Tencentlife / Vanistan engine review

[razzbanj]

What a fantastic motor. It exceeded what I expected. I live in Colorado at 9500 feet and the motor was custom built with plenty of power in mind. I look forward to climbing the passes. It’s like the motor is singing to me. I have always owned a vw van, and now that I have a family and two boys I wanted to stop driving around paranoid waiting for something to go wrong. This engine is the remedy. If you need an engine I urge you to look up Tencent he will go out of his way to help. I can’t thank him enough.

[binger59]

Can you snap some photos, and show us how nice it looks installed. Then the drooling can begin.
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Binger

1984 Westy
1986 7 Pass R.I.P. Donor van
2019 Jetta
2014 Passat R.I.P
2025 Atlas
2006 Passat R.I.P.
1998 Jetta R.I.P.
1984 Vanagon R.I.P.

[ftp2leta]

In life, most people (and i should say customer's) just stay quiet when everything is ok and work well. But when something goes wrong...ouffff...

So it's nice of you to say good comments!

We see a lot of bashing online, it would be nice to see as much good comments.

Very nice picture

Ben
_________________
Working with rust, grease, dirt and dust is a sad truth.
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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

[tencentlife]

Wow, thanks for such kind words! And you're very very welcome! I'm really glad that's working so well for you.

I happen to have a pic of this engine just before we stuffed it (it's one of the ones in my ad):

Gotta love that color!

This was a special high-altitude build, for Digijet and autotrans. Razzbanj travels mainly in the mountain areas, so it will perform well on regular gas above about 5000'. Below that, mid-grade down to about 3000'; premium fuel would be needed below that.

Nice to see my babies out exploring the world. And that's an awesome photo by the lake.
_________________
Shop for unique and useful Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/
also available at VanCafe.com!

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is death to doctrine.

[jackbombay]

how high is the compression ratio? if you don't mind me asking
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[climberjohn]

I agree, thanks for posting this. I am considering an engine from Tencent and it's very helpful to hear a happy story like yours.

Can you take the "Vanagon 30-50 challenge" and report back on your results? It's hardly a scientific test, but it does give others some idea about your performance.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=306851

How is the low end torque, like accelerating from 2nd to 3rd on a hill? That's the aspect about the stock 2.1 I really dislike. Tencent seems to have resolved this with his engines, so I am curious what you have found.
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'86 Westy, 2.5 Subaru power
Know your limits. Exceed them often.

[tencentlife]

It's about 10:1 static.
_________________
Shop for unique and useful Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/
also available at VanCafe.com!

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is death to doctrine.

[climberjohn]

What's the typical compression ratio on a stock 2.1 engine?
_________________
'86 Westy, 2.5 Subaru power
Know your limits. Exceed them often.

[ftp2leta]

Just to bug Tenc a little bit

He he he.... very nice work Tenc.

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

[tencentlife]

Bug me? Hardly. More pics, bring 'em on! Nice stuff to see.

But actually you did hijack this thread, Ben, just a little bit.....heh heh heh.....

Climberjohn, stock 2.1 CR is 8.66:1 or 8.9:1 or 9:1, depending on who you ask. Somewhere in there. I actually mapped it out to be 8.64:1.

Of course that's actually a fairly meaningless number because it assumes the intake closes at BDC, which it doesn't, not even close. The engine only sees dynamic CR, which depends primarily on the intake closing point (along with some other geometric values). I calculated 8:1 DCR on a stock 2.1.

But, functional intake closure is open to a wide range of interpretation. The valve might not need to be resting fully on the seat yet to have effective closure, where gases are no longer substantially escaping and compression begins to build. This real event will vary with piston speed. It's actually sickeningly complicated, so it's practically impossible to nail down a dynamic number. Static CR, you can absolutely nail down; it's a hard volumetric relationship, but it's functionally meaningless, especially for comparing engines. I could build an engine with SCR of 11:1, but use a wild cam that makes calculated DCR only 8.3:1. I could build another with SCR only 9:1, but with a torquey cam it might show the same or better DCR. So comparing SCR's is an apples to oranges comparison; it's only relevant if the engines have a lot of the same characteristics, especially the same camshaft.
_________________
Shop for unique and useful Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/
also available at VanCafe.com!

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is death to doctrine.

[tschroeder0]

Sweet lookin powerplant!!! and can't wait to order one up...in fact right here, right now I will volunteer my van as a test vehicle.
Tenncent, you throw one in there(at no charge of course) and i'll report back all of my findings (at no charge of course)

[Steelhead]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I'm have a love/hate with my current 2.1wbx. I love it because its runs strong and doesn't cause me any problems. I hate it because it runs strong and doesn't cause me any problems and is preventing me from calling TCL and getting on the list for one of these puppies. for me, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

I'm sure I'd love a subie or a diesel or any of the other swaps, but this is the direction I will go (assuming Tencent is still building them at the point at which my current motor makes so much as a hiccup!).
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'77 Bay Window / '89 Caratsburg (aka. the Stormtrooper)

[Williamtaylor33]

Did you also get the "performance tuned header exhaust"?
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89 Bostig powered syncro westy

[tencentlife]

[msinabottle]

[caromin]

Good review on your motor TCL, speaks well of your skill with the WBX. I'm not to far from you, I may have to stop up that why one of these days.
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Chris
59Rag
86 Westy
Sandrail
Explorer rail build!

'Rollin Dirt Video!

[MootPoint]

So 10¢, what IS your waiting list turn around time? I have an idea of how big a penny jar I would need to get on that list ... but how fast do I need to fill it?

I do wonder, though, if I install one and some non-Sambanista asks about what's under "the hood" and I have to say, "Oh, it's a Ten Cent engine."

Are you sure that's a good marketing plan? d8~)
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1984 Westy with tencentlife power!

[mightyart]

[MootPoint]

Good point, Art. I'd already been in contact with 10¢ via PM - we are not quite neighbors - but we had not yet arranged a meeting. I'm still droolin', though, and digging for loose change under the seat.
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1984 Westy with tencentlife power!

[tencentlife]

Thanks Art, I'm with you in keeping Q's about business off the open forum. I try not to tout my own work (sometimes I can't help myself, though), and I refuse to shoot down anyone else's. I have a great deal of respect for Ben, Jim and Brady, Hans, everyone who labors over their own passion; these guys are into this a lot deeper than I am. I don't see myself as in competition with anyone, even others who offer things very similar to what I do; I see it as people having more choices, and that's a very good thing. It's a big continent and there a lots of customers.

My ad is like an epic novel, because I lay out my program and try to answer a lot of questions up front. That reduces, hopefully, the number of emails I have to spend time answering that keep me from actually working. So if anyone has any questions, the link is in my sig, and you can PM me or email me from there, but please read the whole ad first.

And I want to especially thank Everett and company for The Samba ; we all should be grateful he makes all this possible. I am.
_________________
Shop for unique and useful Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/
also available at VanCafe.com!

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is death to doctrine.