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2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA
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Sidero
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PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2021 5:50 am    Post subject: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Can anyone give advice or predict how challenging it could be to repair and maintain this engine in the USA given that the engine was never imported to the USA (only Canada). I’m not a mechanic. I worry about extended - days long - breakdowns with the my wife and young child due to unavailability of parts. Should that be a concern?

I’m returning to the USA from Europe and determined to bring home my ‘93 Eurovan (aka California camper) diesel with the 2.4D (AAB) engine.

Also, could anyone recommend online suppliers that would stock parts in the USA for the 2.4D engine? Maybe even a supplier in Canada, although I’m concerned that shipping and fees to the USA could be problematic.

I would welcome any thoughts or advice from the community here.

Many thanks,
Nathan


Last edited by Sidero on Thu May 06, 2021 3:58 pm; edited 1 time in total
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SplitBusVanatic
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PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2021 10:07 am    Post subject: Re: 2.4 td Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

AAB is a normally aspirated engine. Did you or the previous owner add a turbo?
I have seen a few of these engines “turbo’d” alright.
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Sidero
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PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2021 3:55 pm    Post subject: Re: 2.4D Eurovan engine Reply with quote

Ooops, that was a typo. 2.4D not TD. It’s an unmodified AAB. Thanks for pointing that out. I’ll edit the original post to make it clear.
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2021 5:28 pm    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

That would be a nice candidate for a TDI swap. Better power, fuel efficiency and parts availability. A California is a highly desirable model in the US, since they were never officially imported here.

I suspect most of the AAB parts are the same as the 2.5 gas engines, so typical wear items shouldn't be too difficult to source. Audi briefly imported a 2.0L five cylinder version of your engine, and the six cylinder D24 in lots of older Volvos probably use the same bits n' pieces, too.
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SplitBusVanatic
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PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2021 1:42 am    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

My brother has a reimo converted t4 with the AAB. The single best modification he did was the 5th gear upgrade. To lower the rpms in 5th. A game changer. Way Better economy and less stress on the engine. The 2.4d is a great engine. Keep it well serviced and watch your cooling system such as radiator and fans etc. And you should be fine. After that it’s typical t4 stuff such as ball joints and timing belts and crank shaft damping pulley. Maintain these religiously and you will be sorted. Show us some pics. Pics are always welcomed.

Last edited by SplitBusVanatic on Fri May 07, 2021 7:19 am; edited 1 time in total
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Sidero
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PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2021 5:59 am    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Not the best but you asked for pics

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1994Karuso
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 9:28 pm    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

I have a 93 2.4D AAB that I brought back from Europe to the PacNW. I've been maintaining it myself, so not much advice on how local mechanics could deal with it. I do know that the engine was sold in Canada. So you might have luck finding a mechanic there to do work. Most of the youtube video's I reference are actually from this guy exovcds who is in British Columbia I think.

RockAuto carries a lot of parts for the AAB since it is "Canadian", which is nice. Even local/online VW dealers can order you some Canadian parts. Other parts you can get from eBay, mainly from Latvia. Aside from the engine and transmission everything else is shared with the Eurovan.

I think the biggest challenge you will have is doing the timing belt service. I just had to do mine due to the crank bolt pulley coming loose. As part of that you have to manually adjust the injection pump timing with a dial gauge. I don't think many mechanics in the USA would know how to do it. Maybe schedule that with a Canadian holiday.

Sidero wrote:
Can anyone give advice or predict how challenging it could be to repair and maintain this engine in the USA given that the engine was never imported to the USA (only Canada). I’m not a mechanic. I worry about extended - days long - breakdowns with the my wife and young child due to unavailability of parts. Should that be a concern?

I’m returning to the USA from Europe and determined to bring home my ‘93 Eurovan (aka California camper) diesel with the 2.4D (AAB) engine.

Also, could anyone recommend online suppliers that would stock parts in the USA for the 2.4D engine? Maybe even a supplier in Canada, although I’m concerned that shipping and fees to the USA could be problematic.

I would welcome any thoughts or advice from the community here.

Many thanks,
Nathan
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SplitBusVanatic
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PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2021 3:57 am    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Agreed. The timing belt on the injector pump is the single biggest challenge on these engines if the person replacing the belt hasn’t done one before. However once it’s done once, and correctly. They’re ok to do. And if you find someone who is accustomed to these. You’re flying.
Lovely van. By the looks of the pics.
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volkybus
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PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2021 12:06 pm    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Nice poptop camper, and a diesel to boot.. I'm happy for you guys... I'm warming up to my tin top weekender (93)but I miss the poptop on. My Westy.. I'm thinking about adding the poptop..to mine... Has anyone done this?? I'm still trying to figure out this gas model but diesel's sounds so interesting..
Good luck and enjoy your van.... Bill in PR.......
.Vt & Westy soon(I hope)
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2021 6:56 pm    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Most old school VW mechanics should still be able to time the injection pump, as it's not fundamentally different than any mechanical diesel VW has built and sold here since the late '70s. I've owned one of those dial indicators for nearly 35 years. The timing belt is just basic Audi fiver procedures going back 45 years.
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CdnVWJunkie Premium Member
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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2021 4:33 am    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Sidero wrote:
Can anyone give advice or predict how challenging it could be to repair and maintain this engine in the USA given that the engine was never imported to the USA (only Canada). I’m not a mechanic. I worry about extended - days long - breakdowns with the my wife and young child due to unavailability of parts. Should that be a concern?

I’m returning to the USA from Europe and determined to bring home my ‘93 Eurovan (aka California camper) diesel with the 2.4D (AAB) engine.

Also, could anyone recommend online suppliers that would stock parts in the USA for the 2.4D engine? Maybe even a supplier in Canada, although I’m concerned that shipping and fees to the USA could be problematic.

I would welcome any thoughts or advice from the community here.

Many thanks,
Nathan


One thing worth considering is having a very thorough inspection and some preventative maintenance done prior to leaving Europe where mechanics/shops are far more familiar with the AAB. Everything else on the T4: brakes, steering, suspension, axles, fuel tank, etc are all run of the mill T4 stuff so no worries with supply there. The AAB is "tractor simple" and a very stout engine capable of 7,8, 900 thousand KMs with proper care. I encourage you not to take peoples advice to "ditch" such an engine especially considering most offering the advice have never worked, or likely even seen one.
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SteveZ
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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2021 5:43 am    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Following CdnVWJunkie's excellent advise regarding having preventative service done in Europe, is the engine due for any major work soon, such as timing belt, etc.? Having that done before leaving Europe, with time to make sure it's all working well after, would be a wise thing to do.

You said you were concerned about being stuck on the road. We have a '92 CV SWB Eurovan with full Westfalia camper - the Canadian version of your California - but ours with the gasoline engine and manual transmission. When we bought it we had it inspected and all needed service done over the first winter, including the timing belt and water pump replacement, and various brake, suspension, steering, and electrical work that popped up that first season. After a season of local camping, we traveled across North America - eastern Canada to California - and back. We had 2 minor breakdowns (transmission linkage bushings) on route that cost us a total of 4 days - not really a hardship in 8 weeks on the road. (First time was a temporary repair; second time was to replace all the perishing and missing bushings. It took 3 days the second time because we had to wait over a long weekend for service, which we would have endured with a brand new car.) I also had oil changes done en route and replaced leaking shocks at one of the oil changes while visiting our son in San Diego.

Everyone's risk tolerance is different. No one can advise you how to assess yours from the perspective of theirs. We are using quite old vehicles, though, and we must plan for what might be a catastrophe. We were emotionally and financially prepared should our van suffer a catastrophic failure or collision - how would we get home? However, despite the many stories of others' problems with their old T4-Eurovans, we went, had a wonderful trip, and plan to do it again. Only you and yours can sort out what's comfortable and best for you, but I hope you decide to bring your van home with you.

Regular inspections and preventative maintenance are the keys to happy motoring. (Apologies for harping on.)
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1994Karuso
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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2021 9:53 am    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Echoing the encouragement, I drove my AAB from the PacNW to Tucson and back this winter. It used two quarts of oil but no other issues.

Try to get familiar with it, so if something simple happens you can fix it yourself. Just doing an oil change and knowing how to take off the belly pan would be a good start. You'll get a good look at the state of things.
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PostPosted: Thu May 13, 2021 7:57 am    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

If you're still trying to decide, you might want to contact Dr. Bjorn's Auto in British Columbia, Canada. They list several engine parts for the 2.4D and 2.5TDI engines in the T4/Eurovan section of their site. Home page is: https://vanagonwestfaliaparts.com
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samba415
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PostPosted: Sun May 16, 2021 12:38 pm    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Try the regional area of this https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php
Scroll down to your region and find the local TDI guru.

Also I'm sure you can find folks working in the domestic diesel van world that feel comfortable turning a wrench on that pretty straight forward 2.4D
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Sidero
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PostPosted: Mon May 31, 2021 1:40 pm    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Terrific advice. Thanks everyone. I'm impressed with the community's support and knowledge. The timing belt was done about 40-50,000 km back so it might be good to do this in Europe - as well as other preventive maintenance - before shipping it back.
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elkm36a
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 03, 2024 6:07 pm    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

Where you able to import it into the US and register in California?

Thanks!
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 12, 2024 8:03 am    Post subject: Re: 2.4 D Eurovan engine - maintaining T4 transporter diesel in USA Reply with quote

That is a 2.4 litre 5 cylinder normally aspirated diesel motor. It is mechanical injection, IDI (indirect, not direct). The fuel is injected by a mechanically timed injection pump with one individual injection line per cylinder (not common rail). The pump is driven by a timing belt, which has one tensioner (similar to the old NA diesel rabbits and jettas).

For someone used to modern diesels, it is a bit of an enigma (where is the common rail, where is the computer?!?) however if you understand old diesels it is very simple to work on, and parts remain readily available. You can do all the work yourself and it is possible to replace the timing belt, and set the injection pump timing using common hand tools, a bolt to hold the pump in place, a bar to lock the camshaft and a dial gauge with an adapter.

Things to remember: the timing belts are rubber and wear with use. The engine is interference (valves and pistons can hit each other if timing is off). Replace the timing belt every 60,000km.

When you are doing the belt, you always crack off the cam pulley using a puller. Do not use pressure on the cam pulley, you will crack the end off of the camshaft and then you need a new one.

The five cylinder diesel is one of the most long lived and reliable diesels VW ever used. They literally last forever. It will just keep going. They are quite underpowered by modern standards and they did have trouble on steep hills, but as long as you are OK with the limitations of old, non direct injection non turbo diesel motors, you will be fine. You just have to work the gearbox and understand what you are doing.

In terms of "long breakdowns" so long as you change the oil and filter, make sure you change the fuel filter regularly and replace the timing belt on schedule, it should not have any breakdowns.

The fuel filter, unlike with modern diesels (where you need a mechanic and a computer if you want to touch it) can be changed by hand. I always fill it with automatic transmission fluid when I change it (diesels can run on ATF and it cleans the pump and injectors). You don't need any special skills to replace the diesel fuel filter. It should be replaced regularly to keep particulate and debris out of the pump and injectors.

All the complex stuff that makes gasoline engines break down (spark ignition, fuel injection, variable cam and valve timing, all of those sensors in hard to reach places) doesn't exist on old diesels. It is a very, very simple motor. You can honestly do all the maintenance work yourself with basic mechanical skills.

I would say buy it. They are rare and they are amazingly reliable.
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