Will she fire ?

[Rob]

http://www.vanbran.com/bug/images/conversion5/rear1_l.jpg

I'm soooo close, all that's missing is an alternator belt, some vent hoses and coolant. I'm actually affraid to try and start it...in case it won't start and I have to get back into the wiring.....

More details on http://www.vanbran.com/bug/conversion1.htm

Rob.

[boygenius]

There is always alot of anxiety the moment before you turn the key for the first time. It's looking really good. :agree:

[Shadowbug]

I'll take two

[Sandeep]

I LOVE that STUFFED look !

FIRE IT UP FIRE IT UP FIRE IT UP !! :D

Sandeep

[yellow73]

OK I have to know, did it fire right up or take 2 tries?

[Rob]

I'm not there yet, I should be able to give it a try somwhere this week.
I'll keep you guys posted.

Rob.

[67ghiaTIV]

nice work rob, its looking good!!!!

jamie

[LOAF]

Looking very nice.

I was thinking SUbaru too, at one point..

Almost makes we me want to grab the saw, run to the driveway and chop the WRX and use it as a donor :) but seriously, that is quite incredilble the job you are doing.

The only thing that kept me from that was all the chopping that was required in the rear.

If anyone is trying this and needs with a wrx manual, I do have there service manuals.. I believe their wiring diagrams are in there some where. Just let me know.
ALex

[super vw]

yeah baby! Gotta tell us how it goes!

[Rob]

Well, there's good news and there is bad news.
The good news is that my little lawnmower battery was actually capable of cranking the big 2.5L. Well, for a while anyway ;)

The bad news is that she didn't fire :(
And I had a coolant leak (I'm sure the sarcasm won't be wasted on you aircooled guys ;) )

Anyway, I've put the battery back on the charger, and gotta figure out how to troubleshoot this..... I guess I'll start at the basics, fuel and spark, and just work from there.....

Stay tuned.....

Rob.

[NO_H2O]

My coolent leaks all the time :D

[boygenius]

What is coolant???

Seriously, some FI systems require at least 10.5 volts to run or they won't fire or squirt fuel. If the lawnmower battery is dipping below 10 volts while cranking it might not be enough.

[Rob]

Good point BG... I might yank the battery out of the WRX for a sec to try this.... more info after the weekend...

Rob.

[Eurolook71]

hehe, you said coolant... :D


Um, wow great setup! thats an awsome conversion to take on, hopes you get it cranking soon. :agree:

[LOAF]

Hey Rob,

Did not even notice till you mentioned, that you had a 04 wagon..

How are you liking it.. Any mods..

I bought a 02 back in the day, which remained quite stock unitl this year.

Now its a Scooby Sports Stage 2 with suspension mods.. I thought the subaru was fun when I intially bought it.. Did the suspension, and exhaust and ECU, and holy cow. What a car... I can only image that kind of similiar power in the bug.. So jealous.. So jealous..

Keep us posted.. if you don't have the service manuals from subaru, let me know (i.e PM) and we can chat.

Alex

[Rob]

Hey Alex, thanks.

Yeah I love the wagon, it's pretty much stock except for rims and a ScoobySport backbox.
I'd love to do suspension work to it but I simply don't have the $$$ for it.

BTW, the motor in the bug is the NA EJ25, it's not turbo'ed.

Rob.

[Rob]

Aight, I chucked in the Battery of the rex, put some more gas in the tank (I wasn't sure how much was in there), and gave it a couple more tries.

Well, she sputters !! It might not mean much to you guys, but it means a lot to me. However something is not well, it sounds like she pings like mad, and she won really start, just stutter a bit.... stay tuned.... :D :D

Rob

[boygenius]

Got enough fuel pressure?
Spark plug wires routed correctly?

[Rob]

IT'S ALIVE !!! ALIIIIIVE !!!

VroomVroom (http://www.vanbran.com/bug/2004-09-04.avi)
:righton: :raiseroof

I checked the timing belt, it might have been off. I couldn't get the marks lined up right so I just took it off and reinstalled it. I also cleaned the plugs, put some dialectic (sp) grease on them and made sure the boots were snug.

But there's still a couple things that need fixing:
1. Hear that nasty tick ?? Dunno what it is, need to figure that out.
2. In my haste I forgot to install a timing belt 'guide' :o . Sounds more serious than it is, but does require me to take the balancer off (which is a PITA).
3. See that Mickey Mouse Throttle cable floppin' around ? That's gotta go, I'm going with Sandeep's Home Depot Special for that one.
4. Need to install a seat....yeah, I'm pretty sure about that one.
5. Need to build a shroud around the rad.....this will take a while.
6. Got a big fat CEL, was to be expected, but when I get it in the road I'm planning on driving it to a Subaru dealer to read the codes....just for kicks ;)


I can't believe how quiet it is... the exhaust install is only temporary and definately has to change....but for now... I'm stoked !

Rob.

[Panelfantastic]

:clap:
WooHoo!

[boygenius]

Super sweet dude. :righton:


Isn't the subaru engine a zero clearance engine so that if the cam timing was off it might bend a valve (s). :(
Might want to take a compression reading to help narrow down the cause of the tick. :bawling:

[Vincent]

Looks cool like the video good luck with the trouble shooting...

[zen]

congrats. i should be in the same boat today or tomorrow. great feeling ain't it?

[Sandeep]

How SWEET is that ! Congrats Rob .. Great Job. :clap: :haveadrin

sandeep

[BWE]

:D Congrats Rob!!! It's great to see the project moving forward!! On the day I first fired my engine I thought I was going to vomit... :rolleyes: But it all worked out!
Call me if you need any help with anything, I'd love to see it in person!
Again congrats!
Cheers,
Dave

[petevw]

really cool,

congrats Rob, :agree:

[Rob]

Thanks Guys !

Dave (or anybody else) if you want to see it in person, you're welcome to drop by. Just shoot me a PM or call me.

Zen, hope your motor fires as well, let us know !

I figured out what the leak is, I just need a new O-Ring from the dealer.

I also decided to bolt the seat back in using the temporary bracket, I just want to take it for a spin around the block.
It won't be 'officially' on the road this year though, still too many small things I need to fix. Right now I'm messing around with some of the Subaru relays, I need those to wire up the fans.

Rob.

[Rob]

See http://www.germanlook.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=4846 for a video.

Rob.

[ricola]

Congratulations Rob, it's a great feeling to have mastered that wiring isn't it! :D

Rich
PS I want to do another one now!!!