Thinking of a Eurovan?

[P+Ds81Westy]

I have been reading and thinking a little bit about buying a eurovan. I am looking at some 93's. 5 speed 2.5 5cyl. It seems thats the best set up for that year. So other then timing belt, water pump, clutch etc. Is there anythying else I should be concerned with right away when looking at one. Also would a dying AC compressor be a big issue to deal with, not sure if its on there with the alt. belt or if that would affect anything related to the van running? I've got an 81 westy so I am a little hesitant about jumping into the unknown with the eurovan. Anyway all thoughts and opions would be grately appreciated. Thanks

[alnvilma]

Upper ball joints take a beating and co$t.
If the compressor fails it can break the serpentine belt and leave you stranded and they are expensive. Don't replace just one part of the system.
C load rated tires co$t.
You will have much less floor space with the bed down and can't walk up front easily.
Rear heater connections leak.
Engine Control Modules are sensitive (IMO)
Can you see my slant towards keeping/buying a Vanny?

[CF]

Having one myself, a 99 eurovan, there are a few problems......tranny goes out around 80,000 miles, ignition coils, and they cost big$$$ to replace, I've heard of people having problems with the sliding door opening while they are driving, or not latching completely closed. You cannot even look at the NHSA(?) because they dont have enough info about all the problems with the eurovans. Other VW's have been recalled for certain reason ie: ign. coils but not the EV. Other than that, now that I know what problems I have to deal with, I wont get rid of her We call her Pia (Pain In the Ass)Just make sure you can repair it yourself. Best of luck

[P+Ds81Westy]

Hey thanks for the input. I think I am going to take the plunge, the price is right and it seems to be running good, has a few quirks but I think I can tackle them myself. Body is pretty good and the interior is very clean, also the t-belt and serpintine were done about 10 and 15k miles ago, and the clutch was done about 20k miles ago. We'll see, I could always part with it if it does'nt work out. I could not imagine saying that with my vanagon though. Thanks again.

[tgrogan]

Paul,

I owned a '93 Eurovan (auto) from 40k to 90k. I replaced some obvious parts, exhaust (living in the salt-the-roads belt), timing belt, and brake pads. The tires are expensive if you want to do them right. Michelin Agilis are about the only choice at $120+/per tire - but the Eurovan really handles well with them and they last >60k even with hard driving. A lot of the problems you might read about are on the later V6 models - none of that applies to the I5s, except for the fact that you can't find anyone who knows anything about them. I was lucky because a nearby VW dealer knew and respected them so I got good reasonably priced work out of them.

The engine will run forever. I went to Germany some time back, and all of the delivery vans were 5cyl Eurovans and they were known to be indestructable by the locals. There are annoying electrical problems. The resistors for the A/C under the battery seem to go after 5-10 years due to battery acid fumes. Get them at BD before they go or they will cost 2x as much at your local flaps. I didn't have the problem, but inspect the A/C and heater connections that go to the back units regularly. There seems to be a wear issue with them where they go thru the frame. Also, there is a problem with the heater/ac controls where the circuit board becomes delaminated or the resistors burn up due to high heat - shouldn't be a problem where you are.

The 5-speeds eliminate the most web observed problem with the '93s. I never had any problems with my auto, but there is a lot of hype about their problems.

Good Luck!

[lovedavdubs]

Speaking of costly parts, this may sound weird but has anyone looked to Taiwan for parts? Don't know about the quality of them and so on but Eurovans are EVERYWHERE out here. I'm on vacation out here and I'm not kidding they are everywhere. I'm talking every 3rd car that goes by is a Eurovan. They use them as taxies, delivery vans, police cars, and the list goes on. Parts must be really easy to come by out here. This may be a window of opportunity for you Euro lovers. On the other hand I’m strictly a Vanagon guy, and would you believe in over a week I’ve only seen one Vanagon. Gees!
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82 Air-cooled Westy (Lola)...My other vehicle is a subway.

[r39o]

Those EVs you see over there, may well be made in mainland China. Finding parts was an amusing task in China as all the good stuff gets exported and anything you can get is expensive reimports. Strange. I'd ask where they get them fixed, if at all. I found most Chinese and Taiwanese repair places to be real dirt pits. I wondered how you actually could service a vehicle in those conditions. Be then again, I was the round eyed, big nosed foreign expert so I never really got the straight story on anything "good." I'll ask the wife, I guess....
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"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!

1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....

Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently)

[tgrogan]

I took a vacation trip thru PA, NY, NJ, MA, and VT last spring - 1200+ miles. I saw one Bay the whole time as the only air-cooled VW anything, and only saw Wasserboxers in repair shop lots (no offense intended, it was just an observation). I did see 50+ Vanagons in a wreckers lot in MD - it might have been a mirage since I was on my way back and very tired.

[mrlimbo]

As a 93 MV weekender owner, I say go for it. It has a bit more power than the vanagon and it rides a bit better. Overall its a more 'civilized' car. Don't get me wrong, if it wasn't for my family, I'd still be driving a Vanagon. I find vanagon's easier to work on and the parts are cheaper. The Eurovan has a few more bells and whistles. My family finds it more comfortable than the vanagons. I bought mine to tow a small camping trailer. We're since gotten a Class C motorhome, so I really don't need the EV anymore, but the family likes it, so to keep the peace, I still have it.

I've had mine for about 4 years now and its had its share of problems. Here's a list of things I've had trouble with, nothing more than any car or vanagon:
A/C compressor (it leaked so I had to replace it with a USED part)
A/C drier. (the valve on the bottom leaked, which is what usually causes the compressor failure someone else mentioned)
Cat converter failed (I still have to fix that one, its empty now)
Tie rods (loose, replaced)
Steering rack leaked (had it rebuilt)
ball joints (loose, replaced)
oil cooler seal blew one very cold December morning blowing out 5 qts of oil in a hurry.
water hoses to oil cooler
radiator fan resistor pack (its under the left headlight, fans don't work right if it fails)
All the shifter bushings. (this one has annoyed me on and off for 4 years. especially when they fail in 4th of July traffic on I-95 at the toll booth in New Hampshire. I should have replaced them all at once, its not expensive or hard to do. )

RUST! Mine has rust. In the seams, around the wheel openings and behind the bumper cover ends in the rear. Mine is probably worse in that respect to the vanagon.
The exhaust has needed to be replaced. Thats probably the one area the EV has over the vanagon. Its a traditional exhaust so its a lot cheaper and easier to replace than the vanagon.

That's about all I can remember at the moment. Since I work for VW I have some sources for inexpensive parts. The killer part for even me, is going to be the cat converter. Which is why I haven't fixed it yet. I'm going to have to now, I'll need to pass emissions test in May. Good luck. Any more questions, eMail me @ [email protected]
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-Jim DiGennaro, Samba lurker, Disc Jockey and LiMBO freak www.LiMBObus.org
'67 Kombi- April, its not original and I don't care.
'87 Vanagon GL (daily driver)
'01 Jetta Honey's car
Looking for a Vanagon weekender or Escorial green camper.

[P+Ds81Westy]

I picked up the eurovan earlier in the week its the MV Weekender. Its been running pretty good around town all week. Its got some bubbles below the rear windshield otherwise the rust is very minimal. I have not heard the rad. fan come on yet, maybe I'll check that resistor pack. It also has that gas/temp gauge issue. I am going to try and replace the instrument cluster voltage stabilizier thing. The ABS light has come on twice then gone out. Needs 2 rear hatch shocks. The clutch took some getting used to its a bit differnt then driving my vanagon. The exhaust from the converter back looks pretty new, the gas tank was replaced, and various other repairs. The PO said in Sept. one shop told him he might need rear brake lines in a year or so, then he took it to another place and they said they looked fine. I plan to have them looked at in the summer they looked OK to me when I crawled under to have a look. Were pretty happy with it so far, and I am hoping I can go for a couple of months without having to do any major work. Thanks again for everyones input.

[annieq]

a 1995 5cyl manual:
Had it checked out and the only issue they found was that the oil cooler was leaking into the coolant?? So they recommended replace oil cooler, radiator, flushing system

My question: Does oil leaking into the coolant harm the engine? (seems like it would to me).

It is indicative of other problems?

~ $600 to repair- fair?
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curlygirl and the sandeeman

[Abscate]

[jjvincent]

A good way to get the oil out of the cooling system is to use Cascade liquid. Put a bunch in a gallon jug and then fill the rest with hot water. Shake. Putr in the cooling system and fill the rest with water. Drive for a half an hour and then drain. Repeat the whole process again.

Back in the 80's Porsche had a major problem with 944's and the heat exchanger was leaking oil into the coolant system. There was a fix but every one of them had to be cleaned and we found that doing this worked out to be the best way to get it squeaky clean and it smells like lemons. I even did this recently to my in laws Taurus. The trans cooler was leaking ATF into the coolant system and it started to overheat. So after the radiator change, I did the same thing and it was nice and clean.