Hey there, could anyone let me know my options for rebuilding 2.1. Shit compression (75 85) in one cylinder and I'm guessing a burnt valve or worse , still drives, just no power up hills, hence the reason we paid $650 to have it trucked from where the trouble was first noticed. I have the ability to remove engine and take it to VW specialist, could probably strip it and rebuild it myself but carbies are more my scene, fuel injection is a bit daunting as i've only ever had aircooled VW's till last year. I have read anywhere from $2200 to $6500, the latter is out of the question. any help or suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Adam

definetly wont b 6500 bucks. i guess 2200 to 3000 grand max, its a t4 engine???

Shit bloke. I almost rebuilt it myself, OK i had to redo the heads but i was about 12 bolts away from removing engine out of car and having it stripped down.
Nil stress about fuel injection. No power no flow unlike carbs.
If u do decide to rebuild it all varies on how far U wish to go. Full or half or just new pistons rings etc.

Strip it down to what is suspect items. See Bentley. Rip out the engine saves about 2+hrs at mechanics rates. Remove all coolant first Engine Oil,(let it drain overnight) then Pipes, muffler saves another 5hrs at mechanics rates, then probably expect a little more water. drop bolts from gearbox and remove engine. The Rest is the easy part.
Option A:
AMC heads from the states, about 800+ a pair. all internals.Whilst shopping in the states Buy yourself the FULL engine rebuild Gasket kit from Cip1, 124 bucks + shipping. Pistons just bite the bullett and go for the DJ pistons trust me you will like the end product. Really thats about all there is to it.
Get Mechanic or other to install Pistons rings Barrels and re seat new heads. Or Re-seat Heads yourself Easier than U think, at least U will have the engine out unlike me.
Pay your bill of maybe 2G(less expectedly) and go home and re-install engine.

Or
Option B
Have the mechanic Diagnose what is actually broke and fix that singularity, could/will be costly later.

Option C:
Get the Maechanic to do the whole job 4-5G+ at least.

Option D:
Become one of the converted and throw a Subi donk at it. Whole engine conversion kit + EJ22Engine $6,600 + shipping.

Mate too many options.

Thanks Chris and Andrew, much appreciated, guess i'll just buy another T3 and keep mine for spares...so who has a spare T3 laying around?

Heya Adam
Ebay 2,500bucks for an 85model? Or start looking. Plenty on carsales or at least there was. Everybody knows what they are now. Which means everybody knows what they are worth. Usually 6G minimum.

Go on strip it down. Piece of piss.
It's putting it back together that is insane. Get the mechanic to do the hard part/s.
Remember there is no tuning with a T3. No injectors need balancing.

Thanks Andrew, yeah , the homebrews have been helping with my decision making, not at the moment, sun's not over the yard arm yet...looks like i'll strip it and start from scratch, my tax return is spoken for this year. Ho Hum it's only money how's the synchro going? did you take it to Valla? sorry i couldn't drop in on the way, 3am start, didn't think you would appreciate that. Hope all is well, i'm going to peruse Valla pics and tinker with air cooled vw's in our shed, til the sun's on the make. Have a good one!

If you are fairly confident with engine work have a go,read the manual first for tips,When the heads are off have a good look at the lifters & camshaft as they are generally RS,the injection isn't a worry as you only have to unbolt & unplug the connectors. The most time consuming part is the disassembly & reassembly,just allow plenty of time because if you rush it you can get into strife easily. If you are not sure of anything we will help where we can. They are fairly time intensive & this is why you can be looking at $5000 plus for a workshop job. les

Thankyou Les, i'm just about to start a new job so all work will be on the weekends, i greatly appreciate all tips and advice, i'll keep the old girl and i guess as "they" say, it's a steep learning curve...shit! at least i didn't seize the engine, it still drives and idles (roughly) and the pro's far outweigh the cons, will keep you posted on associated pics of carnage and dramas...nothing ventured nothing gained. Cheers 'n Beers!

have you checked your coolent? waterboxers are known for breaking head studs, so your loss of compression and rough idle could be a blown head gasket.

Thanks Pete, yes i made sure that when i serviced it she got G12+ (pink stuff right?) but i can't guarentee that the previous owner did the same. i just backed it off the truck 1/2 hour ago and have yet to take heads off...by the way, if anyone needs to use a transport company between melbourne and Brisbane i can highly recommend SMB transport 1300 362085, friendly service and the T3 arrived as it left, good nick with no extra miles and still had 1/2 tank of juice So, back to the T3 who has suggestions for heads and studs, valves and other associated bits that go with a head job....sorry but i can't think of another way of putting it. i've only had the T3 for just on twelve months and sh's done 18500 in that time, about 4000 of those kilometres was hauling loads between Lennox head and the gold coast, i'm guessing 800kgs to a tonne at the most, never revved the ring out of it...well never fully laden and changed the oil every 5000, she used no oil and at the worst, 500ml of coolant was added in a fortnight. The heads have never shown signs of weeping and she always pulled comfortably uphills at 110 to 125km/h. I put a tank of Caltex Premium in about a fortnight ago and now that i think about it, she started feeling abit sluggish after that... all things considered it could have been alot worse, so, where to start? Thankyou for all the advice so far and in the future, I greatly appreciate any info. Have a good weekend, i'll be on the couch in the shed with a long neck, gazing intently at our VW's thinkin...at least they're not daewoos

can anyone recommend a VW mechanic who knows their watercooled stuff on the gold coast please, may even travel to Brisvegas if need be. Thanks

Sounds like a scarred piston and ring??

Or at the very least a burnt valve.

These things will pull a load but really aren't meant for it, the occasional run yeah but each weekend struth.

Mick Motors..

Well the engine out stuff may have to wait a little while, i just stuffed my back moving house for my little brother...Flat as a tack and not smiling very much, that and giving away the ciggies What next? Ahh well... there's always Vodka and Panadeine Forte

Sorry to see you stuffed your back,but you're right about the panadeine forte,it worked a treat for my wife,but don't let the chemist give you the home brand,it has twice the codeine & freeked her out..Hope it doesnt mess with the new job. There is always another weekend for motorcars. Les.

Thanks for the kind words Les, yeah, back is good now...sexy female yoga instructor and horizontal resting periods have sorted it right out...see, i kept it PG New job is great and have a mate coming over to remove and assess crook engine next weekend...looks like a reasonably priced fix instead of the dreaded rebuild, thanks to all who contributed their two cents. muchas gracias!