As a teenager I worked as a VW mechanic (late 70s). We would often see
loaf vans, only a few years old, with 80,000 to 100,000 km (ie 50,000 to
60,000) miles come in for an engine rebuild, if they had the type 1
engine. The vans would be in beautiful condition, with all the right
maintenance done, but the type 1 motor just wasn't heavy duty enough to
push around the van and live for any length of time. However we'd never
see a later model Beetle come in like that. In fact my 74 Beetle is
still on it's original engine after 300,000km, though it is showing some
signs of age.

To get to the point. The Type IV and Wasserboxer are heavy duty engines,
and barring overheating in the type IV and head gaskets in the WB seem
to last a long time pushing around a heavy van. In my experience with VW
inline fours (in Golfs and Passats) their engines lasted about as long
as a type 1 engine in a Beetle (or less), and they were pushing around a
light weight, aerodynamic body. This causes me to wonder what the life
expectancy is for an inline 4 in a Vanagon, or for a Subaru conversion,
for that matter, since it is also an engine designed for a much lighter
and more aerodynamic vehicle.

Just because the engine is good in a smaller vehicle doesn't mean it's
going to push our heavy vans around reliably for a good amount of time.

Any thoughts, comments or experiences?

Kim Howe
khowe@omninet.net.au
82 Air Cooled