New to the diesel thing

[whitey]

Alright, so I have a few questions.

I might potentially be buying my friend's parents 1994 Jetta diesel. What exactly is the horsepower on that engine? If I'm not mistakened, that engine is NOT a TDI, right? Is it the 1.6 ECOdiesel engine from the previous generation golf/jetta with 59hp and 81 lb.ft. of torque?

If it is that engine, how slow do you find the car? Can you still have fun with it?

Also, what are some mods that can be made to that engine? A different head? Turbo? Who makes a chip?

Like I said, I'm new to this so I thank you all for your patience!!!

Rob

Georgetown, Ontario

[dieselweasel]

Nope, not a TDI, and not a 1.6l either.  It's a 1.9l that's quite similar to the 1.6.

Mine's completely stock with 270,xxx kms on it.  It's not particularly fast, but comparable to other vw gas engines.  Like any diesel, the low end torque is impressive.  I find I don't have to downshift as much on hills as I did with my 1.8l gasser.  You can't chip it because it's got a mechanical fuel system.  There are many things you can do to improve performance though, including charge air cooling, turbo upgrades, and more.  Look through some of the other threads and you'll find lots of ideas.

[chrissev]

re: mods:  if you put a turbo on it you get to experience all the great things that happen when people turbo N/A VW diesels.  The turbo engine is quite different from the N/A engine and although people on here will tell you differently, it isn't a smart idea to put a turbo on an N/A diesel engine.  The engine isn't designed to handle the extra stress that the turbo will put on it.

[vwmike]

re: mods:  if you put a turbo on it you get to experience all the great things that happen when people turbo N/A VW diesels.  The turbo engine is quite different from the N/A engine and although people on here will tell you differently, it isn't a smart idea to put a turbo on an N/A diesel engine.  The engine isn't designed to handle the extra stress that the turbo will put on it.

Are you one of those people who is just pessimistic enough about everything to keep from spending money?

[BigggWilly]

I think all 1.9ers are turbos.

If you like having a high reving engine that needs to be at about 8000rpm to get any power out of it, then this is not the car for you.

But if you're just generally interested in cars and mechanical things, then this is for you! Getting an extra 5hp out of a 80hp engine is much more noticeable and rewarding than getting that same 5hp out of a 200hp engine. (Also, in VWs case, much much cheaper)

They're really easy to work on, and parts are relatively cheap. You'll find lots of good advice on this board and none of that political BS that you find on other boards.

Diesel will be flowing through your veins in no time.

[jtanguay]

hmmm... the only noticeable difference is the oil squirters that squirt oil onto the pistons to cool them, other than that I'm sure there isn't much difference between an N/A and turbo.  

I was wondering if anyone has tried to make their own oil squirters?  Do some N/A models come with squirters?  Once you get oil squirters to cool the pistons, its time for the boost enrichment device, to actually get that extra power!!! Muhuhuhuhahahahahahaha.  (lol)  Oh yea and a turbo!

I just bought a K03 turbo off ebay, and does this thing ever RULE!!!  Shaft spins like a dream!  Hooked up leaf blower, filled both ends with oil and capped them off, and didn't take much blowing power to make the shaft spool up and create that nice whine.   Time to create the turbojet engine!  So now that I know the turbo isn't junk, I need to install it.  It has ports for water and oil.  The pic of the turbo is right here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7952493452

Before I start ripping my turbo off and get down to business, is that the correct exhaust port?  My guess is no.   Has anyone installed one of these on a 1.6TD?  

Sorry if I hijacked this thread, but if you want more power from your car, get a K03 turbo.   Low spool for that good old vw low torkyness!

Max torque at 1800 rpm soon to come...

[Blades]

All 1993-1997 TD are Turbo

1993-1994 have K14 Turbo
1995-1997 have K03 Turbo

107LB-FT at 2400RPM
75hp a 3200-4200

Check gor Smog DIY, those cars can be pushed upto 90hp easy with a screwdriver.

[TDIMeister]

If that turbo has a watercooled centre-section, then it's for a gasser application, and the trim and A/R ratios are tailored for a gasser, so you may be disappointed when it doesn't spool or make boost as you had wished...

Most gasser turbos have turbine A/Rs in the area of at least .48; on the GT15 on my TDI, it's 0.34 and probably very similar on the KKK K03-001 that's used in the late model TD/TDI.

The offshoot of a high A/R value is freer flow at the top-end, but a laggy dog at the low-end, and won't make (much) boost at low RPM.

[jtanguay]

hmmmmm... might have to get a kit to change the A/R then...

It did spool quite nicely with the blower as I said, but I had no way of checking how much boost it was making

I'll wait for a nice warm day, and throw the turbo in and see how well it performs in the diesel application.  Hopefully it's not as much of a lagger as the one that's in my car already.

[jtanguay]

hmmmm i'm just trying to think here of a hybrid mod for my new-found turbo...  What if I put the compressor from my K14 stock turbo on the K03 turbine?  Now to me, that sounds like a pretty stupid idea, but maybe not to some of the pros out there?  It has been done with the T3/T4's and turned into hybrid, any reasons why this sort of thing wouldnt work?

thanks again guys

[TDIMeister]

Whichever way you wish to hybridize the turbo, the key to matching to a Diesel is a lower turbine A/R and not going too high on the compressor trim.  The A/R determines the pressure ratios across the turbine and compressor, respectively, and influences the "restrictiveness" of the flow; while the trim (more crucial on the compressor) influences the mass flow characteristics of the turbo and the onset of surge and choke.

[jtanguay]

hmmmm seems to be getting a bit complicated... What I will do is test it out on my car, and see how it runs.  The turbo lag on my car right now is bad.   In 3rd gear turbo isnt spooled until I hit around 50 km/h.  Even without a tach, I know thats around 3k rpm range.  (5th gear seems to spool much better, mainly since more fuel is added)

When does everyone else's turbo spool up?

[chrissev]

re: mods:  if you put a turbo on it you get to experience all the great things that happen when people turbo N/A VW diesels.  The turbo engine is quite different from the N/A engine and although people on here will tell you differently, it isn't a smart idea to put a turbo on an N/A diesel engine.  The engine isn't designed to handle the extra stress that the turbo will put on it.

Are you one of those people who is just pessimistic enough about everything to keep from spending money?

No.  I spend money.  Just put a new turbo pump on my 1.6TD.  I just like doing things right.  I've owned enough used cars to have a special place in my heart for those who modify their cars and then sell them to unsuspecting people.  Or those who like to half a*s fix things so they break while I am driving.  I know that turbos put a lot of stress on pistons cause there's quite a bit more power coming out of that engine and quite a bit more pressure in those cylinders and the fact that the VW engineers (who are notoriously stingy and cost conscious) actually thought that the turbo engine would need the modifications that they made to it, convinces me that you shouldn't turbo an N/A VW diesel engine.

[chrissev]

hmmmm seems to be getting a bit complicated... What I will do is test it out on my car, and see how it runs.  The turbo lag on my car right now is bad.   In 3rd gear turbo isnt spooled until I hit around 50 km/h.  Even without a tach, I know thats around 3k rpm range.  (5th gear seems to spool much better, mainly since more fuel is added)

When does everyone else's turbo spool up?

around 2800.  Not much below that.  I think there's just not enough EG pressure until you hit a certain rpm threshold.