The engine was manufactured here under contract and to VW standards. They were not designed here and any design deficiencies point right back to the German designers.

 

And why did they have smaller head bolts, smaller wrist pins and why did they wear out so fast? Except for Mercedes, all diesel car engines of that era share a gasoline engine heritage and none of the Engineers really understood what was needed to produce a reliable high mileage small diesel engine. VW was no exception.

 

AMG Pacers did not have German made VW engines in them but some of the early K cars did. Then Chrysler manufactured the engine under license from VW until they could replace it with their own designed 2.2 liter inline 4. Some of the early K car floor stampings were VW rabbit sheet metal, bought from VW.

 

Most car owners don’t realize how intertwined the car industry really is!

 

Tom

www.towercooler.com

 

 

From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans [mailto:scottdaniel@turbovans.com] 
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 11:57 AM
To: Tom Hargrave; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Auto trans interchangablibilty

 

Sure .

that's why those engines had 11mm head bolts and smaller wrist pins than the 'normal good' 12mm head bolt engines with a bigger wrist pin, americans didn't know better.  lol. 

 

I suppose it's possible. 

Did they say 'USA' on the side of the block   ? ....like all the diesel vw engine blocks I've ever seen say 'Mexico' or 'Germany' cast right in .

 

reminds me that some AMC Pacers had german made VW engines in them.  Something like that.  

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Tom Hargrave <mailto:thargrav@hiwaay.net>  

To: 'Scott Daniel - Turbovans' <mailto:scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>  ; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM 

Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 8:40 PM

Subject: RE: Auto trans interchangablibilty

 

All of the VW diesel engines made back then were made in the USA. VW contracted the work out to a US engine company.

 

My source is Dr Booth from the Mercedes diesel list I used to belong to. We were discussing diesel engines and he quoted the diesel engine used in the early 80s VWs, the company who made them, he even had production numbers. “From memory”, and I don’t totally trust memory, the engines were being manufactured for USA and German production. It was still a German engine being made here.

 

Tom

www.towercooler.com

 

 

From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of Scott Daniel - Turbovans
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 3:27 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Auto trans interchangablibilty

 

re
The 80’s VW diesel was manufactured here in the States and so were the VDO
gauges in your Vanagon

The car, not the engine or trans.

I believe round headlight rabbits are german made in that era.
and the square headlight ones are the ones made in Pennsylvania.

even the batter cables look purely American on those.
but the engine and trans were german produced....pretty sure anyway.

that was the first example of a foreign manufacturer having a car assembly
plant here , btw.
Now most, or many  of them do it.
and I think quality suffers from making them here too.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Hargrave" <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 9:23 PM
Subject: Re: Auto trans interchangablibilty

You’d be surprised what’s in what car and where it was made.

For example, the early 90’s Jeep Cherokees came with one of four different
automatic transmissions and one was a Toyota transmission!

And guess which gave the most trouble? The Toyota!

The 1966 Mustang came with 1 of 4 different drive shafts.

The 80’s VW diesel was manufactured here in the States and so were the VDO
gauges in your Vanagon.

Tom

www.towercooler.com

From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
John Rodgers
Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 10:57 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Auto trans interchangablibilty

  WHAT!!!!

Really? Audi and Passat slushbox into a Vanagon? How would you identify
which would fit?

John

John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com

On 2/16/2011 6:37 PM, Chris S wrote:
> Also some Audi and passat slushboxes work too.

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