Diesel Thing

[markie61]

Anyone put a VW Diesel or TDI in their Thing?
What do you thing would be involved?
Items I can think of:
-cooling system
-connection between transmission and engine
-fit in engine compartment
-price!
I think it would be cool to make and burn my own veggie oil.
Mark
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Whut is that-there Thang!?
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Chicks dig my Thing - so what if it's little and yellow...!?

[Go-SpeedRacer]

It would be so sweet. I would love to do one, however I do not think it is possible. I say this because I kind of already researched it, and could only find one that had been done in a VW period, and that was a square back. They did that one with one of those old VW rabbit diesels.

The problem is that diesel engines are a lot bigger than gassers, and require a lot more cooling to boot. Your only option with a transaxle would be a Mendeola, those start at $5K, don't think a 091 could handle the torque. I am sure Kennedy could build an adapter for the engine to transaxle, so that I think would not be much of a problem. In order for you to run it on veggie, you would want to stay away from the VW TDI engines, they do not like biodiesel, and would fair even worse on veggie oil. So that limits you to Kubota, Cummins, that make small diesel engines. I would bet that even the smallest diesel would be almost twice the size of a stock VW engine, and probably 30% larger than a Suby.

I would love to have a diesel Thing, just thinking about the torque is getting me excited, but the reality, almost impossible. If you figure it out, please let me know, I would be happy to help in any way I can.

Good Luck!

[Thingggg]

How dose a diesel Vanagon setup work, I would check into this. Isn't just the bell housing different on the tranny from a 091. Maybe you could look into using the diesel Vanagon parts to go 4 in line conversion and think about what would be different.

[Towel Rail]

Supposedly, Subaru will release their H4 diesel in 2008. I'm sure it'll be a popular swap once it's available.
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1974 Thing -- under the knife
1967 Beetle -- spring/summer/fall driver
1996 Subaru OBW (EJ22, 5-speed, AWD) -- winter car, 3-seasons "don't feel like biking today" car

049 > 070 > 053 > 009

[Fun 181]

I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but before you run out and go to the expense and effort of a diesel conversion you need to REALLY look into what it takes to make biodiesel.

I checked it out over a year ago and came to the conclusion that I couldn't possibly spend the amount of time and effort required to create biodiesel. Since it has an extremely short shelf life you would need to mix up a new batch at least once a week. Also, you need to get the mix balanced just so in order to run clean, or it will foul and clog your engine. The "how to" on making biodiesel correctly seemed like an graduate-level course in advanced chemistry, and I'm simply not that smart.

Did I mention the smell?

It is said that biodiesel costs only pennies per gallon. However, you need to mix it with straight diesel (which isn't that cheap any more). In the end it is cheaper (if you don't factor in your time and effort - which I do), but it's certainly not "pennies per gallon".

Right now I'm paying over $3.35 a gallon for regular. Because I have a bigger engine and don't drive it that much I have been putting super in the Thing (over $3.50 a gallon). Yikes! How about a solar powered steam engine?

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2004/07/shec_labs_extra.html



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[miscreantgnomie]

This rant will get some in a panty wad

WARNING

Dont read if you get in a tissy over different points of view


Thank goodness i dont believe in global warming or conservation. Sounds really expensive. If your into that more power to you

Sounds like an exciting idea though. Just cant get into smelly bio diesel idea. Nor sheryl crowes 1 square toilet paper to save the world. I see her ummm different now

Time will make more efficent or alternative engines. Look at the leaps and bounds in computer tech from year to year. Motors are just a slower advance as there are fewer car manufacturers.

Yet a zillion small computer companies that all make parts for only 2 computer makes ibm or apple.

You have a bunch of car makers and they dont have the competitve aftermarket parts for new cars.

look at computer makers having nvidia thats not tied to dell or compaq so they make best product they can to outsell another video card for those machines. Both can use that same video card do to its a standard slot. When will gm and ford do that

Ever see ford or chrysler use some small companies motor in there cars :p I see this is why car motors etc and aftermarket parts are slow to come to fruit...

Off my weird soap box but i think conservation and all is a good thing just not practical til technology matches it. Seems we havent gotten huge advances since the original type 1 motor so many years back

I hear people in a 1600 dual port bug get 30 plus MPG
2007 cars might get 35 mpg Wow we came a long way in 40 years.

We dont need the goverment to force cars to change we need to open it to the freemarket and let that force change. When IBM let clones happen the computer industry leaped forward like no tomorrow. If the piublic buys it it will be made the market CAN change things.

instead of forcing regulations on manufacturers offer huge incentives. If a car manufacturer produces a producttion car for 7k that is safe and gets 50 mpg they do not have to pay taxes for 5 years. i bet they would have a model ready in 2 years

Right now they all just tune to slow modulated increments they can spread out over years to comply with new standards. More profit.

Do to epa and other regulations a small company isnt even allowed to make an alternative engine for a car they wouldnt have the money to get through the red tape.

I just am against big goverment over regulation and believe in free market. yeah i know conservatism doesnt sit right with everyone but it works if you give it a try

im not against any of you trying or doing whatever you want to your vehicles its yours and do what you want. I just get mad at the way goverment and society treat some things that i think could be handled better and they poo poo on me because i say no im not doing that .... i dont agree ... Then people get angry cause i think global warming is a myth
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62 sc, 62 SO 34, 61 mango, (2) 67 deluxe in crappy shape, 73 thing, 64 ghia,
and some embarassing bays. shhh, I just use them for storage. (hides)
San Antonio (SAAC/VOSA)

[Towel Rail]

[Captain Spalding]

[bmwloco]

When not in my Thing, I drive my '84 300CD Turbodiesel. Happily we have biodiesel on the pump here in Western North Carolina. I've run B20, B50, B99.0 and plain old diesel.

The car runs without drama on it all.

My father in law, a VW wrench for most of his life and all around mechanic's mechanic drags old Benz diesels out of junkyards and usually has them running in minutes.

He has a friend who works for the local supermarket chain. Once every couple weeks he gives him 5 gallon jugs of waste peanut oil. It's very clean, even after use.

My father-in-law filters it into his fuel tank on the Benz's with a cheese cloth, then just drives. It works well for about 10 months of the year. He's said he's had to "pull off the fuel filter and shake it a little" to get it to pull sometimes, but aside from that, he motors on.

As for global warming, I'll throw in my $0.02. It's real, very real. I've seen it with my own eyes. I worked in Antarctica for 12 years with climatologist and other scientist. The data is there, it's real, and now the Bush Administration is actually starting to wake up and smell the stench of of it.

[surferdudedav]

[bmwloco]

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest about global warming.

I will say this though: based on the facts and first hand experiences of actually seeing global warming, I decided not to have children. I don't want them or anyone else, for that matter, to have to suffer through the consequences of our home planet in decline.

Keep in mind, nature bats last.

[miscreantgnomie]

i respect others of differring opinions... but these are opinions. To say fact means proven. it really hasnt been proven its idle speculation and there are scientists on BOTH sides saying the opposite. Our measurements havent even been around that long a few hundred years. the earth is a tad older then this. But it sure is a good talking point lately

I respect you and your beliefs regardless Just mine differ is all



we both own things life is good
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62 sc, 62 SO 34, 61 mango, (2) 67 deluxe in crappy shape, 73 thing, 64 ghia,
and some embarassing bays. shhh, I just use them for storage. (hides)
San Antonio (SAAC/VOSA)

[Captain Spalding]

Diesel! Yeah!

[surferdudedav]

[Spezialist]

What about Water?
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[Ian Epperson]

[Captain Spalding]

Diesel! Yeah!

[7thing3]

[miscreantgnomie]

[nightphorge]

All I have to say is look at the polar ice caps. They're melting fast. Now I'm not saying there's "global warming" but things are definitely changing. Looking back 100,000 years, the trends show we should be in an ice age right now, the fact that we arn't all frozen to death might be because we DID pump CO2 in the atmosphere. We may be dumb, we may be F$#@ing up the atmosphere, but we may also be very lucky. Truth is we are having an impact, but we have no idea what it is.