a true idi delima

[lovinthedeez]

so I just scored a piece of vanagon history, and am pretty stumped.  The jetta, which i reallllly love, needs a motor.  Just picked up an 82 vanagon transporter that was one owned, given to a relative, neglected (sat), sold (sat) with 118K miles on the body and 20K on a full bore, rebuild,new head, pump rebuild, and the entire service record in socal vw dealerships.  The motor runs like a dream, and the van is pretty much cherry aside from a good cleaning.  Having the hardest time deciding what I want.  The four speed in the van is killing me, although I live in a small city, and don't do any "highway" driving.......I'll get some pics up of the van when it's clean, but not until then.... .  I guess what I'm asking is if there's anyone else out there who actually kept the 1.6 in their vanagon and lived to love it?  Got no problem trying to find a subey engine for it....

p.s.  the last of the service record from the og owner said "you better take care of my baby"  They had the same last name, so its either a brother or a son.....

[lovinthedeez]

thanks andrew.  just trying to see what I'm up against as far as options for the vanagon.  I like it, and would like to keep it.  but I don't see the 1.6 in its future.  I think it would be better off in the jetta, and a better fit could be made for the vanagon.  what inline 4's would work with the parts already on it?

[VW Smokr]

Some good references are linked on http://volksweb.relitech.com/convert.htm   Don't miss the gearbox ratio page http://volksweb.relitech.com/helmut/GEARBOX.HTM

Here's a classic saga of a Vanagon diesel owner  http://www.cs.rochester.edu/~jag/vw/   A number of good links there also.

IIRC most of the stock Quantum TD externals fit on a Vanagon 1.6D; just watch the EGTs fairly closely, and a tach would be helpful. If you're not hauling a bunch of extra weight or trying to tow a trailer, the significantly better low RPM torque would be a great improvement over your 1.6L n.a. OTOH given the same engine, a 3700Lb breadbox will obviously deliver less performance & fuel efficiency than an early Jetta will, especially on in-town commutes.

IMO convert the Jetta to the 1.6n.a. or TD, and keep the Vanagon-specific pieces to mod an IDI 1.9L TD for the Vanagon. Sounds like it's already accustomed to sitting a while, and that will also give you a chance to do that "good cleaning" you mentioned. We don't have one any longer, but Vanagons are definitely nice cruising vehicles when everything is right, even more so if you can get 30+ mpg on long trips.

A major effort, but a satisfying conversion project might involve a 5-speed transaxle from one of the South African Audi I-5 powered Vanagons, mated to an Audi 2.5L/2.7L/3.0L V6 TD or TDI engine. Now that should provide appropriate diesel power for a Vanagon.    Have fun.

J.R.
SoCal

[Vanagoner]

Sounds like a beautiful van- any pictures?
I was patient with my n/a westy until I got the performance up to where it is mostly enjoyable.  In stock form they are just frustrating.  The stock IP is rev limited more than any other vw diesel, and the stock exhaust is more restrictive than any other n/a.  With just those two things changed, the van is truly transformed.  I run slightly oversize tires in my n/a to make the gearing better for the increased power (215/60r16's all around, but will go to 225/60r16's at some point). I love the 1.6 n/a.  simple, reliable, and a broad enough operating rpm to make the stock transaxle ok with the power upgrades that are possible with it.  I know I am in the vast minority for keeping and upgrading a 1.6 n/a vanagon.  But I really love mine now, and I didn't break the bank to do it.

[lovinthedeez]

I'll get pictures as soon as I finish washing the outside, and I forgot to mention that it's a seven passenger, not a westy.  I'm gonna give it a good week to think about it.  The jetta is already diesel.

[R.O.R-2.0]

The 1.6 would have a much easier time pushing around the jetta.  I find the 1.6 non-turbo jetta to be entirely reasonable.  I find the 1.6 non-turbo vanagon to be unbearably slow. 

As mentioned, any VW inline-4 will fit using the diesel parts up to the change in the oil pan bolt pattern in '98 for most of them.  This includes the TDI AHU/1Z or even the earliest 1.8T gas motors.  Any significant change in power will require different transmission gearing, tho. 

they changed the oil pan bolt pattern in 98?

i have an ABA that is supposedly a 95, but it has a different bolt pattern on the oil pan.. most of the bolts line up, a couple are off by about one bolt hole width tho..

[Vanagoner]

Agreed Andrew, the stock n/a is unbearably slow.  I can understand your reaction if that is the only n/a Vanagon you have driven.  But the stock 1.6 TD Vanagon's performance is accepted throughout the world as modest but OK enough for most, and it is no powerhouse.  A Performance Diesel IP and some other n/a upgrades should yield the same power as a stock vanagon 1.6TD.  I can see that with your skills you wouldn't want to mess with an n/a, and just go for "great"- with the VNT and all.  Fantastic work!  All I'm saying is that a 1.6 can be made to be a nice little driver, especially in a 7 passenger van, depending on your needs and expectations.

[R.O.R-2.0]

I wasn't aware that the ABA changed for any of the years, but I'm not that into the gas engines.  I know the 1.8T pan changed as did the diesels with the advent of the ALH. 

only reason i found that out, is i had my TD oil pan laying around one day, and i was gonna do some turbo mock up on the ABA, and i flipped the engine over, got most of the pan bolts on, and then 4 or 5 of the last bolts i tried did not line up..

its very close, you could probably make it work if you absolutely had to..

[lovinthedeez]

might be awhile before I get it all cleaned up, so here's a few pics of my french fry smelling van....

[RabbitJockey]

just to make it easy i'd probably stick an aba in it, maybe with a dinky little turbo on it to give a little more kick.  i bet stock 1.6 turbo on an aba would be nice in a van, i know an aba can make almost 200whp with the k24

[maxfax]

The first and most important mod before anything else --  you need to paint some hippie daisies on that!

[lovinthedeez]

The first and most important mod before anything else --  you need to paint some hippie daisies on that!

only if you come out and do it yourself brett.....(oh hiiiii ). Think I'm gonna tint the hell outta it.

With the right air cooled trans, I think I can get the revs down on this beast.  I'm keepin em both . dilema solved......

[theman53]

Was that the famous singapore cane in the back of that? Awesome find on both.

[lovinthedeez]

Was that the famous singapore cane in the back of that? Awesome find on both.

how do you think I got it?  Some race for pink slips, some.........