for questions and answers about alternative power transplants on the T25, GTi, Porsche,Subaru etc, this is the place. You must register to post but anyone can read.
jmdlister wrote:Then all I'll need to do is get it through the MOT!
James
Famous last words. 2 weeks on and still not on the road. Engine seems fine - I've now fitted the VSS, but haven't tried it out on the road yet. MOT failed on a small bit of welding (easily fixed), and corroded ferrules on the rear brake flexi pipes. Not so easily fixed. Couldn't remove the flexis without destroying the connection to the copper pipes, which were also rusted into the rear wheel cylinders, and to the T-piece. So replaced all of these, then discovered the bleed nipple had been broken off one of the front calipers, and the one on the other side was also immovable. They were in a sufficiently bad state that I decided to just replace the calipers. Another trip up to Brikwerks, collected the calipers, but found when I got home that they'd given me two left hand side ones (apparently they'd been boxed up wrong). Anyway, replacement is due to arrive today, so hopefully this weekend....
Finally got it on the road, taxed and everything! Passed it's re-test with no problems, and almost everything seems to be working OK.
There was a slight problem with the speedo - the VSS supplied by RJES fouled slightly on the mechanism, which stopped the needle turning. Trimmed the epoxy covering the sensor a bit, and it started working again, but it's now reading about 7mph low (according to my phone's GPS speedo). Not sure if there's anything I can do to fix this other than replacing the speedo.
Other problem is that I'm getting some fuel spillage when I fill the tank up. This happened (and much worse) when I first bought the van - one of the most criminally negligent things the previous owner didn't tell me was that the tank had been removed at some point, and none of the breather pipes had been re-connected. I thought I'd got everything back as it should be, but I must have missed something.
James did you use the Rjes plumbing kit? I have received the set of hoses from Richard but am confused about the pipe from the thermostat housing to the heater by pass pipe?
The original pipe off the stat is 16mm bore. I presume the long 8mm bore pipe with a molded 90 deg bend supplied in the Rjes kit is to connect the stat to the heater bypass. Does the 8mm bore not restrict the flow and is it just a case of pushing the new hose into the existing 16mm hose and secure with a jubilee clip? Doesnt sound like a very well thought out solution unless ive got it totally wrong.
Trouble is Richard at Rjes doesnt seem to want to answer my questions, he insists its all on the web site but it isnt.
Yes, I did use the RJES plumbing kit with no problems. First off I should say I'm not sure if the kit is that same for all Subaru/T25 combinations. Mine was an EJ20 from an Imprezza, and I have a late model 2WD T25.
On mine, the large pipe from the thermostat goes direct to the plastic pipe that feeds the radiator. The heater bypass goes between the two (smaller) heater hoses - one from the header tank, and the other from the smaller metal pipe that comes from near the thermostat. The large outlet on the coolant manifold connects to the other plastic pipe to the radiator, and the smaller one returns to the header tank. There is a diagram on the RJES website here:
The pipe in question is the one from the return heater hose back to the small pipe off the thermostat housing. This is shown as a solid black pipe on the diagram and goes to a thin green line that goes to the bypass on the return from the heater. On my engine , EJ251, the pipe coming out of the thermostat housing is 16mm diameter. The outlet from the by pass piece and the return heater pipe is 16mm bore. The pipe supplied in the kit is only 8mm bore. This pipe can slip inside the 16mm pipes but it doesnt seem right to me , a bit of a bodge. Surly it will restrict the flow through the heater.
Was the pipe in your kit 8mm and how did it attach at the by pass end? Also what size is the outlet pipe coming off the thermostat housing?
OK - there's a short hose connecting the 16mm outlet from the thermostat housing to a 16mm metal pipe which passes over the engine block (the thick black line on the diagram). You should have enough 16mm hose to connect the end of this metal pipe to the bypass. I think the pipe was already connected to the bypass when I received mine. The 8mm hose is to connect the header tank to the overflow/filler tank.
Not sure if the pics will help... Hose connecting thermostat outlet to metal pipe.
DSC_8930-1.jpg
Other end of metal pipe (below the coolant manifold), hose goes from there to bypass (all 16mm)
DSC_8926-1.jpg
James
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Thanks James, that explains everything. Its just that i didnt have the steel pipe from the water pump to the heater pipe. I do now.
What did you do about the exhaust and did you use the Subaru Lambda sensor, where abouts on the exhaust did you position the sensor?
I decided to go with the cheapest exhaust system I could get - so I used the original VW box, and the Subaru manifold. I tried to find someone willing to weld some bits of pipe together to make it work, but no-one was interested in anything other than doing a "professional" (expensive) job on it, so I ended up doing it myself. It's not particularly pretty, but it does the job, and sounds pretty good. I didn't like the idea of welding a bracket to the sump, so I made something up to bolt onto the power steering pump bracket (see pic on page 4).
I used the Subaru Lambda sensor - positioned just after the bend in the manifold, so it's only on one side - not ideal, but the only practical solution for me.
