ShawnW

The vanagons weakest point whether it is waterboxer or Subaru powered is its cooling system. The radiator is great but the cap should have been put on it. Its hard to bleed the air out of, like a Legacy but 5x as hard. The 3.0 H6 motor, in a Legacy in its stock vehicle, runs hotter than a normal 2.5 or 2.2 car. Its got a special radiator, two upper radiator hoses, etc. If you are going to put a 6 cyl in get the SVX. It runs cooler and has a complete kit available from Smallcar.com (fairly local to you out there). If you havent done a vanagon conversion before I would go with the 2.2 or the 2.5. The 2.2 has easier wiring to deal with if you use a 90-94 harness. I dont think the gas mileage should even be a factor. All of these are going to be similar. The vehicle itself is more of a factor than the engine is.

Theres a dealer tool available from Kent Moore for the Cam, Crank and rear main seals (for installing them) They are not cheap. They also have a tool that holds the crank pulley in place and another that turns the crank (slides over the end of it) to turn it for aligning. My Matco truck has a tool with a screwdriver handle and a little twist thing that slides into the inner edge of the seal. Roughly 15 bucks and works a lot better in tight area than the old seal puller tools. I dont replace the cam or crank seals on the 2.2 or 2.5 SOHC unless they are leaking. The DOHC 2.5 and EJ20 I only do if I have the valve covers off. I agree on the water pump, not leaking leave alone. The gaskets are what fails anyway. I do replace them if I am doing head gaskets though, along with the T-stat and gasket as well. I usually only replace the cog/toothed idler and the smooth one on the top. On the bottom I put the better of the 2 used ones. The tensioner replace only if seeping oil out the top. I repin it gently with a prybar while its still mounted to the engine. Do not use a vise.

First, I dont know of a dealer that will install tint for you. In many cases it voids part of your warranty. I have seen tint shops damage glass, sliders, tracks, regulators, wiring in the doors, door panels, clips etc. They have made the factory radio antennas unable to pickup stations. Most of the tint I am seeing added to the cars mentioned is illegal tint level as well. Cops will harrass you to no end for breaking this law in some states. I know a guy that got shot because the tint was dark enough that the cop mistook a cell phone for a gun being pointed at him. (please do not open the cops are bad debate here) I see no correlation between a bad economy and people doing things to your car to make you come back. That is an absolutely rediculous statement. Show me an example before saying something like that. Futhermore, the bad economy has been terrific for me as a dealer technician. People are paying to fix their cars instead of buying new ones, along with resurrecting the old Subaru that is in their garage instead of fixing their guzzlers. They are paying to have spark plugs and wires replaced, nitrogen added to their tires, the works if it might help improve mileage. Back on topic.... The sensors (2) are on top of the tank. They average the two main sections of the tank. The cruise light is on because the CEL is on. This is a new feature that Subaru put in where your cruise is disabled if your CEL is on. I think this is due to the fact that it turns an additional light on that people are less likely to ignore and locks out a feature making them more likely to bring it in for service. Every day I pull a car into the shop that has the check engine light on that the customer didnt even ask us to look into. They just want their oil changed and tires rotated and have had the light on for 15K miles or more~! Its not terribly uncommon to have these go bad I have seen 2 in the last 6 months. On both it has been the passenger side sensor that fixed the problem. Im not sure if this is a fluke or not. Either way its almost always covered under warranty and shouldnt have anything do do with the tint. In my case one wasnt covered...it was damaged by rodents chewing wires in the customers garage because they left a 50 pound bag of dog food in the car for 2 weeks while at the airport. Deemed customers fault IIRC. Subaru covered labor to install but not the damaged parts. There was dog food in the air intake, trunk, seats, dash, heater box....and the whole car smelled like CHEAP dog food. Cost the customer almost 500 dollars to remove the smell, have the car detailed, seats taken apart and the wiring repaired. It truly pays to not leave food wrappers, gum, (OR A MONTHS WORTH OF DOG FOOD-DUH!) etc in your car and to take nice care of it.

Ive seen cans around my dealer before that are made for 1 drain and fill of the rear diff.

Why are you moving if you plan to move back?

I wouldnt say the 4 speed manual is a terrific trans either. Its got a lot of linkage to deal with, and is known for shreading a weak gear but I dont remember which one.

Yeah...update?

There are template marks for adding the hitch at the dealer on the rear bumper but I dont know for sure which marks you are seeing. Post picture?

I think with as few miles as she is putting on the car take the plunge and have the timing belt replaced. This motor is considered a 7 year 105K interval. Have them inspect all the idlers and tensioner. If the tensioner is leaking oil out the top of the "piston" replace it. Have the coolant flushed and the thermostat and water pump replaced while they are in there. The oil pump and the cam and crank seals should be fine. With a little luck you have solved the problem with this and if not you have your maint done for the engine for a while.

I would think fuel pressure regulator in the left rail but like above I want the code number.

If the PCV doesnt work try synthetic oil in a 10W30 Mobil 1. Synthetic is harder to burn than conventional. More expensive but if you arent having to add oil and if it works it would be cheaper in the end. Best deal is Wal-Mart at around $21 for a 4 quart jug last I checked. This is slightly thicker than the manual will recommend but give it a try. It has worked for a few of my customers.

Pass emissions and then do the happy dance. I dont want to rain on your parade but the carb ea82 isn't the easiest to get to pass at altitude and with that oil in the filter issue even harder. If it passes emissions sign up for the rolling e test program and convert it to Weber Carb or do the SPFI conversion. Id lift it and do all your fender chopping and such and then paint it. Im intrigued by Heineken Green.

There are strut cartridges and then the springs are around and thru them. If they dont have springs anymore used it is. If they dont have struts anymore I recommend aftermarket like the KYB or Monroe parts available most anywhere. The height adjusters are kindof overrated. I never move mine and they just rust in place over time anyway.

I think theres a folder button on the radio. I believe its a vertical button set near seek. Also, there may be a sticker layover that goes on top of the radio when this kit is added. Depending on dealer or factory installation this may or may not be included with it.

I have an extra set of seats I would sell. As far as wheel wells they are spot welded in. Get a spot weld drill bit kit, scour the yards till you find a clean set and drill them out and have them welded back in.

I just let the car sit for a while so it is cold engine. IT might spray a little so wear glasses but otherwise it should be pretty minimal.

Friends car... Replaced fuel pump. Started right up. Can drive it.... Shut it off. Wont restart. No fuel coming out of fuel line at fuel filter output. Ideas?

Have a safe and uneventful trip and good luck!

Good choice. That ought to be a terrific car.

Copied here for more exposure.

They are hydraulic buckets. Throw them back in and go drive the car if they are noisy...they will quiet down after a little bit of high RPM driving usually.

I still dont know what you are talking about. I truly dont remember seeing one being flipped end over into the flame by some drunken fool and wondering if I was about to have a cloud of heat in my face and other unmentionable areas. In the end safety prevailed but holy - dont let a drunk toss wood in that thing anymore. Oh well it would have made for a killer rump roast whooping.

I dont remember seeing any either!

We did our best to say bye to everybody, the fairgrounds were a very big place to try to cover ground in though. Just got home about an hour ago. Damn Wyoming is boring. I call everything from Colorado to The west 1/3 or Washington or Oregon...."wyoming" cuz it all looks the same.

8 hours from home...Salt Lake City... :-\