Is there any difference in the 2.0 VW Van motor and the 2.0 914 motor?

Pistons and heads are 100% different from a 2.0 914 engine.


B

I don't believe I can answer this well as others.. but I'll give it a shot.

While both engines are in fact Type IV's, there are plenty of differences. Some of the characteristics that the bus has that are disadvantageous:

Low compression
Different spark plug angle and chamber shape (the 2.0 Porsche is much better)
Smaller Valves
Different Cam

Some of the 2.0L bus parts can be used on a 914 without reducing performance (the crank and rods come to mind), but as a general rule, I'd say it's a horrible idea to put a 2.0L bus engine in a 914.

.. Ahh, I was confusing van with bus. As Brad said, on the vans the heads/pistons are completely different.

I have a 914 right now that someone installed new euro P+C's with 2.0 heads on a bus/van 2.0 engine..

problem was... they replaced the cam with what they pulled out (BUS 2.0) Its an anemic bastard that wont get out of its own way. NO power.. lots of torque until 2300 RPM then it falls flat on its face.

Basically.. you can use the case/crank/rods.. with small mods to the case for the 914 (like a dipstick)


B

And the van/bus have hydrolic lifters 78 and later. Drops the redline to 5k area, but no more valve adjustments... . Brads right on, my 78 westy had great low end tourqe but nothin above 3k. Ferg.

Also the 914 crank is supposedly a better unit. Porsche did the 2.0 crank and then VW copied it in '76.

Many old bus cases tend to be beat from pushing around the heavy bus. You can't use the 80 to 83 bus case as it has the wrong breather tower and '79 and up heads won't bolt up to the exhaust.

Was there a water cooled version of the VW van/bus motor?

Got halfway into a conversat ion and found out I was lost...

Half way through the '83 model year VW introduced the 1.9 wasserboxer (watercooled) engine. It was later bumped up to 2.1 liters, it was used till the end of the Vanagon line.

Some guys are cutting off the water-jackets (cylinders) and putting type 1 P&C's and heads on them and calling them Oxy-boxers or type 5 engines.

A bus motor is a low compression work horse that is designed to get up a hill no matter how slow.....

The 914 2.0 is a higher revving hot rod.

The 2.0 - 2.4 I have is a ball buster up to 70 mph then the gearing in my 356 four speed says NO MAS.....

about 20hp between the 914 2.0...