TheSamba.com :: View topic - 1976 Bus Powered by EZ36 Subaru Motor and 6 Speed Trans

Tue Feb 11, 2025 8:43 pm

here's how it's setup on my Porsche "915/73" (1986) 5-speed

the pump is the MOCAL 17-301, and their corresponding filter...both covered here:
https://irp.cdn-website.com/e112be6e/files/uploaded/pump1123.pdf

the key bit about the pump is that it's feeding an oil spray bar...that's a replica of the Porsche RSR oil spray bar...(the OE had a gear driven pump which was cool....but not so easy to do unless you're Porsche, hence the 12V pump)

you can see how CMS does it
https://californiamotorsports.net/products/cms-915-spray-bar
not super high tech just a matter of placement/access.

i saw some guy on the Vanagon forum showing some special technique where he added a hole to his assembled trans without introducing shavings trying to do something similar (i dont think his placement panned out but the method was sound)

to have a really solid chance at a long life with long drives on the highway (especially with a trailer), a Subarugears gear box needs to get oil onto the top gear(s)

for a 5MT, i can tell you this much--
those boxes need the "blast plates" Subaru guys run, the case flexes way too much even in a stock subaru (which is why those brace plates exist on the aftermarket) and good ol' Todd @ SG has everyone grind those ribs off to clearance the case to fit his R&P....
and you need to get oil onto 5th gear or it will get smoked...the diff is spinning the wrong way so the oil is getting thrown into the back of the case instead of at the gears.
the stock Subaru also has the transmission at 7º to help oil 5th on a 5MT (and he tells people to lay it flat).
i'm not sure how much of all that applies 100% to a 6MT...which is a much beefier transmission...like a Bus vs Beetle trans...(the 6MT is huge and the 5MT is a little baby trans). but i bet it's mostly the same situation throughout.

i'd say that cooling/filtering the gear box oil is a great upgrade...but the real critical mod would be to get oil returned into the right place if you can do it...mocking it up on a spare could be really helpful

when i spoke to Jake Raby about his subarugears history, he told me that he had added a pump to oil his 5th gear on his 5MT....(despite you-know-who telling him not to), and it was transformative for operation on the highway. he didn't share any super detailed specifics (and probably doesn't remember TBH, it was very long ago that he was the subarugears US rep...and basically just as long ago that he realized that it was a bad idea...and bailed...lol)

i think the bottom line, however, is that spitting the oil anywhere in that area and hoping for some splash lubrication is going to be 100% better than not...even if you don't have any fancy spray bars or bullshit. the R&P is throwing the oil in the wrong direction while the transmission is facing backwards (so the car's acceleration forward is just making the issue worse).
anything you can do to get more gear oil in that area will help it a lot.

if the sight glass on the 6MT is anywhere in the vicinity of 5/6 and used as a return i bet it will work wonders. the drain plug seems like a very logical place to have a pump pickup. KISS is a great approach

i know that dylan/insyncro t3 big guy says he's been running flat six subarus daily driving for years on original non-rebuilt late Vanagon gear boxes with just a pump/cooler/filter .. (and i think that's how he plumbed it, too, simply using existing holes) so that would be a big vote for the impact of cooling (if it's accurate) ... a vanagon/bus gear box don't have the whole reverse rotation / lack of oiling thing working against it, though ... but it also doesnt have a spray bar and does fine, so if you get things simply similar as good as they were when the diff threw oil in the right direction in a stock subaru, you'd think that it would be just fine.

the subarugears conversions are a bit of an abomination but you are going about it the right way - you put all that extra time/money/effort to go 6MT instead of 5MT even though it barely fits, and you're trying to keep going the extra mile with stuff like this oiling mod. you have the taller R&P which is more durable.....i have high hopes for your build being super successful .. if anyone will make it work, it's you.....at least long enough that you can put a set of Phil/Reversaru's external reversal "RGBs" onto your spare 6MT (once they come out) if worst comes to worst ;-)

you are a gangster
please keep inspiring us all

peace out brother

Mon Feb 17, 2025 9:26 am

PSA for the day. While testing systems I discovered that placing the Espar fuel pump inside the bus didn’t work out to good. It makes a surprisingly loud ticking noise. Looks like I will move it to the underside this weekend. Have a great week all

Wed Feb 19, 2025 9:02 am

I might’ve gotten a little overzealous with the metal work on making the front bumper. It kind of resembles the chin of Jay Leno. Because of that, I took 3 inches off. Plus, I added a black stripe along the bottom to visually reduce the size.

Fri Mar 14, 2025 9:06 pm

In tonight’s episode of what not to buy PSA. Let’s discuss the Bosch 044 fuel pump and the issues going on with it. SOOOOOOO, much to my surprise Bosch has stopped making the ever so popular 044 pump. That awesome deal I thought i got for $45 was in fact a fake knock off. It failed in under 10 hours of use. Upon research this is a very common issue. So, due to the number of fakes in the market Bosch replaced this pump with the FP200-7. Similar specs and an original Bosch product. And by the way its cost $235. You get what you pay for. Please dont make the same mistake i did.

Tue Mar 18, 2025 9:02 am

speaking of pumps, i would like to update that previous recommendation

i believe this is a better choice than the MOCAL
https://www.turbowerx.com/Scavenge_Pumps/page1/page1.html

100% duty cycle :)

Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:52 am

Just added it to my shopping list for the trans cooler.
Thank you Metahacker

metahacker wrote: speaking of pumps, i would like to update that previous recommendation

i believe this is a better choice than the MOCAL
https://www.turbowerx.com/Scavenge_Pumps/page1/page1.html

100% duty cycle :)

Fri Mar 28, 2025 12:01 pm

soooo, things have been quiet for a while. Here is the latest. Im going to 14" stock vw wheels and tires on the trailer to lower it about 1.5" for better height vs the bus.

Im also building a spare tire holder for the bus and making a new mount for the trailer spare.

and i finally installed the new Bosch fuel pump. AMAZING!! This is the winner winner chicken dinner

I picked up a 250 amp alternator that will need to be installed to help with any charging needs

The on board air system is coming together. I bought this 10CFM 150PSI twin pump that i mounted under the rear seat. Still need to run the lines to the underbelly tank for roadside re-fills

And finally.........I did a 30+ mile run a couple of days ago and let me tell you. Its a great feeling to be doing 78MPH at 30% throttle and be able to pass people with ease. Plus the looks you get at the speed is priceless.

Fri Mar 28, 2025 7:26 pm

Been driving it much ?

Fri Mar 28, 2025 8:51 pm

Not as much as I would hope to be. I’ve got just under 400 miles so far on it. Life has been pretty busy so I haven’t had a chance to go on any serious distances.

panel wrote: Been driving it much ?

Tue Apr 01, 2025 1:04 pm

Curious did you do anything to beef up the suspension to account for the additional weight?

Tue Apr 01, 2025 1:27 pm

I did beef them up. I’m running green torsion bars in the rear with air shocks to help when towing. Up front I’m running bilstein shocks and a HD sway bar. It handles really well with that equipment

Convoy wrote: Curious did you do anything to beef up the suspension to account for the additional weight? :o

Tue Apr 01, 2025 1:30 pm

:thumbsup:

Mon Apr 07, 2025 8:07 am

In the pursuit of perfection i decided to try removing the guts from the factory thermostat to see the difference in flow rate across the radiator. Looking in the fill spout the flow went from a slow trickle to a rapid river. It helped soo much that i had a difficult time getting the temp up high enough for the fans to turn on sitting still. I understand the benefits in a production vehicle for the thermostat but in this application this is by far the way to go.

I was also able to mount the on board air compressor, not to run the plumbing and connect the electrical

Mon Apr 07, 2025 1:44 pm

scirocco_crazy wrote: In the pursuit of perfection i decided to try removing the guts from the factory thermostat to see the difference in flow rate across the radiator. Looking in the fill spout the flow went from a slow trickle to a rapid river. It helped soo much that i had a difficult time getting the temp up high enough for the fans to turn on sitting still. I understand the benefits in a production vehicle for the thermostat but in this application this is by far the way to go.

If you experiment with the hole size and find an optimal size that allows the engine to operate at good temps, please post.

Mon Apr 07, 2025 7:02 pm

With the latest thermostat modification, I’ve been able to lower the coolant temp at 75 mph between 3-5°. without the trailer and cruising in sixth year, the temp gauge goes between 208 and 210°.The biggest difference I’ve noticed is that the rate at which the coolant heats up or cools down is significantly slower. I attribute this to the increased flow throughout the radiator. For the last modification, I’m going to trigger the AC circuit causing the low speed fans to run all the time. Currently the ECU is programmed so the fans don’t turn on until the coolant temperature gets to 208°. my theory is this will keep it in that sub 200 range not allowing it to even get to the 208.

Tue May 13, 2025 8:47 am

Good morning all,

Been a while since posting updates. Sad news last week with the bus. The transmission let loose while on a trip with 800 miles on the odo. Not sure exactly what happened but i lost all propulsion and this is what the oil looks like. Super bummed but not deterred. Thinking this is a good time to look at other options. I have three trans in my garage now to pick from. 4EAT, TY751, and a TY758. On the upper side while driving the numbers are perfect on the rest of the systems. Coolant temp, intake temp, and overall performance were perfect! just need to replace the trans and back up I will be.

What do you all think I should go with. Automatic or manual?

Tue May 13, 2025 10:26 am

well that sucks, as much as I like a standard transaxle, plugging a Subi auto onto my bus would make it drivable for anyone.

Tue May 13, 2025 11:44 am

Dude, your reading my mind. The 4EAT I have in the shop already has the 4.44:1 in it. I reached out to Phil at Reversaru to start the process. I wonder if the 930's would work on it though? Lots of questions.

W1K1 wrote: well that sucks, as much as I like a standard transaxle, plugging a Subi auto onto my bus would make it drivable for anyone.

Tue May 13, 2025 1:28 pm

I think the 4EAT is an attractive option especially with the electronic push button gear selection option.

I'm running the Vanagon 010 Auto with an external trans cooler in my swap and I like it. I had to experiment with tire sizes to find the right RPM range but now have it sorted. It's great in stop and go traffic and my wife can drive the Bus more comfortably than if it were a manual transaxle.

I drive a lot of forest service roads with steep inclines/declines and wash out sections and find the auto makes it easy, especially if we are pulling the trailer.

How's the reliability/in field testing on the Reversaru kit coming along?

Wed May 14, 2025 8:13 am

From what I found reversaru is running it in buses with camper bodies on them. They weigh in at 4400lbs dry and have been flawless. What type of trans cooler are you running?

Shonandb wrote: I think the 4EAT is an attractive option especially with the electronic push button gear selection option.

I'm running the Vanagon 010 Auto with an external trans cooler in my swap and I like it. I had to experiment with tire sizes to find the right RPM range but now have it sorted. It's great in stop and go traffic and my wife can drive the Bus more comfortably than if it were a manual transaxle.

I drive a lot of forest service roads with steep inclines/declines and wash out sections and find the auto makes it easy, especially if we are pulling the trailer.

How's the reliability/in field testing on the Reversaru kit coming along?