Club 80-90 Forums

the 1.6 scooby should work it'll have more go than our old 1.9, though mostly peeps would go with the 2.0 as an upgrade as more power and more readily available as fitted to a wider range of vehicles (impreza, legacy, forester)
I don't know anything about the 1.6 imprezas however, as over here you can buy a 2.0 sport a couple of years older for the same money as the 1.6's are making, they weren't that popular either here too expensive new I think

but as a warranted conversion that's what you want
and it should suit your existing 2.1 gearbox fine

thanks aiden....

The vw tdi engine ( not the PD ) is one of the best passenger vehicle Diesel engines ever made...reliability is possibly the best going..PD does have issues but in reality they are very good engines as well...the subaru engine is fine...but it's Japanese...impure..and uses that ageing petrol fuel..modern petrol engines are direct injected (like a diesel) but the fuel economy and torque seems to be a runner up once emission devices have taken their toll...and longevity of injectors is also an issue..

ladybird wrote:Anyone know whats the best ,most reliable,easy to fix ,and good mpg engine for the t25 to replace the 2.1 water boxer.regardless of rarity and cost

Well this is very debatable, I guess that is very much a matter of opinion, based on budget and what you really want to use your bus for, and how many miles you do in it, and to some degree how many vans you have had, some people love petrol conversion and some like diesels.

I had a 2.2 Subaru 16 valve conversion in my last bus and loved it, I know its not everybody cup of tea and there is always going to be the haters out there, but if you drove it you would of loved it, I had the box rebuilt longer 5th new crown wheel and pinion it was better on fuel and is a least a decade newer in technology and how can you knock Japanese reliability, but as I said its a matter of opinion.

I'm lucky enough to have a tuned 1.9 PD powered Westy I've done 2000 miles since the summer its better on fuel, smooth powerful, doesn't slow done up hills and has the modern immobilizer system built in, cruise control MPG read out and everything considered for the money as good as it gets in my opinion, but as fuel prices are subject to change and I don't do massive miles in mine so only time will tell.

What you do get is massive peace of mind, I'm taking mine down to Italy next year and I wouldn't think twice about the running gear which is a first for me in a 25 year old camper.

The real problem with modern diesel is the massive low end torque they produce which leads to your next weakest link and that's your gear box, and it doesn't matter how much you spend on your standard box 300Nm is about its useable limits.

I wanted a PD because they are very tuneable and they are all over you tube running 500/600Nm

For me, money no object I would Porsche power mine, but you need some serious money to do it properly.

thanks keith
porsche is out too expensive
looking more like a suburu petrol
still trying to find out what extras i need

Subaru twin turbo is the ultimate engine

don't forget the old Peugeot diesel!

2.1td 52000 miles so far
upto 450 miles per tank ,

high top camper pulling a trailor fully loaded all over Europe!

I am sorry..
On the one hand you want the ultimate engine and then on the other you are considering a 1.6 scoob..

Unless the engine is virtually free, don't bother... you will regret it.. it has less bhp and less torque than the 2.1 you will be replacing.. peak torque is about 102ftlbs at 4500 rpm so you will have to rag it to get anywhere.. It will be quite unpleasant to drive it like that after the first 10 miles... you will get fed up with it... So whats the point.....

If you are gonna do a scoob.. at least fit the 2L, either the 125bhp one (Forester/Impreza/legacy) or the 116 bhp one found in the last of the legacy's of 1999/2000.
If you can find a 2.2 from the earlier cars, that's prob the best all round for power and reliability..
The 2.5 is v good, but needs to have documented head gasket replacements or budget for doing it...
Then there are the turbo 2L either 165 from a forester and the impreza versions that are 200+ Forester ones are good, but may as well go for the 2.5L non turbo, Impreza ones are more fragile and of course everyone and there dog has usually ragged them...
There is of course the 2L twin turbo's from import legacy's, but these aint no walk in the park....
Ultimate would prob be the scoob 6 cyl in 3L or 3.3L versions..

As said.. the 2L VW/Audi inline 4 (golf GTi essentially) is a fine conversion and shortly you wont need to find a diesel bell housing to install it..

Then as said.. TDi's etc.. They will give better mpg.. but cost a bit more to do properly..

You have to think about how you are gonna use the vehicle and what you expect from it.. then you can see which conversion suits your needs best..
People have different needs so the engine required is different.. you will get different answers... (Just like you have.. )

what else do you need.. there are several threads on Subaru etc conversions.. have a search and a read.... Min of the RJES bellhousing and parts...
Doing it yourself?? or want a drive in and out install service.. ?


You have already ruled out Porsche engine on cost so you do have a budget to work to, so its not regardless of cost is it......

So.. what do you want from the van?? every day use? local? or distance?, holiday to Europe twice a year?.. pull a trailer?, sit on the motorway at 70 mph all day..? do 50mpg? 3000 miles a year or 30,000? Tell us what you plan on doing with it..

Forget turbo Scoobys. I can show you any number of wrecked crankshafts from only mildly tweaked ones. They dont make it to 100k without a rebuild.
N/a engimes are good (had a fsh 2.2 with 223k on the clock!) but the lack of complete.conversion parts like sumps and exhausts does cramp their style somewhat.
For my money the inline 5 is the daddy. Smooth, torquey, flexible, sounds great and quite capable of mid-20's real-world mpg (which is all that any T3 will do on average anyway) and supremely mechanically reliable. Mine had a verifieable 185kkm plus another 40k miles from me so far and its only had the head lifted once (suspect burnt valve due to running over advanced on 95 RON)
Failing all that just get the 2.1 refurbed properly and then upgrade the fuelling and ignition to MS3 and reap the benefits of the near-silent wbx that the vehicle was designed to accommodate...

Quoting 'a website':

" The original Legacy speed record was set between January 2 and January 21, 1989, with three Japanese-spec turbocharged RS sedans at the Arizona Test Center outside of Phoenix, Arizona. It broke the 100,000 km FIA World Land Endurance Record by maintaining an average speed of 138.780 mph (223.345 km/h) for 447 hours, 44 minutes and 9.887 seconds, or 18.5 days. Pit stops were made every two hours with a driver change and refueling, while tire changes were made at 96 hour intervals, or every 13,400 miles (21,600 km) driven. "

toomany toys and silver bullet thankyou for such indept replies
i have decided to have the wbx refurbished
now i just have to get to gasure from ireland
the van stops every half hour so it might take me a week or two to get there

the van stops every half hour so it might take me a week or two to get there

that just sounds like TCi unit issue, are you sure the engine is actually stuffed - has it been compression tested and had the oil pressure checked properly ?

Engines bldont just stop... and then start working again if the engine is stuffed..
prob an electrical fault 30 mins is just enough time to heat sosk a lot of components and cause an issue..

ladybird wrote:toomany toys and silver bullet thankyou for such indept replies

Is that in-depth or inept? Or a combination of the two?

Aidan wrote:

the van stops every half hour so it might take me a week or two to get there

that just sounds like TCi unit issue, are you sure the engine is actually stuffed - has it been compression tested and had the oil pressure checked properly ?

it has been compression tested and comes up fine
and oil pressure checked all good
also a chemical wash put through it and ther all scratching there heads
saying the only conclusion is a blocked head
is there any way to bypass the tci unit or trick it before i buy one