I have a Porsche speedster with a Subaru EJ 20 turbo motor producing 185KW on the rear wheels. I struggled with overheating changed the radiator three times and eventually had a custom radiator made to make use of every bit of space.. I used two fans mounted directly to the radiator. When using the power available it only took a minute or two to get too hot. As a last resort I made a fan cowl to force the air through the radiator. What a difference it made! From over heating in one or two pulls to now being able to run on track at full send for 20 minutes! Using the same radiator and fans, I am now a believer in a fan cowling.
I am in the same fine state of Wisco, similar 69 bus that after this next air-cooled it is getting a Subaru transplant and was considering where to put the rad. thanks for doing the heavy R+D on what and not to do!!!
@@TBGaels32 I saw the conversions from small car, I used a combo of radiators that were actually a bit larger (one side was larger radiator) and the other was a Honda civic. Busaru has videos with engine bay radiators- but it’s on the edge of cooling and many have had same results at me. I disregard all the other failures since “there are kits out there with bay radiators “ and learned the hard way.
That was a messy one, made me laugh, we all have days like that from time to time 😆 Shame those rear rads didn’t work, they were a real smart install. Good radiator ducting seems to be key on these scooby builds, currently working on my ducting too.
Thanks! The rear radiators were my preferred location, and I was hoping it would work. Most VW bus guys going this Subaru engine swap are going belly mount for this exact reason- they have all tried the engine rads and came to the same conclusion.
I tried the same engine bay radiator set up on my ALH swapped '73 bus. Same results.....ran hot as hell. So I put a speedway radiator underneather with 2X 10" puller fans, and I sit at 90 degreeesd C now. I used some expanded metal as a guard underneath it. The louvers you have might be restricting the airflow too much
@@WolfofWisco I should try your method...my fans come on and run at all times once warmed up. Im pulling air straight up, and blowing right on the cargo floor
i dont recall if you have one of the outlet from the engine to heater circuit directed to the thermostat like Tom Shiels did. This will keep the temp and thermostat from bouncing too much and keeps it at 195F more or less. he sells a part that helps fix this issue. i cant leave a link here but you can find it using subaru vanagon tom Cooling system. Good luck.
Thank you so much for the videos. I appreciate you. I have heard From the people I talked about the side radiators. They mentioned to seal the radiators to where the only way air can go would be thru the fans. On the radiators kinda what u did to this bottom radiator. I think u didn't put that maybe that's why it was getting hot?? Thanks again
I should mention that I DID SEAL ALL AROUND THE RADIATORS, using closed cell foam. I didn’t use radiator shrouds, but at 250 F , I did not believe the shrouds would fix the issue.
Thanks for sharing your project. I'm working a a split bus Subaru conversion and just beginning the cooling design. While looking at speedway's site they don't seem to offer a two pass u weld it radiator only single pass. I did notice a weld seam on your inlet/outlet tank indicating two pass. What is your model number? Thanks again
At the end of the video you kick down twice the first time (49:48) the trans drops one gear and pulls from about 3800 then the second time (50:20): the trans drops two gears when you stamp on the pedal. Have you installed a kick down switch on the accelerator pedal so when you floor it the trans drops two?
Hi . I didn’t install a kick down switch. There’s a throttle position sensor and a stock transmission control module for the Subaru transmission- I’m guessing that is all functioning as it would in the donor car (1999 Subaru legacy wagon ).
Hello! I have a vw t2 bus from 73 that has a volvo b20 4 cyl 2.0l engine in it. I recently changed the headgasket since it was broken when i got the car. I fixed the cooling system and drove it last night. It runs at 212F or 100 C the whole time cruising in like 80kph. It has a heat exchanger that is in the front with an extra small radial radiator inbetween and a large radiator with 2 fans in the left side air intake in the back. Have any tips to lower temps?
@@1esaus hi. I don’t have any good tips for you besides doing one large belly radiator with fans. I know some guys who need just a bit more cooling use a coolant additive called water wetter. Look that up on UA-cam.
@@WolfofWisco i used water wetter. it helps only alittle. ive flushed and redone most of the cooling system. car runs at 105C after a while. Sometimes it goes upto 110 and even 115 for a short while after a long hill or similar. did a drive of 660 km and it runs well just according to the temps its too hot. Ill check the temps from the thermostat to see if its reading cylinder head temps or water temp.
@@1esaus well that overheating sucks. I don’t have an answer- maybe find someone with a similar radiator setup like you have and find out what they recommend!?
@@WolfofWisco i had a friend over today. we replaced one of the radiator fans for a new modern one. it was making noise and when testing i noticed it slowed down occationaly. The new one sucks more air and i also put insulation in the holes around the radiator that i saw. i also installed metal plates under the engine that point upward to suck in cold air from under the car. i test drove it and it seems to run cooler now. wont go over 98C when going 100kph (60mph). i measured and water temp from the thermostat was 88 and the cylunder head was 96 on the sides. i think that this might be solved somewhat. atleast its not overheating.
@@1esaus that’s fantastic news! I had also sealed off my radiators with foam and metal brackets but your idea to direct ambient air upwards into the engine bay is great! If that really solves the problem…. It would be interesting to have a manometer pressure gauge to see the change in engine bay pressure with and without the air deflectors. Interesting and thanks for the follow up!
I believe the gauge was reading F. When it got hot, it would boil over through the radiator cap and I had also checked with a cheap IR handheld temp gauge. The belly radiator was the sure fix, runs proper temps now
With the SubaruGears kit, they make special CV axle flanges that allow the use of the VW bus OEM axle shafts. I cut about 2” of material off the bus frame, just above the transmission (for starter clearance). Super easy .
I have a Porsche speedster with a Subaru EJ 20 turbo motor producing 185KW on the rear wheels. I struggled with overheating changed the radiator three times and eventually had a custom radiator made to make use of every bit of space.. I used two fans mounted directly to the radiator. When using the power available it only took a minute or two to get too hot. As a last resort I made a fan cowl to force the air through the radiator. What a difference it made! From over heating in one or two pulls to now being able to run on track at full send for 20 minutes! Using the same radiator and fans, I am now a believer in a fan cowling.
nice brother thanks
I am in the same fine state of Wisco, similar 69 bus that after this next air-cooled it is getting a Subaru transplant and was considering where to put the rad. thanks for doing the heavy R+D on what and not to do!!!
Should’ve looked at Small Car Performance out of Washington. They actually do Subaru conversions on these busses and for the Vanagons.
@@TBGaels32 I saw the conversions from small car, I used a combo of radiators that were actually a bit larger (one side was larger radiator) and the other was a Honda civic. Busaru has videos with engine bay radiators- but it’s on the edge of cooling and many have had same results at me. I disregard all the other failures since “there are kits out there with bay radiators “ and learned the hard way.
That was a messy one, made me laugh, we all have days like that from time to time 😆
Shame those rear rads didn’t work, they were a real smart install.
Good radiator ducting seems to be key on these scooby builds, currently working on my ducting too.
Thanks! The rear radiators were my preferred location, and I was hoping it would work. Most VW bus guys going this Subaru engine swap are going belly mount for this exact reason- they have all tried the engine rads and came to the same conclusion.
I tried the same engine bay radiator set up on my ALH swapped '73 bus. Same results.....ran hot as hell. So I put a speedway radiator underneather with 2X 10" puller fans, and I sit at 90 degreeesd C now. I used some expanded metal as a guard underneath it. The louvers you have might be restricting the airflow too much
It’s cools great with the louvers, fans don’t even run at highway speeds , and they run a short period of time when I am in stop and go traffic
@@WolfofWisco I should try your method...my fans come on and run at all times once warmed up. Im pulling air straight up, and blowing right on the cargo floor
i dont recall if you have one of the outlet from the engine to heater circuit directed to the thermostat like Tom Shiels did. This will keep the temp and thermostat from bouncing too much and keeps it at 195F more or less. he sells a part that helps fix this issue. i cant leave a link here but you can find it using subaru vanagon tom Cooling system. Good luck.
Brilliant work, love the airflow details for the radiator!! What size engine ?? Is that Subaru transmission?
It’s a 2.5 liter Subaru and a Subaru 4EAT AUTO 4 speed, with a reversal kit installed. Watch my episodes on that!
Thank you so much for the videos. I appreciate you. I have heard From the people I talked about the side radiators. They mentioned to seal the radiators to where the only way air can go would be thru the fans. On the radiators kinda what u did to this bottom radiator. I think u didn't put that maybe that's why it was getting hot?? Thanks again
I should mention that I DID SEAL ALL AROUND THE RADIATORS, using closed cell foam. I didn’t use radiator shrouds, but at 250 F , I did not believe the shrouds would fix the issue.
Thanks for sharing your project. I'm working a a split bus Subaru conversion and just beginning the cooling design. While looking at speedway's site they don't seem to offer a two pass u weld it radiator only single pass. I did notice a weld seam on your inlet/outlet tank indicating two pass. What is your model number? Thanks again
Speedway Motors U-Weld-It Custom Aluminum Radiator Kit, 26 x 19 Inch a.co/d/5iF68BZ
At the end of the video you kick down twice the first time (49:48) the trans drops one gear and pulls from about 3800 then the second time (50:20): the trans drops two gears when you stamp on the pedal. Have you installed a kick down switch on the accelerator pedal so when you floor it the trans drops two?
Hi . I didn’t install a kick down switch. There’s a throttle position sensor and a stock transmission control module for the Subaru transmission- I’m guessing that is all functioning as it would in the donor car (1999 Subaru legacy wagon ).
Also i think you could improve temps a bit with a little less restricion
Maybe try drilling holes in the metal shiething u made to allow air to pass through more freely
Hello! I have a vw t2 bus from 73 that has a volvo b20 4 cyl 2.0l engine in it. I recently changed the headgasket since it was broken when i got the car. I fixed the cooling system and drove it last night. It runs at 212F or 100 C the whole time cruising in like 80kph. It has a heat exchanger that is in the front with an extra small radial radiator inbetween and a large radiator with 2 fans in the left side air intake in the back. Have any tips to lower temps?
@@1esaus hi. I don’t have any good tips for you besides doing one large belly radiator with fans. I know some guys who need just a bit more cooling use a coolant additive called water wetter. Look that up on UA-cam.
@@WolfofWisco i used water wetter. it helps only alittle. ive flushed and redone most of the cooling system. car runs at 105C after a while. Sometimes it goes upto 110 and even 115 for a short while after a long hill or similar. did a drive of 660 km and it runs well just according to the temps its too hot. Ill check the temps from the thermostat to see if its reading cylinder head temps or water temp.
@@1esaus well that overheating sucks. I don’t have an answer- maybe find someone with a similar radiator setup like you have and find out what they recommend!?
@@WolfofWisco i had a friend over today. we replaced one of the radiator fans for a new modern one. it was making noise and when testing i noticed it slowed down occationaly. The new one sucks more air and i also put insulation in the holes around the radiator that i saw. i also installed metal plates under the engine that point upward to suck in cold air from under the car. i test drove it and it seems to run cooler now. wont go over 98C when going 100kph (60mph). i measured and water temp from the thermostat was 88 and the cylunder head was 96 on the sides. i think that this might be solved somewhat. atleast its not overheating.
@@1esaus that’s fantastic news! I had also sealed off my radiators with foam and metal brackets but your idea to direct ambient air upwards into the engine bay is great! If that really solves the problem…. It would be interesting to have a manometer pressure gauge to see the change in engine bay pressure with and without the air deflectors. Interesting and thanks for the follow up!
Could the gauge be reading C instead of F (Even though it had the F indicator)?
I believe the gauge was reading F. When it got hot, it would boil over through the radiator cap and I had also checked with a cheap IR handheld temp gauge. The belly radiator was the sure fix, runs proper temps now
How are the cv axles and how much cutting did you have to do to mount the subaru trans
Sorry ive been following your work and was a bit lost on the transmission video
With the SubaruGears kit, they make special CV axle flanges that allow the use of the VW bus OEM axle shafts. I cut about 2” of material off the bus frame, just above the transmission (for starter clearance). Super easy .