Taking a Break

I had a chance to get away for a break with my dad and our longtime friends. Had a blast....a beach side paradise filled with the usual characters, like those pictured here. Hey, they're just part of the scenery!

Parts stored for now

Engine components stored in the rear hatch area, because I have to postpone the work for a bit. The intake manifold assembly is off the JDM engine so I won't be using it, but it serves as a good source for seeing where all the wires and hoses go.

The radiator is the evaporator for the air conditioning system, which is bolted to the top of the ceiling. It's tied up so it won't be in the way during engine installation [I will renovate it after I install the new engine.

Installed the Valve Asssembly

This weekend I installed the valve assembly [valves, valve seals, valve springs]into the cylinder heads.

To do this I needed to find a way to compress the valve springs enough so the 'keepers' would fit into the retainer washers. The clearance between the valve springs and the side of the valve is so close that my valve spring compressor would not fit, nor could I find one on the internet or locally that would work either.

So what I did was use a c-clamp to compress the spring, then used cable ties to hold the spring in a compressed state. Although it took quite a while to install the 16 valves, the cable tie method worked better than I had expected....and I didn't spend all day trying to find a valve spring compressor that could work in such close quarters.

Removing valves from cylinder heads

Tonight I worked on the cylinder heads. The Subaru 2.2 is a Single Overhead Camshaft [SOHC] engine, so I needed to remove one camshaft from the top of each cylinder head.

Next I removed the valves from the cylinder head. The valves are held in place by valve springs and horeshoe-shaped 'keepers' that encircle the valve stem.


To remove the keepers, yout need a valve spring compressor to release the tension on washer that holds the keepers in place. I have one, but it wouldn't work because there wasn't enough space to fit betwen the valve springs and the side of the valve covers. So, I used a open ended wrench, pressing down on it until the tension on the keepers was released. Then using a magnet that I held in my teeth [it's attached to an extendable metal rod], I would pick up the keepers. This worked fine for the removal, but I will need another system when I reinstall the valves.

With the valves out, I can tell that the valve seats, valves and springs are all in good shape. I can also see that the valve stems seals were pretty brittle. Since the engine was low mileage but about 14 years old, but age and mileage has contributed to this. So, for $16 and my time, the new valve seals will prevent the enging from smoking when it is started.

When all was disassembled, I sprayed the cylinder heads with some Dawn Power Dissolver water-based degreaser and blasted them clean at the car wash. I am amazed how clean and new they look.



Considering the car had about 65K miles, the valves looked pretty good. Still, I got some valve-lapping compound [a fine abrasive] and used it to ensure that the interfaces between the valve faces and valve seats are nice and tight. I think it will help the compression also.

Trips to the wrecking yard

Our town's self-service ['remove the parts yourself'] wrecking yard has quite a few Subarus...most having +250k miles on them. I've gotten several parts, including an air intake [so I could adapt it for mounting a good air filter], right timing covers [arrived cracked, but the seller had disclosed that in his ad], and lots of nuts and bolts [in case I lose a few the whole process doesn't grind to a halt].

To remove the timing covers, I had to remove the right side camshaft sprocket. Luckily before going to the junkyard, I made a puller using a piece of oak wood [from an old pallet] and some long carriage bolts. I used this to hold the camshaft sprocket in place while loosening the nut with a rachet. Took all of 15 seconds to remove.

Also, even though there are no Vanagons in the self-service wrecking yards in our area, I have discovered ways to get some spare parts for the Vanagon. [Yes, I could go to the specialized VW wrecking yard, but they are really expensive.]

For example, the Vanagon's electric fuel pump looks original and is thus 22 years old, so I think it might not last much longer. Seeing that a new one costs $300, I looked to find out which cars use the same fuel pump. As it turns out, some other German cars use it, so I found one in the self-service wrecking yard and removed its fuel pump for $15. Also, some of the relays [fuel pump, radiator fan, accessories] are the same as those used by other VW models, so I've gotten some of those also. Fun stuff, it just requires some research to figure this out!

Ordering parts to replace

I made the parts order:

• timing belt


• timing gear sprocket


• cylinder head gaskets


• valve cover gaskets


• valve stem seals


• front/back crankshaft seals


• camshaft seals and o-rings


• water pump, gasket and seal


• thermostat and gasket


• oil pump seal


• oil inlet tube seal


• timing gear sprocket


• intake/exhaust manifold gaskets

The price of these items add up to nearly 1/3 the price I paid for the engine itself. However, it's pretty simple to do the work right now when the engine is sitting on the workbench. However, once the engine is installed, doing the same work would require a heck of a lot more time and energy. Therefore, it's a matter of "pay me now or pay me later" I'd rather do the work now when it's easier.

Removing even more components

The following evenings, I removed the cylinder heads, oil pan, water pump, oil pump, and front timing gear assembly. The engine looks really clean...no ridge at the top of the cylinder bore, and minimal carbon on the pistons or cylinder heads.

I probably could have done without removing the cylinder heads, but since I have never heard the engine run, I figured it was worth the effort to ensure that the combustion chambers are sealed up tight.

There wasn't much grime on the cylinder heads, but I did clean them with water-based degreaser and put some into the intake and exhaust ports. To clean that off, I went a few blocks to the local car wash, and used the high pressure rinse setting to remove all of the grime and degreaser. Then, I brought the cylinder heads home and used compressed air to dry them. I then sprayed the sensitive areas [valve assembly, combustion chambers with WD-40 to displace any residual moisture.

Another job I need to do [this week] is remove the valves, both so I can check the valves for fit and wear, and also to replace the rubber valve seals. Even without a lot of wear on the engine, the [rubbger] valve seals harden and cause a little oil to drain into the combustion chamber, causing a little puff of smoke when the engine is started.



A few years ago, a similar puff of smoke on startup kept me from being able to register my Mazda until I changed the valve guide seals, so I figured it was worth replacing the [$16/set] seals now, when the cylinder heads were conveniently on the workbench, rather than try to do it when the engine is in the vehicle.

Removing the engine components

The next evening after work, I began removing the external engine compoents. I started with the power steering pump, then removed the alternator and a/c compressor. Then, I removed the intake manifold and its various fuel injection hoses and wiring.

I did take some pictures during the removal process, but maybe I could have taken more. Luckily I will be installing the power steering pump, alternator, a/c compressor, intake manifold, fuel injection components, etc., that are on the Subaru engine that is currently in the Vanagon. [This is because there are some differences between what's on Japanese and US models]. I spent several hours marking the hoses, lines and wires that are on the engine in the Vanagon, so I think it should turn out fine.

Correct engine arrives!

When the correct engine arrived, I went to the shipping doc to pick it up. Using the forklift, they put the engine and pallet into the back of my truck. I removed the shrink wrap that surrounded it, then sprayed some degreaser on the engine.

On the way home, I stopped at the car wash, and used the high pressure hose to blast away what little road grime was on the engine. [I'd rather have gotten it with some road grime on it, because it lets you see whether or not it was leaking anywhere.]