I got it home, now what?

Here are the Vanagon's main problems, listed in descending order of importance:

• The current engine burns 1 quart of oil every 100 miles.


• The check engine light does not seem to work.


• The air conditioning does not work.


• The muffler needs to be replaced, but is attached by welds rather than clamps [gotta get out the 'smoke wrench'].


• The current air filter is inadequate. It's a shop-vac filter attached to the air inlet using a shoelace.


• The odometer does not work.

Cosmetically, the van looks pretty good for being 22 years old. The paint is faded on the roof, but not bad elsewhere. There are some rust blossoms on the cowling behind the front bumper, and two small spots elsewhere on the body. The seats look faded and worn, and could use a good cleaning, but are not ripped or stained. The seller had flopped some indoor/outdoor carpeting over the original carpeting, the original not looking as bad as the stuff over it. So, redoing that will be a project in the future.


The first thing I did was bring the Vanagon to the car wash.....not so much to clean the top and sides, but rather to clean the undercarriage, engine and transmission areas, so I don't get as dirty when working on it.

The trip in review: Good/Bad

The trip had good and bad points

Good

• The Vanagon's seller fully disclosed everything he knew about it, so I was able to prepare more for the ride home. Before leaving Nevada, I had the tools, oil, etc. that I needed for the drive...as well as a small fire extinguisher [which I did not need to use]


• And, although the seller didn't have a shop manual for the Vanagon, he did have a Subaru shop manual [for the Vanagon's Subaru engine]. The shop manual also covers my 1996 Subaru Outback wagon. This is great because for 3 years I have been making do with an online manual.


• Despite consuming so much oil, the engine did not seem to smoke except a small amount when it was started. With all the cops I passed on the road, and with me having Nevada plates [thus out-of-state for all but the first 50 miles of the trip], if it had smoked, they certainly would have given me a ticket.


• I started the trip off with plenty of food [Trader Joe's] and a 5 gallon jug of water, as well as cellphone coverage, my 100-mile-tow AAA card, and a GPS receiver [lent to me by a work colleague]. So if I broke down, I could call for help and tell them exactly where I was located.
  
• The odometer was not working, and I was not sure if the speedometer was reading correctly. So, I used the GPS receiver to test the speedometer, and found out that it was pretty accurate.


• I got to see my cousins Dan and Jude, awesome people whom I have only been able to see every 5 years or so.


• Despite going over mountain passes as high as 8000 feet [nothing compared to Colorado passes], the engine never overheated or caused me to go as low as second gear. Therefore I know that the radiator/cooling is working very well....which will be good when I install another engine.


• Realizing that despite getting the a/c compressor to turn, I realized that the a/c probably wouldn't work. Therefore I had bought the ice chest, ice, and bottled water early in the day before the weather go too hot.


• Realizing that the starter motor was not reliable, I parked on slightly inclined places where I could 'bump start' the car [which I had to do a few times]. Although gas stations are always on flat ground, the starter always worked after I had stopped for gas.


• There were no traffic problems: US 395 was not very busy on Saturday, but would surely have been much more busy on Sunday. So, with the higher speeds, low humidity, and the windows down, the car stayed a lot cooler than if I had to go slowly.


• The scenery was incredible, especially in California the high altitude areas near Bridgeport, Mono Lake, Mammoth Lakes area, Owens Valley, and in Arizona from Williams to Flagstaff. I must have left my camera on, so by Sunday morning the battery was dead. However I did take some pictures on Saturday.


• I stopped in two places [Obsidian Dome near Mammoth and near Williams AZ] to collect rocks for my rock garden...and the Vanagon started both times without problems.


• The trip made me appreciate modern conveniences. I can only imagine what such a trip would have been like in the days before automobiles and good roads...to say nothing of having air conditioning!

Bad

• The engine burned a LOT of oil, but luckily I had bought plenty in advance.


• The air conditioning system never did work, so it was a rather uncomfortable ride home...much of it being over 100 degrees. I added a can of refrigerant to the air conditioning system, but the gauge showed as having high pressure in the system already, so I didn't want to put any more refrigerant into it. I wasn't sure if the gauge was accurate, but I didn't want to take the risk of having any lines burst.


• Several times, it refused to start, which I later found to be a loose wire to the starter.


• The odometer didn't work, so I had to estimate the distances [when to stop and put in more oil.


• The ventilation fans worked intermittently, so there must be a short in the fan switch wires.


• The muffler came apart, so by the end of the trip, the muffler was hanging down.

Getting it home III - Kingman, AZ to Albuquerque (8/3/08)

Kingman, AZ to Albuquerque - Sunday Aug 3

The next morning, I got up and realized that unlike Albuquerque, Kingman didn't cool off much overnight. So, I left by 630am. As the road climbed to Flagstaff, the clouds brought some rain and cooler temperatures....along with more wind.

The road back to Albuquerque from there was not as hot as the day before, although the starter motor stopped working completely right after I got gas for the last time [Gallup]. [I later found out the connection was really loose.

By the time I got home, the motor seemed to be running on 2 of its 4 cylinders and the exhaust pipe was hanging down. Luckily, I hit every green light from our freeway exit to our home, and I 'rolled' through the two stop signs and made it home without stalling. I had called Irene about 20 miles out and she got the gate opened as I approached. Using a stick, she held up the muffler pipe so it wouldn't get caught as I brought the Vanagon up the ramps and over the curb. As I turned off the ignition, then tried in vain to start it again, I said to myself "I am so glad to be home!"

In summary, I had a rather 'interesting' trip back home, with few exceptions [A/C and fan], everything but the engine [which I knew I need to replace anyway] on the Vanagon worked fine......and there were far more positive than negative parts.

Getting it home II - Carson City, NV to Kingman, AZ (8/2/08)

In the morning, Dan, Jude and I had a nice breakfast outside and they showed me around. I stayed a little too late, enjoying the company and thinking all I had to do was put some refrigerant in the air conditioning system [little did I know, ha ha ha], and all would be fine.

Well, after getting gas at Costco and food at Trader Joes, I realized that the air conditioning compressor was not running. By the time I got to Bishop CA [about 180 miles] I decided to try to get it to run. By making a connection to the alternator with a toggle switch [with a fuse], I was able to get the air conditioning compressor clutch to engage and the compressor to turn. Then I bought a cheap styrofoam cooler, ice and bottled water to be ready in case it didn't work as I hoped. And I called the Kingman hotel and said I would be arriving about midnight.

At the next town [Big Pine] after having run the air conditioning compressor for 15 miles, I tried to charge the air conditioner, but it didn't seem to make any difference [I later discovered it needed quite a bit more refrigerant]. And, for the rest of the trip, the overhead fan, blowing air directly on me, decided [like a petulant teenager] to work only when it 'felt like it'. So, good thing I had gotten the cooler, ice and water!!!

Adding to this, the starter motor was beginning to act up, so I figured it would die soon. Therefore, I decided that any time I would stop to check the oil [every 80-100 miles], I would park on a slight incline, so I could bump-start it if necessary.

I wasn't too worried. I had cellphone coverage the entire way, and had borrowed a GPS receiver from a coworker. So, if I broke down, I had 6 gallons of water, 3 gallons of oil, lots of food, and knowledge of exactly where I was located. Even if I broke down, I might be uncomfortable in the heat, but otherwise OK..I certainly wouldn't die of thirst/hunger, and I could lie underneath the van for shade. With cell coverage and GPS coordinates, help would be headed my way in little time.

Plus, I had been on this road a lot of times, going between San Diego and Lake Tahoe at Thanksgiving, as well as the summer I spent working with Dad's late brother George for the UCSB Geology Field Camp. I called Dad and Mom several times during the journey, assuring Mom everything was OK and giving Dad a progress report of the vehicle functionality and a description of the scenery.

I think Dad was having as much fun vicariously on the journey as I was, and it really made me realize that my brothers and I are fortunate that he raised us to skew the adventure/comfort ratio in the "adventure" direction. However, Dad didn't want us to assume that our wives would appreciate the same adventure/comfort ratio. So, although Irene is a trooper and has adapted darn well to going on trips with me, I knew this trip wouldn't be her idea of 'fun', so I didn't invite her along.



By the time I crossed the Colorado River at Needles CA [lowest altitude and the hottest part of the trip] it was dark but still about 108 degrees [42 degrees C]. I finally got to Kingman [elevation 3400 feet 1030m] about 11:30PM, and I think the weather had cooled down to about 100 [38 C] degrees. The kind people at the motel, knowing I would be coming late after a long drivew with no air conditioning, had turned on the a/c in my room, so it was very refreshing.

Six hundred miles of driving, mostly in 100+ degree heat, had sapped my energy. I refilled the cooler with ice [doing it now so there would be plenty available for other people in the morning], took a quick shower and I was out for the night.

Getting it home I - Flying to Reno (8/1/08)

The flight left Albuquerque to Salt Lake City about 45 minutes late, and I was somewhat converned that I would not be able to make the connection to Reno. However, upon arrival in Salt Lake City airport, I saw that the gate for the flight to Reno was just a few feet away and was in the process of boarding, so I got on without any problems.

Dan and Jude picked me up at Reno airport, and found a place to picnic alongside the Truckee River to wait for the Vanagon's seller to show up. Dan and Jude then headed home and I rode with the seller to his house and picked up the paperwork. I gave him a cashier's check instead of a personal check, so it would clear faster, and thus they could use the money on their vacation. He let me leave the Nevada license plates on the car for the drive home [so I wouldn't get stopped by every single cop along the way]. I then stopped at an auto parts store to get oil...3 GALLONS of it!

Since I flown into Reno on carryon-only [so I could get out of the airport quicker], I needed some tools...a little insurance for the drive home. While I looked at tools in the auto parts store, I decided to try the 'Everything is $1' type store across the street. I asked a worker there if they had any tools, and he said "no", and looked at me like I was crazy. Well, despite his reaction I looked and did find an adjustable ["crescent"] wrench, slipjoint pliers, lineman's pliers, and a phillips/flat screwdriver set, for a total of $4. I would have paid about $50 for the same tools at the auto parts store.

By the time I got to Dan and Jude's house in Carson City, it was about 10pm, so we talked only a short time before calling it a night.

Planning to Get the Vanagon

The seller lives in Reno, which is 1100 miles from me, so I needed to fly to Reno and drive it home, over a weekend. He said he would accept a personal check, which I could bring with me.

He then said "I have an idea, I can drive it to Moab UT, and you can get it from me there," At first I thought this was a great idea, because Moab is only 1/3 as far as Reno. However, he told me WHY he was going to Moab [he and his fiancee were getting married there; he could drive the Vanagon, she could drive her car].

I told him, "I appreciate the offer, but I think your fiancee would be happier if both of you could ride in one car to out Moab. So, in the interest of you starting your marriage off on the right foot, I'd rather just come to Reno to get it." [maybe FINALLY some of my Dad's wisdom has rubbed off on me.] He agreed, so I was determined to go to Reno. Several other people wanted the Vanagon, but I was the only one who could come get it before they left for Moab and their wedding ceremony.

The Reno plan looked fine. My cousin Dan and his wife Jude live in Carson City, which is just south of Reno. They said they'd be in the Reno area [coming back from a camping trip] that day and could pick me up from the airport, so all was well.

The drive wasn't complicated [US 395 south to I-15/I-40 eastbound.], it would just be hot because it was August.

Finding a '86 VW Vanagon Syncro for sale

Initially I had wanted a VW camper bus like 1960 I owned, but not so old. A VW Vanagon Westfalia, with its stove, refrigerator, pop-top, fold out bed, fold-up table, and lots of cabinets would be great as a road trip and camping vehicle.

However, I learned about a guy who was selling his 1986 VW Vanagon Syncro passenger van. In addition to having the Syncro 4WD package, it had already been converted to use a Subaru engine. The selling price was very reasonable, in fact approximately the same amount as it costs just to buy the parts for converting a Vanagon to use a Subaru engine...without the cost of the Vanagon or Subaru engine themselves.

I decided that the Syncro setup and the already-installed Subaru engine meant more to me than the camping setup, especially because I could always build cabinets myself...or get them out of a Westfalia model in a junkyard somewhere.

When I contacted the seller, he said he was getting married and his bride-to-be wasn't very comfortable with having a car that's now 22 years old. So, he decided to sell it. He said that the rear seat folded down flat, and with the pad that covers the rear deck, it makes a much nicer double bed than the one in the Westfalia, which is a lot narrower because of the cabinets that are located on the driver's side.

The seller was open about the problems, the biggest of which was that the current Subaru engine was burning 1 quart of oil for every 100 miles [this works out to be about a tablespoon of oil every MILE]. Strangely it did not leak any oil and only smoked a little. Otherwise the vehicle was in pretty good shape. I asked him if it would get me 1100 miles across the desert in Summer and he said it would...as long as I kept oil in it. It also has air-conditioning, which was not currently blowing cold air. The seller thought it needed a refrigerant recharge.

Is it cheap/easy to put a Subaru engine in a VW Vangon?

The Subaru engines themselves are pretty cheap and readily available. The main costs are the conversion parts [transmission/engine adapter plate, engine cradle, etc.], and the time to redo the wiring [or the $ to pay someone to do it for you]. However, many people have now done it and there are even kits available that contain the necessary parts. Therefore, in terms of both time and money, it isn't really cheap, but many people think it is worthwhile.

There are great resources available...the "subaruvanagon" Yahoo group is focused only on putting Subaru engines in Vanagons, and it has nearly 5000 members from all over the world. They are a very helpful bunch, because they've done it too.

I lucked out by buying a Vanagon Syncro that has already been converted, it has plenty of its own issues that I will explain in other posts.

Subaru Powered??

This Vanagon has a Subaru engine in it. It's a 2.2 liter engine that is nearly identical to the one in my Subaru Outback [same displacement, just a different year. I work on the Outback myself, so I am pretty familiar with the engine and its components.

Having a Vanagon with a Subaru engine might sound unusual, but it's become quite popular. Most Vanagon owners love their vehicles, but the main complaints are the the stock VW engines are underpowered, prone to leakage/breakdowns, and very expensive to repair and replace. The stock VW Vanagon engine was not used in any other vehicles, and because VW stopped Vanagon production in 1991, the engines and their parts are becoming very expensive and scarce.

Reasons why Subaru engines make good Vanagon powerplants

• Suburu engines are a lot more efficient and reliable
  With approximately the same engine displacement as the stock VW engine, the Subaru engine provides 30% more power while getting the same or somewhat better fuel economy. The engines commonly go 250,000 before they need to be replaced or overhauled



• Suburu engines run cleaner
  The Subaru engine puts out only 5% of the emissions as the stock VW Vanagon engine.



• Subaru engines have a similar size and shape
  Like the stock VW Vanagon engines, the Subaru engine is a water-cooled horizontally-opposed engine. The Subaru engine fits the Vanagon engine compartment as well as the stock VW engine.



• Subaru engines and parts are inexpensive
  Subaru engines can be found everywhere and the parts are cheap. In addition to new parts, junkyards are filled with Subarus that have provided their owners a long service life, and are good source of spare/replacement parts.



• There is a well-developed community of people who have made the conversion Yahoo has a 4500-member usergroup called subaruvanagon that is solely devoted to putting Subaru engines in Vanagons. People who post to websites like The Samba also have done, or are doing, the conversion. Individuals like Brent Weide also have done a lot of work describing work they have done.
  
  It's a very active community. These folks are hands-on types who have done the conversions themselves and are willing to provide advice and guidance. They have lists of instructions, parts pictures and other materials relating to doing the conversion. They readily share problem-solving techniques and custom solutions.
  

Some information sources:

Kennedy Engineered Products - Part kits for engine conversions [Hobert Kennedy initatiated the industry]

Vanaru - Subaru Engine Conversions for Vanagons

Reasons why Subaru engines are good fits [literally and figuratively] in Vanagons

I know what a Vanagon is, what's a "Syncro" ?

"Syncro" is a model of VW Vanagon that comes with four wheel drive. In the picture, between the blue rails, you can see the driveshaft running from the transaxle forward to the front differential.

The VW Vanagon Syncro technology provides power to the front wheels if the rear wheels start to slip, the power provided in proportion to the amount of slippage that the rear wheels are experiencing.

The key to the Syncro system is a viscous coupling in the front differential. It's a pretty effective system, which is why after 17 years after VW stopped exporting Vanagon Syncros to the US, they are still incredibly popular. A VW Syncro Vanagon in decent shape costs nearly as much now as it did new.

The VW Vanagon Syncros were actually built under contract in Graz, Austria by Steyr-Daimler-Puch [which is now owned by General Dynamics], a company well-known for building military vehicles. There are VW Vanagon Syncro clubs all over the world. It has almost a cult following.
Great Syncro video on Youtube

Is this your first Four Wheel Drive vehicle?

Not hardly! I've owned an International Scout, and a 4WD Ford F-250, as well as the Subaru Outback that I use a daily driver.

Dad started the trend. In 1968, he bought a 1948 Willys Jeep CJ-2A, and it has been in my family ever since. My youngest brother Dan has owned it for the past 20 years, and has restored it magnificently.

VW Vanagon Syncro

I've always liked VWs...having in the past owned a '66 Beetle, '60 Camper Bus, and '81 Pickup.

I've always been interested in the "Syncro" 4WD models of the VW Vanagon. I remember when they were first imported into the US in 1986, because a co-worker bought one and used it for his surfing safari trips into Baja California.

So, in August 2008, I flew to Reno to pick up a "needs work" Subaru-powered 1986 VW Vanagon Syncro, and drive it 1100 miles back home.

I'm now in the process of making it a reliable vehicle for ski trips, camping trips, and excursions around the Western US & Canada.