1.5 / 1.6 and Clean Air

[silentdub]

As I am almost ready to start the IDI project, I was wondering what some of you guys are doing for the clean air?

I understand that pre 2000+ diesels are exempt from emissions testing, but I am planning on installing a catalytic converter as well as a soot collector. If for nothing else, I don't want to be that smelly car driving down the road. I do plan on at least a 20% Bio mixed fuel, not sure on all the specifics but I started looking at some catalytic converters and soot collectors from newer cars today.


I highly doubt it, but wonder what some of you guys have done to your project in order to curb emissions.

[8v-of-fury]

Fwiw, its the newer (tdi 98 on) that have the cats and stink on the road.. The older idi's don't smell to much.. And if you time it right, and have a clean air filter there should be as little emissions as possible. Burning fossil fuels stinks, no way around that.

[R.O.R-2.0]

As I am almost ready to start the IDI project, I was wondering what some of you guys are doing for the clean air?

I understand that pre 2000+ diesels are exempt from emissions testing, but I am planning on installing a catalytic converter as well as a soot collector. If for nothing else, I don't want to be that smelly car driving down the road. I do plan on at least a 20% Bio mixed fuel, not sure on all the specifics but I started looking at some catalytic converters and soot collectors from newer cars today.


I highly doubt it, but wonder what some of you guys have done to your project in order to curb emissions.

your cars smell will be MORE OFFENSIVE with a cat and diesel particulate filter.. plus, how are you going to clean the filters without having the proper equipment?

the new cars have a 5th fuel injector after the turbo to make SUPER HIGH EGTs to burn the crap off the cat and particulate filter..

and the only reason i say that about the smell, is my dads truck (2006 duramax) stunk like hell when it was stock. then we cut the cat off, and it smelled much better.. lots more power, and a few mpg also..

the catastrophic converter, and DPF will take away quite a bit of mileage from your already extremely efficient engine..

our VW diesels, in stock form, are cleaner running than a toyota prius..

[silentdub]

Gotcha. Thanks for the info. I know the more restrictive the exhaust, that will hurt MPG, but I'll build it and see how it goes. There are a few companies out there that have mad converters for older diesel motors, so I figured I'd try one out.

I still may try it, do a before and after and report back.

[R.O.R-2.0]

plus, bio diesel smells alot less offensive than regular dino diesel..

and your car already has rediculously clean exhaust, and DOES NOT NEED TO PASS EMISSIONS..

why do you want to add filters? they wont give any performance, or economy gains..

[scrounger]

My car complies with all emission standards It burns only 70cc of fuel per mile. At zero efficiency even that isn't much emission.

A couple of years ago I watched the federal government completely destroy many cars that were much newer than mine.

They have their heads up their azzez as far as I am concerned.

[mystery3]

our VW diesels, in stock form, are cleaner running than a toyota prius..

I sort of agree with you on this but only if you're talking cradle to grave. You can think an old efficient car as %100 recycled whereas a prius has a lot of parts batteries, plastics etc which are carbon heavy to produce. But running side by side our old diesels are probably producing ten times the carbon and 100 times the particulate emissions.

Let us know how it goes with the cat and related equipment as I've thought about this as well!

[8v-of-fury]

But running side by side our old diesels are probably producing ten times the carbon and 100 times the particulate emissions.

A prius (from my findings) emits 104 g/km of CO2 by only using its gasoline engine sometimes.

Our idi's (from my findings) emits between 180-200 g/km of CO2 with full time use of its diesel engine.

So sure we use a little bit more, but recharging that battery is burning a fossil fuel somewhere putting out more CO2 than that.. Likely coal which is SUPAH dirty.

particulates however, are hard to beat that of a Hybrid. ULSD helps over LSD, and Bio even more so over that. Bio even helps with C02 emissions due to the more oxygen in the bio molecules.

[vanbcguy]

I have a Magnaflow 2.5" diesel cat on Jezzie.  AirCare here is not very clear about whether it actually requires the cat on my car or not, but the Mk III's in Canada did originally come with a cat, and mine had rotted out.

The cat made things a bit quieter but I wouldn't say there was any definite difference in performance.  It has altered the smell a bit, can't say whether it's better or worse.

[maxfax]

First law of physics apply here..  More in, more out, one way or another....  With cats and DPF's the emissions from that particular vehicle are decreased..  But historically with a cost to economy..  And this is what my gripe has been, people don't look at the overall picture..  Yes what was CO emissions is now just given off as waste heat, however that additional fuel now needed has to be pumped out of the ground, shipped, refined, trucked to storage, trucked to a station..  So in the end, has that 100g of CO really been eliminated??? Sort of like the Prius, only thing "green" is the very end result...

Now, on the other side of that coin, cat converters have improved a lot in even just the past 5 years and they don't impede exhaust flow like they once did..  Try it and see if it hurts your MPG's.. 

The worst part about diesel exhaust is not the particulate emissions, nor the CO, but the NOx.. 

IMHO Bio would probably be the better route...

[silentdub]

Thanks for all the input, it is greatly appreciated.

My idea is this, I know I can put together a car to get 60mpg, that is with using 30+ year old technology. I also wanted to try and make it a bit cleaner at the same time. I figure, why not?

I am going to start the rebuild next week as this GTi is leaving the garage Saturday. This will not give me a chance to get this motor up to par, but it will give me a break from doing bodywork. I spend the last 6 months doing nothing but bodywork on a few cars, so I am ready for a rebuild.

The MPG will be there no matter what I do, so I would like to focus on keeping it quiet and clean.

[maxfax]

The higher the efficiency, the cleaner it's gonna be.. AS far as noise reduction the insulated engine covers that they use on this new fangled stuff is supposed to help with that..

[silentdub]

Thanks for the input. I'll be dragging the 1.6 out this week and getting it on the stand.

I have some ideas about heating the diesel fuel prior to it being injected that I am working on. We'll see how that goes.

I do plan on running some BIO fuel too. I just got a new 55gal drum where I can store it, not sure on the blend yet though, I'll have to do some more research.

This will be my first Diesel car and first diesel motor rebuild.

[VWDoc91]

Using ULSD into 1.6NA at stock settings will net you CLEANER emissions- All you need to do is to get the INJ Pump to an Authorized Bosch Dealer, and have them replace seals (IF you haven't done so when upgrading from LSD to ULSD), and re-calibrate it. Have the injectors checked for correct breaking point, and set the timing to stock, preferably in middle- if my memory serves, the setting would be 0.9mm to 1mm, and I usually set it at 0.95mm. That is IF my memory serves.