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theadventureneverends Samba Member
Joined: December 24, 2009 Posts: 585 Location: Gig Harbor WA
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 6:20 pm Post subject: Someone has to have a GoWesty 2.3 |
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Aloha
If you do can you let me know if you are satisfied....... please? Increased power, performance, reliability. Treated well?
Going in a 91 Syncro Westfalia with Chris's (Tencentlife) exhaust hopefully.
Thank you
John |
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shorepig Samba Member
Joined: November 30, 2005 Posts: 515 Location: Vancouver, B.C.
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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I have a 2.3L from gowesty. I'm actually on my second motor and it has had its pistons and cylinders replaced. My experience has been terrible. Here are some details:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=358928&highlight=motor+problems
PM me if you would like some details. I could go on for hours. _________________ 85 Westy
92 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 4x4 V6
74 Honda CB500T cafe racer
2013 ktm 690r
Sector nine pintail |
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Mikeyb Samba Member
Joined: April 02, 2007 Posts: 133 Location: Arcadia, CA
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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You can also talk to "Little Hobbit Bastard" (Robert). He and I just has a conversation last weekend about his and he seems to be really happy with it. _________________ '82 1.9 TD Westy (Tortuga Veloce)
2014 Honda Pilot
2021 VW Atlas |
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ProvoCyclist Samba Member
Joined: December 07, 2004 Posts: 593 Location: Murray, Utah
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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Hey John, Im not gonna say either way about GW motors, though ive had my own experiences with one.
I will say: why not get one of tencent's motors to go with his exhaust? _________________ Clark
Current: 1986 Tintop GL 2wd, stock 2.1L, manual trans, Flash Silver LP7Y.
Past: 1985 Sunroof GL, 2wd, Subaru 3.3L, manual trans, resprayed to Diamond Silver L97A |
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theadventureneverends Samba Member
Joined: December 24, 2009 Posts: 585 Location: Gig Harbor WA
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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ProvoCyclist wrote: |
Hey John, Im not gonna say either way about GW motors, though ive had my own experiences with one.
I will say: why not get one of tencent's motors to go with his exhaust? |
Tencent is swamped until January if I was lucky . I really need any and all feedback on Gowesty 2.2-2.3. You know when you are just plain beat and tired and have been for a while. You have not surfed in a year. Your stocked with REI gear but it is dusty and you really could use 3 days next to a campfire with your wife and some friends. Have you ever just about reached your breaking point. In the middle of a remodel and a move to the city big city Seattle, and have no idea which area to choose because there is traffic in every direction and while you are driving in that traffic you are thankful you have AAA plus because you are wondering if a rod is about to blow through the case. After way too many years driving down every alley I saw and looking behind every barn for the elusive split window. I got tired of wrenching on old buses and switched to Toyota's. But the fever is hard to lose and the Westfalia is one of the neatest vehicles I have ever seen combine that with a Syncro and the possibilities are endless. It took me 8 years of asking the original owner to sell it and we are ready to enjoy it. I have put my time in on it falling asleep on the garage floor too many evenings. I have put our savings into it and now a huge chunk is about to be spent. Pop that top in the middle of nowhere see my wife smile and be sitting next to a fire will make it all worth it.
I just do not think I have it in me to pull that motor and put a rebuilt one in and have significant issues. I am getting mixed feedback about the GW rebuilds and actually not as much feedback as I was hoping for from the company that I imagine has the most rebuilt 2.2-2.3 wbxs out there. There has to be hundreds of people on here with a GoWesty motor. I am not looking for slander just facts to make the best decision I can. Time and patience are thin right now we have gone through the entire Westfalia and I am ready for the big one ( the engine) and then a chance to enjoy it.
Any feedback on the Gowesty engine is greatly and deeply appreciated.
If you have a GoWesty motor please tell me about it. If it was a bad experience there is no need to slam them here they do provide a great service to all of us. PM please. I do understand a lot depends on the owner but there should be a common trend that leans one way or the other. Did they take care of you on your core charge? Did the engine work and last like a $4500 dollar engine should if it did not was the warranty easy to deal with?
Thank you for those that have posted and all your time
John |
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randywebb Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2005 Posts: 3815 Location: Greater Metropolitan Nimrod, Orygun
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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no history, but I'd be concerned about how well a higher compression motor will handle the fuel mixes of the future, esp. if Seattle has air quality regs in place.
I am thinking specifically about higher EtOH levels and various additives. _________________ 1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans. |
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RCWesty Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2007 Posts: 182 Location: Reno NV
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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I recently sold my 2.3 2wd westy after about 10K miles on that engine w/ transaxle rebuild. I completely loved the improved torque and hp over the sierra passes and interstate. The difference is very noticeable over the 2.1. I've thought about replacing my syncro 2.1 engine with a 2.4 gw engine when the time comes only because the added weight.
You do have to use higher octane and I would assume the reg changes to the fuel mixture requirements will have limited impact on the longevity of the engine.
I was treated very well at GW. They do know what they are doing and I felt more confident about driving it after the break in period.
I would recommend you replace all the other miscellaneous items that tend to fail during the time of the install. _________________ 89 Burgundy Westy (sold)
90 Blue Syncro Westy |
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isyncro Samba Member
Joined: February 05, 2008 Posts: 10 Location: Salt Lake City
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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We blew the stock 2.1 WBX in our 1986 Syncro weekender almost 2 years ago. Replaced it with a GW 2.3 and have no complaints, no issues. They pulled the old one, transferred the essentials and installed the new one. Again, no issues and she's a daily driver, great snow vehicle and cruised at 75 to Reno from SLC in 7:15 last weekend. Not a rocket by any means and still need to downshift on steep hills and creep up the Cottonwood canyons in 2nd, but we're also running 15" BFGs.
So I've been very happy with the new motor from a reliability and modest power improvement POV. Honestly, if I had to do it all over I might try a subaru engine or something with more power. But after this positive experience, I'm probably 50/50 on a different solution.
The whole deal was $$$$$pendy, but worth it for the piece of mind, ultimately and that's why I went with GW, despite the horror stories.
FWIW, since this big work, we've also had to rebuild the tranny (earlier this spring) and though Daryl at AA was great, this was not a cheap fix either. So it goes with keeping an old cool vehicle on the road...
Let me know if you have other specific questions.
Good luck! Adam |
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GWTWTLW Samba Member
Joined: April 22, 2008 Posts: 2174 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 6:53 pm Post subject: |
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I have a 2.5 and so far have been very happy with it. It is in it's second van and so far no issues at all. I've only put about 10k on it. The extra power is very nice especially with the syncro and larger wheels. My experiences with GoWesty have all been positive. They have always treated me very well. I feel like they went way beyond the call of duty when I had my accident.
Having said that, if I were in the market for an engine now, I would go with a $0.10. My dealings with him have been outstanding and his products are top notch. When I bought my GW engine, I was brand new to TheSamba and didn't know any better. _________________ 89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw |
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dredward Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2007 Posts: 1081
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 7:41 pm Post subject: go 1.8t if ya can swing it... |
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For $4500-5000ish i was able to swap in a 1.8t. Honestly I never considered any form of the water boxer. While i got a great deal on donar hardware(1k for everything needed from the donar car) i'd of paid 2-3x this to do what i did. There is no way antone can convince me that the dated technology of the water boxer will ever compar to the modern tach of a 1.8t. I have well over double the original hp. of water boxer, better fuel economy, and depenability. Of course there are those have gone the suby route as well. No one can boast the hp, power, clean burning, and depenabilty htat the 1.8t has. The best thing is if 200-240hp 250+ torque isn't enough you can ungrade with bolt ons that will net you 250-300hp with stock like driveability. Aside from a porsche swap no one can claim these kind of #'s and the porsche will not have as good a fuel economy....I figured whe i did this i wana only do it once. Talk to anyone who's done this swap and all you'll find is satisfied customers..... I can't say the same for any other swap or rebuild "." |
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tencentlife Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2006 Posts: 10067 Location: Abiquiu, NM, USA
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 10:18 am Post subject: |
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YAECT. _________________ Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/
Please don't PM here, I will not reply.
Experience is kryptonite to doctrine. |
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aswah Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2007 Posts: 907 Location: PDX
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 10:39 am Post subject: what? |
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Quote: |
There has to be hundreds of people on here with a GoWesty motor. I am not looking for slander just facts to make the best decision I can. Time and patience are thin right now we have gone through the entire Westfalia and I am ready for the big one ( the engine) and then a chance to enjoy it.
Any feedback on the Gowesty engine is greatly and deeply appreciated.
If you have a GoWesty motor please tell me about it. If it was a bad experience there is no need to slam them here they do provide a great service to all of us. PM please. I do understand a lot depends on the owner but there should be a common trend that leans one way or the other. Did they take care of you on your core charge? Did the engine work and last like a $4500 dollar engine should if it did not was the warranty easy to deal with? |
I seriously do not understand your point of view. I have posted a million times about GW. So what you are saying is you only want to hear the good stuff about a major purchase but you do not want to hear about the bad? GW definately supplies a much needed nitch to the VDUB community and many thanks to them for that. BUT, at best, their motors are questionable. When I bought my 2.4 from them three years ago I also wanted to research the merits as (a) i am not a millionaire so a 10,000 dollar investment (motor plus all the related fixes they tell you to get to warranty the motor...) Maybe my cost was higher becuase my bus needed work but none the less it needed the stuff; (b) was this the best choice for me? I am not a mechanic so most of the technical stuff is gibberish to me.
At the time I bought my motor Lucas proclaimed that only one motor out of 1,000's had ever had a problem and he quickly fixed it at no cost to the owner. I had read about other motors, talked to several vdub mechanics and everyone felt Lucas's motor was the most tried... so I bought it. At 11,000 miles in the middle of a long trip my bus broke the crankshaft. In the end it cost me a lot of money, a hell of a lot of grief. The new motor leaked oil like a sieve to which I took and got fixed elsewhere without warranty. It just wasn't worth dealing with GW over this. Since I had my problem I have come to see quite a few other people have problems with the same issues as Shorepig, me and others. A couple incidents have been well over-argued on these pages. I have friends that have had no issues at all. But you will not know which situation you are in till you get one. Now maybe money is no issue in your life and the fact that you have gone thru everything and are ready for that last big purchase to complete your ride. But how much would it suck to end up with shorepig's experience?
You can take this as slamming GW if you want. I take it offering you another view of the possibilities. For the record, I still talk with some of the folks at GW. Chris has been nothing but super and kind to me every single time I have called, stopped in or emailed. When I have bought things like: springs, rubber mats, second batteries, steel bumpers, etc from them their customer service was nothing but perfect. I have mixed feelings about their mechanical work and had better success with people like Karl Mullendore, Fredat Mechanical Advantage in Connecticut, Eli in Arcata at German Motors, Trevor in Fort Bragg, CA and Peterson Motors in Port Angeles. All those guys have been better, faster and cheaper.
My customer service issues pertaining strickly to the motor has been perfect in the purchase phase... the money given back because of core was fast and timely... very professional big thumbs UP. The help when the motor died was horrid. I was made to feel like I did something wrong and was neglegent in my up keep of my bus. I come from a hospitality background and NEVER in my professional career would I ever say the customer was wrong till I proved beyond a doubt that they were. This is probably why I suspect that Lucas takes SO much heat over his motors. Well that and the fact that they sell 120,000 buses. It was a constant uphill fight that did not end till after I finally got my bus back from GW.
Now, my engine does not leak, I like the power. Fred at Mechanical Advantage was super impressed by the power. I have been super happy with it since. I have taken many many long ass trips with super great results. If I had a chance to do it again would I? absolutely not. I would go the Zetec route, subaru route or a TDI for sure without blinking my eye. Will I continue to shop at GW for other things? HELL YES... do I reccomend them to others for "other things" hell yes! Do I stop in when I am within 100 miles of their store... hell yes!
Francois a.k.a. ASWAH _________________ WIT WA DA DA (Peace and Unity)
Aswah, Lisa, Beaumont and Loose Lucy Too!
1989 Westy
2013 Jetta Sportswagon TDI |
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aswah Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2007 Posts: 907 Location: PDX
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 10:44 am Post subject: ten cent |
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or Ten Cents motor... and actually Going Down the Road where the Water tastes like Wine summed it up perfectly:
Quote: |
Having said that, if I were in the market for an engine now, I would go with a $0.10. My dealings with him have been outstanding and his products are top notch. When I bought my GW engine, I was brand new to TheSamba and didn't know any better. |
_________________ WIT WA DA DA (Peace and Unity)
Aswah, Lisa, Beaumont and Loose Lucy Too!
1989 Westy
2013 Jetta Sportswagon TDI |
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theadventureneverends Samba Member
Joined: December 24, 2009 Posts: 585 Location: Gig Harbor WA
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 3:31 pm Post subject: Re: what? |
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[quote="aswah"]
Quote: |
I seriously do not understand your point of view. I have posted a million times about GW. So what you are saying is you only want to hear the good stuff about a major purchase but you do not want to hear about the bad? GW definitely supplies a much needed nitch to the VDUB community and many thanks to them for that. BUT, at best, their motors are questionable.
Francois a.k.a. ASWAH |
Aloha ASWAH
Thank you very much for your input and suggestions I appreciate it. For "my point of view" I guess I did not make it very clear in my second post that I DO want to hear old or recent negatives about GW engines and service. I just was hoping to be PM'd about the negative. I have read the horror stories on here. I was and am just trying to get the best feedback as possible about their current rebuilds and customer service. The reason I asked to be PM'd about the negative is because I did not want to be the guy who started another post on a negative vibe. From what I have read they probably really caused a lot of serious grief for people on the flip-side I imagine they have made some people fairly happy. I was and am looking to see if they are building a better motor now.
I guess it is not fair to thesamba community to ask for only the positives to be posted and the negatives to be PM'd to me. I really, really am in a tough spot, I need the info but did not want to be the start of a GoWesty slander thread.
Ten Cent is slammed until January.
Thank you again for your time and input!
John |
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aswah Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2007 Posts: 907 Location: PDX
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 3:49 pm Post subject: |
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John:
understood! For my part, on my reviews, i try to come off somewhere in the middle. I am happy I have the motor, I am not happy of the road to get here... but that said and done... it's done... good luck and post somewhere between 10K and 15K miles... _________________ WIT WA DA DA (Peace and Unity)
Aswah, Lisa, Beaumont and Loose Lucy Too!
1989 Westy
2013 Jetta Sportswagon TDI |
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dredward Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2007 Posts: 1081
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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tencentlife wrote: |
YAECT. |
What the hell does "YAECT" mean????? |
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eeebee Samba Member
Joined: July 17, 2009 Posts: 429 Location: Tujunga
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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dredward wrote: |
tencentlife wrote: |
YAECT. |
What the hell does "YAECT" mean????? |
Yet Another ... |
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Ahwahnee Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2010 Posts: 9776 Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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YAECT = Yet Another Engine Conversion Thread |
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GWTWTLW Samba Member
Joined: April 22, 2008 Posts: 2174 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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$0.10's coughing up hair balls again... _________________ 89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw |
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ftp2leta Samba Member
Joined: October 11, 2004 Posts: 3271 Location: Montreal
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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Ahwahnee wrote: |
YAECT = Yet Another Engine Conversion Thread |
I didn't say anything... yet
I like those thread. I like to see that people DO inquire before they spend $$$$. I like to see why, when and where.
Now, here is my opinion... he he. ok, no, i wont start, just kidding.
Anyway, thanks for the thread. now let's go talk about tire make and size.
Ben _________________ Working with rust, grease, dirt and dust is a sad truth.
------------------------------------------------------
FI part for sale: http://www.benplace.com/parts_sale1.htm
My site: http://www.benplace.com/vw2.htm
Subi conversion: http://www.benplace.com/vanaru_eng.htm
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/ftp2leta |
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