NEED SOME MORE HP

[79 TIm]

Just wondering if there is anything you can do to a 1979 2.0  motor to give it a little more horse power. Not looking to burn rubber down the road just looking to keep up with traffic . Was looking for a 914 motor to put in but I don't want break up the original motor to the original body . Thanks for your help and hope to seeya's on the road

[Swiftriver]

  I've had a 914 in mine, and that was an expensive mistake.  It didn't have the low range torque to lug a bus around and it died early of  over-heating problems.      Opening up your exhaust with aftermarket mufflers will give you more high range power, but at the expense of low end torque.   I have since been putting everything closer to stock on my '78, and have noticed it is much more reliable, pulls hills better, I'm not burning valves anymore, and I am getting over 100k out of my motors.  I do recommend getting rid of the catalytic converter.... That was never meant to be...

 If you have good compression, your fuel injection system has no vaccum leaks etc...  Your bus should be quite fast..... for a bus. 

Brian

[79 TIm]

O.K. so maybe I just might have a clogged cat. and I need to get rid of it . That could be me problem the whole time . I hate hearing you guys say that my engine is on it's way out because that sounds like $$$$ . I'll do the engine if I have to but maybe I should look at the cat first than I'll go get some compression  readings and see where I go from there.

   I just want to say too is this is my first bus and I thank all of you for your in put , maybe I am expecting to much from this bus and I should just live with what I got , She is a runner , I drover over 800 miles home about a year ago and been using her as my everyday driver  (and yes even in the snow ) . So maybe I don't know what a bus does as far as performance and she is fine . Do we have any club members around Hudson County in N.J. ? That might be able to give me a little help

[busboss]

79 Tim wrote:

I'll do the engine if I have to but maybe I should look at the cat first than I'll go get some compression  readings and see where I go from there.

I wouldn't waste time with chasing exhaust or other parts.  Perform a compression test and a leak down test to get a good idea of the current health of your engine.

[79 TIm]

What is a leak down test?  never heard of that.

[Romy]

Sorry, can't resist:

 

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=leak+down+test

 

:)

 

You can do it yourself, or most mechanics should be able to do it.

[Subway AZ]

I have a question about running at 70-75 mph.  At 65mph I'm running at 3500 RPM and that sounds like the engine is screaming.  I run a Type IV engine with duel carbs Webber 40's with Electronic ignition, also a Quiet Pack exhaust with a header.  Presently I don't burn any oil. Wouldn't that be pushing the bus a little;  say around 4500 RPM?

I generally run around 3000RPM sometimes 3500 on highways

[Herman]

79 TIm said:

 

   I just want to say too is this is my first bus and I thank all of you for your in put , maybe I am expecting to much from this bus and I should just live with what I got , She is a runner , I drover over 800 miles home about a year ago and been using her as my everyday driver  (and yes even in the snow ) . So maybe I don't know what a bus does as far as performance and she is fine . Do we have any club members around Hudson County in N.J. ? That might be able to give me a little help

 

I would suspect that this is true since this is your first bus.  Certainly a FI late bay has more get up and go than an early bus but a Dodge Caravan is still going to out run ya.  If a compression test checks out don't sweat it.  Don't get in a hurry and enjoy the ride.

Personally I cruise at 60 and I have a 76 with a 2.0L dual 40 Webers, electronic ignition, extractor exhaust with a custom made muffler, and a fresh rebuild (broken in with three oil changes) with a Jake Raby cam.  I get in the bus all my cares go away and I just cruise...

[Swiftriver]

 Sustained 70-75 is too fast for even a late-bay, imho.  You will kill your engine early, and lets not forget the lack of crash protection in a bus.  55-65 seems fast enough to me. Remember, you are driving an overloaded, 30+ year old box with an air-cooled motor.   If you are holding the gas pedal to the floor for extended periods of time.....  You are killing the poor thing. 

Subway AZ said:

I have a question about running at 70-75 mph.  At 65mph I'm running at 3500 RPM and that sounds like the engine is screaming.  I run a Type IV engine with duel carbs Webber 40's with Electronic ignition, also a Quiet Pack exhaust with a header.  Presently I don't burn any oil. Wouldn't that be pushing the bus a little;  say around 4500 RPM?

I generally run around 3000RPM sometimes 3500 on highways

[whc03grady]

 Volkswagen would tend to disagree: 
An engine that can't do what the owner's manual says it should be able to do has something wrong with it, end of story.

Swiftriver said:

 Sustained 70-75 is too fast for even a late-bay, imho.  You will kill your engine early, and lets not forget the lack of crash protection in a bus.  55-65 seems fast enough to me. Remember, you are driving an overloaded, 30+ year old box with an air-cooled motor.   If you are holding the gas pedal to the floor for extended periods of time.....  You are killing the poor thing. 

[Herman]

This could very easily get into one of those discussions about which oil to use.....

 

All I know is drive it the way you want to.  If you want to run it 75 all day go for it. 

 

Personally I bought my bus to get away from the rat race and for me that means I'm not getting into a hurry to get anywhere.

 

I understand that the manufacturer suggests 75 maximum mph but as stated before these are now 40 year old machines that with time and temperature changes metal fatigue is possible.

 

Again, I have a fresh motor and with $1500 in parts alone in a 2.0L motor (find a new crank for it that is not already ground) and for me trying to stay up with interstate traffic on a long trip is not a great idea.  Saving my equipment and keeping my bus on the road to enjoy is important to me so the back roads relaxed enjoying the drive is the way to go.

 

Of all the mechanics I have talked to that have worked on these buses from the 70's to the present have said that Americans drive these buses like they are made to drive sustained interstate speeds and they are really not.  They were made for the narrow tight twisting roads of Europe.

 

With the rambling on here bottom line is drive it how ever you want to.  Its yours, you bought, you maintain it, you drive it......

[Subway AZ]

whc03grady;

Well from the factory this was true;  however I must agree with Swiftriver;  in that were driving 30 year old vehicles that are only partially restored in most cases.  So care and caution should be one of the considerations when driving these vehicles.  Not to say that we should baby them but exercise some level of care and consideration when being operated.

Along with the lack of new not rebuilt parts being used that have a less tolerance than when they were originally manufactured.

I once read somewhere else about the manner these vehicles should be driven; and it was stated that the optimal RPM should be around 3,000RPM to allow proper cooling and speed.  which would be around 60 MPH for a type IV engine and would lend itself to optimal engine life.

And from my research a type IV engine cost about $3500-$6,000 so I'm not anxious to push the envelope to find out if my bank account can be drained or how long I can go without my Bus.  And by the way the cost of that engine doesn't include install.

Just my opinion but thought I'd throw it out there.

[Subway AZ]

Well stated...:-)

Herman said:

This could very easily get into one of those discussions about which oil to use.....

 

All I know is drive it the way you want to.  If you want to run it 75 all day go for it. 

 

Personally I bought my bus to get away from the rat race and for me that means I'm not getting into a hurry to get anywhere.

 

I understand that the manufacturer suggests 75 maximum mph but as stated before these are now 40 year old machines that with time and temperature changes metal fatigue is possible.

 

Again, I have a fresh motor and with $1500 in parts alone in a 2.0L motor (find a new crank for it that is not already ground) and for me trying to stay up with interstate traffic on a long trip is not a great idea.  Saving my equipment and keeping my bus on the road to enjoy is important to me so the back roads relaxed enjoying the drive is the way to go.

 

Of all the mechanics I have talked to that have worked on these buses from the 70's to the present have said that Americans drive these buses like they are made to drive sustained interstate speeds and they are really not.  They were made for the narrow tight twisting roads of Europe.

 

With the rambling on here bottom line is drive it how ever you want to.  Its yours, you bought, you maintain it, you drive it......