WHats up ! So I am currently working on my first diesel vw. I've had many other VW's and Audi's prior to my Golf. It started as a 1.6 NA. Now rocking a 1.9TD head , T3 Turbo, FMIC , 1.9TD injection Pump.
Now i know with the Audi Five Cylinders using a N/A Cam and or head on the turbo engines it is a huge gain in power. Very cheap mod. Wondering if anyone has ever experimented or looked into this for the diesels ?
I believe the 1.6 NA and TD cams are the same... However I have head rumblings that the 1.6 cam performs better than the 1.9 cam..
ive heard that also. and i heard that 1.6 mechanical cams perform way better than hyd cams. so go ahead and retrofit your head with a 1.6 cam and lifters, see if it wakes it up any?
I'd prefer to run Hydro since i'm pushing boost. I have spare 1.6 NA and TD cams kicking around my shop. i guess i'll Do a visual and see if there is a difference.. then check with mircometer or something. Just trying to play with ideas for my rebuild. see what kind of OE components i can work in for a little extra kick
the mechanical cams are better for boost. they let the valves open farther. ask any of the guys on here, they will tell you that a mechanical headed engine almost always has more power, if adjusted properly.
Mechanical lifters offer more power because the "self-adjusting" function of a hydrolic lifter eats HP, and makes for sloppier valve movement. You probably would not lose much HP in these motors but as HP increases so would the effectiveness of the mechanical lifters. I can't speak to the similarities/differences between the cams themselves though. Ford often would substitute mechanical lash adjusters for hydrolic ones and pick up an extra 25-30 HP on some of their 3.0 V6 DOHC motors. This is why high performance motors often use mechanical lifters still, they really are just that much more efficient.
