1991 1.6 N/A ---> 1984 Jetta

[8v-of-fury]

I already posted all of this in the TDI forum.. but soon found out i was in the wrong spot.. lmao

Ok well, I am new to vw's and i am most certainly new to deisels. Ive got a line on a 1991 golf 1.6 NA. this will be my donor car where i will take its engine, tranny, starter, and harness and move them to my 84 Jetta. NOw im not asking for you to tell me how to do it, but what am i looking at.... engine swap obvioiusly... easy to do? or what?

1991.. what will this engine be.. ive heard a bunch of engine codes for diesels bein thrown around.. i dont kno anymore about it than that... whats the possible outcomes of this engine being? How hard and expensive will it be to go turbo in the future? SORRY for being such a n00b... im just feelin out the situation.. an i have come to love diesels from your smoke tales posts.. absolutely loved them! almost pissed myself laughing on some of them... Can you help a fellow dubber out?

[Dakotakid]

Engine code?? Should be (if original) a mild-mannered hydraulic lifter ME engine. 52 shetland ponies.

[8v-of-fury]

yeah ME. A guy that posted in the TDI forum named Cyrus told me that the swap should be straightforward, he said i would need the diesel specific parts from the 91 donor car... such as the filter, and glow plug wiring..

Im a little confused on the fuel tank.. don't the gassers utilize a pump in the tank? will this  need to be removed? will my gas tank and fuel lines work with diesel fuel? Anything in particular i should look out for on this 91?

The guy drove it in to a ditch so im pikckin the whole thing up hopefully for 400 then raping it of what i need, parting it and scrappin the rest i cant sell.

All your guys diesel knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

[Dakotakid]

84 Jetta....no fuel pump on the tank. Gravity fed out the side/bottom of tank. However, the one and only fuel pump is located down there beside/ahead of the tank.

The fuel line which runs up to the injection system under the hood is steel higher pressure line. This steel line terminates at a threaded junction right in front of the "firewall" on the passenger side. At that point, another line bolts up to go to the fuel distributor. You should be able to make this line work with some "engineering" (I'm hearing banjos a-playin'). Should work.

[8v-of-fury]

Ok so being a n00b.. with the help of a few guys should this be an easy out of one car in to the other type deal? weekend of work type thing? Like the car is my daily.. luckily if it does end up taking more then the weekend work is just a short bikeride away

But yeah, should be easy enough eh? The little 1.6 N/a i hear are superrr reliable. and last for a really long time. So i think this will be a good step up from the 76 hp 1.7 i got now.

So what wiring will i need from the donor car? I was reading of a way to relay the plugs right from the battery with short wires to reduce voltage drop.. if i do this do i need the wiring from the other car?

thxz Dakotakid for your good quality answers. Appreciate it.

[cyrus #1]

Ok so being a n00b.. with the help of a few guys should this be an easy out of one car in to the other type deal?  weekend of work type thing?

It depends how many snags you hit along the way.  Have you done any swaps, etc. before?

The little 1.6 N/a i hear are superrr reliable. and last for a really long time. So i think this will be a good step up from the 76 hp 1.7 i got now.

It should treat you pretty well.  How many km's are on it?  I would be tempted to replace or at least check the majority of the seals before doing the swap.  Doing something like IM shaft bearings or a rear main seal with the motor in can be a pain in the arse.  Also be sure to replace the timing belt if there is any doubt about its condition.  These are interference engines so a snapped timing belt is death.  A little bit of money now will give some peace of mind for the daily.

So what wiring will i need from the donor car? I was reading of a way to relay the plugs right from the battery with short wires to reduce voltage drop.. if i do this do i need the wiring from the other car?

The wiring couldn't be any simpler for this swap.  A properly sized relay will work no problem.  It would probably be easier to create that circuit yourself and not have to worry about mixing and matching wiring between two different electrical systems.  You will also need to wire the fuel stop solenoid.  It should be able to be wired to anything that is powered when the ignition is on.  Your ignition coil would probably be a good candidate for this as you won't need it anymore.

[burn_your_money]

I think you are best off using the stock glow plug relay, rather then creating your own. It has the timer, the glow plug light and all that good stuff built in. It's a really simple relay once you look at it.

As said on vortex, you need to source a mk1 diesel apssanger side motor mount. I might even have one.

Ideally you should use the mk1 diesel coolant flanges (which I also might have)

I would estiamte it will take 40 hours if you just go motor out, motor in. Obviously I have no real idea of your mechanical abilities, so I could be way far off.

As mentioned, do the timing belt, and a couple of the seals if they are leaking. If they aren't leaking I don't touch them.

I'd recommend the rubber valve cover upgrade, because I hate the cork stuff. It's the same for a gasser as it is for a diesel

Oh yeah, what color is the mk2? I need some body panels

[Dakotakid]

I double checked and found that the fuel feed line and the return line are on the DRIVER'S side....not passenger side. Sorry.

This may pose problems for you. You would have to cross the engine space with the fuel line somehow.

Therefore, I would carefully remove the plastic lines from the donor car and determine your next move. Your adventure is just beginning!!!

[8v-of-fury]

@ Burn your money.. i have no idea what colour the car is, but if it is the colour you need, or even just want stuff out of it, i'll sell it to you real cheap. Whatever price YOU seem fair for what ever i dont use.. deal? "" Ideally you should use the mk1 diesel coolant flanges (which I also might have) "" What are these that you speak of?..

@ Cyrus.. The car has around 300k on the motor, the owner said he babied it and always put quality oils and what not in it... I haven't done any swaps myself.. but i have helped on a few and will have a friend with me along me travels who knows what he is doing.. All a learning experience right?

@ Dakotakid.. Can i use copper lines for diesel engines?? or does it have to be special stuff? But yeah like you say the plastic lines from the donor car would be best to get me as far as i can go.

I am hoping to go down and see it tonight... i will post back with my findings with pictures! lol wish me luck

EDIT: Sadly the guy is busy most of the night, so I will have to wait till tomorow night to see it...  A few more questions i would like to ask, will the fuel tank work with the diesel? will the sensors that are on my 1.7 now be the same ones that are on the 1.6 from the '91? Also someone mentioned a few posts back that i will need a few Mk1 diesel parts.. are they readily available at parts stores for cheap?

Thanks alot guys, you really made a n00b feel welcomed    [/b]

[burn_your_money]

Sweet thanks. The coolant flanges are where the hoses hook up to the head. There are 2 of them. On the MK1 they are aluminum, on the mk2, plastic. You could use the mk2 ones but you would have to cut wires and do some splicing.

MK1 parts are mostly readily available.

[8v-of-fury]

you say the mk1's have aluminum ones... Now could i use the one off of my existing engine.. its a 1.7 EN code... i believe it has an aluminum one.. Which wires would i need to splice and cut up??

[8v-of-fury]

Bump!

[Dakotakid]

As far as diesel in copper. I honestly don't know. Are you referring to chemical reaction potential??? I do not have that answer.

I do run gasohol (10% hootch) through copper on one of the farm tractors with no ill effects. Sorry for the ignorance.

[8v-of-fury]

well like you said the plastic ones from the donor are probably the best to get me as far as i can across the engine bay.. lol

Now what do you guys think my options are for squuezing some power out of this little engine whilst still maintaing 40 something mpg's and relaiability?

[dieselweasel]

Now what do you guys think my options are for squuezing some power out of this little engine whilst still maintaing 40 something mpg's and relaiability?

Make sure the static pump timing is advanced to the optimum setting of .039" or 1 mm.  Can't really think of any other cheap performance mods for that engine...can tune pump and injectors but that gets pricey.