Chances of getting a 1.9TD in the US?

[lord_verminaard]

Hi all.  When it finally comes time for the engine swap in my Rocco, I've been thinking.  I'd LOVE a TDI with a mechanical pump.  But I dont see the price of good used TDI engines going down much.  Plus, I'm wondering what the rev-factor of a TDI, even with a modified mechanical pump, would be.  Avoiding conversations about rev-factor and diesels, I'd like an engine with a little more powerband up top.  So my thoughts are, how lucky do I have to be to get a 1.9TD here in the US?  Swapping engines, emissions, blah blah dont matter here, as Mt. Vernon has no emissions or visual inspections.  Even if someone were to "inspect" such a beast, I could tell them it was a 1.6TD and 90% of the Joes out there wouldnt know any difference.  I'd like the added displacement of a 1.9, but if I dont have a chance of finding one for a good price then it's probably not worth it.  This project is a long way off, so I'm just collecting ideas right now.  Any thoughts?

Brendan
P.S. How far can a 1.6 be bored?  

[jtanguay]

These are the pistons available for purchase for the 1.6L turbodiesel:

standard size 76.50mm
1st  oversize 77.00mm
2nd oversize 77.50mm

and I believe the bore is .2 or .5 bigger than the actual piston? (if anyone knows the actual numbers please tell us!)

I wouldn't increase your bore more than the maximum sized piston you can purchase for the engine.  

For the 1.9L Turbodiesel these pistons are available:

standard size 79.50mm
1st  oversize 80.00mm

If you have a 1.6L lying around, and wish to try your luck, I guess you could maybe bore your block out to 79.70mm or whatever the bore size has to be.   I would definitely like to know the results of a "crazy" mod like that.  

My question is, would it even work?  Would it decrease the compression ratio enough to make it start rough, or even not at all???

Jon

[type53b_gtd]

The 1.9's primary advantage over the 1.6 is its 95,5 mm stroke vs the  86,4mm of the 1.6.
Given the price and availabilty of 1.6 parts over 1.9 parts, I'd tune your 1.6.  There's lots of potential and the shorter stroke makes the 1.6 more eager to rev than the 1.9.
The 1.9 does have a better-flowing head, however, and the multi-layer steel head gasket makes it more resistant to gasket failures.

Drew

[srivett]

If you want the 1.9TD people used to pay 3k US for just about all you need.  I've heard this will only get you a long block nowadays.  You can buy an entire running 1.9TD car (beater car) in Canada for about 2500 CDN.  That makes me think you could get the engine bay for a grand less.  I just bought a 1.9 D/TD longblock for 250CDN.  It does need a quick going through in order to replace the seals/gaskets but that's it.  I still need to locate the rest of the parts though.  Keep an eye out in the Canadian papers, I'm sure the type of person that would part out a 1.9 would also deliver the engine for a reasonable fee.  I also think you'd need to get your suspension realigned with the new engine, I'm a pretty big guy and can only lift the thing 3 inches off the floor.  

From what I've read you'll also want to get the cars engine, tranmission and clutch as one big piece and just drop it in.  You'll also want NEW mounts and cooling system.  This includes all of the plastic flanges too as they fall apart @ 300K km.  If the engine has 200K km or more on it I'd do a quick rebuild on it and the injectors before installation.

Cheers, Steve

[lord_verminaard]

Hmm.  Interesting.  Thanks for the replies.  When the time comes, I'll skim the Canadian ads and see what I can find.  I'd rather just get the engine than a whole car, it would be a lot easier to ship an engine over the border than a whole car that was never sold in the US!    A 1.9TD Scirocco sounds like fun.    What was the stock plunger size of the 1.9's, 10mm?  Thanks.

Brendan
84 Scirocco 8v
00 Camaro L36 M49

[janb]

to get your brand spanking new 1.9, check for a dealer near you
http://www.overlandparts.com/dealerlist.htm

You can get both TDI's and IDI' s, but... I have a friend who does lots of these, and he has not had good experience with TDI's and mechanical pumps, just not enough Pressure to get performance.  (he can still get new 1.9 Long Blocks for ~$2000) you can add 1.6 TD stuff.  While this is alot of $$$, if you are going to keep the thing for life (you can always drop it into any VW-d (or gasser)) 1976-1999 with little mod (16mm exhaust spacer)  if you have to rebuild a 1.9, you might have $500 in parts + head work $500

Other option, if you are real handy, is to buy a wrecked TDI and swap it in (early is better, pre 1999.5)  these go for ~$2500 - $3500 for complete wreck.  You want the whole car, as you will need lots of parts and wiring harness.  A TDI is nice for quieter, more power and better performance.

I like the 1.9 in Caddy and vans for extra torque, but in a car they are not much different than a healthy 1.6TD (which are much easier to find, and easier to get parts)