82 Vanagon Diesel 1.9 idi 4 spd to 5 spd swap questions??? - IDI Engine - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• 82 Vanagon Diesel 1.9 idi 4 spd to 5 spd swap questions??? by Greenthings on 17 Oct, 2010 17:55
• I have an 82 Vanagon diesel 1.9 D (45k? miles) with the factory 4-speed trans. This week, I'm suppose to aquire an 83 gasser's 5 Speed , 6 rib tranny, linkage, and shiftrods. I could use some advice on the tranny swap. I've owned the van for over 5 years now and have longed to get a quieter high-speed transmission put into it. It has a (made in Mexico) 1.9 that keeps it at 67 mph ( my usual max) as needed. I'm pretty shure it would hit 80 mph,now, without a turbo, on a flat road. I've finally aquired all the turbo set-up (goodies) from a Quantum and an AAZ and hope to have it all put together by next Spring. All sound, experienced advice would be welcomed.
   
  What modifications have to done to accomodate this?
  
  Bellhousings swapped And transmission shaft? or a transmission mount relocation?
  
  Will my 4 speeds shifter box and stick work with 5 speed rods?
  
  How do I get the shift rod adjustments fine tuned? The Bentley has some good info, but does'nt really get me started.
  
  Should'nt I get ,atleast, the same acceleration (or better ) and lower rpm's when adding a k14 or k24 turbo to the gasser tranny's taller 4.86 (?) differential.
  Would the Van be a complete Slug without the turbo installed? If all goes well I would like to get the tranny in the take a break before the turbo set-up install.
  A side note question. Do all the 1.9 idi diesel engines ,not specifically AAZ, have piston oil squirters and turbo specific alloys?
   
  
  
  
   
   
• #1 by VW Smokr on 17 Oct, 2010 22:11
• Yes, the 1.9s all got the 'good' alloys, with the possible exception (rumor) of the 1.9 n.a. exhaust valves not being quite as stout as those in the 1.9TDs.(?)
  
  As far as the trans, sometime in '83 the Vanagons (possibly coinciding with the waterboxers' arrival?) were equipped with side shifter trannies, instead of the nosecone linkage. Get all the 5-speed's linkage pieces you can; they will, along with the advice from libbybapa, help you get it working in your chassis.
  
  BTW at least a few 5-speed gasser Vanagons were sold in Canada; several of my dealership tech buddies mentioned seeing them here in SoCal, when servicing Vanagons for Canadian tourist customers.
  
  As to relative gearing effects... it all depends which 5-speed and 4-speed you're comparing    http://volksweb.relitech.com/helmut/GEARBOX.HTM  The combinations of 1st gear & final drive ratios of all of the gasser 5-speeds listed, look to be a bit higher than any of the 1st gear/final drive ratios of the diesel 4-speeds, so that would probably work your clutch harder, especially if you have a really steep driveway!
  
  If you offset the minor theoretical loss of your 'digger gear' capability, by swapping from a '82 Vanagon diesel's 1.6 n.a. (71 lb/ft @ 3000rpm) to a 1.9 n.a. (c.100lb/ft @ 2400rpm) or a 1.9TD IDI (c. 110lb/ft @ c.2000rpm), you probably won't notice the difference of the 5-speed's higher initial gearing, but once underway, you'll probably like the closer gears a lot. That and lowering the engine's cruising RPM could bring some fuel savings and add to your enjoyment of your Vanagon.
  
  Have fun.
  
  J.R.
  SoCal
• #2 by Baxter on 18 Oct, 2010 13:16
• T3 5 speeds aren't all that, ratios for top gear are same (ish) as 4 speeds, just 5 speeds get a lower 1st and the gears are a bit closer together.
  I wouldn't bother swapping personally.
  Get a petrol 4 speed with taller final drive, much better idea.
  All T3 gearboxes are "side shift", but there are 2 styles of "side shift", early with the hollow tube that runs on a peg bolted to the gearbox casing, or the later one with the ball and cup style linkage.
• #3 by bridgetroll13 on 20 Oct, 2010 14:05
• I really like my 5 speed too for all the reasons Andrew stated. I had the dreaded 3-4 (or in this case 4-5) slider failure and had a gasser 4 speed temporarily so I got to compare the two. The clutch had already been marginal but the higher 1st gear in the gasser tranny did it in .
  
  The box that I got came from Canada. It's an AAP which has the lowest numerical final drive ratio. I put 15" Eurovan rims on (centers enlarged) with 215-75 tires. This causes the speedo to read 10% under actual speed (so there's another modest RPM reduction). I was fortunate to get the European mounting bars with the AAZ that I bought (just by dumb luck) so that enabled me to install the 5 speed without difficulty. I used the stock front mount but it attaches to the body in a different location. The alternate holes are there; just crud covered. The rear section of the stock later version 4 speed shift linkage fits (I found this out when that portion that I bought with the 5 spd got lost in shipping). The front section, shift gate box and stick are proprietary to the 5 speed. You need the later style rod bushing that locates on the bulkhead behind the fuel tank. You also need to bend the original bushing out of the way (it is located above the fuel tank). Although it seems like you should be able to use it, it's just a wee bit too tight and no amount of grease will make it work. It also makes the geometry of the linkage a bit screwy.
  
  Definitely worth doing. If you didn't already check it out look at this site. http://volksweb.relitech.com/helmut/GEARBOX.HTM It gives good comparative info on all the gearboxes.
  
  Good luck!
  
  Erik
  
  '82 diesel Westy, 1.9t AAZ, AAP 5 spd