Upgrading your Volkswagen Vanagon with a Go Westy 2.3L engine is a popular and realistic path toward improved power, reliability, and highway performance. GoWesty’s 2.3‑liter rebuild keeps your rig within the VW waterboxer family—perfect for those who value originality. For example, one well-maintained ’87 Vanagon outfitted with a GoWesty 2.3 L “Boxter” produced approximately 115 hp and 145 ft‑lb of torque, up from the stock 2.1 L’s 90 hp and 117 ft‑lb. In real-world use, owners report confident highway cruising (e.g., maintaining 75 mph) and far better uphill acceleration than with the original engine.
But what about modernizing the drivetrain? The Go Westy Electronic Fuel Injection (GW‑EFI) kit is a standout enhancement. This system replaces aging and hard-to-find Bosch components with a sealed, modern engine management harness, ECU with OBD‑II diagnostics, sequential injection, and upgraded sensors—like crank/camwheel position, MAP, oxygen, and knock sensors. Coil‑on‑plug ignition, a billet throttle body with a modern TPS, and a modern MAF sensor all help improve drivability and reliability. Owners love having real-time diagnostics and firmware updates to quickly sort issues—one owner said, “The EFI system is so much more reliable than the stock stuff… I love having diagnostics it provides.”
A seemingly small but meaningful upgrade is the Go Westy aluminum billet thermostat housing kit, which replaces the original plastic housing that frequently aged poorly or cracked. GoWesty even included a temperature‑gauge calibration kit in that housing set for accuracy. As one user described: after receiving core credits from GoWesty, they reinvested in parts like the aluminium billet thermostat housing, calling it a “GoWesty… thermostat housing kit” and praising its durability.
