John:

Your tips are great if you are starting off with a freshly rebuilt engine, or bought the van brand new.  Otherwise, maybe a bit too late to implement if (like many owners) you have acquired a well-used van with a high-mileage engine.  As for the Subaru engines, I don't know which one you owned.  My 2.2 Legacy (which is the primary choice for Vanagon swappers) has only one serpentine timing belt.  Its 60-80K mile change interval is the same as most any Toyota, Honda, or American engine that I know of.  The water pump does not have a specific replacement interval, but mechanics tell me to expect about 100-130K miles from them.  One of the many benefits of the Subaru conversion is that you **CAN** drive one like an American muscle car (at least compared to regular or I-4 powered Vanagons).   At the very least, one can be driven like a "regular" car up hills and freeway on-ramps with reasonable power and speed.

Cary

Date:    Sun, 17 Feb 2002 00:55:08 -0500
From:    John Lunetta <blun1432@OPTONLINE.NET>
Subject: wbx reliabilty

The waterboxer is a fine engine and reliable if properly maintained. A
couple of tips: Always use the right antifreeze and distilled water.
Change the oil and filter every 3000 miles, and use VW oil filters or at
least mann/mahle brand. Don't let small problems and strange noises go
unattended. And lastly don't drive it like an american muscle car. John
90 vanagon gl --170,000 miles original engine.
And I don't know why any one would want to use a subaru engine that has
two timing belts that have to be replaced every 60,000 miles along with
the water pump. Not cheap, I know I had a subaru, 3 timing belt changes
in 206,000 miles.

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