Ok. I can't find much on this engine.
That might be because it really isn't too much of a favorite among this crowd. The 1.5 was a bit anemic as far as power and often had issues with head gasket failures and smaller head bolts.
I had one in my caddy and although it ran fine, I just couldn't deal with the lack of power. With my 4 speed, 60 mph seemed like atmospheric re-entry.
I'd assume the IP is similar from the 1.5 to at least the early 1.6's? Are there performance rebuilds done? I've read much about Giles at Superior Injection... Elaborate?
There's plenty in the archives on Giles' pumps. I just put one on my 1.6TD and it really made quite a difference. He changes how fuel is delivered through the powerband and modifies the governor system. I've read threads where Giles has tuned NA pumps to gain quite a bit of power, so that may be an option for you.
What are these engines capable of? NA and TD? TD being added of course.
The 1.5's are able to rev slightly more than the 1.6's, but since they don't have the big head studs or the piston squirters / special TD head, I'm not certain they're a good candidate for a TD conversion. That question, in particular has been asked quite a few times in the archives. It can be done, but you really have to watch the heat / EGT's and control the boost.
I have no idea what changing one screw or whathaveyou could do to these things. You people would definitly be the ones to know this kind of stuff.
The first thing I'd do is make sure the engine is timed correctly and that your timing belt is in good shape. I believe there are at least two different versions of the early pumps (yellow dot and non-yellow dot) and that both benefit from running a bit more advance. I'd have to check my Bentley for the specifics.
As far as pump tuning, there are several posts here that describe which screws to turn on the pump to up the fueling and adjust the idle. It's surprising how much a little turn on the fuel screw affects the engine.
Another thing you'll have to watch is the 1.5's tendancy to run away. The breather system on the 1.5 didn't allow for crankcase vapors to condense properly and the engine would often suck them back in and make the engine take off on the highway regardless of driver's throttle input. It's more than a bit alarming if you don't expect it. I wrote a post about how I controlled the problem on my 1.5. I'll see if I can find it...
The stock downtube looks pretty good, but the manifold looks sketchy from the outside.
Which one do you have? Stock toilet bowl (downpipe clips onto the manifold) or the dual tube downpipe (bolts on with six studs)? The dual downpipe is better from a performance standpoint.
What about injectors? Colorado BioDiesel aside, what options are there?
I'm sure that you might be able to find some better / new nozzles, but honestly, I found the biggest improvement came from simply having my injectors rebuilt / pop tested. Mine were worn out and leaky.
Oil flow... Can it be upped? More lube is better, especially if you are turning 6k in a diesel.
Do you suspect you're having oiling problems? You could stick a mechanical or electric gauge on there and verify... Unless the engine has a lot of miles or some sort of mechanical issue, I'd say it's fine.
Balance... Is it good enough factory? Its not a terrible amount to get the crank balanced and $20 a rod to get them balanced and reconditioned at the local shop I have do my stuff.
I'd say that any engine benefits from balancing the internals, but in this case, I don't think that doing that to a 1.5 is worth it from a cost standpoint...especially if you have to remove the engine, tear everything down and pay for all the parts/gaskets to put it all back together again just to do it.
The FF tranny.... What kind of power will it take? I don't want to go upping the fuel flow and shear gears, supposing I keep the FWD setup and don't put the engine in my Terc.
VW transmissions are fairly strong and I don't think you'll see any problems until you get to around 175hp and beyond.
Hope some of that helps...
Topic: 1.5 Discussion (Read 2533 times)
