New Westy owner help with engine code/type

[Montreal Westy]

Hello! We are new owners of a 1971 Westy. I consider myself to be rather mechanical but certainly no expert. I want to learn the ins and outs of the engine and be able to do most of the maintenance myself. I have searched the vast information on this site and other resources in an effort to determine what type of engine our Westy has and the more I look the more I seem to be confused. I am thinking the engine is not original to our Westy. I have attached some photos of the engine, VIN, and build plate. Any information and guidance would be much appreciated. Thank you!

[richparker]

Likely not original, like the paint job.

The only way to truly know what you have is to be either told by the PO or take it apart and measure the bore and stroke.
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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
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[Angus II]

Hello,
You can post a picture of the engine case numbers that will give you a clue if it's an 71 block (below Alt. stand). But the engine is not in it's stock configuration for sure... And that Alt. backing plate doesn't look correct for the 38 amp. Alt. (just waking up and only one cup of coffee). Run your hand down the rear left side of the fan housing for the stand off oil cooler. If you feel the boxed projection, it has the dog house cooler(a 71 up-grade) That being said, I would doubt it is the correct(stock) engine for the 71 bus. A lot can happen to a bus in 50 years...
I do like the black door jams and beige exterior paint though... It's a pound puppy for sure.
I need another cup of coffee now.

[Xevin]

[Angus II]

Hello,
Much better now, thank you. Good catch there Xevin....
We're lucky I'm not an air traffic controller or in charge of a some missile silo some where...
Yet, that isn't a 38 amp (Gen.) backing plate. And, a lot of non-stock funk going on in that engine compartment. The carb(s) linkage returns spring setup is a nice touch...and where is the hose for the break system?
Just saying it's a mystery bus engine. A lot of money will be spent getting it back to stock form, if that matters to him. It looks to have a bug exhaust from the side view picture. And, what is under that nice new shinny paint job?.
But, it's a 71 bus, best year to have. IMO
Good luck with it.

[EDragnDean]

Move that driver side fuel line, I don't like it that close the the exhaust.
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[Montreal Westy]

Thank you everyone for your help already! I did some digging in the papers we received with the Westy and found out the engine was replaced in 2002 and the note only states it was a 1600 cc engine.

I could not find any engine number under the mount for the generator (thanks for the correction) and I will definitely look into the mounting set up.

I just ordered some new spark plugs, wires, points, coil, and distributor rotor and cap. I want to make sure I am starting with a good ignition system.

[Montreal Westy]

[Abscate]

You need to vent the PcV gas somewhere , either into the air intake or go a catch can. Hold off on the distributor cap until you sort out which distributor you want to run. That isn’t a great one there
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.ssS!

[Montreal Westy]

[Wildthings]

What is your ignition timing set at? The 10° ATDC mark that is painted on your pulley will not work with that distributor. You probably want to set your timing at 28-32° BTDC at 3800+ rpms to get the best performance.

Have you adjusted your valves? Pretty much a require procedure before hitting the road the first time and then every 3000 miles afterwards.

An engine that is backfiring needs work before it destroys itself.

[Abscate]

I badly miss your beautiful city and its wonderful restaurants. Bad food is not permitted in Montreal.

Will you run your Bus in winter? Those dual carbs do not have chokes, I believe, so winter or even cool fall starting might be hard
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[thirtyseven]

Hi, that's one really nice bus you got there... Looks like it's got a Mouse-gray -split bus color- respray over the original red, not a bad idea IMO
As the others have already said, difficult to have a good idea of the actual motor without taking it out, removing heads and measure the actual bore (and stroke, while at it). Who knows how many engines this bus have had during its life, or how many time this very engine got rebuilt.

Without pulling the engine, adjusting the valves is required indeed, I'd also pull the carbs, order gasket kits, clean them good and blow compressed air. You might also check your float levels, jets size and emulsion tube (can cause crappy running).
Seems like you have a set of Weber ICT (or Empi knock-off), so checking the throttle play would be good also. They are known to develop play in the shaft, inducing vacuum leak. Could be rebushed, but few people do that, it's not worth the hassle unless you know someone.
The throttle linkage also, should be checked to make sure it operates as it should. Some wear-points there too. A lot of people praise the CSP bellcank linkage (will be installing one too) for ease of tuning and reliability.

Check this site, there's a lot of useful information about those carbs in a bus, as well as jets recommendations, and misc. : https://www.wayoutwestie.com/engine-tech/running-weber-icts-on-a-vw-aircooled-engine/

Other than that, I'd clean a bit the engine bay, replace every fuel hose and connections with the proper fuel-hose clamp (not the ''worm-type'' clamps like you have), just tidy the place so it's not discouraging when staring at the scene
Pulling the engine would allow to check the cooling tin, if you have a doghouse setup, and make sure your fan is clean of debris. Where are you located in Montreal by the way, do you have a garage or at least, access to some space? (Je ne t'ai pas demandé si tu parlais français d'ailleurs...)

If you don't know any VW mechanic yet, I'd recommend this guy: https://fr-ca.facebook.com/FFFabrication/
Fred at FF-Fabrication is a knowledgeable guy, with tons of experience. He moved from Montreal to the countryside (St Alexis, in the Laurentides) not long ago, but his shop is a great ressource. As every good shop, he's extremly busy but a good place to know.

Welcome here anyway, you'll find anything you may need on this site, it's a place of tremendous knowledge, and helping people! But more importantly, what we want and need are photos, a lot of them, of every corner of your bus... The more photos, the more help

[Montreal Westy]

[Montreal Westy]

[Montreal Westy]

[Montreal Westy]

[Wildthings]

[thirtyseven]

Good that you have a garage, I couldn't image fixing my bus when it was parked in the streets in Montreal! I had too though, on some occasions...

You might add to your list the purchase of a proper 034 distributor (there are good distributor rebuilders here, so you know you buy perfectly restored, original quality parts), to replace the 009 knock-off you seem to have. Your Weber carbs (if this is what you have) have a vacuum port, and your engine would benefit the right amount of advance from the proper distributor, before trying to mess with the timing.

Bus looks nice on those photos!

[Montreal Westy]