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Posted by: McLovin Apr 6 2017, 01:20 PM

I used to have a 1.8 liter engine in a bus. I romped on it once in the freeway, it sucked a valve, and totaled the engine.

Now I have a 1.8 liter 914 that seems to run good. I've been looking at the cost associated with a rebuild....in the event I ever needed one...and I've decided that taking good care of my engine is a wise course.

So what do you recommend? Short of tearing the engine down, I'll make sure that I have good seals in the engine compartment and maybe make sure my valves are always set correctly. I might even run a slightly rich mixture at my carb (yes, I have a carb). Anything else I can do that I'm not thinking of?

Posted by: brant Apr 6 2017, 01:41 PM

monitor your temps
oil and heads.

often running the head temps too high will cause a valve seat failure

if your monitoring shows these temps to be too high.... then take steps to address that.

Posted by: 6freak Apr 6 2017, 02:44 PM

so your asking how not to blow it up I cant help you

Posted by: McLovin Apr 6 2017, 07:23 PM

Excellent suggestion...thanks. Do you have a recommendation on how to do that? Like a brand or kit for guages? How hot is too hot? (I realize that's subjective, but a guess is very helpful)

Posted by: cgnj Apr 6 2017, 08:33 PM

Mystery motor, Leakdown. Single carb?
Pm jim kelly about these.http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=307619 Good fit for stock 1.8, and much better than that pinto carb.
Change oil religiously. Sooner or later it will have to be rebuilt.

Posted by: Rand Apr 6 2017, 09:01 PM

If you can't smell his stink yet... You haven't been paying attention. Don't feed him.

Posted by: McLovin Apr 6 2017, 10:47 PM

What does that mean? You saying I'm a troll or something??? I just bought a '75 with a 1.8 and it runs OK but right now it leaks like a sieve because the pushrod tube seals are bad...It's original to the car so I think it has 88,000 miles on it per the odometer. I'd like it to last a long time (while I slowly build a back-up engine for the day it dies). I had a '74 bus, which also had a 1.8 liter engine and during a long trip, my engine died when my valves mysteriously closed. I adjusted them out, not realizing then that they closed because the valves stretched. On the next long trip I took in that bus, it destroyed the engine when I brought it up to 75 mph on the interstate and it sucked a valve. I would like that not to happen again anytime soon with my new toy. Type IV engines are bullet proof on the bottom end but the heads are problematic. Was hoping to hear from people who have stretched the mileage of their engines. Not name callers.

Engine:



Car: (note the puddle of oil underneath it)



My old Bus

Posted by: injunmort Apr 7 2017, 04:46 AM

75 mph in that bus? i think not

Posted by: jd74914 Apr 7 2017, 06:19 AM

Also go and buy engine tin seals (they might be on sale right now at 914rubber); they'll help motor temperatures.

I beat the crap out of a 1.8L motor for years-literally tried to kill it-and it just kept coming back so I don't think you have much to worry about.

Posted by: bandjoey Apr 7 2017, 06:38 AM

Stop the leaks, keeps the revs high, have someone help you properly adjust the valves.

Posted by: McLovin Apr 7 2017, 06:44 AM

Sure they can. The Type IV engine made the bus capable of those speeds. My front end was tight on that bus too...handled good on the highway.

Look here:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/volkswagen-bus6.htm

Posted by: McLovin Apr 7 2017, 06:50 AM

Already ordered them. Thanks. They are $40 with a promo code right now from 914 rubber. I think they cost more than $100 for my old bus (must be a different shape.) Believe it or not, bus guys sometimes use swimming pool noodles slit lengthwise half-way through. They do work.

Good to know that you can beat them and they keep coming back. Like I say, I'm gun shy with the Type IV engines and before I sold my bus, I was considering replacing it with a Type I engine instead. So the idea of the Type IV in my 914 made me hesitate, but I'm thinking that the car is so light the strain on the engine must be way less so the longevity must be pretty good. I wonder how many miles you can get on them???

Posted by: McLovin Apr 7 2017, 06:53 AM

Thanks. I know I shouldn't lug the engine. I'll be reading up on ideal operating RPM.

Posted by: era vulgaris Apr 7 2017, 07:06 AM

3,000-4,000rpm for cruising. Shift points should be around 4500.
Cruising for extended lengths below 3,000rpm will eventually overheat your heads.

Posted by: injunmort Apr 7 2017, 07:23 AM

nah, 68bhp, the aerodynamics of a barn door and the added weight of a kombi. that bus never saw 75 mph. the specs you post are from vw which are notoriously generous. it list top speed as 75mph. if you were running at 9000rpm, perhaps, but you would have sucked up more than a valve. so i call bullshit.

Posted by: bretth Apr 7 2017, 07:53 AM

My 68 bus with stock single port motor topped out around 64 mph. I could see how a 1.8 may get another 10 mph over mine.

Posted by: sdoolin Apr 7 2017, 08:02 AM

I had a 76 bus for many, many years with a fresh 2.0 engine (rebuilt several times). It'd go 75mph easy. So long as I was going steeply downhill. With a tailwind...

Posted by: McLovin Apr 7 2017, 09:07 AM

A thread on stock bus speeds. Note that the early buses had Type I (beetle style) engines so those don't apply.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=383734&highlight=fast

Also buses run at low RPM, so you can floor them. Aerodynamics (mostly) prevents it from red lining in 4th gear. In the old days, people used to wedge a stick between the seat and the pedal as a cruise control on long trips. I don't advise that though.

Posted by: McLovin Apr 7 2017, 09:17 AM

Excellent! Thanks. This car is so different than the stuff I've driven. Never had a tach on a german car either, so this will be interesting.

Posted by: injunmort Apr 7 2017, 10:52 AM

do you guys fish, too? i bet you got some great stories about that, too. 1977 2.0l with ljet, maybe, not a 1974 1.8l carb.

Posted by: sdoolin Apr 7 2017, 11:05 AM

I think you mentioned running your fuel mixture a little rich to increase longevity? This is way to perhaps lower temps at the intake, but be careful running too rich as the extra fuel can "wash" oil from your cylinders, which can increase wear and shorten life.

The engine tin gaskets will help a lot. Plug all the holes in your engine tin where you should have plug wire clips, and get some good rubbers around your spark plugs to seal those holes up too.

Change oil more frequently than you think you should. Make sure you have the exhaust head pipes snugged properly to the heads and that there is a good seal there.

Posted by: injunmort Apr 7 2017, 02:36 PM

i apologize that it took me so long to answer your original question. the best way to preserve your engine is to remove it from the car. fill all the cylinders with motor oil, replace the plugs. fill the tranny up with 90wt. fill the crank case with motor oil, put expanding boiler plugs in the end of each heat exchanger. spray the entire unit with deep kreep or wd-40. wrap the unit in plastic like they do at boat yards and store in climate controlled enviroment. you will have a perfectly preserved engine.