VW Camper Question. Not an A2 but I NEED HELP!

Pinkythelabrat

Pinkythelabrat

A2OC Donor
I know it’s not an A2 but I know there is a load of engine-expertise on this lovely forum so I’m hoping someone with less of a tin ear can give me some advice.

My 1989 VW T25 campervan (a 1.9 petrol boxer) recently started making a very odd noise under load on a lovely trip to Eilean Donan Castle through snow covered mountains. No real change in power that I noticed but very ‘rattly’.

When I looked underneath the bracket which holds the front exhaust section had lost a bolt and clamp section and the exhaust pipe had split. I repaired this and the fix is looking good but with my head now under the van the engine does not sound happy.

It is rattly, appears to lurch every few strokes and is clattering. I cant feel any particular play in the engine and the exhaust looks well restrained - the whole lump is juddering.

Other fun symptoms - she really doesn’t like to start from cold or if a few days have passed. There was white exhaust on start up for a few mins (but she’s sat unrun for three weeks) and that appeared to dissipate) and she’s now going through coolant - I have topped up a litre in the last two trips. It may just be a radiator or coolant hose leak but the ground in Scotland is never dry to see puddles.

I am very afraid that someone is going to say head gasket but I can’t explain the noise with just a leak. I do have a coolant gas test kit so I’ll need to find somewhere to stick this in. Oil seemed fine and I don’t seem to be losing any.

Can lovely people please have a listen and see if I’m just being an idiot - I’m too used to my 2002 three pot TDi so am a bit numb to noisy engines. Does this sound right?


Help!


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Sounds like something on one of the top ends to me. Does it have hydraulic valve-lifters? If so, could be one of them is gubbed. This would possibly explain a lumpy idle/running also, but not the coolant leak. That should be investigated as a separate issue.
 
Hi That sounds poorly and what proghound said seems sensible to me. I would assume the exhaust issue and engine behaviour are merely coincidental. The club/website for T25s is nearly as excellent as this one! It is at http://www.club80-90.co.uk/index.html. One of the people on there (very generous with advice) is Ian Holman of Holman Engineering (aka silverbullet). He is currently rebuilding a very rare thing - a six cylinder version of your boxer engine.
atb
 
Have a compression test done, sounds like a sticking or leaking valve to me. Remember sound travels a long way so the noise could be from the inlet side. Have the cooling system pressure tested that will show external leaks or head. The long hoses to the heater matrix were always a problem as were the radiator hoses so you will need to get under the car to check those out.
 
Thanks everyone.

My vain hope was that someone would say ‘that’s what they always sound like’

It does have hydraulic lift tappets. They used to race like anything when I first got it. The 80-90 forum suggested a different oil which seemed to sort it. Maybe one got damaged from the runny stuff.

All in all it’s going to a garage for help rather than me having a go. Bedrock Retrodubs is reasonably and John’s going to cry when I give him more work but he’s a good un.

Probably not going to pass it’s MOT as is though methinks...


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I really would not run the engine more until the garage has it. Best of luck and keep us updated.
 
Thanks buddy.

Unfortunately I think it ran the better part of 400 miles like that!

The garage is about 3 miles away. Its a risk I’ll accept since the engine is either toast already or 3 more miles can’t make it much worse... famous last words.


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