|
|
Subaru engine conversions!!!! More and more of our customers are asking about the engine conversion and we wanted to give you some helpful info. The Subaru Legacy engine is a flat four water cooled 2.2L that was first introduced in 1990. 135HP installed into a Vanagon is a power increase over VW's engine. Subaru engines are built with 5 main bearings, 4 valves per cylinder and 2 overhead cams driven by a toothed belt. It also features and engine management computer, capable of learning while you drive. It has no distributor cap or rotor. This 2.2L engine has 135HP and runs great with either manual or automatic transmission. There is also a 2.5L engine with 165HP. Vanagons original options stay the same such as cruise control, A/C and the Syncro skid plate. The cost of the Subaru engines can cost about $1000 to $2750. Labor cost is about $4500-$5000. For details please call our shop. Diesel to Gas Here are some things to consider when "swapping" engines. Once swapped, consider yourself your own mechanic now. Here at J's VW Vans, we can look at the problem and see if we can address it, we are more than willing to help. Alot of shops won't work on converted engines, unless they did the conversion themselves. Usually diesel Vanagon owners desire more power than the stock 48HP engine and gasoline Vanagon owners either want more power or to escape head gasket problems. You can install a more powerful diesel engine or convert to a gasoline engine. To upgrade your current diesel engine. You can install a turbo kit or swap in the 1.6 TD or 1.9 TD or the newest engine from VW, 1.9TDI. The 1.9TDI is the most recommended. Please know that for diesel Vanagon owners, regardless of the engine upgrade chosen, another issue to deal with will be the tranny gear ratios. Diesel trannys have very low gear ratios. Even with additional power, the top speed of the Vanagon is limited by engine RPM. There are a few options for dealing with this. Taller tires, but due to wheel-well clearances , the result is only a modest change in engine cruising RPM. Another method is replacing the final drive (ring and pinion) gears with a higher ratio set. A transmission shop is recomended to do this. Another option is to purchase a transmission from a gasoline powered Vanagon and install the diesel bellhousing. This is just a small bit of info to get your VW juices flowing. Please call the shop for more details or do some research on the internet. There are people whom are not mechanics that can give you first hand info on their projects and the do's and dont's. Maintenance Schedule Oil Services Every 3,000 miles replace oil and filter(if using non synthetic) Every 5,000 to 6,000 miles if using synthetic oil If you have non Hydraulic valves, we recommend adjusting the valves. Every Two Years, regardless of mileage: Cooling System flush-Use only Phosphate free coolant. Any brand and any color works. We use either VW coolant or Prestone. Distilled water 10,000 miles ATF oil cooler-At only 15,000 Miles-Minor Service Spark Plugs. Check and replace air filter if needed 30,000 Miles-Major Service Plugs, cap and rotor and wires if needed Air and Fuel filter Gear Oil Change(front too if Syncro) Automatic Tranny Service, ATF and filter Power Steering flush Front wheel bearing service(2WD only) Pressure test cooling system, check for leaks 60,000 Miles Major Service again, plus O2 Sensor 90,000 Miles Minor Service again, plus ATF/DGO seals-AT only Did you know? Keep up with the maintenance on your van to get maximum life out of it. Valve adjustments are neccessary for non hydraulic valves at every or every other oil change, to keep them from getting too tight. 1978 and newer have Hydraulic valves and 1977 and older do not need adjustment. We recommend, when using a non synthetic oil to change the oil and filter every 3,000 miles. If you are using a Fully synthetic oil, you should change the oil and filter every 5,000 to 6,000 miles. If you have just had a rebuilt engine installed, you should change the oil and filter 500 to 1,000 miles. If you ever have any questions refer to your owners manual. If you cannot find what you need there. Contact a VW Van specialist.
Announcements Do you live in an area where they salt the roads? If so, you may want to think about protecting your undercarriage. There is a product called Salt -Away. Go Westy sells this product. You can treat the undercarriage, wheel wells, wheels,fenders and bumpers. Salt -Away works to protect against salt corrosion and reduces costly repairs. We have not tried this product yet, but we have a lot of customers who live up at the lake and we will be trying this out for this winter. See Go Westy's website for more info. Salt-Away is safe to use on magnesium, aluminum, any metal, fiberglass,
rubber, plastic, chrome, glass or any surface exposed to salt. Safe to use
on vehicle paints and will not strip wax.
 Includes: concentrate (32 oz),
sprayer and mixer. Makes 8 gallons of solution.
|
|