91 Jetta EcoDiesel on the line. A few questions...

[kynetx]

I found an Ecodiesel in my state (Washington) and it looks like a good candidate for a project car. I have a few questions though.

I understand that it does differ from the regular TDs in the injector pump and turbo.  Are there any other differences? Are the block and head the same?

Can I swap in a larger turbo and TD injector pump and bring this to TD performance standards or is there more that needs to be done?

At some point in the distant future I'd like to put in 2.5 inch exhaust.  Would I need a muffler with this setup or will the turbo kill most of the sound? Any point in keeping the cat?  Seemed kind of pointless to me.

It's a Wolfsburg edition so it has rear discs.  Are they hard to find rebuild parts for?

[vwmike]

The engine is a different code, but as far as I know it isn't really different. The turbo is smaller, and the injection pump lacks enrichment. You could put larger exhaust on it but if you give it enough fuel you may not be able to regulate boost pressure with that little turbo. You probably wouldn't need a muffler, but I would think about adding a glasspack or something similar. The turbo is a legal muffling device and I'm sure it would quiet things down a bit, but it usually doesn't sound good without some sort of resonator/muffler. There should be no problem switching out to the larger kkk or Garret turbo. You may want to remove the cat though as it will probably clog if you change the injection pump. BTW - Is this ecodiesel in Everett? I saw one there.

[91 ECO]

I have one that is stock for now.  Another guy on this forum took the same car and had Giles rebuild the injection pump and add the LDA.  He also had the exhaust done and said it made a big difference.  I agree with vwmike on the cat, it will probably clog with the LDA on the injection pump.

Good luck with the car.  They last forever.  I have 295K on mine and still running fine.

[vwmike]

They last forever.  I have 295K on mine and still running fine.

That they seem to - My TD is up to 355k km.

[kynetx]

No, this was a reply to a wanted ad on Craigslist.  Car is bone stock right now.  Good body, trashed interior and oily engine with possibly bad timing or worn injectors. It smoked like crazy when I test drove it. The only reason I'm paying as much as I am (1400) is because of the rear discs and the AC, PS and CC. Those would be a pain to ad after the fact. I'm going to have to trailer it home because I don't trust it to make it from Vancouver, WA.

When all is said and done, this will be the "other" ECO Diesel in Everett.

[vwmike]

The rear disks actually aren't tough to add. I have them on my Jetta and my Rabbit GTI. The A/C on the other hand would be quite time consuming to add. I think P/S came stock on most mk2 TD's. If anything, that car is probably worth the money simply because it is rare. TD's are rare, EcoDiesels are even more rare.

[jtanguay]

now about adding a/c... i heard that the evaporator is close to an 8 hour job... is that true???

[vwmike]

now about adding a/c... i heard that the evaporator is close to an 8 hour job... is that true???

You'd really have to switch out the entire heater box to put in the A/C evaporative cooler. I'd beleive it could take 8 hours of not-so-hard work. It could easily take 2 days worth of work to integrate all of the A/C components. I thought about adding A/C to my Jetta, but I think I'll just save myself the trouble and buy a new car.

[Rat407]

I have a 91 ECO jetta. Been on and off the list a while so sorry for such a late response.  I rebuilt my 1.6 because I wanted it to last a long time and when I got it the head gasket was shot. The car only had 157k on it but I just went with a rebuild anyway.  I also had Giles redo my IP and add an LDA to it. He removed the governor and tweeked it some.  I also installed a custom 2.5" down pipe and exhaust through a flowmaster muffler.  I would say if you wanted to run without a moffler it could be done and tolerable, depends on your ear for noise.  I ran the car for 20 miles with just the downpipe on it to the muffler shop and it wasn't that bad. The turbo kills a lot of the sound. The difference the downpipe made was huge. Before my boost from my freshly rebuilt KKK K14 turbo was 9 at best, even with the fresh IP from Giles, but when I added the downpipe now my boost snaps to 12psi and it will stay there through the gears. Just crazy on the difference the downpipe and exhaust made.  
You can add a bigger turbo to an ECO, not a problem. I would get rid of the cat because once I added the new IP with the LDA my performance went down fast as the cat slowly clogged from the extra fueling the new pump was putting out.

I have factory AC, it doesn't work and is my last item of interest to spend money on to fix and since it is winter no need to fix it now.  I also have power steering which I like.

All in all it is a great vehicle. Love the way it handles and I'm currently getting 700 miles to a 14 gallon tank which = 50mpg.  Also when I want to get up and go there is plenty of power to move, just don't be to close if you don't want to breath the smoke, it isn't to bad but you can see it under full throttle.

[larry104]

All in all it is a great vehicle. Love the way it handles and I'm currently getting 700 miles to a 14 gallon tank which = 50mpg.  Also when I want to get up and go there is plenty of power to move, just don't be to close if you don't want to breath the smoke, it isn't to bad but you can see it under full throttle.

Hmmm....Good performance and 50 mpg? I like the sound of that. Do you have contact info for Giles? Thanks.

[irdiver]

i would love to get giles info too!  i have another '91 eco but i blew the turbo, im thinking bad return line.  but that is a thread for another time, though getting the ip to work better is always a good thing!  if anyone knows where to have/how to get injectors worked on let me know.  im trying to get the little eco to be the most efficent highway car it can.

[ancient]

same here.  I just pick up a 91 ecodiesel with 175,000 miles on it.  Don't really know what I should perform to the car.  A contact to an expert will help.  thanks.

[Giles@PerformanceDiesel]

hi guys if u need me u can email me at

[email protected] or
call me EST 8-5pm

905-475-1122

Giles