1.9L swap

[MadCityMike]

my 94 Jetta 1.9L AAZ car got T-Boned pretty bad today and is now totalled.   The engine compartment seems to have survived pretty well.   The engine and tranny look to be unscathed.    This car ran awesome so I can't see just junking the motor.   I really loved this car and since I'm in the US, I know my chances of finding another one like it are slim to none.  There are a fair number of gasoline mkIII's around though, and I'm sure I can find one cheap enough to swap the diesel into.    What should I make sure to get from the old car to make sure I have everything I need for the swap?   Here's what I'm thinking, and if someone can let me know if I'm missing something or don't need something I'd really appreciate it.

motor & tranny (duh)
radiator/airbox/hoses/etc...

engine compartment wiring harness

dash wiring harness and cluster

axle shafts??  will the diesel shafts fit in gas wheel hubs? or do I need to go the other way, and use gas shafts in the diesel tranny, or does it not matter?

Front coils?   I know in larger trucks the diesel blocks are way heavier then their gasoline counterparts, and the springs are matched accordingly  Is there much weight difference between a vw diesel and gas motor that I would need to worry about springs?

Is there a difference between the gas and diesel fuel tanks other then the gas having a pump in it.   Should I swap the diesel tank as well?

What about other year Jetta's?   Will this mount in a mkIV without much hassle?  

Mike

[Vincent Waldon]

Actually the list can be a lot smaller:

* wiring harness really shouldn't need to swap... the injector pump can be powered from the lead that used to go to the coil... or anything else that is live with the ignition

* dash wiring could stay...

* fuse box could stay... the glow plug relay might plug in directly or a little creativity might be required

* a bit of creative wiring would be needed to activate the OX light as the glowplug light on the cluster, and you can convert the tach with a magic box

* suspension is the same... diesels are not that much heavier than gassers.. in some ways there's a lot less crap in the engine compartment

* axle shafts should fit, but swap 'em over if concerned... you definately want to keep the diesel tranny as it will have more appropriate gearing

* can't remember if the MK3s have an in-tank fuel pump... if it still exists steal the in-tank part of the fuel delivery system from the diesel


Others here will no doubt add to the list... but if you think about it VW designed the platform to take different engines right from the factory so they did their best to minimize the changes required.


Vince

[trent77]

As far as I know you should swap over the fuel tank. I think it just makes everything easier. And if you decide this is all too much work, let me know. I would love your engine and trans. (I live very close)