Author Topic: what kind of motor? (Read 2594 times)

devarnish · « **on:** September 25, 2008, 08:46:38 pm »

hi a new be over from vwvortex not anuff info on diesel over there so i signed up to this get forum that i was told about. this is my frist post on the tdi idi forum. i would like to turbo my 79 rabbit diesel this winter if i can find the money to do so. i have to pull the motor any way because the front main seal and the rear seal r leaking and getting worse, and i would like to do the gaskets also. is it worth putting a turbo on a 1.5l with a 4speed i kinda think not. so what kind a motor and trans should i put into the rabbit? would like it to scream in the spring of 09. something that would fit and not be to bad to wire up. thanks for any info devarnish

burn_your_money · « **Reply #1 on:** September 25, 2008, 09:03:09 pm »

Welcome aboard.

There are a couple of people that have turboed thier 1.5s, not many though. Do a search on here for it. Make sure to select 'all the words" and not "any of the words" in the search.

If you want to drop in another motor, a 1.6TD will be the easiest to find and easiest to wire up. Read the FAQ to get a feel for what is needed to get a 1.6TD moving.

What kind of power are you aiming for?

devarnish · « **Reply #2 on:** September 26, 2008, 10:32:05 pm »

what kind of power i am looking for is a question on how much i can get for the money. that is that i need to figure out. just want a diesel to blow smoke on the gassers. i have a 81 mercedes 300td wagon a inline 5cly turbo. has alot of power and is fast. now i would like the rabbit to have similar power feel. so what kind of power can i get out of a 1.6l turbo diesel. what kind of trans axle should i be looking for? what is the best match up for the money in a mk1 rabbit diesel?

subsonic · « **Reply #3 on:** September 27, 2008, 09:03:55 am »

Assuming you have a solid motor and IP. Go with a larger free flowing exhaust. 2 or 2 1/2". Get a turbo muffler. 2 into 1 exhaust manifold. Run a cold air intake to the front of the car. Make sure you have good nozzles and correct pop pressures or redo them. Turn up the fuel a bit and set your timing correctly. Lighten your flywheel. Cheapest way to increase your power on the NA.

You should be running close to or at stock TD power with a setup like that.

Next step would be to get a Giles pump for your na.

devarnish · « **Reply #4 on:** September 27, 2008, 11:02:04 am »

thanks subsonic. sorry about the fall out with the parts i was going to pick up off of you this weekend. hope that sometime this winter i can get into the motor and rebuild it. i think what you suggested for a build in my rabbit is the way i might go. would like to get a 5spd trans axle when i do this. what kind of 5spd trans would bolt to the 1.5l diesel motor. i know that i will have to find a donor car because i would need the linkage and shift selector. would a vw diesel truck work for a swap of trans into the rabbit. i cant remember if thay had a 5spd.

jimfoo · « **Reply #5 on:** September 27, 2008, 11:07:08 am »

And if you work on the 1.5, I'd get head studs as I guess the stock 1.5 head bolts don't go in very far and can easily strip out.

RabbitJockey · « **Reply #6 on:** September 27, 2008, 12:20:39 pm »

that car is nice!!!

devarnish · « **Reply #7 on:** September 27, 2008, 02:56:37 pm »

yes i heard that also, that the head will pop its self off if you try to push the turbo to much. when i find the money to do this that i would pull the motor and rebuild it and replace the head bolts and get the block checked out make sure there r no cracks ect. as for the pop test on the injecors and the the bar pressure i dont have a clue. should i run a different injector and what kind?

subsonic · « **Reply #8 on:** September 27, 2008, 03:38:45 pm »

The injectors are the same for both NA and TD. The nozzles are the same now as well I believe. They update the nozzles every once in a while with a newer number. The difference in the pressure needed to make them open and squirt fuel, also known as pop. NA's are set to 135 BAR, while TD's are set to 155 BAR. Injectors wear out just like spark plugs, they just take much longer to wear out. At about 100,000 miles, or in your case 29 years, they need attention. Nozzles get replaced and the spring tension inside the bodies gets recalibrated to the correct pop preassure. To have a shop do them correctly will run you about 20/30 bucks each for nozzles, plus around 20 bucks for the rebuild.

jtanguay · « **Reply #9 on:** September 27, 2008, 04:12:09 pm »

but if you run a really good fuel additive, you might not need to replace the injectors... ever

devarnish · « **Reply #10 on:** September 27, 2008, 05:14:16 pm »

that sounds good. while i was at school for marine diesel tech, i remember that you can test the spray pattern of the injector but for the internals you have to ship them out. when a boat comes back for the winter and it is blowing white smoke and it is not anti-freeze burning then for sure it is the injectors. just pull them out and ship them out and next season the test run in the spring all is good no smoke. now for the injection pump, i have seen some people that have done some heavy tuning to them. can i take certain parts of a 1.6l turbo diesel pump and put it on to a 1.5l pump. i have seen sauerkrauts postings he has done some thing crazy to his injection pump but he abbreviated to much and i dont understand what he is talking about . i just dont know the lingo yet.

Possum79 · « **Reply #11 on:** September 27, 2008, 05:39:28 pm »

My 79 4 door rabbit 1.5l has an FF 5 spd trans in it. Just to chime into your question about what to get. I get good milage and I have not put any mods into anything though so I feel slower then I like.

devarnish · « **Reply #12 on:** September 28, 2008, 03:37:49 pm »

ok this weekend i have given a lot of thought to this car and what i will be doing to it this winter. this is what i am going to do. no mods, going to keep it all original. pull the motor soon and rebuild it and make sure its all sound. head gasket ect. the reason for pulling the motor is to paint the eng. bay. and replace all the oil seals on the block. need to do this to make it show quality on the exterior. Will replace the dash and windshield gasket & chrome trim. Really want a fast vw cabby to add to the collection and i will stop at nothing to own one just need to finish one car first.