gas to diesel swap??

[Hammy]

 I just bought a '96 Golf 2dr. Good shape, but it's a gasser. I'm thinking of doing the gas to diesel conversion. Haven't decided if I'm going to use a 1.6 or 1.9. I have (2) 1.6 TDs, which makes me lean toward them, otherwise I might try a 1.9.

Any suggestions, or pointers are appreciated.

Thanks;
Jas

[Hammy]

 I hope this post is in the right category. If anyone disagrees, please let me know.
Jas

[8v-of-fury]

Much better post for the IDI section. I would also lend words of wisdom.. but i know nothing of swapping in Mk3's loool

good luck though!

[vanbcguy]

I have a '94 with a 1.6TD in it instead of the 1.9TD it was supposed to come with.  I did test drive a couple 1.9 and 1.6 cars before I bought this one and I really can't say there was a huge difference between power output.  If I had to build a new motor today I'd probably be tempted to go for a 1.6 with a 1.9 head, but keep the 1.6 pump and injectors.  Much easier to find nozzles and things!

I do know that in Canada anyhow the diesel cars had a bit different front end setup than the 2.0 ABA cars did - my '95 2.0 ABA has a few different bits and pieces in the front end from my '94 TD car.  No idea if there's any issues putting a diesel in to an ABA body in terms of engine mounts, etc.

Once '97 rolled around and the TDIs started coming out in the Mk III body the brakes and such got upgraded to match the 2.0 ABA.  Anyone know if the TDI has the same engine mounts as the 1.9 did?

[Hammy]

 Thanks for the reply.I was wondering if your '94 has power steering, and if so, do you use the serpentine setup?

 Thanks;
 Jas

[vanbcguy]

Mine had the 1.6 swapped in complete, including all the accessory drives and everything, so it's all V-belts.

In a lot of ways I think it would be better to have the serpentine setup.  You'd be able to go in to a parts store and order parts for the year of the body rather than the year of the motor - since I have all the old accessories along with the old drive setup I need to find a 1988 alternator instead of a 1994 one for instance. 

The big thing however is crank keyway failure when going with the serpentine setup.  If you're building the motor fresh and want to use the serpentine stuff then you need to get your crank machined for the TDI style crank pulley - it's not expensive especially if the crank is out of the block still.  You also need to make sure the alternator you're using has the clutched-style pulley.  When the 1.9 TD's came out with their serpentine setup originally they had a lot of problems with the drive pulley (and timing belt pulley) getting broken off the nose of the crank, which results in no timing belt, which turns in to a mess.

[arb]

I put a 1.6 (and turbo'd it) in a Dodge Caravan. Its more than enough power for this 3950 pound beast even pulling a camper ! Got 23.6 mpg @ 65 mpg hauling the camper and about 40 mpg w/o the camper.

Go 1.6 TD !!

[Hammy]

 The '96 Gas motor I have has the serp. belt setup. I was hoping to use that. How do you tell if the alt. has a clutched pulley? I would use a 1.6 td, I have two of them right now. Also, isn't the power steering pump different? Would I have to use a p/s pump from a 1.6 TD?

Thank;

Jas

[catlin_cava]

I went with the 1.9TD in my gas to diesel swap, one thing, if the car is a Golf CL, get a new transmission because your highway MPG will go WAY down. I noticed that, I was reving at 3400RPM to go 100KPH,

[vanbcguy]

Yeah, definitely find a diesel tranny.  The gearing difference between my 2.0 ABA and my diesel is DRAMATIC.

I don't think you can use the gasser serpentine belt setup (someone correct me if I'm wrong) but I believe the alternator sits in about the same place as the IP does on a diesel.

You can tell if you have the clutched alternator pulley or not by spinning the pulley - turning it one way will turn the innards of the alternator, turning it the other way won't.  The clutched style is readily available although a tad pricey.

[flapjack]

ABA serp bracket won't fit the 1.6TD.  I used the bracket off of a 1.9TD, alternator and AC from a 94 ABA.  I had to widen the alternator and AC a little to make them fit the diesel bracket by grinding down the bushing. Make sure you grind on the side that doesn't change the pulley position (the side closer to the left side of the car)

Some random stuff:
Simple way to power the fuel pump solenoid is to use the wire that used to power the ignition coil. It's only powered when you turn the key and it's close to where you need it.

Regarding the trans: mk3 is a tiny bit wider, so mk3 axles are a little longer and the flanges are 100mm. mk2 diesel trans has 90mm flanges
What is a good solution? My solution was cheap and  . . not so good, I used the whole subframe and control arms from a mk2 in the mk3.
It works, but There must be a more elegant way to do it.

Throttle cable: use one from a mk3 1.9TD, the mk2 1.6td cable won't hook up to the mk3 pedal

You can leave the in tank fuel pump alone if you reduce the pressure. There was a thread about hooking up a pressure regulator before the fuel filter.
Mounting studs for the fuel filter (bracket is the same as a mk2) are on the right side shock tower. On the ABA they hold some contraption you don't need.
Glow plugs. I mounted the relay in the engine bay and ran wires to a button on the dash.

[catlin_cava]

If you need an Intank Diesel sending unit, let me know I have one sitting in the shop

[Hammy]

  Thanks guys this is great insight, please keep it coming. Flapjack, is you diesel a 1.6, and are you using the serp. setup?


Jas

[topless96]

I am doing a 1.6 into a 96 cabrio. I will keep the v belts as I tried to swap the serpintine belt from a 2.0 gas motor and the alt/ac bracet hits the timing belt cover and fuel pump frame. as far as the width goes, I used earlier CV axles that bolted up to my transmission and the spline was correct for the wheel

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

.............................
The big thing however is crank keyway failure when going with the serpentine setup.  If you're building the motor fresh and want to use the serpentine stuff then you need to get your crank machined for the TDI style crank pulley - it's not expensive especially if the crank is out of the block still.  You also need to make sure the alternator you're using has the clutched-style pulley.  When the 1.9 TD's came out with their serpentine setup originally they had a lot of problems with the drive pulley (and timing belt pulley) getting broken off the nose of the crank, which results in no timing belt, which turns in to a mess.

What year TDI's with the serpentine setup had this problem and what was the fix? Did it turn into a recall?