Official GoWesty Engine Feedback Thread

[Colorado Yeti]

I have a junkyard 2.2 liter Subaru mystery motor in my van. Not exactly a barn burner, but as reliable as the day is long. Doesn't use a lick of oil. I changed the oil last summer in July and I have yet to add a quart (!!!). And I use it as a daily driver. Guess I need to go through another oil change before I need to add a quart.

[juanb]

[Ahwahnee]

[chimivee]

[jlw123]

2 year anniversary of my GW 2.3L being installed is January. Car has been up and down the west coast, from Oregon to Baja. Up the Sierra, over the Grapevine, etc.

Its a noticeable improvement in power, I have an automatic trany, so it gets up to speed quicker. I still don't drive much over 70-75 for long freeway hauls, but thats just me feeling like the Vanagon doesn't handle above 65.

Burns about ½ qt of oil every 2500-3k miles.

Sounds like a VW Bus still too. I like that.
_________________
---
Jason Weisberger
'87 Westy GW2.3 AT

[ThankYouJerry]

[insyncro]

I now have a GW 2.2 here and just need to figure out which van to drop it into.

I plan to add:
WBXhaust
RJE billet throttle body and VSM
Auxiliary oil cooler with fan
Silicone intake boots
RJE oil pressure relocation kit and oil temp sensor

I will post pictures once it is ready to go.

[Free Range Bus]

I bought a Gowesty 2.4 and it failed at 3200 miles. I had it professionally installed and followed the break in rules to the letter. I bought the Road Warrior warrenty . Gowesty refused to honor the warrenty because they said that since I live in Oregon and we don't pump our own gas , an attendant must have put in low octane fuel . I am very strict about using Premium fuel.
I had all coolant and oil levels and hoses perfect and new.I always drive in the green zone on the Tach. The cylinders showed scratches. I had the damage inspected by two shops and both said the damage was not from bad fuel. I paid to have the engine repaired, about 2600 $ and Gowesty gave me $500 for the broken parts.
Adding up the cost of the engine and the repair and a lost summer of use i wish i had put in a Subaru engine.

[Slimvest]

[Free Range Bus]

The install and repair were done at Halsey Automotive , Portland. To their credit they advised against installing the 2.4 and offered me a much less expensive 2.1 rebuild which I regrettably declined.

[ThankYouJerry]

FRB - What happened to the other thread where you were commenting about this??? I appreciate that you are sticking to "the facts" from your point of view without getting slanderous.

Here is the link, but all your comments (and all other members' comments which I thought were quite constructive) have magically disappeared : http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...p;start=60

Mods - That's kinda nasty censorship . Unless FRB is violating Forum Rules, at the very least, please transfer the new member's comments/concerns into a new thread (or direct FRB to do so himself) instead of just outright deleting it. IMHO, until this issue is resolved it should remain public (although admittedly much better in it's own dedicated thread). If FRB's and other members' comments were moved, my apologies, but please provide a link.
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1990 Multivan - "Ohana"
1.8T, Auto w/3.27 R&P + Peloquin TBD

[WestyBob]

[Ahwahnee]

[djkeev]

[insyncro]

I own a Go Westy 2.2, so I am on topic for this thread and have listed improvements I plan to make for it.

As far as MODs go, Dave and Kam are doing a great job of keeping the topics on point.
Read older threads, they drift like a rally car and sometime never return.
The Search function, to work properly needs the titles and the information in each thread to be relevant.
Many just start a new thread...making it even more difficult to search and compile info.
Without the MODs this forum would be a zoo and no one would be able to control the opions, facts and mayhem that breaks out on occasion.

I will now state this for the record, yet again...
The WBX in its original state or 2.2 upgraded version is the most solid for that power plant.
Once you go above 2.2, starting with minor mods for the 2.3 and getting into major mods for the 2.4 and above, the life of these engines is teetering upon a description of "race engine" and those you do not count mileage on, but hours.
I am being serious here, hours.
We have 10 hour race motors up to 40 hour race motors.
Once you reach those marks, they should be opened, measured and resealed.
These are my opinions, but backed up with 20 years of Vanagon ownership and plenty of checked flags to boot.

If you want the WBX and reliability, do not exceed 2.2, period.

Thank you again Dave, Kam and Everett.

[wildenbeast]

I now have 30k miles on a GoWesty 2.3 engine that I have been driving since 2011. I had previously used a stock 2.1 WBX and a 1.9 AAZ turbo diesel in another van. My engine burns through a small amount of oil (1/2 quart every 2,500 miles) but I always keep extra oil on hand. I change the oil every 3k-3.5k miles. I use the Mobile 1 synthetic oil recommended by GoWesty and premium gasoline. I seem to get 18mpg on every fill whether it be a long road trip or short trips around town. I have done some pretty big trips (many over 1,200 miles) with this engine and feel that it cruises nicely in most conditions. I have 15" GoWesty wheels on my van.

I have lived in Central Coast CA and the Front Range CO with this van so I have gone over many mountain passes with my 2.3 engine. Passes over 10,000 feet will require some down shifting. I can drive over Eisenhower Pass at 45-50mph with the van loaded. My van is a winter ski vehicle and also takes me to mountain bike races in the summer (mostly from Boulder to Winter Park). When in CA, I would drive to Rim Nordic near Big Bear regularly and it handles those grades even better than what I currently drive in CO.

I have never worried about the engine. I do get piston slap on start up if I haven't driven my van in a week but it goes away once warmed up. The biggest improvement that I added that complements the GoWesty 2.3 is the Vanistan exhaust. This exhaust provides a noticeable improvement in mid range torque. I also had my transmission rebuilt at one point and kept the stock gearing (with the upgraded 3/4 slider and SA oiling plates). I would at some point like to add Vanistan's vacuum switching module and oil cooler to further improve performance.

I am very happy with this engine and will buy another WBX if and when I need to replace it. I would love to test drive a similar van with a Vanistan engine and/or Rocky Jennings engine at some point to compare it to my GoWesty rebuild.

Bill

[rockfish]

We have a 89 Westy w/ a GW2.5 (5spd) and our son has a 84 Westy w/ a Vanistan 2.2 (4spd). I had a chance to drive the Vanistan Westy for a bit before shipping it back to our son at his college.

The V2.2 has a stock exhaust system. It sounds great and it runs real smooth. The obvious difference between the two engines is the available power - especially for climbing hills.

If you're familiar with the SF Bay Area - then you'll know that the fastest way to visit Van Cafe in Santa Cruz is to drive over Hwy 17. When driving the GW2.5, there are no issues maintaining speed and/or staying w/ traffic (though you may shift down to 4th gear since some parts are 50mph). However with the V2.2, there are sections on Hwy 17 where the engine cannot maintain speed and you have no choice but to down shift...even on the 50mph sections.

On flat surfaces and under normal driving conditions (in other words, we're not drag racing), I'd say both vehicles are equals in terms of just getting around town or cruising on the open road. Issues come with head winds, etc.

Having owned an brand new 84 Westy 1.9 in the past, plus driving our 89 w/ its original 2.1 --- you can't go wrong with either engine upgrade.

BTW - I stopped by GW last month. They now have almost 10 GW2.7 testers on the road and it looks like it will become available by mid-year 2015.

Hope this helps.
_________________
89 Westy
GW 2.5 5-speed trans

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
- John Wooden

[Corwyn]

San Diego Westy is dropping a GW 2.45 in my van this week. I have great hopes and will report anything that happens
_________________
'90 White Westy ("Knarr")
FAS Gen V 2.0
The Annual Baja Rally
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604813&highlight=baja

"If anything's" gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"
~ Captain Ron ~

[Syncronoid]

30K miles on a GW2.5 installed in 2012 and not a single problem whatsoever. Change my own oil every 3k with Topline Synthetic. Use mainly for weekend roadtrips and treks up to my vacation house in Bend, OR (usually 1200-1400 total round trip and one quart of oil). I usually cruise I-5 at 70mph, just below 4k RPM. Power is plentiful and I could cruise faster, but it can really eat into my gas mileage considering I'm not very aerodynamic, and I'm never really in a hurry. I'm happy to cruise along with the other traffic but have the reserve power to pass when necessary (it's nice to see the surprise on people's faces when I do).

I installed one of the bolt-on block heaters that were offered by Canadian VW dealers and it makes a huge difference in the winter months in Bend. I have the power cord running up though the engine compartment lid to the bench seat. I keep it plugged into the 110v socket. I have an extension cord run to the spot where I park the van, so when on shore power, my batteries stay topped up and also runs the block heater. This past Xmas the temps were down to "0" with highs only in the teens. The van would start up nice and smooth and was ready to go in just a few minutes. I really thing that will add longevity to the engine.
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'90 Syncro Westy w/GW2.5L

[Downtown Brown]

GW 2.4 on the road December 2005 ,87Westy, installed by Honest Engine in Eureka California, low miles approaching 50,000 miles now and 10 years , I had the trans rebuilt at the same time . Have run Mobile one continually after engine break in . No engine problems- no leaks It's been trouble free . Only up grades have been GW gear starter, SA 15" rims with Noikan WRC 205/70/15 , Front and rear Whiteline swaybars from AC.Net. And a SA headight kit . OH I'm in the process of putting on a set of Vancafe stiffer than stock non progressive springs and a set of GW revalved bilstens On trips I use a lot of Chevron gas , I'll also use Chevron Fuel injection cleaner and if gas is questionable or long trips in California 100 degree summer I'll use Lucus fuel octane booster and keep some in the Van. It's a joy to drive -like merging on the freeway in California traffic . I think the 2.4 could of used a matching engine management system from the beginning with a modern knock sensor to match the higher compression (that I've really enjoyed). Iit's been fun to drive even in the fast lane on HWY 5 on Sunday night when the slow lane is filled with slow semi trucks but I can watch the gas gauge drop =that is not helped by the auto trans -non lock up and frontal van area (any bigger engine ) I wouldn't mind a Subaru 2.5 (swap not smog legal here) and Honest engine mechanics were not very interested in working on a Subaru/VW swapped van at that time. If I had to replace the GW 2.4 tomorrow I'd use a smog legal 1.8//T from SAH . I like the HP/Torque of the 1.8T STOCK , the engine management system and the availability of parts in the future for that engine. In the meantime I'll be driving the GW 2.4 with a smile on my face !