Date:         Mon, 10 Jan 2000 00:16:12 -0800
Reply-To:     Warren Chapman <warren8@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Warren Chapman <warren8@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Some Engine Conversions (fomerly "TO WATERBOXER OR NOT"??)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

(This is the edited spell-checked version.  Please excuse the previous
post.)

Ah, ....................."TO WATERBOXER OR NOT TO WATERBOXER"
..........Certainly one of the most profound questions of the universe.

I also am pondering this question deeply......being the owner of a
(recently acquired)  '91 Syncro Westy with a rod through the top of the
block.   I've been pondering this question for a year, trying to imagine
the perfect van, even before purchasing the ill fated Syncro.

In my quest, to date, I have inspected and driven three conversions:

1.  A '91 Multivan with a Eurospec 2.0 L which was (after smogging)
upgraded with a bit more aggressive cam.

2.  An '86 with Country Homes Camper with a 5 cyl Quantum/Audi.

3.  An '85 with the Kennedy/Subaru 2.2L conversion.

My impressions are as follows:

1. Eurospec:
Very nice fit…. looks factory…. very "sanitary" and it keeps me and the
other "purists" happy since everything is still VW.  But, alas,….. there
is little improvement in power and torque over my previous van, a stock
'91 Multivan. The vibration and "drone" problem was evident but was
reportedly solved later by the installer with a re-engineered motor
mount.  Uphill climbs in the Berkeley, CA hills still required 2nd gear,
long grades still required third gear, but the power was a little
stronger in the upper rpms.  On the freeway, cruising over 70 mph was
easier with less strain.

Maybe the better reliability is worth it to some, but for the very
considerable sum this kit costs, I want more bang for the buck...i.e:
more POWER in the upper rpms for highway driving, and more TORQUE in the
lower rpms for around-the-town general  derivability (fun), for climbing
steeper hills, and for pushing the heavier Syncro. (The Syncro Westy is
my mountain home during fly fishing trips, usually in the mountains).
Even in the relatively light Multivan (probably 800-1000 lbs lighter
than a Syncro Westy), this engine leaves me wanting more.   In  summary,
this kit doesn't get the job done (for me) and the reported reliability
problems in recent posts seal its fate in my future.

2. Quantum/Audi 5cyl.
Now we're talking.  The torque and power are there.  Driving is
definitely more fun around town and  climbing in the hills is easier.
And we're still in the VW/Audi (extended) family.  When I look under the
lid, however, I am disappointed.  The install doesn't look right.
Although performed by a professional the conversion looks like a
“backyard” job.  Not-so-sanitary welding here and there on the throttle
linkage and the expansion tank mounting brackets are welded directly
verticle  to the compartment wall with no other support.  Maybe the S.
Africans have it  right but this install doesn't have the sanitary
"factory" look.  The van drives more like I want it to, with good torque
in the lower ranges, and it climbs with much less effort in the hills.
But I notice again a few curious resonances and drones at certain rpms.
I keep looking.

3. Kennedy/Subaru
I have read several internet sites about this swap, but I am concerned
about the Japanese/German mix.  I read a lot of flames from this list
about leaving the "family"…...snide remarks about "Vanarus".  But I
notice the sites about the swap go from the conversion documentary to
successful journeys.  There is a noted absence of questions about how to
fix problems later.  Just reports of happy motoring..  I take note.  But
I wonder and worry about what a Subaru engine will do the value of my
Syncro Westy which is probably worth about $22K with a new waterleaker.
Will it be called a Syncru????  I am embarrassed about the nickname.

I locate a Vanagon with a Subaru within an hour of my home.  The
installation is an early version of Kennedy kit installed in a well worn
(and loved) Vanagon/Country Homes Camper.  It is owned by a local
Lutheran minister (Dr. Brian) and he performed the swap at home in his
garage.  He seems pleased to talk about it.  I take note again.  He also
is willing to show it to me and even let me drive it.

I met him a few days ago to see the install.  The Subaru looks like it
belongs in the Vanagon engine bay. Plenty of room for service and
(except for the name) could have been put there by a proud factory.  He
starts it up and it springs to life easily.  I tell him it sounds rather
like the stock engine at idle. He laughs and reaches into the engine
compartment and gives it some gas. The resultant throaty sound is most
definitely not a wasserboxer sound.   It sounds like a Jaguar.  The
Reverend gives me a demo first.  He tells me to be careful because the
revs build fast and 90 mph comes up quickly.  He demonstrates on the
freeway onramp.  I take note.  '90 does come up quickly.  The Reverend
starts showing signs of nervousness when its my turn.  He warns me to be
extra cautious in the turns. “If you give it too much gas in a slow turn
it will break the rear wheels loose.”  I take note again and can't wait
for my turn.

When I get to drive, my first test is a long gradual uphill freeway
grade.  I maintain 75 in fourth all the way up the grade.  The engine is
silent.  I hear the bumps, rattles, and wind noise of an older Westy,
but no engine sounds. Then I turn off the freeway and go up into the
hills.  When I start up an uphill climb I take the first sharp curve and
apply the gas.  The Westy pulls strong.  It seems eager for the next
curve.  I start to grin and the Reverend twitches nervously and warns me
again with, ''be careful, it's my "Baby".  I wonder why he is so
concerned.  It seems like a normal healthy way to drive and in my more
irresponsible days, I have owned a few Porsches.  This is more like it,
I think to myself.  On the next curve a press a little harder with the
right foot.  To my surprise, the wheels break loose with a little
shutter from the axles. "Watchit says the Reverend".   I fake a serious
(responsible) face and lift my right foot, but I'm grinning inside.

With a few more turns I learn to feather the gas a little more adroitly
and start to really enjoy myself.  This is how I want my van to drive.
I wonder what will happen in those turns with the 4wd…..probably just
rapid motoring with no axle hop.   The engine does not vibrate, drone,
or make weird vibrations.  It does, have a funny light on the dash, the
check engine light required by CA smog rules, which has an annoying
tendency to come on for reason's its computer understands, but I don't.
The Reverend turns it off with a switch installed on the dash.

Now I think I know why all the guys who chronicle this conversion on the
web aren’t back on later with questions and chat about how to solve
their problems.  They out there on the road smilin' and enjoying their
van

I still wonder (and worry) about what my Syncru will be worth after the
swap.  But since I plan to have this van in my family forever, I guess
it's only an academic question for the curious, and the members of this
list who have a lot of opinions (but not much experience from actually
driving a van with an "alternative" engine).

Of course, I cannot comment on the longevity or ease of service of any
of these conversions.  The Eurospec and the 5 cyl were both fairly
recent conversions, but I do know the Reverend's been smilin' and
drivin' for several years now.

Heck I'm a purist too.  I would much prefer to have a VW label on all
the parts in my van.  But the mythical 2.6L, 5cyl (all VW/Audi) Syncro
with a 5 speed tranny + granny low does not exist, (even in South
Africa).

But I want a van to drive now!  And although I appreciate all the
valuable help from this list on how to keep my Vanagon running, my wife
misses me since I became a vanagon owner, and there are mountains to
climb and fish to catch.  I want to be out there and I would also like
to have confidence that when I go,  I also get home.  I love my van but
I want it to help me have a lifestyle and knowledge of outdoor places,
not a complete understainding and knowledge of headgaskets and coolings
systems.  I expect engines to go for 200K+ miles, not 60K or 80K miles.

So, at least for now,............my only two questions are..........do I
put the Subaru engine in myself or have someone do it for me .......and
.......who will make the custom oil pan that I need to allow me to
install the stock Syncro skid plate underneath the Subaru engine.

I know this post will certainly push some buttons and brings some more
thoughts and opinions.  But please,  may I request that respondents be
those with some real world experience with one of these (or other)
conversions, rather than the usual flood of speculation and opinion.

Warren Chapman
'87 Syncro Westy
'91 Syncro Westy (dead, most likely to become a Syncru Westy)