engine advice

[R.O.R-2.0]

After intercooling, mine was fast. 

Giles pump should net you over 100hp in a TD no other mods done.

meh, idk about that, stock TD downpipe and exhaust system are HORRID.. i doubt they are capable of evacuating 100hp worth of exhaust..

i bet with a 100% stock TD (68hp factory) that you would be high 80s, maybe low 90s, with just the addition of the giles pump. when you add a good exhaust, and turn up the boost, and add a FMIC is when these things COME ALIVE..

i miss my TD.. i wanna buy another VNT for it, except make it work this time..

[theman53]

Just going by what Giles said his dyno numbers on what he had seen were. He claimed engines with over 200,000 all stock would yield about a 40-50% increase in stock HP in our VW TD's.

I never realized how fast my 1.6 was until I bought the ALH with the stage 1 and .205 nozzles. I thought it would really go, and it does pick up faster than the 1.6 did, but after 2,000 RPM completely different story.

[bajacalal]

On thing to consider is that horsepower is rather arbitrary. Where the performance peak occurs matters. A turbo diesel might make most of it's power above 200 rpm and might make 100 hp at 4000 rpm while a 16v might make 130hp at 6000 but doesn't really start making power until 3000 rpm... which one is faster, that becomes a difficult question to answer, but the 16v will still probably get to that peak performance sooner.

I've read that a turbocharged, mechanical, inter-cooled diesel engine will have about the same performance as a normally aspirated, performance-oriented, mass market gasoline engine of the same displacement. So somewhere between 80 and 120 hp is probably realistic.

[Joey]

thanks for all the replies,   it looks like im going to be rebuilding a 1.6n/a and adding a turbo setup off of a tdi. mostly because im running out of time. apparently the rabbit heard me talking about it, and she started knocking again pretty loud.  also found it 2.5 qts low on oil today    it doesnt leak and its only been alive for 2 weeks.

so, when i go through the engine is there anything i should look for?   how much ring ridge in the cylinders is too  much before it needs to be bored?   do the blocks or cranks have any problems?    any issues with block core shift?   idler shaft problems? etc.

ive also read something about a 1.9 headgasket  on a 1.6?   or is there a better one ?

thanks again for the help guys

[CrazyAndy]

If you can catch your finger nail noticeably on the ridge, it's too out of spec.  I'd just go ahead and bor it 0.5mm over either way.  Piston and ring sets are readily available, and you won't have to worry about ring gap since it'll be like new.  Might need new rods, too, if you've got knock.  Theck them for out-of-round.

These blocks are VERY solid.  As long as they have 12mm cylinder head bolt threads, and you keep the boost down on the N/A's, then everything will go smoothly.  As for the intermediate shaft, check if it moves too much in the bore with the new bearing; unfortunately I don't know if there's a spec for radial play for the IS; I've only seeen axial play specs.

Talk to Nathan_b for multi-layer steel head gaskets.  He manages a shop that specializes in the VW diesels, and can get some great parts including the 1.9/1.6 MLS gaskets.  You won't be disappointed; ask me how I know. 

Don't forget a build thread when it all goes down!

[One_punchmachinegun]

Joey i have a TD block for sale, personally i dont know how much these go for but im will to part with it for a good price,Maybe some one can chime in and throw out a decent price range.

[Joey]

so i talked to the guy that has a couple short blocks,   he says he wants $50  for each.    i will have to see if hey have the 12mm bolts,   mine only has the 11mm.  he also said there in not any ring ridge on either of them,   but i have to actually go see, because i bought the car off him and he said the engine in the car was fine .

One_punchmachinegun,  thanks for the offer,  but its only $150 more to ship a whole 1.9 to me from canada.   i cant believe how much it costs to ship sh!t

so what is the down fall of 11mm headbolts,   do the threads strip in the block or something? what if i use arp studs?

[theman53]

Look in the FAQ for 11mm head bolts. It has a write up of how the best way to do them is. Also to mildly answer, the block cracks on the 11mm

[bajacalal]

Do realize that the 1.9 came in both TD and n/a versions so be careful what you get. And the 1.9 was never sold in the United States. This alone would discourage me from getting one. I can get VW diesel parts at wholesale prices but my supplier does not carry parts for engines that weren't sold in the U.S. Some of the parts are the same as other VW engines but not all.

[R.O.R-2.0]

Look in the FAQ for 11mm head bolts. It has a write up of how the best way to do them is. Also to mildly answer, the block cracks on the 11mm

the downfall is, the block is weak as hell.. and the head bolts dont thread far enough into the block to allow good clamping force..

so instead, they dont thread in far enough, and the threads that are engaged by the bolt, are over loaded, and then in turn, they SPLIT.

and when your block cracks at the head bolt bosses, the bosses never hold torque ever again. Brett (username Maxfax on here) has WELDED the cracks up on his old 11mm block, but he did that just to see how long it would last, or if it would even work.. anyways, it did work, but it was never perfect, you couldnt keep oil out of the coolant after that one, and it wasnt surprising honestly..

the way you FIX your 11mm block is to buy ARP head studs for it, that fully engage 100% of the threads in the bosses on the block.. they are much tougher than stock 11mm head bolts, but cost about 10x more too.. but given the fragile nature of the 11mm blocks, its VERY worth the price, just for the added piece of mind.. i still wouldnt try and build a HOTROD engine out of an 11mm block, because you end up cracking the block, and lifting the head from too much boost. ive personally done it, blew the end out of my block, and the head wasnt held on by very much either. i think 4-10 head bolts were actually still torqued.. the other 6 were quite loose, some of them just barely finger tight..

so, yea.. if you ask an 11mm block to do too much, they will crack, and then you basically gotta replace the block, and sometimes its easier to just find a new engine..

DO BUY ARP HEAD STUDS THO, EVEN IF YOU KEEP IT A STOCK N/A..

for 11mm blocks, in my opinion, they are REQUIRED to safely boost a 11mm block...

[Joey]

well that sucks.   hopefully one if not both of the other shortblocks has the 12mm bolts.  and if not  at least i will have extra blocks, lol.
as for the arp studs,  i was plannin on getting them anyway, every diesel should have them.

is there a reason there is no alignment dowels for the head?  working as a master tech this is the first engine that ive ever seen without the alignment dowels. 
when i go and build the new engine would it be worth putting some in?

[R.O.R-2.0]

well that sucks.   hopefully one if not both of the other shortblocks has the 12mm bolts.  and if not  at least i will have extra blocks, lol.
as for the arp studs,  i was plannin on getting them anyway, every diesel should have them.

is there a reason there is no alignment dowels for the head?  working as a master tech this is the first engine that ive ever seen without the alignment dowels. 
when i go and build the new engine would it be worth putting some in?

old VW engines never got alignment dowels..

newer ones did, as well as most of the gassers, but none of my old diesels have dowel pins..

[RabbitJockey]

Do realize that the 1.9 came in both TD and n/a versions so be careful what you get. And the 1.9 was never sold in the United States. This alone would discourage me from getting one. I can get VW diesel parts at wholesale prices but my supplier does not carry parts for engines that weren't sold in the U.S. Some of the parts are the same as other VW engines but not all.

. The an 1.9 had oil squirters too the only real difference was that it had longer rods

[Joey]

so my next question is,  if i go with a 12mm block, can i run an 11mm head  if the machine shop bores out the bolt holes?

[R.O.R-2.0]

so my next question is,  if i go with a 12mm block, can i run an 11mm head  if the machine shop bores out the bolt holes?

as long as the washers fit in the recesses..