nOOb Questions about my 1.6TD...

[TOZOVR]

Every vehicle I have ever owned has been modified.  This Vanagon is no exception, but it's been mostly brakes, suspension etc etc...this is the first Diesel I have owned.   I've had them as daily drivers with my old Landscape Construction company but those were all 7.3 and 6.0 powerstrokes.   Making gobs of power was a chip away.

I've been reading the forum here for the last month and sucking up all the info I can, but I'm looking for the combo....When I was building my GLX Jetta VR6, there were a few basic combos you'd put together for different stages of power....I assume there is the same thing here for the IDI's.

The whole Injection pump thing is foreign to me...I understand turbos very well (have a Volvo 855 wagon in the high 13s and an Audi A4 with a Holset pushing over 23#s of boost....) but not how it relates to my injection pump etc.   I know guys with NA 1.6's who just crank up the injection pump (to use their terms) and cruise along all day.


Now let me give a few details as to my search for this info...the vehicle is a 1983 Vanagon.  Originally a 1.6NA, the previous owner (a great guy) rebuilt a 1.6TD out of an '82 Quantum and installed it along with a manual boost controller, open element filter to the D pillar and some other cool things.    The van is currently running 9 or 10 PSI (I'm at work and I don't have my notes in front of me).   It has no boost gauge or EGT yet.  That is on my "Do NOW" list for May.    I don't want to use tons of fuel and make gobs of power at the expense of engine life.  This motor has been very well taken care of and every bit of maintenance done and recorded in the log book given to me by Pete, the PO.   I wouldn't mind a bit more boost, but I don't know what the ceiling for that is.  I have also begun amassing parts for my Air to water Intercooler setup.

So what is the basic outline for modding an IDI I guess?   Anyone point me to some good reads or links?

Thanks!

RJ

[rallydiesel]

For the stock turbos/heads/exhausts, egts are your determining factor to max boost. I'd get the egt gauge hooked up and go from there. You can get around 18 psi out of the stock turbo and run it reliably as long as you keep on eye on the egts. 1500F for only a few seconds at a time and below 1200 while cruising.

[Vincent Waldon]

The FAQ has some pretty good threads on performance tuning etc, as well as other info that should give you ideas.

Everyone's needs and background is different so you're not going find a definitive performance mod thread. 

[TOZOVR]

Thanks guys!   I pretty much stay in the ISI forum here and never even saw the FAQ.  Answered everything.

[arb]

1500F for only a few seconds at a time and below 1200 while cruising.

That is what I would consider fairly extreme temps and certainly only acceptable with a VERY fast-acting EGT probe mounted pre-turbine.

If your FE (iron) based turbine wheel actually reaches 1500 F, while spinning anywhere near 80%, you'll do damage to it. Hence the concern for a few seconds that high, and ony a fast acting gauge will show you that it was really only a few seconds. If you really want those temps, you should be looking an an alloy such as NiCr turbine wheels, but that metal is in the hundreds of dollars per pound of metal.

[TOZOVR]

happy turbine in it's happy home.