N00b time.

[88jetta350]

"Oh, gawd! Here we go again, another n00b post"

It's really not that bad, I promise.  :lol: I may be new to the forum, but not new to VW. I've driven all gassers to this point. Some may recognize me from over on the Vortex. (same user name)

I currently own:
88 US-Spec Jetta GL 1.8
97 Euro-Spec Golf 1.6
89 Chrysler GS TurboII (always broken)

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to drive my friend's 95 Golf Tdi.. Now I want a diesel...

...but in my current Jetta, since it's one of the small handful of US-Spec MKII cars still left in Germany, and I may be getting shipped back to the US next summer. (US Army)

I have the opportunity to get my hands on what looks to be an 86(?) TD golf from a local guy pretty cheap, so my project may begin sooner than expected. :twisted:

Here's the kicker, I can't afford to have this car down for long, and from what I've read, this is a pretty straight-forward swap. I just need to know EVERYTHING that I will need, so as to avoid the traditional sitting and waiting for parts that happens with every swap. As well as the "my swap won't start" posts... :lol: This is going to be a "quick and dirty" swap. I will work the kinks out when I have time. And I will have the engine rebuilt when I get back to the US, or find out if I can stay in Germany a little longer.

Bottom line, can someone please point me in the right direction (thread, info, etc.) for all the ins and outs of a Gas to Diesel swap.

What problems should I expect?
Is it going to be possible to install this OEM style?
What items NEED to be replaced w/ new parts?

Just for general knowledge, I am NOT new to diesels. I work with them daily, just on a much larger scale. I am a mechanic for the army, and not the typical one... I actually know what I'm doing, so you don't have to dumb anything down when you talk to me, I am pretty knowledgeable on diesels, just want to make this go as smoothly as possible.

Here's some pics of the car in question:









Current Specs:
1.8 8V Digifant II (I know)
FK "AK" Series coilovers
Techtonics 2.25 exhaust w/ Dynomax muffler
AMS Chipped ECU
270* Cam w/ Adjustable cam gear
Autotech 10mm spark plug wires
MSD Blaster2 Ignition coil
MiM Polished "Cup" wheels (same as ATS Cup) in 15x7

Goes like hell for an 8v, but I'm sure that I can build a TD that will stomp this setup into the ground, and be more reliable.

The crowd here seems to be MUCH more helpful than most of the Vortex, I look forward to becoming a member of the diesel crowd.

[zukgod1]

53 willys just did a gasser conversion.

http://vwdiesel.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=16090

There is allot of really good info there.

Just a heads up though, regardless of how prepaid you think you are there will be crap that hold you up.

Getting as much gathered as you can before you start will of course help.

I'm sure you know all that i just hate to see you tear your car apart to do a swap and get frustrated because you cant get it done as fast as planned.

[shegel]

if you have one of the only us spec mk2 jettas then wouldnt it make it more valuable over there? and having a true factory td golf would be sweet imo. just currious

having a motor that old will truely simplify things up a lot no computer to deal with. ip fuel solenoid starter and it should run.

[88jetta350]

Not really, it's still just another Jetta. They're for the most part throw away cars here.

And the golf would be worth keeping if the body wasn't all beat up. I'm supposed to go look at it tomorrow.

[88jetta350]

OK, I went through 53 Willys' thread from beginning to end and I don't want to hijack his thread w/ questions, so I'll ask them here..

1. Am I still going to be able to keep my accesories? My car has both power steering and A/C, I would kinda like to keep them both.

2. How difficult would it be to wire in the glow plug relay and bus bar into the gasser wiring? Is it plug and play, or am I looking at hacking up the harness?

3. I know that the Diesels use the alternator for the RPM signal, provided that the donor car has a tach, will it be as simple as running a wire from the terminal on the alternator? If it doesn't have a tach, I will mod the gasser tach.


Also, to answer a question asked before as to why I don't keep the TD golf, I don't want a golf, and definitely not a 4-door one. I prefer Golfs as coupes, if I were to have one. Also, the chassis isn't in the best shape. I also have an emotional attachment to this Jetta. (Honestly it's my first VW, and the one that got me into dubs.)

[jtanguay]

here's all you need for a quick and dirty swap

- diesel filter
- 30A switch for glow plugs (most people hook them up to a momentary button and its not really much of an inconvenience anyways)
- i think you need exhaust piece with the bend, and obviously the toilet bowl.
- i don't even use my RPM gauge... the diesel engine is so loud you'll just know what rpm's its at.  (its not even that accurate either... if you want something REALLY accurate, then go with the tiny tach or go with the dakota digital converter which will give you an inductive signal so your gasser tach will work (its cheaper, and will give you a 'stock' appearance, but it runs off the alternator so it isn't as accurate)

i think thats pretty much it.  if it were me, i would be happy just running it as is, but there are a lot of people who want it to be stock (more trouble than its worth IMO)

while in germany you should check out some of the PD motors available.. apparently guys over in Czech are putting them into MK2's with very little wiring.  you can use resistors in things like the MAF, AIT, etc and it'll still run decently, but more like the old mechanical 1.9's.

or even just bring back a couple PD motors in the car if you ship it over... probably even make some cash after shipping fee's and your diesel swap!! don't forget to look for some 6 speed tranny's too!!! they can fit on your front seats, and can easily go for $1500 if in good shape!!!

[88jetta350]

thanks for the the info, that's exactly what I was looking for.

As far as my accesories? Will I still be able to keep those? I really like having a MKII with functional A/C (R134 retrofitted)

As far as the PD Engine, is that the 16v 1.9 TDI that's in the new Golf/Jetta?

If so that's, a little out of my price range right now.

[jtanguay]

thanks for the the info, that's exactly what I was looking for.

As far as my accesories? Will I still be able to keep those? I really like having a MKII with functional A/C (R134 retrofitted)

As far as the PD Engine, is that the 16v 1.9 TDI that's in the new Golf/Jetta?

If so that's, a little out of my price range right now.

only if you can get good deals on it.  i'd say hit up the local junkyards and see what kind of motors you can find.  they will most likely be cheaper over there than here, and you can make a bit of profit from it.  things to look for would be the 8v PD 130/150 motors.  even just a good bottom end will do.  a PD bottom end is really strong!

even TDI blocks (1Z/AHU + ALH) will net some coin as well.  1Z TDI pistons & TDI head would be cool too... as they can be used to convert a 1.9 AAZ into TDI    just giving you some ideas... maybe people should ask you to look for specific things though, then you have buyers.  its not really to make profit, but to recoup some of your expenses...