2004 Subaru 2.5L DOHC turbo Vanagon conversion.

[WillSharp]

[WillSharp]

Been a while, however I have made significant progress. Ive been busy working on a naturally aspirated 2.5L DOHC conversion into my 90' westy.

I got a new wiring harness, and had Mick at BUSARU modify it for me. Got it back this week and it solved all my issues! (except the oil leak obviously )

All the troublesome codes are gone, and my idle is significantly better. Also, I decided to revert to using the Subaru wastage solenoid and eliminating the manual boost controller I had in place. This seems to help the boost a lot.
Unfortunately, right after I got the new harness in, my intercooler water pump blew a bearing for unknown reasons, keeping me from driving it far. Got a new Bosch Cobra pump on the way.

I installed the Speed Puls VSS and that seems to be working well so far. I do get 3 O2 sensor codes right on startup, but they go away by themselves after about 2mins of idling. Not really sure what thats all about.

Took a quick video of the idle, sounds pretty good.

Link

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1889 Syncro Adventure Wagon 3.3 SVX

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Happy you got it resolved, must feel great. Just in time for summer! Enjoy. So I guess we will never know the specific cause of your issues except for faulty wireing.

[WillSharp]

[WillSharp]

I have CEL code questions for anyone who may know the answer.
First, the van is running great! I made some adjustment to the BOV and fixed some intake leaks and it really helped overall performance!

For the most part, I don't get any serious codes, however right on startup I get a P1152 O2 SENSOR CIRCUIT RANGE/PERFORMANCE (LOW) (BANK 1 SENSOR 1). And P1153 O2 SENSOR CIRCUIT RANGE/PERFORMANCE (HIGH) (BANK 1 SENSOR 1)
These almost immediately go away after starting by themselves.
However I was coming up a large hill yesterday and hitting it reasonably hard and those same codes reappeared for about 2mins until I was past the hill, they then went away by themselves.
I have checked the circuitry to both O2s countless times and replaced both sensors with brand new ones.

Pretty strange. Anyone have any ideas? All suggestions are appreciated!
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1889 Syncro Adventure Wagon 3.3 SVX

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Seems like it has to do with too much fuel. On start up car runs rich as well as on WOT up the hill? Seems like the os sendors can crack on installation. I would inspect them carefully.

[[email protected]]

Seems like it has to do with too much fuel. On start up car runs rich as well as on WOT up the hill? Seems like the os sendors can crack on installation. I would inspect them carefully.

[Butcher]

Not a japanese car mechanic but O2 sensors are a critical item and the factory ECU on many manufacturers are picky what you put in.

Did you buy the cheap ones? OEM?, or dealership?

[wesitarz]

Do you have a cat? If you Google those codes with Subaru you will see other Subaru owners have had these codes together.

[WillSharp]

Thanks for the responses. Yes I have one very high performance cat (there are 2 cats in the stock subie), and my O2s are aftermarket Bosch sensors, very well reviewed, however not oem.

Quick update, I drove the van over Loveland Pass (12,000 ft) starting at 9,000 for a pretty continous climb. First, it did great, cruised 4th gear 50mph up most of it with ease. The O2 codes never appeared. I would have thought that if it is a fuel issue that they would have displayed because its gets reasonably steep in parts. This means they are really only on startup which makes me think they may be related to the heating element?
Ill continue to drive it around and see if they pop up while driving but haven't seen them other than that one occasion.
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1889 Syncro Adventure Wagon 3.3 SVX

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https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=395323

[Jake de Villiers]

[WillSharp]

So Ive had some great success lately with the van. I recently drove it over and back over two pretty major mountain passes, Hoosier pass and Vail Pass. I also drove it on a 300 mi rd. trip without a single hitch!

First, the random O2 sensor codes have never thrown while driving since that one occasion. Even on the hills. I only get them immediately on startup, then they disappear. So Ill probably leave it as it really doesn't seem to affect performance.

I installed the Ultra Gauge which is great for scanning codes and gauges. I would definitely recommend it for any swap with OBDII capabilities.

My transmission temps seem to be maintaining just fine. On the mt. passes they haven't gotten above 170ºF.
Cruising 75-80mph on flat highway for an extended time, it gets to about 180º. Greg at MR GAS, the guy who did all the work on it for me said not to worry until about 210º-220º. And 200º oil is not uncommon, so I feel pretty good that its not getting too hot.

The new gearing is great, Im pulling about 3500 rpms at ~80mph. Also 3rd is tall enough to comfortably crank 55mph without it screaming.

My air intake temps after the intercooler run about 30º above ambient outside air temp, they get a little hotter on the hills but not significantly. I have a fan on a thermostatic switch that kicks on to help cool the AWIC heat exchanger when the air temps reach 110º.
Id like to pick up a set of T3 Techniques vent scoops: (http://www.t3technique.com/accessories/body-accessories,-stickers,-etc/bullihutzen-(vent-scoops), to help keep the air a little cooler.

The real great news is that it is fast! I had no problem doing 65mph up both sides of Vail Pass, without pushing it very hard, which is the meanest pass to vanagons I know.

I still have some oil leaks to sort out and a really low idle after a extended running, but other than that (knock on wood!) Its running great. Im beginning my process of moving into it full time. Im hoping to sell coffee out of it on the road, so maybe Ill catch some of you guys out there!
Thanks for the replies and suggestions, there always appreciated.
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1889 Syncro Adventure Wagon 3.3 SVX

[wesitarz]

My 2002 2.5L original primary O2 sensor was a Bosch. That's what I replaced it with. Doesn't the outer shell of the sensor ground? Do you have a lot of Never Seize on the threads (as in too much).

[WillSharp]

So, call me a total idiot, but I had forgotten that the test mode connector in the harness was connected. This meant that the engine was in test mode, and for whatever reason, when its in test mode, I get the O2 sensor codes on startup. Out of test mode, I get exactly 9 codes that are always there, most of them fuel. The others are various sensors I deleted (Tumble generator valves). I can thank Mick at Busaru for handy work on the harness. Its running so well.
I was cruising up the steepest part of Vail pass the other day doing 60mph!

Ive got almost 3k on the new engine, and I might go get it tuned and have the 9 codes deleted from the computer so I could wire a check engine light.

Ive moved into it full time, and its been a blast so far. (I have no money after this swap haha!)

Heres some final pics of my ECU mounting:

I cut an access panel in the bottom of the cabinet to easily be able to get into the ecu, fuel pump controller, and relays. Then I just used a bunch of velcro to hold it all in place.
I wired a little switch (mounted in the pic) for my test mode because I deleted my fuel purge control and air can get trapped in the fuel lines on really hot days. The air can be purged by just letting the F-pump run for a few mins in test mode.
Works well.
Ive got a 16' OBDII cable that I routed all the way to the dash for my ultra gauge and easy access to the port.
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1889 Syncro Adventure Wagon 3.3 SVX

[WillSharp]

Got about 7k miles on it. Running well. Oil leak is still present but not significant so I'm just ignoring it. I determined that it is the piston access port to the right of the main seal thats leaking and I don't want to pull the trans to fix it.

The only little bug I'm still working out is a rough idle on startup when the engine is already hot.
When engine is cold, she idles great.
If I drive for a while then stop, let it sit for 20 mins and then start it again. The idle is really poor for about 45-120sec then it sort of fixes itself and the idle is good again. When driving there are no problems. When I pull up to a stop light she idles fine. Only on hot startup.
I don't get any CEL codes and don't really know whats causing it. Cleaned MAF, check for intake leaks using smoker, good fuel pressure.
Anyone know what might be causing it?
Thanks!
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1889 Syncro Adventure Wagon 3.3 SVX

[elizer]

Try this. I remember this being a common issue back when I frequented nasioc.

http://www.scoobymods.com/showthread.php/tsb-02-97...#post20301

[wesitarz]

"If I drive for a while then stop, let it sit for 20 mins and then start it again. The idle is really poor for about 45-120sec then it sort of fixes itself and the idle is good again. When driving there are no problems. When I pull up to a stop light she idles fine. Only on hot startup. "

Maybe it is heatsinking pretty good due to the turbo. More airflow/fan maybe. I tried Grimspeeds phenolic manifold spacers to cut down on the heat to the manifold intake air, but did not have good luck with them because 3 manifold bolts would not torque with the bolts they supplied (1 stripped). I think their bolts are not long enough,but they said I cross-threaded them. I took them out so can't say whether they work or not.

[Howesight]

Check to see if your residual fuel pressure is up to spec.
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'86 Syncro Westy SVX

[WillSharp]