Part 4 - Aircooled Vanagon Engine Pull

While we wait on our SubaruVanagon parts to come in we can pull the aircooled Vanagon's motor and make room for the Subaru EJ22. In this article we will walk through the process we took to label all of the various hoses and wires that we'll need to keep for the Subaru transformation. This step goes pretty quickly and is actually a lot of fun. The hardest, and most fun, part of this step is maneuvering the aircooled 2.0L down, out, and away from the transmission and engine bay. It really helps to have an engine hoist (cherry picker) but a stout floor jack can work as well. I have used floor jacks, ATV/motorcycle jacks, and engine hoists and I really like the stability and safety of the engine hoist. A floor jack is fairly unstable, but it can be done.

Follow along as we remove the tired aircooled powerplant from the Westfalia engine bay.

Overview and Approximate Time Needed:

Steps	Process Description	~ Time (hours)
1	Label wires, vacuum hoses, and wire harness	1
2	Disconnect throttle and fuel connections	0.5
3	Jack up Vanagon and prepare for motor pull	1
4	Pull aircooled motor	2

	* Approximate Total Time =	4.5

*When you factor in rest and prep time, a mechanically inclined person should reserve a half day to complete this process. For someone new to working on cars, this may take 1 day of work.

Tools you may need:

1. Metric socket and wrench sets, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 17mm

2. Needle nose and Chanellock pliers, wire cutters

3. Swivel adapter for sockets

4. Masking tape and Sharpie for labeling wires and hoses

5. Engine hoist with appropriate rated chain and appropriate size engine stand

Step 1: Label wires, vacuum hoses, and wire harness

Let's dive in and start disconnecting and labeling some of the wiring, vacuum, and wire harness.

The first thing we'll do is pull the negative cable from the battery.
The original VW aircooled, fuel injected motor. All 70HP of it!
Start by disconnecting all of the accessory items that link the engine to the chassis. Here I am disconnecting the vaccuum hoses to the firewall.
Take out the air cleaner box to grant more access to the wiring and fuel lines.
Remove the ignition and fuel pump relays from the firewall.
Remove the blue coil for spark but leave the black box for the engine wiring connections.
When removing the accessory items make sure to label for future reference.
Deep down is the oil pressure sensor and its wire. Make sure to save this as we'll tie it into the Subaru wiring.
The alternator wiring will be tied into the Subaru motor.
The Jetronic fuel injection ECU for the 2.0 motor. The main harness can be unclipped and set aside.
Engine management as of 1982 - pretty ancient!

Step 2: Disconnect throttle and fuel connections

Now let's disconnect the fuel connections. There is an "IN" line at the right and an "Return" line at the left of the motor, right after the fuel pressure regulator. We'll also remove the throttle cable in preparation for lowering the engine out of the bay

The "IN" fuel line coming through the engine cooling tin. Pull this connection free so that the motor can be pulled from the Van.
Disconnect the throttle cable from the throttle body.
This is the throttle connector that we'll use to splice the VW cable to the Subaru cable.
Move aside the A/C hoses so they don't get snagged when we lower the motor out of the Van.
The fuel pressure regulator. Disconnect the fuel line on the other side of the engine cooling tin.

Step 3: Jack up Vanagon and prepare for motor pull

We'll then safely jack up the Vanagon to prepare for the physical disconnection of the motor from the frame and transmission.

Chock the front wheels, forward and back.
Safely jack up each side of the Vanagon. I find the stock VW tire jack to be one of the best jack designs I've ever seen.
Place jack stands under the structural part of the frame and lower the Vangon so the jack stands are supporting the weight of the vehicle.
Using a 17mm socket and wrench, loosen the transmission pivot bolt a little - This is on the front end of the transmission.

Step 4: Pull aircooled motor

It is finally time to lower the aircooled motor. All we have to do is to attach the engine hoist to the motor, unbolt the engine crossmember from the frame, and pull the motor free from the transmission. We're almost there!

Now I removed the 4 bolts holding the motor to the transmission. Pictured is the upper-right 17mm nut.
The lower-right bolt.
Once all of the transmission to engine bolts/nuts are loosened place a jack under the engine crossmember.
Remove the 2 bolts on each side holding the engine crossmember to the frame, slightly lower the jack and let the engine hang a couple of inches below its normal resting spot.
Disconnect the connections for the exhaust heaters. There is one on each side.
The engine is close to being slid out from below.
I like to use an engine hoist and lower the motor in a very controlled manner.
This engine hoist makes things super easy. I can lower the motor down to a board on the lower legs of the engine hoist and slide the motor out - disconnecting the yellow webbing ofcourse!
As the motor is lowered make sure to gently pry the motor from the transmission.
The motor and transmission are free! Make sure to put a jack stand under the transmission so it doesn't hang too low and pull linkages and cables out of alignment.
The motor is close to clearing the rear bumper area but the back of the van needs to be jacked up slightly more.
Ah... the motor pulled out and sitting on an engine stand. Perfect - now time to clean the engine bay!

Summary:

A lot of progress in this step! We labeled all of the relevant wires, hoses, and removed the air-cooled motor from its 30 year old home - not a bad days work! Now that the Vanagon is a little lighter in the rear we can take a scrub brush to the Subaru motor and prepare it for installation into its new home. In the next article we'll take a look at replacing the timing belt, oil seals, and attaching all the goodies that make the EJ22 purr like a saber toothed tiger!