Hey everyone,
I have decided im going to get a late model bay window camper. The car has a 1800 type4 motor in it and i have been told that these motors are bad, expensive and have lots of problems. I have never had experience with type 4 motors. Am i asking for trouble buying a car with a motor like this? How hard would it be to fit a 1600 from a beetle like my old bus had, it was a very reliable motor. Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
Alex.

they are not as bad as they sound, they are barely any heavier & have a much stronger bottom end, most problems involve the cylinder heads, if you have an engine with good heads & be careful not to overheat it, & keep valve clearance adjustments correct, it should "go for ever"
you will find a lot of Kombis for sale that seem "OK" but are actually running on 3 cylinders so first thing to check is a one by one plug lead removal & check the revs drop is about the same on each cylinder, this will check the tune on the carbies too, the other thing you can do is buy one with a stuffed motor at a relevant price & rebuild the motor with new heads

[Edited on 11-5-2004 by kombikim]

People say that the 2L (Type 4) motors are better, and that's true, but they're also much more expensive to repair/rebuild than the 1800 ones.

Before you decide to buy, take it to an experienced VW mechanic and get them to have a look at it.

Gotta love what people say... :cussing

Mine is an 1800 and yes, it did need a rebuild. I wouldn't say that is a bad thing though, considering the vehicle is 29 years old, and this was probably its first complete rebuild ever.

Yes, 'type IV' motors are more expensive to repair, but in something as heavy as a kombi, they will last longer than your average 'type 1' motor. For my money, I'll take the type IV over a type 1 anyday. :thumb

I had a type 4 in mine yes it did need rebuild but it was a dream after that

Type IV engines are like any other engine (not just VW) - if you look after them and keep them serviced, they will last a very long time. They do have their downfalls - expensive to repair, but a good one will last much longer than even a good type I engine as they are designed to be stronger.

This would go some way to explain why there are more and more people putting type IV engines in early (split screen) kombis and into beetles too.

A type IV would be my choice in a Kombi anyday.

R

[Edited on 12-5-2004 by ratty 63]

I have a '74 1800 carburetted bus (they do seem to be quite common, those 1800's, considering they only built them for a short time). She has some sort of fuel problem which is intermittent. Most of the time she runs just great! Is getting a little smoky, drips a few drops of oil at the end of a trip, but strangely the oil level doesn't go down.

I love that bus! I get about 11litres/100km out of town. Not too bad considering the aerodynamics and the age. I didn't usually go above 90k/h though, nor push her going up hills.

I would also recommend a checkup by someone experienced. It seems like a possible waste of money pre-buy, but I kinda regret not having done it.

Aurel