73 Westy Ecotec Conversion

[murdoch44]

I have been meaning to post the info on my conversion to an inline four for some time. Now that I am sitting around with a bad knee, seems like a perfect time to start. I may be doing this a bit backwards-my conversion is nearly complete. I have about 1000 miles of trouble free driving and I am just going back cleaning up the odds and ends. I'll start with some before and after shots and then try to post the various stages of the project. It took me a year to do, hopefully it won't take that long to post the results. Here are some pics:

I will go through the specific phases in the posts that follow. For starters, I had 2.0 liter which I replaced from with a 2.4 Ecotec from a 2010 Chevy HHR. As you can see, I put the radiator in front. I also added a digital dash and under dash heat and a/c. The transmission is a regeared 002. It has the same ratio spread as a 091. With 15 inch wheels and 215/75R tires it does OK. Cruise is 2800 RPM's at 65 mph. I get about 20.5 mpg in mixed driving with a speed density tune in the computer. With a stock tune I might do a little better. Right now I have a flow through exhaust and no catalytic converter. Overall it is like driving a modern vehicle. I did it so I could take long cross country trips and not worry about finding parts for my 2.0 liter. I had two earlier scares that got me thinking it was time to do a conversion. Don't misunderstand me. I really like air cooled motors, but outside of a few parts of the country, keeping them going is a challenge.

[jtauxe]

_________________
John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[tristessa]

Looks like some clean, solid work there. I'd love to see more pictures.

edit: I see more in your gallery.

[secretsubmariner]

Dang! More, pls
_________________
-Tony
ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ
1978 Champagne Edition Bus FI
1970 Auto Fastback FI

[obieoberstar]

Yes, more please!

Love the look of the front end.

[Dynamite_Goat]

Gotta love the torque on the 2.4 VVT! How did you handle the drive-by-wire? Looks like a stock pedal in there.

[murdoch44]

As I continue to recount my conversion, I'll start with the motor and go through the process in the same order as I did it. The motor has about 20,000 miles and came from a running drivable vehicle. There are many variations and evolutions of the Ecotec. Wikipedia does a good job of explaining it all. There are plenty of them and they are cheap. It weighs about 50 lbs more than the type IV, gives you 150 lbs of torque at 1500 rpm and stays on a flat curve after that, perfect for a bus. I first built an engine stand to get up and running and to learn about it.

The Ecotec can be set up as a stand alone runner pretty easily. Helps to check things out before it goes into the bus. The first thing on the bus was to take a sawzall to the rear apron.

The fuel tank went, as did the crossmember for the transmission.

I put my fuel tank underneath, more on that later. The crossmember leaving allowed me to keep the thermostat- heater hose cluster on my 2.4 and not have to change it out. One thing I have learned is that there are a lot of small differences between Ecotecs and the cars they are used in. It gets kind of complicated and confusing, but the earlier motors have things like EGR castings, power steering mounts, and external oil coolers. Later motors don't have those. But what I think is useful info is, how do you get one in a bus without hacking up the transmission carrier bar or ditching the gas tank? Pretty simple really, get a late model 2.4 and put the thermostat- heater hose hosing on it from a 05 or later 2.2 from a Saturn Ion and it works. I built a carrier bar for my transmission that holds it all and bolts to both the engine and the transmission.

The engine went in and mounts to a massive and overbuilt rear crossmember. That crossmember bolts to the hard points where the mustache bar attaches to the frame. It also holds the apron when it gets bolted on, serves as a handy place to hang a muffler and will shortly provide an attachment spot for a light duty trailer hitch. To access the motor from above, I enlarged the engine access opening. I fabricated a removable piece and kept the old hatch. Here is a three pic sequence:

Question from yesterday: The throttle is a stock drive-by-wire unit from an HHR. The wires run uncut/unspliced from the computer near the engine to the front. They are routed away from any strong 12 volt source, 16 gauge, and it is not necessary, but I would recommend using shielded wire. All my connectors are stock GM, mostly the Delphi type. I have had no problems.

More tomorrow.

[murdoch44]

Sorry, my editing skills are not the best. Here is the picture of the crossmember I referenced in the previous post:

[khalimadeath]

[vwwestyman]

I like the two-part top hatch solution. I would like to enlarge the hatch on my TDI bus for better access, especially easy access to the oil filler!

How is the rear portion supported and locked down?
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[murdoch44]

The rear portion of the two-part hatch is held in place by the original hatch and a pretty tight fit. The lip of the original hatch rests on it. It is supported by a metal lip that I welded in on both sides and across the back. I was careful to reinforce everything so floor would be just as strong as previously. Here are a couple pics before paint:

[murdoch44]

Next up is the fuel tank. As I mentioned in an earlier post I moved it to underneath. Where many conversions put their radiator. I won't go into my rational, instead I'll just try to share what I did. My fuel tank, pics to follow, is essentially a steel box that I welded up, stuck all the evap stuff from a Pontiac G6 on the back, and then dropped in a fuel pump from the same Pontiac G6. The Ecotec 2.4 requires as close to 58 psi for fuel pressure as you can get. In the stock set up, there are no pressure regulators between the pump and the injectors. An aftermarket pump would require one. There are a host of stock pumps for the Ecotec. The one I choose works really well for a shallow tank. My tank is 7.5 inches deep and the pump sets nicely to the bottom. Aside from the right pressure and size, replacement costs are very reasonable. A good used pump is easy to find and runs about $75.00. The computer controls the EVAP cycle. Fumes from the tank go into a charcoal container. When the pressure in the tank reaches a certain point, a solenoid opens and the fumes are sucked into the fuel manifold. The filler went on the side behind the drivers door. It crosses over the frame rail and drops down to the front of the tank. I stole some space from inside my jump seat's storage to make it work. Here are the pics and little more text:

The tank holds about 12.5 useable gallons. This summer I plan to replace it with an aluminum one that should be close to 20 gallons, and not look so clunky.

The ring that holds and seals the fuel pump is from a G6 tank. The tank is plastic. I grafted it to my metal tank with a metal ring holding against the surface of the tank and the a ring welded to the inside of the tank. The inside one is drilled and tapped. The ouside one bolts to it and captures the receptacle flange for the pump. Some gasket material and sealant finishes the job.

The EVAP stuff clips on to the rear of the tank, pretty much as it did on the stock tank. I am thinking about getting rid of all that stuff when I switch to an aluminum tank. I just think there is a cleaner way to deal with tank fumes.

The last three shots a exterior pics. The filler door is a push to open push to close and uses a magnetic cabinet latch. The side shows to tank mounted underneath. It tilts down to the rear where the pump is. Clearance is 8.5 inches. It is 14 gauge steel. I don't think the odd piece of road trash will hurt it. An aluminum one will be 1/8 inch plate.

[secretsubmariner]

My mind is blown. Holy cow you're doing some nice work, there.
_________________
-Tony
ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ
1978 Champagne Edition Bus FI
1970 Auto Fastback FI

[murdoch44]

I researched all the obvious places to put a radiator before I started. In fact, the grill was my first purchase and it hung on my garage wall for a year before a I got it down to put it to use. I bought it from a supplier in Mexico. He advertises from time to time here on Samba. The coolant moves from rear to the front using a combination of Gates green stripe hose and aluminum tubing. The hose is used to get over the rear suspension and then a straight run of aluminum tube to the front and last, a short section of hose connecting to the radiator. Heater hose is just run of the mill 3/4 inch hose from the motor to the dash unit. The fan is a stock two speed fan from a 06 PT Cruiser, as is the radiator.. The fill/expansion bottle is from an 07 Saturn Vue. I will let the pics speak for themselves and just include a little text with each. First up, the hardest cut of all, no going back after a gaping hole has been made:

I wanted to keep the fresh air vents working; however, the water drain was in the way. What I did was cut the lower portion of the drain off and then I fabricated a replacement baffle and kept my fresh air vents. The original set up is designed to function in a rain storm drain and keep the water from entering the vehicle. I get fresh air, but I don't know how much water I'll get too.

As I mentioned before, the radiator is from a PT Cruiser, non turbo 2.4 car. It is a perfect fit. Slips down between the frame rails nicely. I made brackets top and bottom to hold it with the rubber mounts the factory uses. It has a front mounted A/C condenser and an exceptionally quiet two speed fan. I can not hear the fan run inside the bus. I actually wired up a small LED light to tell me when it turns on. The relays for it are mounted on the shroud so it was a pretty lucky find.

This is where I make my pitch for a good welder. I am completely self taught as a welder. Up to this point I was using the most inexpensive MIG welder around. I had gas with it, but I had no idea how much junk it was until it quit and I replaced it. I bought a Millermatic 211. OH MY GOD, that welder saved my but. Worth every penny and then some. Here is the shroud around the radiator. I made it as big as possible. The emergency brake is the limiting factor. I have a center console and my spare tire between the seats. I wanted to keep both there. If I didn't have that, I would move the e-brake to between the seats, but for now I seem to get adequate air flow through the radiator. I used the shroud as the mounting point for the throttle. The grill bolts to four tabs, two on each side.

I covered the shroud with sound-deadening material and painted it.

That is pretty much it for the front. In the rear, I had to find a place for the expansion/ reservoir bottle. To bleed air out of the coolant lines it should be the highest point in the system. With a heater behind the dash, my tank had to be above the engine bay. I put it on the right side and partially into the cooling vent on that side. The cabinet on that side covers it and a little cut out gives me inspection and refill access. Overflow is routed straight down and the coolant line to the engine and follows the path the old fuel line used.

So far the coolant has not got hot enough for the computer to turn on the fan.
That happens at 213 degrees. I am seeing about 200 degrees max with normal driving. However I have not been driving in 100 degree temps. That should come this summer and then I will really get it checked out. One thing I am watching is the flow rate. With the radiator up front, that is a long way to move the coolant. If it is a problem, idle speed-stop and go traffic- hot city streets, my fix is an electric coolant pump, added inline on the return side near the front of the car. They are used in hot rods and keep a big V8 cool. It should do a small 4 cylinder without a care.

[captincanuck]

Wow really nice work. I like the expansion tank location. What is that tank from?
_________________
1979 Westfalia "FireFly" Subaru 2.2 with Subaru gears 5spd.
Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634777&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[murdoch44]

Thanks, the expansion tank is from an 07 Saturn Vue. I just searched the web until I found one that looked like a usable shape with points on it that would make an easy mount possible. The bonus being a GM part was that all the lines were the right size.

[murdoch44]

The electrical was a lot of learning, took the most time, and was the most fun. I am going to try to keep things to where the bus is now and skip all my wrong turns and changes. A little background, you find the 2.4 Ecotec most often using one of two computers, either the E37 or the E67. They really are about the same from a function perspective, but are not interchangeable. The E37 is a two port unit and the E67 has three ports. I would guess there is more vendor support for the E67. I have both and can run my motor with either, but when I swap them out, I also swap out the harnesses. To get started, you can either buy wiring harness, fuse block (with relays), and computer from a supplier or build your own. I did both. What I now have is my own harnes, fuse and relay block and a computer programmed by someone else. Computers are cheap but have to have the security lockout disabled before you can use them. HP Tuners has a program to that. An auto tuner can do it for you too. I used ALLDATAdiy.com for my wiring diagram source. The more extensive and complete your wiring diagram the better the computer can be understood. In this post I also put some pics about my A/C and heater unit. It is from Vintage Air, one of the universal models. The heat side is up and running and I am about ready to bring the A/C on line. I have all the pieces in place, I just need to run the lines and charge the system. Here are today's pics:

I have three fuse panels. Two in the back and one in the front under the dash. The stock unit is long gone. One in the back is for my house battery and the various things it powers. It is the first pic and is the small block in front of my tool storage (which used to be the spare tire well)

This is a bulkhead panel that I put together to monitor my house battery, which is under the bed seat. The two power plugs lead directly to the battery, easy access to either give or get a charge from. The toggle switch above them controls the charging cycle to battery, it works with the relay on the left. The switch above it and the gauge to the left tells me the charge level in the battery.

The other fuse block in the engine bay is for the engine and computer. It has the relays and fuse in the same block. The covers are off and the red receptacle at the bottom is the OBII port. For normal operation, it provides a data stream to the instrument display. It gives RPM, engine temp, and Check engine light. A separate sender provides oil pressure. It is possible to move more info from the computer to a dash display, but I set it up with what I felt I needed. I use a GPS for speed rather than a VSS and a feed from the computer.

In the front, the fuse block is near where the stock unit went, uses all bladed fuses, has a kill switch, and is easier to see than the stock unit. These are work in progress pictures. To finish things off I zip tied the wires and made sure they were way from the wiper arms.

The A/C units fits behind the dash, but I lost most of the glove box. What was left holds my registration and insurance papers and nothing more. The usual junk moved to the center console. The three relays for the unit are in the glove box. I have defrost vents in the same spot as stock, dash vents, and under dash vents. I lost the fresh air vents to the windshield and I moved the fresh air vents on the dash to below the dash. They now could be called crotch coolers.

The instrument display is a universal model from Dakota Digital. I used a piece ABS plastic and little welding to mount both it and the heater controls to the dash panel

[murdoch44]

This is sort of a bits and pieces post, things I forgot in earlier posts and reflections. First I forgot to include info on my starter. A stock starter won't work, doesn't fit and lacks the required torque. I am using a TDI starter and an adapter plate from Westy Ventures, great set up. I did have to add a shim to move the starter back slightly because it's throw to engage the flywheel was too long for my 002 bell housing.

As for problems, most were my own doing and I eventually will get them sorted out. The only major thing I seem to be curious about is a bit of clutch chatter when starting out in first. It is ever so slight and only happens about a third to a quarter of the time. I might try a stronger pressure plate the next time I have the engine out. I have the KEP stage 2, which they recommended, in the bus now.

I am still trying to decide if I am happy with my transmission ratios. As I mentioned earlier, I have an 002 with a 4.57 ring and pinion, which gives me the 091 ratios. There are lots of combinations available and I am trying to decide whether to opt for a 4.13 ring and pinion or a smaller ratio for fourth. In its present state, the drivability is pretty good and seems to meet my needs. I try to drive the two lane roads and I stay off interstates so speeds above 65 is not where I drive. I guess my goal would to be to get my cruising RPMs as low as possible/practical and not hurt overall drive ability. I'd appreciate any insight or experience anybody can offer.

In closing, I'd like to wish anybody doing a conversion the best of luck. I hope you enjoy the process as much as I did, and when you are done, you enjoy driving your bus as much as I do mine. If anyone has questions, ask away.

[tristessa]

[khalimadeath]

Awesome work. Thinking out of the box, I like it!