More Power!!!

[Riverfurm]

Well I found my diesel VW (86 Golf 1.6 NA 225500 miles) and I been drive it for a few months now and find the need for speed! What are my options engine wise. I know this car could come with a turbo 1.6 but can a larger turbo engine be installed (is it 1.9?).
These VW diesel are new to me. I was a GM mechanic and worked on the 5.7, 6.2, 6.5 and Duramax but I don't know to much about the VW diesel, as in engine sizes and interchangeablity.
When the warmer weather comes I will be using the motorcycle for wheels, so that will give time to work on my Golf (not the swing but the car).
Thanks for any help

[chrissev]

Well I found my diesel VW (86 Golf 1.6 NA 225500 miles) and I been drive it for a few months now and find the need for speed! What are my options engine wise. I know this car could come with a turbo 1.6 but can a larger turbo engine be installed (is it 1.9?).
These VW diesel are new to me. I was a GM mechanic and worked on the 5.7, 6.2, 6.5 and Duramax but I don't know to much about the VW diesel, as in engine sizes and interchangeablity.
When the warmer weather comes I will be using the motorcycle for wheels, so that will give time to work on my Golf (not the swing but the car).
Thanks for any help

there's tons of stuff on here about power enhancements for those cars.  Just do a search and you'll find stuff.  Actually just read down through the most recent messages on this page.  Problem you have is an N/A diesel is NOT a good base for building a power monster.  The block lacks oil squirters, which means if you put a turbo on it, your pistons are going to get very hot.  There is a thread here somewhere about installing oil squirters in a N/A block.  That is the first thing you would want to do.  Then find your favorite turbo, get a turbo injection pump, maybe put a 1.9 head on the car, install an intercooler, do the pump mods.

[Patrick]

The complete 1.9 engine is pretty much a drop in in your car. Think pulling a 305 and putting in a 350 in an older chev, pretty much the same deal. Just watch what you buy though. You want the same style belts, etc, and a common problem on the early 1.9's involves the harmonic balancer coming loose and destroying the engine. Later engines have an updated balancer, older engines need machine work on the crank to use the new style balancer. Engines are torquey compared to what you have now. Mine (in a '92 Jetta) will walk a 305 1/2 ton chev..............

[Riverfurm]

Thanks for the info on the 1.9 turbo. I would rather change the engine then try to make more power with 1.6 NA.

1. What did the 1.9 turbo come in that will work with my car

2. How do I tell if the crank and the bal. had the repair done to it.

I have a friend that has a VW junk yard in MD and I want to know what to look for before I go.

[Tusker]

The 1.9 TD was found in a variety of VW's.  They were not sold in the US so they are tough to find in the States.  You can tell if the crank pulley was modified by pulling it and looking at the crank nose.  The original pulley designed had a shallow key-way.  The modified nose has a flat section on one side of the node so the nose is shaped like a "D".

[hillfolk'r]

you could also get a tdi engine,,that opens up a whole new world,you can do them electronic or mechanical,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,feel sorry  for you working on those gm products,,,at my job we have done a ton of 6.5t pumps,,cracked heads,blocks broken cranks etc,,,,,,,pass.sideglow plugs suck too on 6.5t,,,,,theses lots of options for you,,,,,,,,1.6t,1.9t,,tdi(still a 1.9, but direct injected),,,think about it a while,,,,,,,,,,,

[Riverfurm]

I hated diesels.... it turns out I hated "GM" diesels. It all started in the late 70s and early 80s with the 5.7 Olds diesel and the 4.3. That was a gas converted to diesel engine. I replaced complete engines, heads Injector pumps by the hundreds glow plugs that would break off when you removed them. Fuel promblems with filters and cold weather.

  The next engine 6.2 NA had head and head gasket problems. It would snap head bolts and crack heads. But the injector pumps did seam to last. and they did put two fuel filters and fuel heaters on this engine. A 6.2 in a G van paid over 13 hours under warenty to replace the head gaskets.

  Now we are up to the 6.5 Turbo and back to injector pumps and lift pumps. Standard procedure when a diesel comes in with a problem, was to replace thoses two pumps.  But..... if it was under warrenty you had to call some *** at standyne (they made the injector pump) and get asked allot of dumb questions. Like does it have fuel in the tanks, what the battery voltage whats the fuel prs at the pump.  I told them the customer drove it in and I alredy replaced the lift pump.We had to measure the cetane of the fuel also. You had to fill out a work sheet and then call these ***s and tell them all this info. They would tell you get a voltage reading from this circut and they would give you a ok to replace the pump. When you called back you would get someone else and he would ask how much fuel is in the tank. Thats it ..I had with thoses jerkoff. I got band from calling them, had to have the service writer call for me.

DURAMAX a non GM built diesel Made by Uzoozoo. They made engines that they put in a Chevette never had a problems with those. But A V8 turbo?? Started with soft ware updates and then injector problems.
This injector system had 25,000 psi injecton sytem with electronic injectors. The injectors would leak fuel and since they are under the valve covers it would fill the crankcase up with fuel. it would take about 2 to  3 hours to get them out. but GM would only allow you to replace one injector at a time.

After 26 years as a GM Cert. Tech I quit. I think the durmax and my NJ inspection being revoke because I replaced a lightbulb in a custmers car without premission did me in.

I now manage a shop for a large Landscaping and golf constuction company yhat has lots of diesels. Ford.... run great over 200,000 miles
Kubota....just keep running and running. Case, Cat and John Deere some problems but just keep the filter clean and don't operate the equipment at a 45 degree angle.

I like these VW diesels..... Easy to work on. allot of parts for them. And it seem that 200,000 miles the engine is just broken in. If they had duramax engines. they all be in the junk yard at 100,000 miles and no one would want them.

Thanks for letting vent a little. Looking forward to making some more VW diesel power!!!!!

[andy2]

I hated diesels.... it turns out I hated "GM" diesels. It all started in the late 70s and early 80s with the 5.7 Olds diesel and the 4.3. That was a gas converted to diesel engine. I replaced complete engines, heads Injector pumps by the hundreds glow plugs that would break off when you removed them. Fuel promblems with filters and cold weather.

  The next engine 6.2 NA had head and head gasket problems. It would snap head bolts and crack heads. But the injector pumps did seam to last. and they did put two fuel filters and fuel heaters on this engine. A 6.2 in a G van paid over 13 hours under warenty to replace the head gaskets.

  Now we are up to the 6.5 Turbo and back to injector pumps and lift pumps. Standard procedure when a diesel comes in with a problem, was to replace thoses two pumps.  But..... if it was under warrenty you had to call some *** at standyne (they made the injector pump) and get asked allot of dumb questions. Like does it have fuel in the tanks, what the battery voltage whats the fuel prs at the pump.  I told them the customer drove it in and I alredy replaced the lift pump.We had to measure the cetane of the fuel also. You had to fill out a work sheet and then call these ***s and tell them all this info. They would tell you get a voltage reading from this circut and they would give you a ok to replace the pump. When you called back you would get someone else and he would ask how much fuel is in the tank. Thats it ..I had with thoses jerkoff. I got band from calling them, had to have the service writer call for me.

DURAMAX a non GM built diesel Made by Uzoozoo. They made engines that they put in a Chevette never had a problems with those. But A V8 turbo?? Started with soft ware updates and then injector problems.
This injector system had 25,000 psi injecton sytem with electronic injectors. The injectors would leak fuel and since they are under the valve covers it would fill the crankcase up with fuel. it would take about 2 to  3 hours to get them out. but GM would only allow you to replace one injector at a time.

After 26 years as a GM Cert. Tech I quit. I think the durmax and my NJ inspection being revoke because I replaced a lightbulb in a custmers car without premission did me in.

I now manage a shop for a large Landscaping and golf constuction company yhat has lots of diesels. Ford.... run great over 200,000 miles
Kubota....just keep running and running. Case, Cat and John Deere some problems but just keep the filter clean and don't operate the equipment at a 45 degree angle.

I like these VW diesels..... Easy to work on. allot of parts for them. And it seem that 200,000 miles the engine is just broken in. If they had duramax engines. they all be in the junk yard at 100,000 miles and no one would want them.

Thanks for letting vent a little. Looking forward to making some more VW diesel power!!!!!

I know where your coming from in a sense,I work on diesel pick ups all day,to be or want to be a mechanic now adays you really have to be nutz :twisted:.However I've only been doing this for 6 years not 27 and don't work for a dealer or flat rate.I do know that its going to be very hard for these shops to replace people like yourself,having that much training and experience.It should be interesting in the future when they need mechanics to fix all of these new wonders of science :lol:.The shop I work at would not be around if we depended only on powerstrokes and  5.9's to breakdown,if that helps shed some light to others on GM diesels!

Your on the right track now with a vw diesel anyhow :wink:

[Riverfurm]

Thanks for the good words. GM will keep allot of diesel repair shops  busy Now if I can find a 1.9 turbo motor here in the US.

Furman

[hillfolk'r]

wow,,you are a rebel,changing a lightbulb and all,,,,(sarcastic),,,what a bunch of crap,,,,i dealw/ the same thing for cummins for replacing their lovely vp44 injector pumps,,calling themetc going thru troubleshooting on the phone,,,,,,whats the problemwith cummins too???ive seen ecms just "lose" their calibration,,,,,recalibrate it and i never see them again,,,,,,hmmm more computer junk,,,,,,,,,,,yea its funny here in cleveland/akron,,the dealers dont wanna mess w/the 6.5s  theysend them to us,,even warr.work,,idont know how that works,,i know we get paid though,,,,,man you worked back in the dark dark days of gmdiesels huh???actually,about a monthago a guy brought ina 350 diesel for a rebuild,suprising the heads block+crankwere ok,,but then again,it onlyhad like 40kon it too,,,,,,,,,,,we are just an independent shop,,,,yea iagree i dont like gm diesels what crap,, they gave it a bad namer his ears yellin "lalala",,,,heres a funny,,inthe back of the pump room(fuellab),,theres a boneyard room,,in the corner,there must be a pile 4 feet high,and 4 or 5 feet around of just stanadyne pumps from 6.5's,,,,heh funny that gm had to use a isuzu toget some relibility(duramax),it only took themlike 25 years to figure that one out,,,,and by the way by nature a v8 is a weakengine design,,straights are better/ stronger, v8 has 5 mains,,a straight 4 has 5 brngs,,and a straight 6 has 7 brngs,,bearing support is a good thing,,,,,,ikinda like the timing procedure for a pumpona 6.5t though,,,do the "time set" if out move pump,get it in spec,,,then set "tdc offset" and if its off,,move pump,,u would think that moving pumpwould mess up timing,but it doesnt,,,,,whatever im not gonna waste my time thinkin bout a gm diesel,wow :roll:

[hillfolk'r]

other cooldiesels  are deutz,,nice germanengine,,,,sometimes a little hard to set up ona rebuild,,(911-912,theyhave single "jugs" and you have to measure piston height before installing head,,put a lead solder wire over pistion,,bolt on head w/ appropriate shim,turn engine smash lead,remove head,measure ,,if not right doit again,and change shimaccordingly),,,theyare air cooled,,,the 1012 is oil cooled,,has passages in blocklike water,but oil flows there,,they will pop head gaskets once in a while,but its pretty easy to change out,,ilearned at the factory,that the early 1012s had gotten to double timing belt life bydiverting some cooling air to blow on the belt,cooleh???iwas trained by Dieter Hensel,,,a truly cool german dude,usually if a 911 blows a gasket,,deck the head+check the topof the cul jug,,,,,,,,,,,nice german engineering,a little tricky tosetup sometimes ,,but when u get it right,,they last along time!!!,,,heyanyone diggin the new vw commercials???

[Riverfurm]

I also work on Bobcat skid  steers and they have Kubota oil cooled engines. The cooling fan make a very loud noise when at operating RPM. We had one engine burn up due to hyd. oil on the blower fan belt and the belt came apart, now no noise, the operator kept running it with the temp gauge pinned and a red light flashing. Brought it back to the shop and said it would not start. That was the only Kubota bobcat engine we replaced.
  By the way the last few times I replaced a 6.5 inj. pump under warrenty I did not have to turn it back in but I was told to destroy it with a hammer.
I did .....and it felt Good!!!!

Long live VW diesels!!!!!!
Furman

[hatzie]

I hated diesels.... it turns out I hated "GM" diesels. It all started in the late 70s and early 80s with the 5.7 Olds diesel and the 4.3. That was a gas converted to diesel engine. I replaced complete engines, heads Injector pumps by the hundreds glow plugs that would break off when you removed them. Fuel promblems with filters and cold weather.

  The next engine 6.2 NA had head and head gasket problems. It would snap head bolts and crack heads. But the injector pumps did seam to last. and they did put two fuel filters and fuel heaters on this engine. A 6.2 in a G van paid over 13 hours under warenty to replace the head gaskets.

  Now we are up to the 6.5 Turbo and back to injector pumps and lift pumps. Standard procedure when a diesel comes in with a problem, was to replace thoses two pumps.  But..... if it was under warrenty you had to call some *** at standyne (they made the injector pump) and get asked allot of dumb questions. Like does it have fuel in the tanks, what the battery voltage whats the fuel prs at the pump.  I told them the customer drove it in and I alredy replaced the lift pump.We had to measure the cetane of the fuel also. You had to fill out a work sheet and then call these ***s and tell them all this info. They would tell you get a voltage reading from this circut and they would give you a ok to replace the pump. When you called back you would get someone else and he would ask how much fuel is in the tank. Thats it ..I had with thoses jerkoff. I got band from calling them, had to have the service writer call for me.

DURAMAX a non GM built diesel Made by Uzoozoo. They made engines that they put in a Chevette never had a problems with those. But A V8 turbo?? Started with soft ware updates and then injector problems.
This injector system had 25,000 psi injecton sytem with electronic injectors. The injectors would leak fuel and since they are under the valve covers it would fill the crankcase up with fuel. it would take about 2 to  3 hours to get them out. but GM would only allow you to replace one injector at a time.

After 26 years as a GM Cert. Tech I quit. I think the durmax and my NJ inspection being revoke because I replaced a lightbulb in a custmers car without premission did me in.

I now manage a shop for a large Landscaping and golf constuction company yhat has lots of diesels. Ford.... run great over 200,000 miles
Kubota....just keep running and running. Case, Cat and John Deere some problems but just keep the filter clean and don't operate the equipment at a 45 degree angle.

I like these VW diesels..... Easy to work on. allot of parts for them. And it seem that 200,000 miles the engine is just broken in. If they had duramax engines. they all be in the junk yard at 100,000 miles and no one would want them.

Thanks for letting vent a little. Looking forward to making some more VW diesel power!!!!!

Interesting....
I went thru 5 head gaskets and 2 injection pumps in my '79 Rabbit diesel before I sold it.  Almost soured me on VW entirely.  While I owned them my 81 & 82 Rabbits with the 1.6NA engines were much better but still blew out one head-gasket each.  I installed Raceware studs in both and the problem went away.

I  installed the infamous Oldsmobile 5.7 DX engine out of an 83 Delta 88 in a 1984 C20 Pickup. Why??  27mpg on the highway in a fullsize pickup. When I did the swap I installed;
 a Racor 645 prefilter,
 ARP head studs & Fel-pro gaskets,
 HD towing package radiator with oil cooler/warmer,
 updated Stanadyne injection pump governor ring,
 3" dual exhaust,
 and a home brew Glow-plug controller.  
 I ran it for 10 years and 150,000 + miles.  In that time I used oil & filters, 3 sets of glow plugs, and rebuilt 1 set of injectors. My younger brother still drives it with 200,000+ on the clock.    

I have a 2000 GMC 2500 with a 6.5 and have had zero problems with it 96,000 + miles. 20mpg on the highway towing or not. I added a Racor 645 prefilter to this truck as soon as I got it home.  I DO NOT run this truck with less than 3/8 of a tank showing on the gauge.  As a PM measure I replaced the Harmonic balancer & damped crank pulley at 85,000 miles to keep the block and crank in one piece.

I have a 2005.5 Jetta TDI and hope it is as reliable as the GMC. Only 7500 miles on it.

[Riverfurm]

When I worked at the dealer we sold a small amount of diesel trucks, but in the servie dept for some reason we had a larger amount of diesel trucks with problems, mostly injector pumps. I rarely saw a gm diesel with 150,000 or more on them, and I saw allot of them. I was appointed the diesel expert ( no one else wanted to work on them or had the traning).

Some made it to 200,00 and had few problems, but that was the exception not the rule.

Now I run a shop at a large landscaping company. We have a fleet of ford trucks all diesels diffrent years. Many over 150,00 and some over 200,000. They don't have anywhere close to the problems the GM had. All we do is service them every 5000 miles. One truck at 245,000 had the computer replaced.

We have mowing and construction equipment with Kubota diesel that keep going with very little problems.

Maybe when I was at dealer and saw the worst side of the GM diesels. But one thing I know,  I would not replace my Ford fleet with Gm products.

[3beejay3]

Every brand has it's quirks. The earliest GM diesels were problematic, but when they ran, they were a pleasure to drive on the highway, great fuel mileage, smooth running, etc. My dad has owned at least one of each iteration- 5.7l, 6.2l, 6.5l, Duramax. They have gotten better with each generation.

I know of at least a dozen people with Duramax's and they all love 'em. Some of them now have well over 200,000 miles. The first year Duramax's had occasional injector problems but that has been fixed and they are now pretty much bulletproof.  I personally know of several GM 6.2 and 6.5l that have racked up over 300,000 miles with minimal problems.
Some times I think some of the problems that did occur with GM diesels in the past had almost as much to do with the driver as much as with GM.

In terms of ride quality, comfort, performance, fuel mileage, handling GM is at least a couple of leagues ahead of every one else. Ride in a GM, then hop in a Ford Powerstroke or a Dodge Cummins.  Feels like your riding in a noisy dump truck in comparison to the GM.
Check out real world fuel mileage. Ford or Dodge will be lucky to get 20MPG(imp.) on a good day just normal driving, non loaded. The Duramax will consistently get 21-25MPG in the same circumstances and still out pull the others.

Everyone has their own reasons to like or dislike certain brands but a lot of people still seem to get stuck on the problematic 5.7 and 6.2l when the subject of diesels comes up and extrapolate that to the present, when, based on what I have seen, it just isn't the case with GM diesels any more.

BJ