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Oil pressure light coming on sporadically
22
Hi – Got the Subaru 2.2L conversion in my ’87 vanagon, built by Cesar and team at California Westy in El Cajon. The oil pressure light somewhat sporadically comes on, trying to diagnose. What I have done so far: Replaced oil and oil filter, using 5w-30 Pennzoil. Did this myself to be sure I have the correct amount of oil as recommended by Ca Westy (4.5 quarts) There is NO engine oil leak. I check every day, no oil on the garage floor. Replaced the oil pressure sensor. I have to say, the old one looked fine – clean and new looking, not oily or covered in grease/mud/dirt. Learned a bit about the alternator as well! But, no noticeable difference – the light still comes on as described below. Symptoms: The engine starts as expected – the oil pressure light comes on for a few seconds, then goes off. While the engine is relatively cold, the light stays off. But if it is warmed up to normal operating temp, and I then stop for a few minutes, the light tends to start blinking once the engine is started and I drive again. It then stays on, does not go off. CEL is NOT going off. From what I can observe, the vehicle does not show any other obvious signs of distress. The engine temp stays in the normal range, no weird mechanical noises, engine seems to be running “fine”, no loss of power, or any other signs of an engine about to fail. Next steps? Oil pump check and/or replace? Reasonable job for hobbiests or for professionals only? Thanks guys! Terry
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What oil (brand and viscosity) are folks using?
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Hi! I have a 1990 Westy GL AT with an EJ22 conversion. What oil are folks using in the Suby engines? Thanks!
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Engine conversion
5
I’m planning on doing another engine conversion on my ‘91 MT Vanagon. Currently I have a EJ 25 DOHC from a 1998 Forester. I could have a low mileage 2004 Imprezza engine. My question is, can I use my current Kennedy adapter plate and all the other components? They are both EJ 25 engines, except the new one is a SOHC. I also have the complete wiring harness from the Imprezza. Thanks for your help. Christoph
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Hi! I have a 1990 Westy Gl AT with an EJ22 conversion. The conversion was done at SCP and I have their oil pan and metal dipstick. What is a PITA for me is topping off the oil level. I want to find a way to do this without having to open the engine lid and add oil from the port on the engine. Is it possible to simply pump oil down the guide tube of the oil dipstick? I see on Amazon small pumps that can be used to pump up to a quart and these pumps have adapters that can easily go into the guide tube. Anybody see a problem with this? What are folks doing to add oil to their Suby engines? Thanks!
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Speedi Sleeve
3
Has anyone here used a Speedi Sleeve on the FlyWheel mounting hub on crankshaft of an EJ25 to stop a rear main seal leak & if so what was the part number ~
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Y’all have way more experience with this than I do. I have a 82 Westy and a 05 Impreza ej25. I have the Kennedy support and adapter. When I put it in originally, it was too tall to clear the lid so on someone’s advice, I’m sorry I don’t remember who’s advice from this group, I built spacers to lower the motor. All said and done, I now have about 4 inches of clearance on the pan. I do have the shorter pan on order but I was wondering if y’all know if there is another intake manifold that I can replace the current setup and remove, or reduce the height of, the 2.5 inch spacers. I don’t have the need, nor spare money, to lift the Vanagon at this time and I live in a small town that fully embraces terrible pot holes. Thanks in advance. John ps yes I have tried to find the answer on my own but am striking out.
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List of Subaru repair vendors/shops?
13
Hi all – I should have saved this information….didn’t. Some time ago (a couple, 3 months?) ago, somebody was kind enough to publish and share a list of known Subaru/Vanagon sellers, repair shops, etc. Can anybody share this with me one more time? Was it Wayne who compiled the list….? I could be way off. I’m in California, Central Coast area, had the conversion done with Cesar and team at California Westys, El Cajon, Ca. He is about 6 hours away, so hoping to find some one more local. And in case you don’t know, retail store GoWesty is about 45 min from my house, but no longer has a repair shop. That said, the repair shop is still nearby, but now independent. However, they do NOT work on Subaru engines. Everything else, yes. My info for the sake of completeness: Terry Cline Paso Robles CA 805 305 7638 Vanagon: 1987 Vanagon converted to mimic a Westfalia. Pop up, cupboards, water, sink, stove, only thing now missing is the original fridge. Original VW engine converted to the Subaru 2.2L, 1990 – 1995 Legacy, in approximately Nov 2022. Thanks Terry
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Kennedy kit catalytic converter
6
Hi everyone. I’m about to call the smog referee to plead my case around catalytic converter replacement. I’ll let everyone know how it goes. These are the facts of the case - if anyone has been down this path feel free to comment: The catalytic converter on my 1987 VW Vanagon Westfalia Subaru conversion is not the correct catalytic converter, and it is burned out The Subaru engine conversion uses the Kennedy Engineered kit, which is approved by the Air Resources Board (Executive Order D-428-3). The EO specifies “one AirTek, Inc. (dba Catco) catalytic converter, part number 58834” This catalytic converter is no longer obtainable (as per catalytic converter specialist at Marco Muffler) Challenge: find a catalytic converter that can be used in place of the AirTek/Catco 58834 catalytic converter. I’m curious to know if this is accurate, in the sense that the AirTek, Inc. (dba Catco) catalytic converter is no longer obtainable. Thanks Bob bobgemmell.com 916.228.1600
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Happy Holidays
2
Hey gang. Thanks for another year of sharing your SubaruVanagon knowledge and your support for the group. Hope you all have a great holiday and all the best in 2025! Best Brent
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bogging
11
What is bogging (at the pedal) caused by... rich or lean condition ? Sean G 87 Syncro, 2000 2.5 SC conversion
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Motor not started in 12 months
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EJ22 motor, 75K miles on it. My situation is that my Vanagon has been in Body Shop for a year; work is finally finishing up after many delays (medical issues). I am getting a little worried about firing it up. Watched a Chris Fix video, and he recommended spraying some stuff into spark plug holes to at least coat cylinder walls a little until oil pump starts doing its job. Just a 2 second burst into each hole. I know that a majority of engine wear happens in the first few seconds. They devised this product for exactly this situation, and it makes sense to me. I normally run 10W-30 Full Synthetic and the oil was fresh a year ago. Of course this extra step will add another hour of work for me at the Body Shop. Am I worrying about nothing, or is Chris Fix's advice correct?
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Height problem possible
4
First let me say, of all the groups and fb pages that I follow, this is my favorite as there are no attitudes and everyone is so quick to help. I’m trying to put a 2005 Impreza 2.5 in my 82 Westy. I’m using the Kennedy engine support and adapter to my vw 4 speed transmission. After looking at my motor and the setup in my buddy’s 80 with a 2.2 I have concerns about my setup. His has little to no room between the top of the intake manifold and the engine bay lid. He is also using the same hanger and adapter from Kennedy. Mine looks to be a good bit taller from the block. Is this something that I need to address or is it not an issue. Thanks in advance. I hope to put the motor in on the 14th of December.
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Morning Folks. It’s been 5 years since we migrated our group off of yahoo groups over here to 开云体育. To give you a short history, we migrated in 2019 and have run off of membership funding since that time. Our group uses more than the allotted 1 gig of photo/attachment/files storage which is available for a free group. A poll/vote was held in November of 2020 wherein members voted to maintain all of our content and fund the group. The next step up from free is the Premium Group which is how we roll. Our group fee of USD $220.00 is due on Thursday, December 5, 2024 for the next twelve months. We still have $176 left over from last years donations. So - we’re hoping to get $44 this year. In years past I asked for donations to be made directly to me as I am ultimately responsible for the payment to 开云体育. But now, I’ve configured the group to allow donations/sponsorships through a newly available built-in function. I believe this will make things easier on you, the supporting member and I will not be tempted to abscond with funds to support another year in sunny Mexico!! There’s a minimum sponsorship amount of $5.00 USD. I’ll track the sponsorship activity/amount and once we reach our goal I’ll send another notification to you all and disable the sponsorship link. Wondering how to sponsor us? Go to the home page at /g/SubaruVanagon/ Click on the “+ Sponsor This Group: button. Or, if you want to save a step, browse directly to /g/SubaruVanagon/sponsor Fill out the form fields to complete your sponsor donation via PayPal or Credit Card. Depending on where you live in the world, there may be additional payment methods available to you. Thanks very much for your continued support of the SubaruVanagon group. Your shared knowledge, conversion support posts, and sponsorship, are very much appreciated. Best, Brent Weide - moderator (and Mr. Tom Shiels- moderator)
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Hi – apologies in advance for my lack of some basic knowledge here. Had my 1987 Vanagon converted by Westy Works in El Cajon 1.5 years ago (KEP Kennedy conversion). Working fine until recently when the engine started “stuttering” for lack of better description, while going up a hill. Was able to get it home with only sporadic stuttering. When I slowed to a stop, the yellow engine light came on for a second or two, then back off. I assume an error was thrown. Before trying to diagnose the stuttering, seems best to know if the ECU recorded an issue. However, I don’t have the tools (or knowledge) to diagnose if/what error might have been thrown. So, I’d like to learn the fine art of error code checking. The engine is from, as I understand it, a Subaru Legacy model between 1990 and 1995. So, am I still on OBD I? I am not sure if the ECU was from the original VW engine or if it got replaced with something newer. Can anybody direct me as to how best to determine which if any code was generated? Am more than willing to invest in the right tool(s). Thanks in advance, Terry
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Timing belt for 2.2
11
Hey Gang, I'm going to do some preventative maintenance on my Vanagon with a 92 Legacy 2.2 in it. Any recommendations on timing belt kits? Are aftermarket ok these days? I'm assuming: Timing belt all pulleys New tensioner And then while I'm there: Oil Pump Water pump Cooling hoses Thermostat Other things to consider while the beast is on blocks? Thanks! Nick
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‘05 in the hand vs the ‘04 in the bush
11
I have a running ‘05 Impreza (manual transmission) that is mechanically complete but has high miles and questionable history. It belonged to a paddler. I would really appreciate some input on the trouble and expense of working around the Throttle-by-Wire and immobilizer vs just getting another cheap old ‘04 or earlier Subaru 2.5L. Also while we’re at it, is there value in doing the full installation and then removing the engine to rebuild it? Or should I go ahead and rebuild it and just watch my engine temperature? I’m gonna go through the cooling system regardless. But it seems like it would be less stressful if I was doing the shakedown with an engine that I’m not worried about cooking. I kinda figure after doing the conversion, pulling the engine back out to rebuild/replace it won’t be that big of a deal. Except for the fact that I may not want to spend much more time up under a Vanagon. Thanks in advance -- Scotty
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EZ30 Wiring Harness
6
Where are people getting their bulkhead section of the wiring harness from? While Car-part.com lists engine harness, doesn’t list them, and eBay sellers seem to be offering new And expensive Subaru harnesses.
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How do you block the engine from turning when torquing the harmonic balancer 2,5 impreza NA with engine installed in 87 VANAGON gl
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Power drop
8
I’m experiencing a peculiar power loss on my EJ22 conversion with TransWorks transaxle. I thought I’d check in here to see if anyone has seen this behavior. While driving on the freeway I went to pass a car and all of a sudden my Westfalia would not go above 3000 rpm or 60 mph. It felt similar to when the clutch went out on my Fiat Spider, but in this case there is no clutch. Any ever experience anything like that? Thanks Bob BobGemmell.Com
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New motor
34
Well #3 cylinder has 20 psi. Im looking for a new or rebuilt 2000 2.5 SOHC. I was thinking of leaving phx area for this, like SmallCar or Metric Motors. I have had years of issues and been through 2 motors in 3 yrs so dont trust local rebuild’s any longer. Yrs ago i found an online west coast bendor who built new motor s maybe for VWs and sand rails but cant remember who it was. All comments welcome! Sean 87 Syncro Subie
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