Advice please on ReconEngines & Power Steering

[gutmeg]

1984 T25 1900 water cooled Holdsworth Villa 3 conversion. -Hi Folks. and a happy New Year to you all. I am after a bit of advice from forum members who l value there experience and knowledge obtained over the years. Question l am considering having power steering fitted to the van , and have looked through the wiki and cannot find much about it ref to fitting as a replacement to standard. As my wife may have to drive in the future due to my eyesight problems. Does anyone know the approx cost that l should expect to pay for this fitted, and where the best place to obtain this from please. Question 2 - The engine at present has done 85000 miles and before too long l guess l may need a replacement. I would be after a recon one the same as fitted. Could anybody recommend where l could get one from a reputable place, as l have read a number of companies to give a wide birth to. Also what should l expect to pay to have this fitted as well please l know there are various options available but am looking to keep the van running for quite a while yet. Many Thanks for any info no matter how small, and l appreciate all comments. Thanks again. Regards Lloyd

[maxstu]

Hello Lloyd,
I recently drove an Auto Sleeper T25 with electric power steering and was impressed. A little bit too light and vague to be honest, but a huge improvement over standard non PAS.
However, it didnt have the solid feel of factory PAS as equipped on my camper. And no match over OEM at motorway speeds either.
Yet l believe a worthwhile investment at around £400 fitted. Parking sweat free and fun
My views regarding engine rebuilder? Elite Engine
I used a company in Deptford. Not got the van anymore since 2018 but in contact with new owner and still running strong with 70k on rebuild. He and family did a 1600 miles kent Scotland kent trip without any engine hassle. And we did exactly same trip three months before selling camper. Again hassle free. The engine never let me down in eight years.
Update...company used for rebuild search no longer trading.
Campershack has an excellent reputation

[gutmeg]

Hi maxstu many thanks for the reply l have looked for the info ref the queries and had not found much anywhere at present so any advice greatly appreciated do yo
Know what the cost of fitting and the replacement engine was approx when you did the swap over ? Many Thanks Lloyd

[300CE]

Hi Lloyd,

How handy are you with the spanners as you could have a go at completing a rebuild yourself as there's a couple of fantastic posts on the process and of course there is plenty of advice on here on how you can get the job done.

Alternatively, in addition to Stu's advice above, the VW Engine Company in Catford have been going a while (in fact that may have been the company that was originally in Deptford) - i'm currently in contact with them about the possible costings for a gearbox rebuild (preparing for the next thing which maybe on the list) and they are always prompt and get back to you with any queries. Can't hurt to give them a buzz and a feel for the place, they're not too far away either:

https://www.thevwenginecompany.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JeffRoo]

Hi Lloyd
I can definitely recommend the vw engine company in Catford. Excellent service and mines been running 3 years now with no faults at all. I had them do a ‘turnkey’ change. All done in 1 week couldn’t praise them more.

Re power steering, I had this done also ‘turnkey’ by ultimate engineering based in Bristol. All done in 4 hours. I would definitely recommend them! I know it’s far from you, but Bristol area is a nice place to visit for a weekend

Pm me if you want to know the costs

[Michael4]

I'm quite new to this but it seems to me that 85k for an engine isn't that far, assuming it has been reasonably looked after.

Bearing in mind cost and the uncertainty about recon quality surely it is best practice to try and keep the original for as long as poss?

How high a mileage can one expect from a WBX if it has been looked after?

[Swebby]

I'm quite new to this but it seems to me that 85k for an engine isn't that far, assuming it has been reasonably looked after.

Bearing in mind cost and the uncertainty about recon quality surely it is best practice to try and keep the original for as long as poss?

How high a mileage can one expect from a WBX if it has been looked after?

Mine is on 150k and still going strong. Probably just given it the kiss of death now though!

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[Syncrobaz]

I've fitted oe pas to the wife's Syncro, it's a right pain ! You'll need the following parts,
Steering rack, if rhd very rare and pricey (£500)
Intermediate shaft
PS steering wheel
Possible PS uprights
Hoses front to back with pressure switch to increase engine speed
pump and brackets
Reservoir
Double engine pulley
Belt
+labour

ps 85k is nothing on a well looked after WBX

[Michael4]

I'm quite new to this but it seems to me that 85k for an engine isn't that far, assuming it has been reasonably looked after.

Bearing in mind cost and the uncertainty about recon quality surely it is best practice to try and keep the original for as long as poss?

How high a mileage can one expect from a WBX if it has been looked after?

Mine is on 150k and still going strong. Probably just given it the kiss of death now though!

Sent from my BBB100-2 using Tapatalk

Which is why I'm saying nothing...

[ajsimmo]

Thanks for the Campershack plug.
We are soon to be back up and running in our newly built "shack" on the Isle of Arran. I will be building a couple of stock engines, and also offering a high compression 2.2 upgrade. However, at 85k miles I'd agree that your engine should have plenty of life left yet. If not, I'd be happy to help.

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[gutmeg]

Hi guys, Michael4, Swebby, Synchronaz, JegfRoo, 300CR", ajsimmo,Many Thanks for the replies, much appreciated, l am looking to do the steering this year, and was thinking about the cost of recon further on however engine should be ok for a bit as concensus suggests so will keep my fingers crossed! Will pm those that have offered ref approx cost of power steering conversion.At present am limited to major stuff on van, as have not long out of hospital and also limited in knowledge / competency of doing more stuff at present as well. Again thanks again Regards Lloyd

[Syncrobaz]

re engine, for peace of mind fit an oil pressure guage, easy job !

[Swebby]

Lloyd,

There seems to be another thread just started on power steering that you may want to look at.
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic? ... source=app" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards
Sean

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