TheSamba.com :: View topic - Can anyone give me advice on my 1.6 diesel...

Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:31 pm

...and I'm thinking of converting it to a 1.9.
I'm sure this will mean that I'll get better acceleration, but what else?
Is it a hard to do the conversion?
Is it worth the extra money??
Total noob here, trying to learn.
Thanks for any help, my caddy thanks you!
:D

Wed Mar 19, 2008 8:51 am

I was perfectly happy with the 1.6 in my Caddy. Then again, I made sure I was never in a hurry.

By conversion, I suppose you mean doing an engine swap. Make sure you get the wiring harness and all of the electricals. It is not a straight-forward swap but is quite doable. (At such a point, why not go the extra several hundred bucks and get a used TDI?)

Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:45 am

i think he is talking about this kit...

http://www.zs-imports.com/

know nothing about it though.

Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:58 am

there is a lot you can do with the 1.6 to give it a little extra power.. here are just a few. dual downpibe exhaust manifold. have the pump worked over(most expensive but will yeild the mostpower) a good exhaust. or just get the parts and make it a 1.6 td....few questions what year and model. if its newer than 86 you could put the 1.9 head on there from a turbo diesel with the acompanying td parts and have a boost friendly car. there is a guy up north of me with a 1.6/1.9 hybrid engine pushing about 200 hp

Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:01 am

oasis wrote: I was perfectly happy with the 1.6 in my Caddy. Then again, I made sure I was never in a hurry.

By conversion, I suppose you mean doing an engine swap. Make sure you get the wiring harness and all of the electricals. It is not a straight-forward swap but is quite doable. (At such a point, why not go the extra several hundred bucks and get a used TDI?) not necessarily you can modify the tdi engine to be a mechanical engine and not have to worry about the wiring that is such a problem also the aaz engines are the easist to work with and build for power. and it will bolt up with not too much difficulty some modification to the sheet metal may be required for clearencing

Thu Mar 20, 2008 12:35 pm

shegel wrote: you can modify the tdi engine to be a mechanical engine and not have to worry about the wiring that is such a problem also the aaz engines are the easist to work with and build for power. and it will bolt up with not too much difficulty some modification to the sheet metal may be required for clearencing
That is good to know for future reference. Thanks!

Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:43 pm

...and yes Rau, the kit I speak of is from Z&S Imports, the same guys selling the restored caddy on ebay.
Sorry I did not make that clear in my question.
And to Shegal, I have a 1982 caddy, are you saying that I can put a turbo on it?
Thanks again for all the help Samba members, this noob is really digging his caddy. :D

Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:37 pm

norcalvwcaddy wrote: ...and yes Rau, the kit I speak of is from Z&S Imports, the same guys selling the restored caddy on ebay.
Sorry I did not make that clear in my question.
And to Shegal, I have a 1982 caddy, are you saying that I can put a turbo on it?
Thanks again for all the help Samba members, this noob is really digging his caddy. :D if you find the pieces then yes. vw made a 1.6 turbo diesel car too. all you would need is to find the parts and pieces from one of those cars and bolt em on. keep in mind that the 1.6 na engines didnt have oil squirters to cool the pistons so keep the boosting to about stock and the fuel there too. imo dont waste your money on a conversion kit. just work with what you have. i think you will be much happier in the long run.

:::EDIT/ADD::: i have a 1.6 na golf that will be seing a turbo soon. you can build these little idi's for a lot of tourqe.

Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:05 pm

...and I was planning on working on the exhaust.
Could you forgive me, once again, total noob here, but could you elaborate on the exhaust system upgrade?

Thanks for the help!

Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:08 pm

these cars arent that loud with just straight pipe. i suggest 2 inch mandrell bent all the way out. as for the exhaust mani the 8v gli engines had a dual down pipe design that was a lot better flowing than what we have now/a header would do the same thing. some guys like to put 1.8 8v intake manis on there too. it promotes a little better air distribution but not much. mainly a forced induction thing....always here to help....

steve

Sun Mar 30, 2008 11:16 pm

Overland Parts used to have 1.9 liter motors that bolt in to the 80-84 pickups (and rabbit/jettas) and provide very noticeable increase in power.

Don't just put turbo parts on your non-turbo block as the non-turbo is not set up to handle extra heat caused by turbo and will slowly ruin engine/block.

I have a chipped 1996 1.9 liter TDI in my 1981 and it is, dare I say it, fast. Not an overly difficult swap, but takes a lot of time and some money. The pre 1999.5 TDIs all bolt into the 74-84 VW rabbits, jettas, pickups and fit to the 020 trannys. The wiring is the hardest part because of the computer controlled nature of the TDI.

Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:42 am

crewcabcaddy wrote: Overland Parts used to have 1.9 liter motors that bolt in to the 80-84 pickups (and rabbit/jettas) and provide very noticeable increase in power.

Don't just put turbo parts on your non-turbo block as the non-turbo is not set up to handle extra heat caused by turbo and will slowly ruin engine/block.

I have a chipped 1996 1.9 liter TDI in my 1981 and it is, dare I say it, fast. Not an overly difficult swap, but takes a lot of time and some money. The pre 1999.5 TDIs all bolt into the 74-84 VW rabbits, jettas, pickups and fit to the 020 trannys. The wiring is the hardest part because of the computer controlled nature of the TDI. installing td parts on a na isnt a new idea. it has been around for a long time. efectivly you make an eco-diesel. things will be fine if the boost is left stock...wiring wont be an issue either.

Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:29 pm

shegel wrote: ... as for the exhaust mani the 8v gli engines had a dual down pipe design that was a lot better flowing than what we have now/a header would do the same thing. some guys like to put 1.8 8v intake manis on there too. it promotes a little better air distribution but not much. mainly a forced induction thing....always here to help....

steve

Are these gas motor manifolds?...