Hi guys,
I just registered and became a member. I have been driving diesels for about 20 years. Mostly VW’s, except for a 5 year stint with Uncle Sam driving a lovely sand colored V8 diesel that he so graciously loaned to me. 1st VW was a 1980 Rabbit deluxe. I bought it off my Father as a teenager. That poor car deserved better! I beat the bejesus out of that car. 10 people in it, loads of firewood, off road, max redline on MULTIPLE occasions, -did you know that a 1980 rabbit can hit 55 in second gear? : ) It finally died from a runaway engine one cold night with 450,000 miles on it. A giant cloud of white smoke and a huge puddle of oil under my oil pan that now looked like swiss cheese. That poor car did its duty and then some. My second diesel is the car I’m still driving. A 1985 Golf GL, 1.6 N.A., mechanical head, 12mm bolts, 5-spd. I bought it from an old man in Savannah GA back in 1999. Odometer said 42,000 miles. Opened the hood and saw what appeared to be a brand new head. Asked the seller about it and was told that the old head had been ruined by a broken timing belt….. The original timing belt!! 14 years old in the high southern heat! He brought it to the dealer and had them install a NEW head. The dealer did the work, but did not have any diesel certified techs on staff. Old fella gets the car back, timing is way off. Hard starting and blowing smoke like crazy. When it fired up, I covered his neighbor’s house, and half the street in smoke. No rust, perfect interior, original bill of sale from the dealer! I paid $1,500.00 for it. I have driven this car for the last 8 years; over this time I have ended up replacing most of the mechanical components as they failed. Bearings, shocks struts, brake lines, cv shafts, ball joints, tie rod ends, exhaust, drums, disc’s, hoses, belts, shift linkage, door locks, clutch, etc. Shortly after I bought it the ODO stopped working, Pain in the ass little gear in the VDO Speedo head. I never fixed it and just kind of estimated mileage. I must have close to 200,000 miles on it now. Last year I blew the head gasket, it wasn’t a overheat issue, it just failed. While the head was off, I brought it to a friend of mine who works in an automotive machine shop. He did a complete rebuild for me. Way less smoke and more power after that. A nice northern New England winter came along and the car became hard to start. Never had this problem before, what gives? I am familiar with operation in the cold, but it just cranked and cranked with no start. PAIN in the ass! Unhappy wife who could not get the car started after working late in the dead of winter. Things look bad for ole blue. Before giving up, I found an old crusty retired vw mechanic who lived in east bum shoot and had a fondness for old diesels. He determined that my IP was not holding pressure and air was somehow leaking in. He installed a very small electric fuel pump between the fuel filter and the IP. When I cycle the glow plugs it also powers on the pump. Problem solved, or at least not so bad. All these little patches have held the car on the road for a while, but my ride is getting tired. I have blow by, oil leaks from multiple locations, IP is still seeping although it runs like a champ on the highway. It will do 75-80 all day long. Getting the occasional 5th gear pop out on the highway. Once every 2-3 months. Tranny has had redline in it for the last couple of years, fluid isn’t low. I have read that this is a problem in this early transmission. I get a little grind going into reverse every once in a while, and I can feel a small grind on speed shifts into second. No grind going into second if I shift normally.
Sooooo……. I am at the point where I am going to need to rub some money on the car to keep it going, and to keep my wife from calling it various names that are not the most flattering. I have been reading through the site for a few months getting the feel of things, and to clue myself in on what mods are doable. I would like to bounce some ideas out to you and get some feed back. I would like to plan this out well before I commit. I will only have enough coin, not to mention goodwill from my wife : ) to get this done once, so I will be hitting you all up for your collective Intel on best practices for the build up so I can hopefully avoid the “ Oh ***! This part is toast now!” scenario.
This will be a daily driver so I need reliability. Compound turbo’s with propane injection and 35 psi of boost with flames shooting out of its ass will probable probably not be a option. Darn!
I am looking for speed and reliability.
My understanding of building speed from what I’ve read here in the GTD forum is:
1. More fuel
2. More air flow in
3. More exhaust flow out
4. More fuel, more fuel, and most importantly, more fuel
5. Perhaps also, various cooling upgrades and an EGT monitor to prevent you from leaving a molten lump of engine block cooking on the highway. :lol:
I would like to move up to a TD.
Question being, 1.6 or 1.9? Kind of chicken or the egg situation. 1.6 is cheaper and has more top end. 1.9 is more expensive but has more on the bottom end. Perhaps the hybrid 1.6 block with the 1.9 head. Low CR and Northern winters may be a problem. I have seen talk here about 1.9 pistons in the 1.6 block. Can the block still be stable with that much of an overbore? I have also read about 1.7 pistons in the 1.6 blocks. Discussion went back and forth as to if the pistons had cut outs for the oil squirters. IIRC, some did and some did not. Benefits discussed included a small bump in compression ratio to help alleviate the drop brought on by the bigger pre-chambers in the 1.9 head. Has any one tried this setup yet? Would there be any concerns about piston height or stroke? I am all for increasing CC’s if possible.
Injection Pump:
The heart of the project. I am planning on sending the unit straight to the Great and Powerful OZ. I’ve read enough posts with high praise for the Giles Super Pump to make this an easy pick.
I do have some questions though. Which pump? 1.9 on a 1.6 or vice versa? Pump setup? I have read about different sizes? 9mm, 10mm, 12mm etc. Not exactly sure what that all entails. What else is there to consider? I know there was a change from manual to electric timing advance-cold start. Are there any other significant differences between pumps between 85 on up till TDI’s came on line? Are any of these better suited for hi perf mods over others? What sort of information will I need to have in advance in order for Giles to tune the pump properly?
Bottom end:
I guess this depends on what sort of set up is chosen i.e.. straight 1.6TD, 1.9TD, hybrid etc..
Basic set-up questions: Crank, Rods, Pistons, Rings, Bearings, Head bolts/Studs etc.
1. Rings-Differences between OEM and total seal? Preference one way or the other?
2. Pistons-I guess Myke_w is the man for pistons. Anyone try the extra slot cut in the top for extra power? Any other tid bits of info for this area?
3. Rods: Am I correct in my understanding that stocks Rods are strong enough unless you start pushing over 120hp?
4. Crank: Any suggestions or proven mods? Knife-edge? Will it affect smoothness of idle? Is the amount of rotating mass removed enough to help spool time? Can any of these motors handle a stroker type mod? Does one exist?
5. Bolts/ Studs: I have seen ARP, Raceware recommended many times. Head studs, Con-Rod bolts, Main set. Anything else? Benefits of these over stock?
6. Oil pump: Is it correct that the pump that came in late 80’s td’s is already upgraded to the larger size? Is there a need to go for higher pressure/ volume?
What else am I missing? Rubber oil pan gasket. , windage tray, block heater, oil-pre-heater, crank scraper-any benefit?
Head:
1. Cam: I read the review of the pass performance cam from the TDI link. Has anything been done like this for the IDI cam, testing or dyno type numbers? How aggressive is it. Does it shift power to the high or low end? Torque changes?
2. HG: General consensus appears to be the metal 1.9 HG
3. Valves: Can you go bigger to increase flow? Any hints in this area?
4. Exhaust ports: I understand they should be opened up as much as possible. I was reading the link about the pre-chambers and ceramic coatings. Someone did a nice cut job on the head and opened it up for all to see. Can it be determined from the cutaway model just how far the porting can go?
5. Ceramic coating: Is it worth it? Has anyone actually done their exhaust valve, port, and pre-chamber? Will this stuff flake off and cause havoc?
6. O-Ring/ Fire ring: Had to call a friend to get an explanation on this one. My basic understanding is it provides extra strength to the HG to prevent failures. Do the block and the head both need to be machined for this mod? My friend thought it was not reliable for the long term though. Thoughts?
7. Lifters: I have heard mechanical was better than hydraulic for high rpm application. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be changing shims every 20k, and want to go hydraulic. Any concerns or build tips in this area?
8. VC gasket: I plan on going with the rubber one to help prevent leaks.
9. Splash baffle: I understand there is a baffle you can put under the VC that helps reduce oil splash and help prevent oil leaks. Any drawbacks?
What have I missed?
Starter: It’s going. Needs a rebuild. Posts suggest sticking with the old style.
Alternator: Stock or more power? Is it worth messing around with pulley size?
Water pump: Same question.
Fuel filter: I was planning on going to a Racor dual set up. 10 micron and a 2-micron. Flow restriction gauge. See through water collectors. Heater inserts as well, somewhere between 150 watts and 300 watts in each. Is it possible to install anything like this in the trunk, or are there concerns about introducing this into the passenger compartment? Racor makes a gauge that fits on the dashboard with a change filter/ drain water indicator and alarm. Kind of geeky but I dig it.
Turbo: What is max EFFECTIVE boost the KKK-24 can push out? I have read you can go pretty high, but when you push too hard it will start sending your EGT’s into the danger zone. So what is the upper end before you start getting diminishing returns?
I understand there are a host of turbo mods, but those appear to be covered in other posts.
Exhaust: 2.5” down pipe, plus all the way back appears to be the common answer and set-up for best flow.
Exhaust manifold: I guess porting and polishing to match up to the head. Stock or swap? Anything else?
Intake manifold: Big subject. My basic understanding is you want it as open and as even as possible. Do you recommend a stock part or swap in something with better flow?
Intercooler: Looked at prices for new-ouch. The junkyard looks to be calling my name. Any preference between air to air or air to liquid? Could an electric fan be added to help draw air through to help cool? What makes should I be looking in for a really effective unit. I.e. Sabb, Audi, or something larger?
Cold air intake: I have seen one and a two into one set up. Stock location is front right fender well. Does running them to the front end work better? I would be concerned with snow build-up or heavy rains. Are these legitimate concerns?
Injectors / nozzles: Lots and lots of information. Some say no change, just difference between old and new. More fuel at higher pressure is better, but what is the upper end? With all the nozzles I see for sale out there, is there a difference in spray pattern? Are certain spray patterns better suited for 1.9’s or 1.6’s? Many I see don’t actually say what size the nozzle is. I would expect that this would be one of the pieces of information Giles would need to get you the correct pump set up.
Cooling: Stock radiator or bigger? Any change to the thermostat, winter vs. summer?
Fan upgrade? What about the oil cooler. It is my understanding that oil temps get hot as hell during heavy right foot usage. Is there a better cooler than stock. What about location changes for better cooling?
Well, I think that’s about enough for now, wow, I didn’t realize it had gotten this long. I have a line on two complete 1.6td’s right now from the early 90’s; both are Canadian so I don’t have to worry about the itsy bitsy ECO Diesel. May also be able to get 1.9td head, intake and exhaust manifold at the same time, so the Franken motor is a possibility. I look forward to your insight.
Topic: Making the jump N/A to TD (Read 25682 times)
