Part 7B - Installation of Subaru EJ22

Part 7B is a continuation of Part 7A and resumes the installation of the EJ22 into the aircooled Vanagon. In Part 7B we document how we installed the exhaust, air intake, fuel, throttle, and wiring systems to complete the transformation from aircooled Vanagon into SubaruVanagon. Follow along as we examine these areas in detail.

Overview and Approximate Time Needed:

Steps	Process Description	~ Time (hours)
4	Installation of exhaust system, option item¹	2/4¹
5	Installation of air intake	3
6	Modify throttle assembly	3
7	Install fuel lines and belt	1
8	Test and installation of wiring harness	6
	* Approximate Total Time =	15/17¹

*When you factor in rest and prep time, a mechanically inclined person could finish these steps in about two days. For someone new to working on cars, this may take a few days.

¹Optional item: Using Ford F150 or similar muffler instead of bolt on Vanagon application.

Step 4: Installation of exhaust system

With the KEP supplied exhaust header, the stock Vanagon exhaust will bolt right up. KEP also supplies a fantastic muffler bracket to support the weight of the exhaust assembly from the motor which is how Volkswagen designed the exhaust system to originally be. This is, by far, the quickest solution. In this step I chose to use a muffler from another application because of the beneficial characteristics to performance and comfort of the driver. The muffler chosen is from a 1996 Ford F150 with a 6 cylinder motor. Some modification is necessary but the benefits far outweigh the work involved in making this muffler work with the SubaruVanagon exhaust system.

In the gallery below we show how the flanges from the original muffler are adapted to the Ford F150 muffler to work in its place. Note - access to a welder is very helpful, but with careful marking you could take the bits and pieces to a muffler shop and have them weld the parts inexpensively.

This is a muffler from a 1996 Ford F150 with a 6 cyl. engine. It produces a very quiet exhaust at idle but growls like a tiger at full throttle. It is only slightly larger than a stock Vanagon muffler and less than half the cost as well!
Old rusty bolt holding the original catalytic converter and muffler together.
I had to grind off the rusted bolts to free the catalytic converter from the muffler.
I took a hacksaw to the exhaust flange on the original muffler to reuse on the new muffler.
A wire wheel and sanding disk were used to remove as much rust as possible on the old exhaust parts.
A cleaned up mating surface on the old exhaust flange.
Exhaust flange ready to be welded to the new muffler.
Place the exhaust combo in its likely location and mark where the flange needs to be welded.
I cut a good portion off of the muffler output pipe to make room for the tailpipe bend.
I cut the tailpipe for the best possible angle for the Vanagon.
Once everything is welded up its time to install. Remember new exhaust flange gaskets and hardware.
The catalytic converter and muffler are now ready to be installed as one piece.
Just using the giant u-bolt, install the muffler combo to the exhaust header and the muffler bracket.
This exhaust really lets the EJ22 breathe without being obnoxious and without the loud droning on the highway.

Step 5: Installation of air intake

In this step we will install the air intake and vacuum lines to the charcoal canister and intake manifold. There are only a few connections that need to be made so this step should go quickly once the cuts and bends are made to the intake duct.

I have found that if you can source an additional intake duct from a parts yard it makes for a very clean, factory looking installation. This method also keeps all of the PCV valve and breather hoses in their stock locations so there is no need to modify. Lets take a closer look!

Here we see the firewall modification allows for plenty of room for the stock intake duct. This simplifies things so much with regards to the PCV system venting and vacuum lines.
The brake booster requires vacuum to provide power-assist for the brake system. I routed the vacuum line out from the firewall to underneath the intake duct.
The booster vacuum line is fairly flexible, behind the firewall, so it is easily routed underneath the air intake ductwork.
The original brake booster vacuum lines were brittle plastic and broke. I cut the one-way valve from the hard plastic line.
Using a small amount of fairly rigid hose, connect small sections to the one-way valve. I managed to find a short 90 degree length that worked perfect.
I then connected one side to the hard plastic brake booster vacuum tube and the other side to the barb fitting on the intake manifold. Make sure to point the one-way valve in the correct direction or your brakes won't work very well since they won't be getting good vacuum.
Locate the vacuum tube for the charcoal canister and connect to the air intake ductwork.
I managed to salvage a tee fitting from another Subaru air intake duct for use in splicing the charcoal canister vacuum tube into the system.
This image shows the tee fitting spliced into the valve cover vents (behind the L fitting dropping down from the intake duct).

Now that the main intake ducting is in place we can connect the accessory vacuum connections and make some modifications to the second intake duct to finalize this part.

Now remove the 3/8" barb fitting from the right side of the intake manifold. If you're planning ahead, use this fitting on the left to connect to the brake booster instead of buying a new one.
Replace the 3/8" barb fitting with a 1/4" or 3/16" barb fitting for connecting small diameter vacuum tubing.
It takes some work making a 1/8" NPT thread fit into the intake manifold. Take it slow and be patient.
Connect the vacuum tube from the charcoal cannister valve at the forward right firewall.
Place a small section of fuel hose over the barb and vacuum tubing as a stress relief to the delicate rubber hose connection.
The vacuum connection we just made will connect to the charcoal canister valve on the firewall. Trace the other vacuum connection (purple vacuum tube) to the top of the intake manifold near the coil packs.
A small section of small diameter rubber vacuum tubing and tee are necessary to connect to existing vacuum tubing on top of the intake manifold.
Splice into the existing vacuum tube on the intake manifold and connect the tubing from the charcoal canister valve.
On the second air intake tube we just used the bellows and bend that connects to the air filter box. Use a hacksaw to cut about an inch past the bellows.
A rubber spacer is placed on the outside of the tube just before the bellows. Spectre has a coupling kit that comes with this spacer.
Since we don't need to connect breather hoses to this section of the intake duct we can cut or cap extra breather connectors.
We chose to cut the breather connector off. We used duct tape on the inside to provide a backing for black silicone RTV sealant.
Using silicone, we plugged the hole left by cutting off the breather connector. Remember to remove the duct tape after the silicone has cured.
Using two stock air intake ducts leave the intake system looking factory and very clean. The air filter box sits nicely in the left cubby.

Step 6: Modify throttle assembly

Now on to the throttle assembly. This is one of my favorite steps as it's quick and it results in a very clean arrangement of the throttle mechanism. The use of an angle grinder with a metal cut off wheel or a hacksaw is needed for this step.

Remove the throttle bolt from the aircooled or Waterboxer throttle body or carb.
The EJ22 throttle cable connection in stock form rotates the wrong way. We will disassemble this and make some small modifications so it rotates the correct way for the Vanagon.
Remove the outer nut and slowly disassemble and lay our all of the shims and spacers so we can reuse as much as possible to make the new throttle rotate smoothly.
The throttle assembly stripped bare.
Take some channellocks and bend the lower angled bracket parallel to the pivot shaft.
Place the throttle wheel (smaller wheel) onto the pivot shaft and mark where the angled bracket makes contact with the flat face of the throttle wheel (red line).
Take a hacksaw or angle grinder with a metal cutoff wheel and cut a notch into the throttle wheel where it was marked.
Cut off the excess off the pictured post so it won't stop the new rotation of throttle wheel.
I cut a small section of 1/2" tubing I had lying around. This is used as a spacer for the new throttle assembly.
Slide the notched throttle wheel onto the pivot shaft, install some of the original shims and spacers, and the tubing spacer. Tighten the nut so the throttle is tight but the return springs still return the throttle wheel to idle position.
Using the VW throttle body connector and a segment of the Subaru throttle cable start attaching the VW throttle cable to the rotated Subaru throttle wheel. Note - The VW throttle return spring is not used.
A small groove is cut from the VW throttle cable rod using an angle grinder. This is to make room in the throttle body connector for the subaru cable. Tighten this connection after pulling most of the slack out of the VW cable otherwise you will have to adjust again later.
The throttle wheel now rotates toward the front of the van. This solution is really easy and makes for a clean, solid, installation.

An alternate setup is to modify the throttle wheel and leave the cruise control wheel unchanged. This allows for cruise control in the future and also provides a nice, factory, appearance to the engine bay. Our aircooled Vanagon also needed an extra bracket to hold the throttle cable in place and we mounted this onto the transmission using one of the adapter plate mounting bolts.

We located the throttle ferrule from the aircooled motor cooling tin. We pried this piece out of the tin and used it in the creation of a throttle bracket that we fabricated.
A leftover Subaru bracket was used for the base of our fabricated throttle bracket. Using epoxy (J-B Weld), we epoxied the throttle ferrule to the bracket.
We then installed the new throttle bracket onto the motor adapter plate using an existing bolt. Thread the throttle cable through the bracket and it's ready to connect to the throttle body.
The final view of the aircooled throttle bracket and its connection to the Subaru throttle body. Note how the Cruise Control throttle wheel rotates the original direction while the main throttle wheel rotates "backward". This is so cruise control can be added as an option - it sure is a nice feature!

Step 7: Install fuel lines and belt

We are getting very close to starting the SubaruVanagon for the first time since the start of the conversion. Follow along as we get the fuel system and belt figured out.

The Gatorback alternator belt works great - We ordered from Summit Racing PN:4050272. It is a 27.25" long belt, so any 5-rib serpentine belt will work as long as it is around this length.
Doesn't it look like a gator's back?
Install the belt and tighten the belt adjuster.
Then crank down the alternator pivot.
This is the stock Subaru filter bracket and filter.
Now we'll connect the fuel lines from the fuel pump to the fuel filter and the fuel filter to the fuel ines on the motor. Make sure to use genuine fuel injection hose.
When pulling the Subaru motor from the donor car, we kept the fuel injector hose clamps. Use these type of clamps instead of the screw clamps with the open corrugations as they can tear the fuel hose.
The fuel filter installed above the radiator pipes. This is a great location for the fuel filter and lines.
Pull the Vanagon return hose out of the rubber grommet (upper right of picture), and disconnect the rubber line from the hard plastic hose.
Thread the return hose from the motor through the rubber grommet on the firewall and connect to the Vanagon hard plastic hose.

Step 8: Test and installation of wiring harness

The final major step before the SubaruVanagon is ready for the streets. We will show how we placed the wiring harness, in test form, and start the motor to check for problems in the wiring BEFORE we tape it all up. Remember that before starting for the first time we need to replace the motor oil, fill the coolant system, and connect the battery. But before all that, lets get the wiring harness in so it can be tested.

With the wiring harness in semi-complete state, connect the critical items and make sure the motor will start and idle okay.

This image shows wiring harness in its test form - not completely taped. This is important because you may need to alter the harness slightly if something doesn't work right.
The aircooled junction box lives to the left of the motor and this is where the critical items need to be spliced. Ignition On, Battery Positive, etc.

Once no faults are found with the wiring harness it can be taped up and readied for final installation. We chose to use the basic KEP instructions and computer location in the right side cubby just forward of the right taillight - it happens that this was also the stock location for the Vanagons original computer.

The gallery below shows another possible installation location for the computer, and this has proven to be a great location in several Westys we've converted so far. The wiring is from a 95' Legacy so it's slightly different than the 90-94' years but the idea is essentially the same.

The cubby behind the left tail light, and the space between the Westfalia rear cabinet and the metal deck. In the Westfalia the space below the cabinet is a great choice for the computer and OBDII connector. In a Vanagon, the cubby hole is an often used location.
We took a 2" hole saw bit and drilled out a section beneath the Westfalia cabinet.
Carefully guide the computer connector and wiring harness through the 2" opening. The metal may be sharp so be very careful in this process.
We then took a segment of old fuel hose and split it lengthwise with a utility knife.
Place the split fuel hose around the sharp sheet metal and create a grommet for the wiring harness.
Install the computer and screw into the Westfalia cabinet. The computer is safe from the elements and the OBDII connector is easily accessed from the trunk.
The Subaru wiring harness interfaces with the Vanagon wiring harness at the black junction box on the firewall. It is a tight fit so make sure to gently bend all of the wires into place.
It is a relief when you can finally shut the junction box - This is a hard thing to accomplish with new, "untrained", wires.
The Subaru engine Ignitor, diagnostic connectors, fuel pump relay, and Ignition relay are on the left side panel near the air intake duct.
Connect the engine connectors. On the 1995 2.2L motor these are located on the left of the motor when in the Vanagon.
The fuel pump wire travels near the firewall in black cable sheath and connects with the fuel pump connector near the fuel filter. At the left of the picture you see the cable sheath travel underneath the intake manifold towards the alternator and the coolant bottle. This sheath carries one wire for the alternator from "ignition on" and two wires for the coolant bottle. The orginal Vanagon sheath (brown) connects to the alternator threaded post and also carries the blue alternator light wire.
Here you can see the basic wiring paths. Green to fuel pump wire. Orange is original Vanagon alternator wiring. Blue is "ignition on" to alternator. Purple is the coolant bottle wiring.

Summary:

We covered a lot of information in Part 7A and Part 7B - Congratulations, you made it! At this point I know you're itching to get your SubaruVanagon out on the open road. Make sure you keep the fluids topped off, especially the coolant, and monitor the engine temps to make sure they're in range and you should be ready to roll! In the next articles we'll detail how we installed the front and rear heaters so that you have heat for the winter - because it'll come eventually!