In a message dated 10/10/2004 7:52:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

Frank  you go next you just got back from your world tour what was the =
top speed  and for how long

    Yes, world tour "not" but North American "yes"  !  Anyways, as I stated
in my final trip report which included some stats,  there were many days of
driving on the intestates at a steady all day  long 120 km/hr which is 4200 on my
tach.  Some of those days were in  100 degree weather and all day means 6 ~ 8
hours duration or at least between  gas stops.  Short bursts to 140 km/hr
were not uncommon on those long  straight stretches of intestates out west.  The
engine is a new Big Valve  engine built by Bob and has 30,609 km on it
presently running 15w50 Mobil 1  after 5000 km break in using 10w30 dino oil.  Oil
pressure readings at  operating temperatures are presently 5 psi @ idle, 15 ~20
psi @ 2000  rpm, and 35 ~40 psi @ 4000 rpm.  After hours of 4200 rpm driving
in the 100 degree weather oil pressures readings were 2 psi @ idle, 10  ~15
psi @ 2000 rpm and 25 ~30 psi @ 4000 rpm.
    Now this still does not tell us anything about  longevity does it ?  What
we really need is info from those who have had  more than one engine in their
van and what the one that came out looked like and  the conditions that got
it there.  I can tell you for fact that my original  engine, OEM one, had
413,468 km on it when it was removed due to a cracked  head.  When the engine was
opened by Bob he found that most of the bearings  had been worn to the bronze.
That engine at operating  temperature still had 30 pounds of oil pressure at
4200 rpm and 2 ~ 4  pounds at idle.  That engine was driven, from the time I
took  possession of it at 209,828 km, at usually 120 km/hr on open roads.
Occasionally there were sustained periods of driving at 140 km/hr.  Oil was
always 20w50 dino with some 10w30 dino in winter months changed at 3000 ~  5000 km
and then synthetic 5w50 from 345,700 km on since I've owned  it.  Previous
maintenance records do not specify the weight of oil at oil  changes but VW part
number only.  I do see "some" records of 10w30 oil on  bills from private
garages.  The vast majority of previous maintenance  records are from authorised
VW dealerships.
    Not a big sampling but a start.  I am of the  "opinion" the waterboxer
engine properly built and cared for can withstand  4200 rpm driving all day long
and have a good long, 300,000 ~ 400,000  km, life.
    More test pilots please step up !

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 09 ~ 12, 2005
'87 Westy, '90 Carat &  Lionel Trains
Member: _Vanagon List_ (http://www.vanagon.com/) , _LiMBO_
(http://www.bcn.net/~limbo/) , _IWCCC_ (http://www.westfalia.qc.ca/)  & _CCVWC_
(http://www.ccvwc.ca/)
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in  the Ottawa Valley
_STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel  Mufflers_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)
_Frank Condelli &  Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
or  http://frankcondelli.com