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About three years and 6k miles ago, I EJ25 swapped my 87 Vanagon Westfalia. The van is highly modified mechanically, and the swap made it more reliable and woke it up a bit. Compared to the worn-out, 40-year-old, 87hp it came with, it is like driving a different van. The swap was done by a local expert who has done a dozen of these. It’s run great ever since I picked it up; I leave it on a trickle charger, and she fires at the click of the key, even 5-6 months of storage.
I love this engine, but the VW guys I know don't have the Subaru performance experience I need to tap into.
The EJ25 and harness/ECU are from a 2004 Impreza RS. The motor was completely rebuilt by a local engine rebuild shop that’s been in business for 60 years.
The engine uses oil, about 500ml or 1/2 qt every 5-600 miles, and the oil gets dark very immediately. A couple of times recently, I noticed a big plume of blue smoke behind the van under a medium to heavy load. I'll notice it after a few miles at around 65-70mph, which is about 4,100 RPM. I feel bad for the people behind me when it happens.
Let off the throttle, put it in neutral, blipped the throttle, and it cleared.
I cannot replicate it after it clears.
I can see a residue of oil spray on the rear bumper (the engine is rear-mounted).
No smoke decelerating downhill on engine compression.
When I pulled the intake PCV valve, it was totally hollowed out with nothing in it (no valve mechanism).
Is there another PCV valve located somewhere?
If it was rings, wouldn't it always be smoky, especially on deceleration?
To be using that much oil frequently I’d say it has to be rings ? If the oil isn’t going anywhere ( leaks) it’s being burnt , hopefully someone more mechanical minded will be along to help but I can’t see what else it would be. Maybe under load it’s burning more that has passed through rings ?
For the US EJ251/ EJ253 engine in the 2003/4 N/A Impreza RS and others, the PCV valve screws into the crankcase adaptor at the RH rear as shown below.....
Last edited by Don Clark; 07 October 2023 at 07:10 PM.
That must be it. If the PCV in the intake is just a fitting and not actually a valve (even though it looked like that from the outside), then there has to be one somewhere, and that's probably it! I gues I would have found it if I had followed the hose to the block.
Thanks for the info and pics.
Grant
iv done this conversion a couple of times myself and it should not be using that much oil so I would say you have a engine issue ,, just because someone has vast experience doesn't mean they cant get things wrong so I would be looking to have the engine stripped down and inspected properly by a independent company
Cool van, it has a great exhaust note. I am from BC, now moving to Toronto, and currently living in the midlands of England. Lots of Vanagon culture in the UK.
Rubie has a full Smallcar Performance swap, including harness. The exhaust was Smallcar header with a GoWesty stainless muffler and sounded awesome. I must be showing my age, but it was too loud for extended road trips. I replaced the muff with an OEM-style Vanagon muffler and it is quieter but still tiring when cruising at 4K for hours and hours. When it's time to replace I will look at other options.
Original setup just finished.
Not so clean anymore, I run a lot of forest service roads looking for the ultimate campsite:
I like the look of the round LED headlight conversion.
07 October 2023, 03:46 PM
EJ25 Puking Smoke Under Load
