my comments are on the other list ..
inline gas engines.
Sympathy ...sure ....sending sympathy your way !
S
lol..I used to really worry over what people's vans and vehicles needed
to be right again ..
I would just remind myself ..'metal wears out' ..and stuff wears out.

oil analysis on your engine would be interesting.
Scott

On 10/31/2013 5:34 PM, Don Hanson wrote:
> I'm sending this to the Big List too...While this doesn't concern a WBX
> stock Vanagon, there are lots of inline-familiar Vanagon people who may not
> read Neil's 'new' inline Vanagon-specific list.   Sorry for the length, but
> I wanted to give all the clues and specifics I could to help anyone who
> wanted to help me...  Thanks, Don Hanson
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com>
> Date: Thu, Oct 31, 2013 at 5:26 PM
> Subject: Advice wanted (and maybe some sympathy) on what looks somewhat
> major..
> To: "Vanagons and VW Buses (Bays) with VW inline gas engines" <
> vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines@googlegroups.com>
>
>
>     The problem is my 84 5sp inline (ABA with 1.8l 8 valve head and
> digifant)   I think I may have worn out something.   Here's the story:   I
> am guessing there's about 150k on the ABA 2.0 liter block, It's been well
> cared for by me and driven properly since I got it with said "97k miles".
> The head came off my original inline motor, a 92 Jetta 1.8 lite 8-valve
> with mostly vanagon digifant stock parts...all installed with 83 diesel van
> parts and the VW van 5sp.   Nothing was done to the block when I put it in
> about 60k miles ago other than swapping on the diesel oil pan and using the
> windage tray from the Jetta motor, as well as some inconsequential parts
> changed to allow the head to bolt on...
>
>     The head was self-surfaced and properly torqued using the head gasket
> suggested by Techtonics Tuning, pretty well respected VW performance
> shop...This combo has been flawless for about 60k miles, but as expected,
> old used stuff wears out and I couldn't afford to rebuild everything as I
> did the motor...so most of it is original...   I know the inline VWs are
> hard on valve guides and those have never been touched, nor have any of the
> valves, other than to have new guide seals installed when I changed
> cams...way back (over 60k miles ago).   I used new retainers too, but left
> the springs and keepers stock (on advice again from TT) who said the stock
> ones rarely need help...For the last maybe 20k miles I have been using some
> oil and seeing some smoke at times...probably from the valve guides...I
> hope...Remember, the valves and the head has been with me through two
> motors without any work other than the mild cam change.
>
>     Today I noticed I was down on power and running rough.   Pulled the
> plugs and found them at about 3/16" gap!   Almost 50k on NGK Irridium
> plugs.   Fingers crossed, I installed new ones, hoping for a fix...Nope.
> So I pulled plug wires, one at a time...and the two at the mainshaft end,
> the clutch end...they didn't change the running much off or on....Uh
> Oh....Next came a compression test, sort of.    I can't reach the tester to
> wrench it tight down in the plug cavities with the way my cheapo tester is
> made, but I screwed it in finger tight and tested anyhow...twice around on
> all four cylinders....Each time the readings were quite  close on each
> cylinder....from the alternator end of the motor...(back of the van) I had
> 175, 170, 90  95 psi.    Figures with the same two cylinders really low
> that made little difference when the plug wires were removed...Also, the
> new plugs....the two 'normal' reading cylinders showed a nice white burn
> after a short run while the two on the low reading cylinders looked fresh
> out of the boxes....
>
>     So I looks like I may have two bad cylinders for whatever reason(s)...
> I know I will be at least pulling the head to work on the valves...is there
> a way to know if the bottom of the motor is still ok? (without taking the
> motor out?)   I can get the head off in an afternoon probably and have it
> reconditioned for about $400 with new valves and everything...or I can
> probably find a junkyard head and just bolt that back on for ~$100-150, if
> I don't have to pull the whole motor, I would rather not, since I work
> mostly alone and that makes the motor removal more difficult...
>
>     I've been scraping by on part time work when I can find it, all  spring
> and summer...slim pickings in the building trade now for a while...... and
> now this will use most of what cash I cleared....so "inexpensive" is more
> important than proper and complete...Maybe next time it breaks I'll be in
> better $hape to do a complete job, but for now I need the van working
> again, ASAP and As Cheap As Possible....ACAP...
>
>     Advice on how to determine if I can get away with just pulling the head?
> and if that is all that needs work, I can leave the motor alone for now,
> hopefully.     Ahhh, my "Golden Years"....
>
>    PS, I am not losing coolant at all, nor do I ever have to add any...I am
> using about a quart of oil every 1200 miles now....consumption (and a
> slight constant leak) has slowly been increasing over the 50-60k miles on
> the "new" motor..   My O2 sensor is working, it is in the header pipe that
> comes from the two 'low reading' cylinders and each time I start the van it
> hunts around for the right mixture for a bit, then settles down to a rough
> idle.   I was  still getting 21mpg, right up till today and the motor had
> great power....then it went 'off' pretty suddenly.   There are no alarming
> sounds under the van using a tube on the block and head to listen...
>