Vanagon 1.6na to 1.9TDI 1Z upgrade

[ALIKA T3]

[outwesty]

Right on. I'm sure I will end up playing with an Mtdi at some point. I really do like the idea of them. There is a river crossing I always do that is DEEEP and I wish I had an MTDI for those 10 seconds while the engine is submerged. Maybe I should try another one that is set up differently. I still disagree that one is more reliable than the other but we all have our opinions.

[?Waldo?]

My mTDI has excellent response and I live at 7,000' of elevation. The aneroid of the mechanical injection pump automatically adjusts fueling according to manifold pressure. A diesel has none of the mixture issues inherent to gasoline engines and so while changing altitude will increase turbo lag (on eTDIs or mTDIs) there is no adjustment necessary to the fueling. I didn't catch your edit to your previous post. I can't comment on the mTDI you drove. If it smoked at altitude it sure wasn't built by me. If it was negatively affected by altitude, then something was not right with it. Mine does not smoke at all unless I want it to.

[outwesty]

do you have a response for an MTDI at altitude ?

[?Waldo?]

Thanks for the update.

[outwesty]

edit -The one thing I will add is the one Mtdi westy I drove was fine until we got to altitude....it was borderline horrendous as it could not adjust and was billowing smoke.....the pump was from one of the well knowns, wont say who but not from the vanagon crowd. Maybe this can be addressed? This is the one of the main reasons I have not gone for one as I drive from 2500 feet to 7000 ft several times a week. Can this issue be resolved in an MTDI?

The ETDI engine management system is better at optimizing power, economy and emissions at altitude far better than an MTDI from what I have witnessed.

[?Waldo?]

[outwesty]

[?Waldo?]

You guys apparently are lucky. I own both an eTDI and mTDI and work on both. I have an appreciation for both engine management systems. I have actually dissuaded a couple people from swapping mechanical pumps onto their stock TDIs after they were entirely fed up with the recurring limp mode. I wouldn't recommend going mTDI on a stock eTDI vehicle but I don't think I will ever recommend going with the electronic engine management on a TDI conversion. I haven't had any issues with my mTDI or ANY pump related issues in 20+ years of driving VW diesels other than seals leaking which will occur just as often on eTDIs. The thing that is often not understood is that the eTDI has ALL the mechanical controls plus an added layer of complexity with the electronic control of the mechanical controls. It reminds me of the 80s Mercedes climate control system where the electronic buttons communicate with the climate control brain which controls a series of electric solenoids that control the flow of vacuum to vacuum pods that operate the flaps to control the airflow to the various vents. There is no way that an eTDI engine conversion can ever possibly be as reliable as a properly built mTDI.

[AndyBees]

[outwesty]

[?Waldo?]

Pretty much ALL of the problems I have seen on TDI engines have been part of the electronic engine management system. The mechanical Bosch VE pumps, if given decent fuel with adequate lubricity are known to last literally several hundred thousand miles without issue. While the electronics may be convenient for diagnosing problems, that convenience is greatly diminished when those problems are caused by failed parts that are only there for the electronic engine management.

[SyncroGhia]

I'd use the loom and ECU as per factory.

That way, wherever you are or whoever is working on the van can plug in and diagnose any problems as all shops these days have OBD2 technology. Also, you can get any parts you need off the shelf.

The problem with a mechanical pump is that unless you build it yourself, you'll be stuck to have any issues and tuning sorted by the one person who put it together. Also you may end up with one off parts etc. Not off the shelf stuff.

Just my opinion.

MG
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T3 Syncro 16 S6 Westfalia Limey SOLD
T3 Syncro 6x6 SOLD
T3 RS6 Bluestar
T3 Tristar Syncro 16 SOLD
T3 Tristar Syncro RHD SOLD

[freddie.#1]

[Zeitgeist 13]

[CdnVWJunkie]

[syncroserge]

[ALIKA T3]

[AndyBees]

ALH electronics... Drive by Wire vs mTDI

Well, from the time I started the project (on paper), late fall of '09 until I started the engine in August of 2012, there was a ton of personal issues on my plate.
..mother-in-law succumb to melanomia (my wife and I were there with her daily 99% of the time for over 6 months, sugeries, etc)
..brother-in-law succumb to lung cancer (my wife and I were there with him daily 95% of the time for over 6 months, radiation, chemo, etc.)
..my wife had to have spinal surgery
..my father went down hill that involved a lot of my attention, hospital, nursing home..he died 5/16/12
..theives broke into his house (the trial was the day after he died)
..nephew's wife committed sucide (we were there for family support numerous days)
..cousin's wife succumb to lung cancer (we were there for family support)
..close uncle passed due to a hospital screw-up (MRSA)
..helped my brother with remodeling his rent house
..other (lots of it, to much to detail)

I'm not whinning, but what we read in a project has no reflection on reality.
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So, I had to work my project as I could. Many times I would leave it laying for weeks. It's tough to go back and pick up where you left off in those circumstances. I also did more than just an engine install!...AC revamp, suspension, brakes, transmission rebuild, coolant piping issues, fuel tank, etc.

Those who have been following the project, know I went far beyond what most people do with an ALH and it's electronics! I believe when it is tweaked it will be as good as or better than any mTDI on the road!

I could do the next one fairly quick....
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'84 Vanagon Tin-top, ALH TDI. 1989 Tin-top
1983 Air-cool, 225k miles, 180k miles mine. Seven trips to Alaska from 1986 thru 2003.

[outwesty]