new and from cali

[kdouze]

hi all, im new and in search of some answers. ive been doing some searching and iirc you cant just go from a gasoline fueled car to diesel out here in good ol' california, because of smog regulations and crap. but diesels are hard to find and my jetta is in decent condition. what is the leg work like to get a car registered as a diesel instead of gasoline? ive heard of many people swapping vanogans from gas to diesel, so im pretty sure it can be done. my dad used to own a benz 300d and i miss the smell of diesel and the torque off the line, even in a car as big as that, the lack of having to smog it is a huge perk too ;-)

[kdouze]

also while im at it would a 300d engine fit in a mk2 with out major mutilation?

[rabbid79]

I don't know what it takes to make a gasoline to diesel conversion in CA legal.  In UT, it's supposed to be a pretty straight forward process, but I'm sure it'll be a lot more work in CA.

As far as the 300D engine, it probably weighs twice as much as a 1.6L VW engine because of the cast iron head and much larger displacement.  Of course, those are also two of the the good things about those engines, plus the fact that they're much more plentiful in junk yards, and reasonably priced.

I should also mention that 300D engines probably weigh even more than VR6 engines, so keeping the front of the car off the ground will be a bit of a problem.  I also don't think that it will fit length-wise.  It isn't even possible to put an Audi 5-cyl in one of these cars, let-alone a 5 or 6-cyl Mercedes with 50% more displacement.

[745 turbogreasel]

Welcome form CA

The diesel engine must have all emission controls intact, and be newer than the body.

You tell the DMV you converted to diesel, they refer you to the BAR who inspect, charge a nominal fee, and give you a sticker saying its all good.

After that, your car is never inspected again.

[OM617]

I should also mention that 300D engines probably weigh even more than VR6 engines, so keeping the front of the car off the ground will be a bit of a problem.

It probably weighs as much as your entire VW. Its about 750lbs, heavier than a complete small block Chevy.

[lyeinyoureye]

Welcome form CA

The diesel engine must have all emission controls intact, and be newer than the body.

You tell the DMV you converted to diesel, they refer you to the BAR who inspect, charge a nominal fee, and give you a sticker saying its all good.

After that, your car is never inspected again.

It can be the same age, and last I checked there's no fee or sticker. They change the smog status in the DB.

[kdouze]

so i do have to swap over all smog equipment? oh well, it'll probably end up being pulled off anyway after the fact. thank you.

also after a little searching on benz forums i found that the 300d without turbo weight about 567 lbs, a sbc cant weight more than 600-650 lbs built up, so damn. i didnt know that engine was so heavy. any way thanks all for you help.

[914turboford]

Welcome form CA

The diesel engine must have all emission controls intact, and be newer than the body.

You tell the DMV you converted to diesel, they refer you to the BAR who inspect, charge a nominal fee, and give you a sticker saying its all good.

After that, your car is never inspected again.

Yes, that is the way it is supposed to work according to the letter of the regulations. However, many, including myself, have had the good fortune of finding friendly DMV clerks. I put a Chevy 6.2 in my gas Blazer. My wife took it to the DMV. They said "start it up please". She started it. They said "yep, that's a diesel". Two weeks later we got a new pink slip in the mail saying "fuel type: D" for diesel. From what I have read my experience is consistent with what commonly happens. The DMV can send you to the BAR but they rarely do. BTW, if you're thinking my experience went so smoothly because I was using an engine that could be found in a Blazer, they didn't even ask my wife to open the hood. It could have been a 12V71 under the hood for all they knew. My buddy put a 6BT in a mid 80's K10 and had the same experience.

[kdouze]

awesome, maybe my jetta will become a 1.6d in the hopefully not too distant future, then again maybe ill find a golf thats already diesel and skip any hassel.
hmm... just a thought but would a newer passat 2l diesel fit, 250ft/lbs of torque would be a blast in a car that weight just over a ton... but that'll probably never happen for me... oh well, i can dream cant i?

[lyeinyoureye]

so i do have to swap over all smog equipment? oh well, it'll probably end up being pulled off anyway after the fact. thank you.

The only smog equipment to drop in the the fuel overflow system/bottle, although the ref I went to didn't even check that. The DMV I went to sent me to a ref, but I had to explain the whole situation to 'em so that may be why.