[[email protected]]

Ok - here's the deal -

Had my lifters rebuilt in my 2.0 L Type IV for my 78 westy ($250 one in the gallery). Now - mechanics tell me #3 valve seat dropped. ICK. They're telling me heads are $300 plus labor is about $600. Now - does this sound right? Should I try to replace the head myself? What does that entail? What would a used 2.0l head run me? Can I go used? What sucks is I just had the lifters rebuilt - new push tube seals, and the injectors cleaned etc.

IDEAS?
Ryan

[chillz1]

DO NOT just put an old head back on your engine. It will inevitably suffer the same fate as the old one. Dropped seats is a very common problem in type 4 engines. If the engine has not sustained any serious internal damage due to the dropped seat, and if the engine is in good condition otherwise, have the heads rebuilt by a REPUTABLE VW machine shop who knows how to cure this problem. Otherwise you are throwing good money after bad. If you do just put a used head on you are risking a re-occurance of the same problem. If the engine wasn't damaged this time, you are lucky. The picture of a type 4 engine that dropped a seat going 65 down the highway, is not a pretty one, I assure you.

[NeverHadaBeetle]

The cure to this problem is controlling your engine temp. Make certain your oil cooler is clean, your flaps and thermostat are working correctly, foam engine seal is in good shape, and there are no big air gaps in your engine compartment. You have to fix the cooling problem or you will continue to have overheating, dropped seats, and cracked heads. I can't say enough about a simple VDO oil temp gauge that costs $75 and is easy to install. It will save you the $75 many times over by not overheating your engine and causing expensive damage. Good used heads are out there, but you should make certain they have been disassembled and checked for wear limits before you install them. I have sold a lot of used heads for around $100 each and many of them were much much better than a lot of the rebuilt crap I have seen. Good luck and keep that engine running cool.

[[email protected]]

Never fear -

We here in AZ are well aware of the need to keep the engine cool. I had a brand new compartment foam put in, and has the oil cooler checked. The seat probably dropped because of the engine sitting for over 6 years without being turned over. Maybe longer. Or - the seat could have dropped before it was parked, but undetected (owner not THAT mechanicaly savy). Reguardless, am contemplating pulling the engine to do this. Dunno yet, will look at it this weekend.

Ryan

[chillz1]

It's not overly likely that the seat dropped while sitting. I'm more apt to think it's dropping is the reason the bus was sitting to begin with. These engines (particularly late 70's busses) are notorious for dropping seats. Pull it out, tear it down and have a look. If nothing else was damaged, have the heads rebuilt by a COMPETENT rebuilder who is farmiliar with type 4 cylinder head problems. You may want to freshen the old girl up with some new gaskets along with new rings and rod inserts. As it is your bus, it is entirely up to you, but personally I would freshen the whole engine while it was out. Checking the camshaft would be worthwhile as well, as the type 4 was also known to have occasional problems in that area. Sounds like it will make a good 'ole bus with a little bit of $$$ and some elbow grease.

[chillz1]

"I have sold a lot of used heads for around $100 each and many of them were much much better than a lot of the rebuilt crap I have seen...."

While that may be true, the inherent flaw of OEM type 4 cylinder heads, is that the valve seat material was not of good quality. This coupled with a poor interference fit between the aluminum head and the valve seat caused this dropping issue. Particularly in an engine that is lugged/run warm, which is inevitable in the heavy bay window type 2. Lots of Porsche 914's and VW 411/412's are still running on their original cylinder heads because they are far lighter and do not see the excessive load that the bay window bus does. Even if I owned one of those cars, I would still have the heads overhauled. I don't like tempting a VERY expensive fate.