Author Topic: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.  (Read 37616 times)

May 26, 2009, 06:20:40 am

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« on: May 26, 2009, 06:20:40 am »
Since I've finally started to do some actual work on the van, I'll start a build journal as well. :D

1986 Vanagon GL Syncro...Wolfram Grey on blue cloth. Started life as a 7-pax van delivered to a Lufthansa employee here in NY. I'm the second owner, having stumbled across it in the want ads the very day I was going to buy a silver '87 for almost $5K. Tranny was toast, got the van for $800, in very decent shape for an East Coaster, just the usual seam rust and city rash. That was back in '00, I rebuilt the trans locally and drove it for a few years, then the mods started. I really wanted a camper, but at the time, Syncro Westies were way out of my price range (Hell, they still are! :P) so I found a nice Westy interior out in PA, and started tinkering. Then I contacted Country Homes campers in CA, to see if they were still building pop tops; they weren't, but Salim was selling the works to build the tops... with my keen nose for opportunity, I bought the molds. Made myself a nice pop top, along with 7 others and sold... well, two of them, actually, but I still have hopes of clearing my inventory someday. If you're interested, drop me a line.
Anyhoo, at some point I started to distrust the 2.1L wasserleaker, although, to be fair, it was one of the few good ones that escaped VW, it never actually leaked or mechanically failed on me, well over 200K before I yanked it. It was more the wiring, accessories, and general rusty-crustiness of it, it was getting very difficult to keep it running properly, let alone pass emissions tests. I decided to go Subaru powered, bought a motor, and all the crap to convert it... and then changed my mind. That was 2 years ago, and I finally have all the parts, or most of 'em, to go Diesel.

I have a factory crate syncro transmission, from S. Africa. Just finished shortening the input shaft, & put on the diesel vanagon bellhouse. I hope to crack open the motor this week for examination, and to prep for life at a 50 degress left list.

My plans & pipe dreams include;
IP fueling adjustments
Air/water intercooler
manual boost controller
Bosio AAZ injectors
Full instrumentation
2.5" mandrel-bent SS exhaust
Donaldson air cleaner w/ stock Syncro snorkel
Vintage Air A/C system
On-board air system (tank, compressor, chucks for airing up tires, and big goddamn air horns)
Two or three battery DC system, inverter, charger, shore power connection
...I'll spare you the wilder ideas I've had. ;)

I'm shooting for a late summer roll-out, wish me luck & good working weather, it's all happening in the driveway; she won't fit under the garage door. (2" lift kit, pop top & 15" BFG All-Terrain T/As preclude any indoor activities)







JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #1June 19, 2009, 03:43:30 am

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2009, 03:43:30 am »
Ordered up a 930 CV &  Chrome-Moly axle setup for the rear of the van. I found a set of used race-prepped 930 CVs on Ebay... got them & opened up the boxes.. :o wow, they're polished to a shine!! Ex-sand buggy. Slightly under-sized balls with radiused chro-mo cage and star. Resolves any issues I may encounter with the lifted suspension straining the CVs. 21-3/8" Empi axles, and a beautiful set of drive flanges and T2/3-930 stub axles from Todd at Avery's Aircooled:



The front axles will have to stay stock for now, until I have a chance to experiment. I'm going to run race-prep T4 cvs on the inner, and stock outers, and I want to figure out if the outers will take one of the available VW chro-mo cages.
It wasn't cheap, but Syncros are fairly heavy and have a penchant for grenading CVs & axles when taken off-roading.

Motor is now mounted to a stand, planning on taking off the intake & exhaust for cleaning and mounting the DV oil pan.

Does anyone know if a stock windage tray will work with the van oil pan?


JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #2June 19, 2009, 09:44:53 am

midwestfalia

  • User+

  • Offline
  • *

  • 34
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2009, 09:44:53 am »
the stock windage tray will work
82 diesel aba westy, 89 westy, 98 TDI

Reply #3June 19, 2009, 08:16:07 pm

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2009, 08:16:07 pm »
Cool, thank you. :D

I was informed today that the cro-mo components for the T4 cv are no longer available. :'(
JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #4June 25, 2009, 01:49:55 am

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2009, 01:49:55 am »
Spent some time tearing into the AAZ this week. First to come apart was the manifolds; the exhaust came off with suprisingly little protest. I had an issue w/ one intake bolt, but persuaded it out without resorting to the drill.

GOOD LORD what a damn mess inside the intake manifold... I mean, really. :P  2 hours, & 3 cans of hi-power degreaser later, I can call it clean. I ended up with a ball of black snot the size of my fist. THe problem is, the same coating extends into the head ports. I guess the only way to really clean them out is to pull the head & hot-tank it, I don't want to risk leaving a chunk of that stuff in the combustion chamber. I don't think I've been that dirty since my last CV joint party... EGR system is in the trash can.

Cut off the old timing belt, & removed the IP. I had some reservations about it, but I need to learn to set timing anyway. The pump looks like it's brand new! The motor was rebuilt in the recent past, looks like they went all out. One fuel line jammed on the output nozzle & the nozzle loosened before the line did, & rounded the nozzle flats, but I have some spares. I was thinking about doing a re-seal on the pump, but I probably won't need to.

Pulled the oil pan off. Pump pick-up screen has an interesting collection of grit on it. ::) Engine is equipped with a factory windage tray. Stuff in the bottom is black as my soul.

I have a set of ARP head studs on the way, I'm going to pull the head as soon as I get the right driver for the head bolts. Never seen triple-square ones like that except for the cv bolts. The block is rather rusty/shabby-looking, I want to hit it with a 3M wheel and paint it. Going to pull a freeze plug for a block heater as well; any recommendations on which one, or does it matter?

All for now... got that all done in the one day we've had that didn't rain...in the entire month of June >:(  Not conducive to project completion.
JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #5June 25, 2009, 09:41:21 pm

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2009, 09:41:21 pm »
Yeah, after thinking about it, seems logical just to keep it as far from the turbo as possible; in my case the flywheel end of the block.
JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #6July 10, 2009, 11:18:42 pm

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2009, 11:18:42 pm »
Pulled the head off and stripped it... Made a compressor tool out of a 3/4" deep Craftsman socket; I ground out a cutout in the side w/ the bench grinder, & chucked it into the drill press. Works like a charm. A magnetized screwdriver helps a lot extracting the keeper halves.
Head looks to have been attended to during the last rebuild; I count 5 new valve guides and 1 new intake valve... The valve guide seals did NOT want to come out, but after I found the right 45-deg. large needle-nose pliers, a squeeze-n-turn attack got them out.
Motor has a 1-hole head gasket, but I'm replacing with a 2-hole to back the C.R. down a tad since I'm going to run upwards of 20lbs of boost max... That, and I can't find a one-hole gasket ::) Typical cracks between valves, all hairlines, nothing opened up, and I peened them all over.

Rough-stripped the block, and hit it with Russell Epoxy frame paint in black. This stuff is the next best thing to powder coating... takes a few days to cure fully and is really tough.
ARP studs are here, waiting for headgasket and seals.

Waiting on a few parts from Germany; a diesel Vanagon turbo drain line (the pan end) and a D.V. dipstick from Jurgen's Vanagon parts emporium.

The AAZ flywheel appears to be identical in all dimensions to the Vanagon diesel flywheel as far as gear ring placement, diameter, pilot hole, etc, except the AAZ is a lot heavier & thicker... so I'm using the AAZ wheel if I can get away with it, the van's bulk calls for some beef in the flywheel.

Shopping for a good weld/fab shop to make new motor mount brackets on the carrier bars; I have Volvo hydraulic mounts I want to use in place of the stock rubber units to damp vibrations.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2009, 12:09:11 am by Syncroincity »
JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #7July 20, 2009, 01:18:11 am

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #7 on: July 20, 2009, 01:18:11 am »
Just completed my very first DIY port & polish!! ;D 

For those interested in the job... Took about 2 days, working slow w/ a Dremel. One straight and one ball carbide burr bits and a couple dozen sanding drums. I erased the cast lip that's inside of every valve opening, it makes a big difference in the smoothness of the approach and exit. It's very apparent to the touch where the material needs to come off; there's no guesswork, you're just in there to make it as smooth as possible. When the lip is gone, stop shaving, then sand it smooth. Don't leave any grinding marks if possible... Unless you have smaller sizes of sanding drums (if they make them) it gets harder to sand effectively the closer you get to the valve guide, so don't go crazy with the carbide up in there. Use the ball bit to erase & smooth out the marks and gouges left by the straight bit before sanding.   Inside the port runners I just polished up as much as possible, I didn't try to expand the size of the ports or anything. There's a weird joint line where two castings meet that can be smoothed out. There was only about 1/4" I really couldn't reach comfortably, using the Dremel... If you have the narrower flex-cable attachment you'd probably get all of it. I think the most important thing is to keep the bit moving constantly, whether its carbide or sander, never let it sit in one spot. If you feel a sneeze coming on, move the drill away from the head!

Not difficult, just time-consuming... but it saved me about $800. Take your time, keep feeling your work with a bare fingertip. Don't clean the head too thoroughly before you start; a mild coat of soot in the ports serves wonderfully to highlight what's been ground and what still needs to be. Be very careful with the drill; be conscious of where it's pointing at all times, especially with the carbide tips. You can do the job with just sanding drums, but it will take a lot longer.
When it's all done, you need access to a good parts washer to rinse out all the powder, and then blow-dry with compressed air.
JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #8July 29, 2009, 02:20:38 am

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2009, 02:20:38 am »
Here's some "after" shots of the head. No "before" shots, you couldn't see anything for the soot anyway...











The motor on the stand:




And then, a funny thing happened:



JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #9July 29, 2009, 02:47:29 am

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2009, 02:47:29 am »
My Crankshaft... Some scuffing on the mains, and the edges of all of the rod journals show a bit of blueing. Anyone think I should be worried about that? I haven't mic'd anything yet... the bearings were in OK shape, some polished spots on the mains, but all are getting replaced. The scuffs should clean up nicely with fine emory cloth.









I ordered a set of H-beam TDI rods from Intengineering.com. I'm building this motor for low-end grunt, mainly because of the weight of the van, and the off-road use I hope to get out of it...I'm going to use the stock T-2 for instant spooling (well, as far as it's possible) and run about 16psi max boost... Later on I plan to incorporate a VNT.



...I also just packed off my fuel pump to Giles. ;D. Hey, I saved a LOT of money doing my own port job, now I can afford the full pump treatment! (That's my logic, and I'm sticking to it ;))
« Last Edit: October 30, 2010, 11:42:54 pm by Syncroincity »
JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #10July 29, 2009, 02:57:08 am

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #10 on: July 29, 2009, 02:57:08 am »
Miscellaneous Pictures & Gratuitous Bling

Zero-mile Syncro tranny


New heavy-duty axles, Porsche 930 CVs race-prepped & polished, and the adaptor flanges




Das Boot



One of the cats, wondering why I'm in the bloody garage all the time and not giving her a treat
« Last Edit: July 29, 2009, 03:14:17 am by Syncroincity »
JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #11July 29, 2009, 08:44:52 am

jack's lack

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 275
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #11 on: July 29, 2009, 08:44:52 am »
looking good jerry.
I too just sent my pump to a man named Giles yesterday.  ;D
I was looking at those rods too. They are pretty spendy. I'm curious to know how well they work out.
Every day I get a little braver (and poorer) and closer to doing my own head job. Where did you end up finding the driver to remove the stock head bolts?
Sorry if i missed it above, but what are you planning to do about the Achilles keyway?
1982 Rabbit diesel L 4 door
AAZ, K14, Giles pump, PD150 intake, P&P'd head, ceramic coated pistons, 2.5" stainless down pipe & exhaust. FK coils

My Build Thread

Reply #12July 29, 2009, 10:29:11 am

the caveman

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 1739
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #12 on: July 29, 2009, 10:29:11 am »
"Going to pull a freeze plug for a block heater as well; any recommendations on which one, or does it matter? "
Every block heater that mounted into the block that i saw that failed  wasn't sourced from VW [it was made by a Canadian company] . Make sure you buy the best one you can find. If you haven't removed a frost yet don't do it. Use an inline heater .
" I'm a vegetarian,not because i love animals, it's because i hate plants"
1970 Type 3 fastback
1972 Renault 12
1971 Super Beetle 140 HP 159 ft lbs
1987 Fox
1989 TD Jetta
1990 Fox
1989 Fox
1998 TDI Jetta
1990 T3 German MIL Transporter 1.9 na Giles super pump
1997 Jetta GLX TDI

Reply #13July 29, 2009, 09:47:53 pm

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #13 on: July 29, 2009, 09:47:53 pm »
looking good jerry.
I too just sent my pump to a man named Giles yesterday.  ;D
I was looking at those rods too. They are pretty spendy. I'm curious to know how well they work out.
Every day I get a little braver (and poorer) and closer to doing my own head job. Where did you end up finding the driver to remove the stock head bolts?
Sorry if i missed it above, but what are you planning to do about the Achilles keyway?

Well, I'm done with mine for now, I'll send it down to you if you want to borrow it; otherwise look up "XZN" driver or triple-square on E-bay. Here's the one you need: EBAY LINK
I just got a TDI pulley... I don't really know a good machine shop close to me, my old guy packed up and left with no forward address :'( I'm considering trying it myself if I can figure out how to chuck a grinding wheel into the drill press. Maybe build a wood cradle for the crank so it can't turn... I figure you could just measure the width of the flat spot, then mark that measurement on the crank end, then grind perpendicular until you get close to the marks, and finish with a file to a press fit.  Then again, If I mic the journals and they're shot, I'll need to get it machined for real anyway. We'll see next week when I finish this stint at work.
JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT

Reply #14July 29, 2009, 09:54:42 pm

Syncroincity

  • Veteran

  • Offline
  • ***

  • 727
Re: 1.9AAZ TD into '86 Vanagon Syncro @ 50 deg.
« Reply #14 on: July 29, 2009, 09:54:42 pm »
Use an inline heater .

If you are talking about a heater that goes in the hose, then that's a bad idea.  Because of the way the coolant system is designed and the location of the thermostat, a heater in one of the hoses (presumably the lower rad hose) will heat the coolant in the radiator and do almost nothing for heating the block.  It's a waste of time and money.

Andrew

I actually have one of each. I figured to have the inline heater up front in the vertical hose to keep the forward section warm and the block heater for the back. The vans have a hell of a lot of plumbing in them...
 How do the plug heaters fail?; burn out & stop working or do they leak? I shouldn't think it would be a problem keeping it immersed as the motor is lying over on it's side with the heater on the low side.

« Last Edit: July 29, 2009, 09:58:31 pm by Syncroincity »
JC McCavitt
'86 Syncro GL Camper AAZ
'98 Jetta Wolfie
'04 Passat Variant GLS 4Mo 5MT