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Warren Chapman wrote:

I haven't yet been able to bring myself to cut the Digifant wiring
out of my van yet.

Warren,
I think your notion of leaving the harness intact may be a good one. It
might be more trouble than it's worth to get it out. Of course, you'll
be using much of it with the new harness.
I converted my van to a Jetta engine first, and since it was a diesel
originally, it didn't have much in the way of wiring. Just the basics.
I'll probably need to ADD more wiring to make all the connections I
need. So far I've added wiring for a rear heater and rear washer/wiper.
Why don't you email the guys whose websites you've recommended, and see
if they'll join us? I'm sure they have lots more info to share.
Larry

Marshall Ruskin asked why we don't just use the required plugs to
create a new harness rather than hassling with the spaghetti mess. I
too have thought about this and think its worth considering.

However, as a novice, not too familiar with idendifying the right
plugs, I must admit that having to trace the wires from the computer
to the plug is helping me to identify the correct plugs. On my first
try at identifying the plugs from Kennedy's drawing I made a couple
of mistakes which I corrected as I starting snipping and removing
wires.

The ideal situation would be to have a source for harnesses made to
order. Problem is, I don't think the plugs are standardized for all
years from 90-94. (Kennedy has investigated this some but says he
has not been able to find a supplier of the various plugs.) I was
shipped the wrong harness from a 90 with my 92 engine and the plugs
were different. Harnesses to order would involve a fair bit of
research by a willing vendor. (Not yet on the scene.)

There is a company in Southern California who specializes in high
performance Subaru engines for sandrails, (Leading Edge Performance).
They have some VERY EXCITING performance mods for 2.2L and 2.5L
engines but not CA smog legal.

They make their own wiring harnesses but so far only have them for
the 2.5L which has a single plug at the computer instead of the four
yellow ones (90-94). I've been talking with them making one for my
'92 but they're not sure they want to do it. They charge $400 for
their 2.5L harness...a bit pricey but, for some, worth the time
savings.

Warren

Just joining the group and glad to be here. I bought my '84 Westy
about a month ago. The PO had run the engine without oil (forgot to
replace drain plug). So the engine is really dead needing new heads,
block, etc. I first saw this conversion stuff at Roadcow's site (great
info) and started lookin for a van that same day. Luck was with me as
I found my van the very next day. I'm now lookin for a '90-'94 2.2
Subaru for the KEP swap. I've called some junk yards, but would rather
find a complete car and remove the parts myself. So if anyone knows of
an engine/car in Florida let me know.

I plan to drop the old wasserbower this weekend being careful to label
all the wires, etc.

Mike Barfield
'84 Westy
Tampa, FL

Hiya fellow Subagonites?:

I have seen said conversion done, and it looks pretty good. The one I
saw had a cooling system that seemed cobbled together, and the
harness was not quite as pretty as I would have liked. How well it
ran I don't know - as it was still being worked on.

I do know that there is a problem setting up the timing with these
engines - and it requires knowing the correct mark - which is not the
mark on the pulley. My pal had to go to a Subaru shop, and they
explained the trick - I don't personally know it.

As we all know, there is difficulty with the wiring harness
fabrication - my pal who did the conv used the wiring diagram - which
contained at least one proven error.

Now that the preliminaries are out of the way - here's my thought:

How about just using the connectors on the harness, and fabricating a
new harness from scratch?

To me, it sure looks easier and faster than tracing leads in a
squashed spider web!

The only caveat is, are all the 2.2 litre installations using the
same ecu and components?

If they are, it sure makes life easier.

If not, the thing to do is to try and gather information on the
various FI/engine managements systems.

With that information, we potentially could:

1. work out the details for doing different installations, or;
2. work to a common standard, encorporating the potentially
different systems into a " flexible harness" design;
3. Hopefully, all the 2.2 litre systems could be made the same, and
there will be no need to create several harness designs.

What do you think?

Marshall Ruskin
Winnipeg, Canada
84 Westy "Iron Igloo"

I haven't yet been able to bring myself to cut the Digifant wiring
out of my van yet.

Firstly, I haven't been certain exactly what to cut out and a little
afraid I'll make a mistake and cut the wrong thing. I decided I
should complete the Subaru harness first to get a better
understanding
of what connections must remain. That has proved to be the right
decision. After living with the Subaru wires and Kennedy's diagram
for a week, I'm getting a better understanding of what to look for in
the vanagon harness to keep.

Secondly I'm not sure how to get the section out that's connected to
the Digifant ECU (inside the van under the passenger seat). It is
routed through mysterious and incaccessible places through the body
and frame before appearing in the engine bay.

I've even considered taping it up the Digifant harness real tidy like
and leaving it in the van, out of the way, just in case some day in
the future someone wants to return the van to Wasserboxer status.
Why?? Don't know. But someday, after I'm long gone someone may want
a purely VW Syncro Westy. ??????

What did you do Larry?
Sure would like to hear some other comments from veterans.

Warren

Warren Chapman wrote:

Now that I'm "FARFRUMLEAKIN".

What do I do with this Wasserboxer with rod through the block. It
was an almost new rebuild (why did it blow??)with new heads. Anyone
else find any value in the various engine parts??

Warren,
The Vanagon list is a fine place to recycle those parts. Someone was looking
for an idle stabilizer control unit a day or two ago. Good heads are always
in demand, and I've got a list of 4 or 5 guys that want an ECU. You might
just put up a "FS:" notice, tell 'em you're going Suby and want to sell the
rest. Make sure to mention that the block's not good. The throttle body,
AFM, idle stabilizer, ECU, distributor, FI bits, alternator, exhaust
headers, etc., should all find new homes somewhere on that list.
Larry

Warren Chapman wrote:

The wiring lengths are different from Kennedy's diagram if you want
to mount the ECU inside the van under the Westy cabinet.

Warren,
I've got the harness winnowed down to the essentials, and I think I'm going
to place the ECU and fit the rest of the harness as needed. Should be tons
o' fun!
Larry

Enough of my rambling for now. Hope to hear from others in coming
days.

I'll turn my attention back to the mess on my dining room table.

Let's see:

BY-keep
RG-cut (SHIT!) It'll be a miracle if this thing runs.

There's got to be someone out there who would love a little business
making these harnesses. Kennedy says he's selling three kits a week.
Anyone interested?


Warren

Now that I'm "FARFRUMLEAKIN".

What do I do with this Wasserboxer with rod through the block. It
was an almost new rebuild (why did it blow??)with new heads. Anyone
else find any value in the various engine parts?? I asked a couple
of Vanagon mechanics who weren't interested.

Seems that recently someone sold some heads only on ebay.

??????
Warren

This might save you some time. Took me a couple of hours of
frustration to figure out.

I got everything disconnected, engine to tranny bolts,wiring, splash
plates, motor mounts, etc., but COULDN'T GET THE ENGINE TO SEPARATE
FROM THE TRANNY. Just wouldn't budge, even using pry-bar.

Discovered that the exhaust system (which I thought was bolted only
to the engine) has one flange which bolts just behind the
bellhousing.

Once this nut was removed, the engine separated with little effort.

Warren

For those with Syncros.

First step in dropping the waterboxe is to remove the special Syncro
skid rails. I ended up removing them all, front to back, but
realized this is not necessary. The rear rails have two bolts at the
mounting point just in front of the tranny. One of these bolts
supports the front rail but you can remove it and then re-install it,
thereby leaving the front rails in place.

Warren

HELP??

Seeking tips and recommendations for modifying Kennedy's air intake
to mate with the special intake ducts of the Syncro which have a
closed system on the passenger side which extends up into the
passenger side rear air intake (for wading rivers).

Kennedy's kit has an air intake that bends to the drivers side and
draws air through its own customized filter but still inside the
engine compartment.

I like the Syncro ducting better, not only to avoid water in wading
rivers but it draws air outside of the engine bay (hopefully
colder/denser)air, i.e more power.

Warren

Just another plug for the importance of Kennedy's recommendation for
making the extra effort to get all the items from the same Subaru.

I found that a lot of wrecking yards have already pulled the engine
and have them on the shelf, probably with several others.

I got mine from a highly regarded yard who specializes in these
conversions, Subaru-Suzuki Recyclers in Rancho Cordova, CA ($1250
complete) (they will even do the swap for you for $5500). They claim
to know everything about this converson, but they sent me a '92
engine and a 90 harness. Took me several days of noodling and looking
at Kennedy's diagram to figure it out and another two weeks to send
it back and get the correct one. To their credit, however, they were
very cooperative and exchanged with no questions asked.

Warren

The wiring lengths are different from Kennedy's diagram if you want
to mount the ECU inside the van under the Westy cabinet.

I have a wiring diagram that I obtained from a friend who has
completed two Subaru conversions which shows the appropriate wiring
lengths from the ECU to the various connections if its mounted in
this
location.

I will try to scan it but I'm not too savy as to where to store the
scanned images so they could be avialable to this list. Any tips on
this will be helpful. Otherwise email me and I will snail mail you a
copy.

Warren

Warren,

Thanks for taking the initiative and starting the new list! I think
there are so many of us now that we could use a little support.

I'm installing my engine now, in an '82 ex-diesel Westy. The engine
is
a '90 with about 40k. I have just bolted the trans mount to the body
and am working on getting the engine support bolted up. This is a bit
more involved install than some, because I'm going to mount Syncro
underpinnings and drivetrain before I'm done with it. I have mounted
the Syncro tank and new filler (oops, that's another list).
Anyway, it's definitly a bit of a job, but I've got some experience,
having put V6 Buicks in '78 and '80 campers, so this shouldn't be to
bad.

I think I'm going to put the computer inside the van, up under the
closet, where it'll be out of the elements and a bit more accessable.
Since I'm going Syncro, I'm putting the air intake on the right to
take advantage of the snorkel on that side. The muffler on the donor
Syncro was nearly new, so it will see service with the Legacy WBX.
The
clutch is a new LUK from Ron at BD. I had to cut out the battery tray
that the diesels have in the engine room and move the battery to it's
usual position under the passenger seat.

I'm sure I'll find other changes to make before I'm done, and I'll
post them as they occur.

I can't wait to see how many Subygons there are around, since many of
us had to wait for parts because of the backlog. I'm sure many will
be
from California.

Larry
Park City, UT

Here are three links which I have found most useful so far:

Please post your recommendations.







Warren C.

There has been a lot of interest in this swap on Vanagon.com and
other Vanagon related sites.

This SPECIFIC GOAL AND FOCUS of this site is to share REAL EXPERIENCE
with the ACTUAL PROCESS of performing the conversion, in particular,
to expand upon and refine the instructions given by Kennedy
Engineering in their swap kit and to share tips and solve problems
for those who are in the process of performing the conversion (like
me)or who have completed the job and may be experiencing problems.

ALSO VERY VALUABLE IS THE ONGOING EXPERIENCE OF THOSE WHO HAVE
PERFORMED THE CONVERSION AND ARE LIVING WITH IT FOR SOME TIME.

LINKS TO PICTURES AND DIAGRAMS ARE ESPECIALLY NEEDED.

I researched a lot of conversions and drove several before deciding
on the Subaru. Driving experience was the deciding factor for me. I
drove three vans with 2.2l engines as well as Eurospec and 5cyl Audi
Quantum conversions.

I purchased a '90 Syncro Westy with blown engine and have bought a
2.2L engine and the Kennedy kit. I have removed the Wasserboxer and
am now in the middle of the wiring mess. I will post more on my
experience later.

For now......please sign in and share your thoughts, experience, and
issues. VETERANS PLEASE SIGN IN AND HELP.

Warren Chapman
'90 Syncro Westy (undergoing Subaru heart transplant)

What final drive ratio is the transmission that you need ?

sohowesty@... wrote: