2.2 GoWesty, More Power? Any Probs.?

[aguabonita]

Hi all,
I am going to get a rebuilt engine Very soon here and I am wondering abou tthe GoWesty 2.2 motor. I know I don't want to (can't spend the $) on anything bigger and i'm not sold on the subie conversion (no offense, I do love subies).

Do the 2.2s have any NOTICEABLE power difference? Gas mileage difference? Maintenance/Installation probs.?

Or, should I save a grand and just roll with a rebuilt 2.1?
Thanks all!
Kev
Spending money faster than i'm earning it.
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'87 Westfalia, GW 2.2, and some other goodies
'90 Volvo 245

[r39o]

Bigger is better. Besides GoWesty don't built 2.1s I think.

I am VERY trn between a bigger wbx and a 2.2 Suby. Trust me, I have been thinking hard about this myself.

I had my mind on the 2.3 because of power vs cost and the fact there is no knock sensor.

So I am one of those Sad Sacks that is still on the fence.

I suppose if a certain person I know goes Suby, I will get his 2.2 and the debate will be over, for a while!
_________________
"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!

1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....

Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently)

[Petervw]

I too have been thinking about it for a while..at least if one goes with the newer 2.5 subu, you can get a near new motor and a lot more low end torque with more availabilty to rpm's and plus a very modern FI system etc and a trouble free exhaust...for me at the moment reliability of the electronics is the most important item to consider since I do the driving far away from home...if you are going with a 2.1 to save a $1000, ..at least you will have some cash to partially up grade the unreliable VW FI system

[CurtisS]

We had a 2.3 GW engine installed earlier this year and are very pleased with the results. Better low end power and gas mileage remained the same (16-19mpg) but we also have to use premium grade fuel because of the higher compression ratio.

We felt that the 2.4 GW engine was just too much more for what you get.

[Raynor Shine]

I researched this for about a year while my 2.1 was on it's last leg. I weighed the fact of plug n play with the go westy 2.4 vs a liitle more effort with Subie conversion. Came down to I knew if I went waterboxer, I would always have the " is this gonna make it for the long haul" in the back of my mind.

Bit the bullet, paid a little more & went subie & couldn't be happier, quiet smooth & a replacement, now the all the hard work is done, runs 500- 700 bucks. I could replace it every year if I wanted. That's money well spent. piece of mind.

But trust your own instinct

[ckissick]

The GoWesty motor will be less risk. I've known Lucas, the owner of GoWesty, for 20 years. I used to hang out at his Porsche shop in Redwood City where he was my brother-in-law's business partner. As a mechanic, they don't get better than Lucas. He has a mechanical engineering degree at Cal Poly.

I asked him about Subie and other conversions, and he said he looked long and hard at the issue, and deciced that it was best to stick with the original motor, but with his mods. He's had a lot of Suburu cars come in to their shop with lots of problems. They replace the Subie with one of theirs. Of course, many Subie conversions work just fine and the owners are very happy. But when it comes time for a new engine, I'll go with GoWesty, mainly because I know and trust Lucas.

[psych-illogical]

Tough choice. Everyone I've ever spoken with who's done a Suby conversion is very happy with it. The same goes for the GoWesty folks. I was in a situation where I just couldn't live with much more than a weekend of downtime because, at the time, the Vanagon was my only transportation so I went with the GW 2.2L. I've been very happy with it. The extra 20+ horsepower is definitely noticable. I go MUCH better over the mountain passes and on those long steady grades that always had me just on the verge of having to drop it into 3rd gear I can now cruise along happily in 4th gear at 65mph. Very good motor and a drop in install. Mileage is marginally better. Best I ever got with the old 1.9 was 20 on the hiway and I'll typically get 21 with the GW motor with 22 being my best ever.

I don't think you can go wrong with either choice.
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83 1/2 Westy waterboxer
'57 Beetle-sold
Coupla '81 BMW motorcycles (R80G/S; R100RS)
'96 BMW R1100GS

[Petervw]

I look at this problem of which motor to choose as more of a personal decision and I am sure that any good motor will do the job, what ever it may be..but in modern times it is the electronics that drive the van and also provide reliability for the job at hand...I think most of us work from our own experiences with our vehicles and in my case the FI components have been very poor..also for example, the previous original owner (10 yrs ago) sold his syncro to the mercedes dealer which ended up not being able to sell it because of the poor FI components that VW produced...not to brag here, but I bought the syncro for $1000, no rust with a new motor thru VW and new ECU and lots of other new parts and all it needed was a cv axle and muffler and tune-up with only 80,000mi on the OD ( it was well known way back then about how poorly the VW electronic components were)...the previous owner became so frustrated that he wanted to get rid of it...since then I have a spare for almost every FI part etc for the syncro and have Travelled across the country and Mexico several time now...the van involves having a certain amount of knowledge that most people are not willing to learn for what ever reason...once you put a newer Subu 2.5 plus new electronics(2.2 are hard to find near new ) this is no longer the case..you have instant reliability on reg gas and a go any where van..I live in a rather boring area of the continent and when time allows I will travel to the far off spots which usually end up putting 5-7000miles per trip, so the reliability factor is #1 for me..

[levi]

I would think the deciding vote on suby or "other" would be answered by the question: Are you doing the work or someone else?
If a shop does the suby conversion, figure around 7-8000
Or, do it yourself for about 3,000 +
If doing the work yourself it's a no-brainer to go with a suby, plus almost 2,000 additional usable rpm for those hills, and relatively cheap engine replacements if you ever did need another one.

[r39o]

I am going half way. I am going to be getting professional assistance. I will get every thing ready and then get help installing the lump. I will hook it all up and then we see what else I need.
_________________
"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!

1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....

Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently)

[tsombrero1]

400 miles into my fresh 2.2 wbx, I am really happy with it. Had it done by a local shop because buying local r0xorz.

I have friends going the Suby route. They are more comfortable working on their vans than I am, being a vanagonoob. I was swayed by the warranty and the "one less thing to worry about" aspect of a fresh wbx.
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Tennessee Sombrero

1988 Westy, Syncro-nated
2003 Aprilia Caponord (now with Jif)
Atari 2600
1970 Earthbound Humanoid

[aguabonita]

T. Sombrero,

I too am swayed by the warranty (as is my loving wife ). We will probably be going that route as I am more of a gardener than a gearhead, which would make working on a hybridized vehicle difficult.

I know your engine isn't really broken in yet but can you tell whether there is much of a power/mileage difference?

Danka,
Kev
_________________
'87 Westfalia, GW 2.2, and some other goodies
'90 Volvo 245

[Cat and Walter]

No one seems to like the Tiico. I have been doing, used to do, the I4 VW transplant in one configuration or the other for over 2 decades. Never messed with the diesel other than to donate in the early days. You could feel the curveture of the earth while driving one. My background would steer me to the Tiico. I do appreciate the keeping it original thing as well. Jeez a chevy small block in an MGA would be cool but the value would be in the oe configuration. With the miles we put on ours, and our age a wbx will probably work ok.

[r39o]

Not to turn this in to a debate, but geez, the hoses for the Tiico are expensive and not easy to come by. Even more so than the standard Vanagon hoses. Plus if you go with the real Tiico, you are sort of stuck for several key parts from them. If sticking in a generic I4, you can do a whole bunch of interesting things. The I4s I have in my A1s sure are robust. Maybe that is why the 20V Turbo engines seem so neat. They are REAL heavy too. Win some, loose some.... I am sure they are just fine.

The other popular boxer converstion is so much like a wbx engine but with another decade of refinement on it, that is is a natural fit. Guess that is a reason why it is so popular too.

I think I could be happy with just about anything besides my wheezer 1.9!
_________________
"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!

1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....

Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently)

[Dogpilot]

This is an intensly personal choice. I looked at all the angles on mine. As a holder of both an FAA A&P license and an Inspection Authorization and work on all kinds of turbine and piston aircraft as part of my business, I'm not daunted by the mechanical aspects of a conversion. I was not overly impressed with the Subi conversion, most I saw looked a bit on the amateur side, which they were. They have nice power and and good overall numbers, but always end up as a kludge.

Personally I liked the TDI conversion, but it just got way too involved in sourcing an entire junk donor TDI. They are very popular at the moment, so you are more likely to get a fresh kidney with a matching tissue profile than one that meets the criterion.

Both the Subi and TDI end up as way more expensive than the GoWesty 2.4, if properly done. That is unless you jack the car at midnight out of a parking lot. If you do it yourself it is a managable expense, but with a decent mechanic costing anywhere from 65-130 per hour, the bill climbs fast. Then you have the fun of emissions tests and dealing with CARB twits if your in that part of the world, or ever want to. Selling has a narrower audience.

The GoWesy was a quick transplant, worked well out of the crate with little tweaking. Eight hours to remove and re-insert. 10 months and 4,000 miles into mine I'm happy. If I ever sell it, I will not have to sell my mod or modification skills.

The Subi has the raw power, the TDI, pure cool. GoWesty 2.4 does exactly what it is supposed to do, without the hassel.

This an endless debate, right up with the Ford-Chevy ones that go on ad naseum in my shop.
_________________
Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G

[msinabottle]

Is the Zetech conversion! It sounds interesting, and it's a small powerful conventional engine. I've been watching it and letting other people be guinea pigs.

With any conversion, getting parts, and ground clearance would be an issue. I'm leaning GoWesty, but Winston's 1.9 seems good for another 100K. <knock on wood>

Best!

[Petervw]

but which motor will you choose??/

[85jacamper]

I had a GW 2.2 installed in 12-05. I took it for a 10,000miles cross country this summer. I averaged about 17-19 mpg. I had no problem with the engine and was cruising between 65-80.

[klucz]

Last winter I ended up having my rig towed down from the top of Loveland Pass to Boulder CO. As the four of us sat there freezing our butts off we started planning the Suby swap right then and there. Ended up just being a bad oil press sender.

Anyways, the tow truck driver ended up being really cool (let me use my friends AAA card) and we quickly became friends. As we drove back to Boulder I mentioned the Suby swap to him. I was suprised when he told me that almost every time he picks up a Subaru its due to bad head gaskets (Subys are very popular in CO). Around the same time my aunt had to have the head gaskets done in her Forester H4. Ever since I've been wondering about horizontally opposed watercooled engines in general.

Most appealing to me is a tuned wasser, but, the Vanaru guys seem happy, almost too happy. I drool over the VWRX. And the TDI...mmmmmmmm, T...D...I....

Maybe I'll just get one of these.
http://www.powersportsnetwork.com/newvehicledetail...s38235.htm
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84 Westy 4spd sold

[Petervw]

there was a stretch of about three yrs where the 2.5 for example in the forestor had head gasket problems...