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Diesel swap recommendations?
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garbaldie
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 11:18 am    Post subject: Re: Diesel swap recommendations? Reply with quote

Also highly recommend doing the drive by wire ALH swap. Installed that in my '86 Syncro Doka with a Stage 1.5 tune and the thing zips right along. Can't speak of long term reliability as I've only had the thing back on the road since the beginning of the month (after 3.5 years of mostly weekend work doing a full ground up restoration). It's installed at 15 degrees, which is what's great about the Doka/Sinka engine compartment as there is plenty of room. There's really not much electrical to it, I built an entirely new harness for it myself just by referencing the Bentley manual and some TDI forums. Stuck with using the original instrument cluster rather than the donor MK4 one, but fully integrated the tach signal from the ECU, as well as the glow plug and check engine lights into the cluster.
Only issue I've had after installing, was shortly after getting everything running, it would periodically not start (ECM wasn't turning on), turned out to be just that the 109 relay was failing, bought and new one and everything's been fine since (Old relay had cracked the solder around one of the contacts, meaning it only periodically made a connection, resoldered it and now keep it in the glovebox as a spare).
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?Waldo?
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 11:34 am    Post subject: Re: Diesel swap recommendations? Reply with quote

valvecovergasket wrote:
goes to show anything can break Razz


Yup, anything can break and the drive by wire setup has a whole lot more things that can and sometimes do break and cause issues.

My two primary drivers for the last ~10 years have been my '02 stock eTDI Jetta wagon and my '91 mTDI ALH Vanagon. The mTDI Vanagon gives better performance than the stock eTDI Jetta. Both have been reliable vehicles. The mTDI engine management has had zero issues in that time. The eTDI has required a temperature sensor and an MAF.

Both vehicles have required other service in that time, but nothing that was engine management related. There is no doubt that an mTDI with a proper injection pump and quality install is markedly more reliable than the eTDI engine management. There are virtually no failure modes of the mTDI that do not also exist with the eTDI, but there are a slew of failure modes of the eTDI that cannot occur with the mTDI.
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sphet
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 12:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Diesel swap recommendations? Reply with quote

I love the idea of upgrading the engine, but love the way my van looks. Would an mTDI keep the mechanical pedal and dash the same? I know I'd be without a tachometer (82 had none) but what else would I be missing?

I would need to find a reliable shop because my parked-on-the-street situation isn't going to let me learn how to do an engine swap.

<edit>

Being able to have many mechanics work on the engine is maybe some of the appeal to an older engine over the CR setup talked about recently.
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Last edited by sphet on Fri May 14, 2021 12:58 pm; edited 1 time in total
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MarkWard
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 12:34 pm    Post subject: Re: Diesel swap recommendations? Reply with quote

You can not tell I have a modern TDI engine in place of our 1.6 diesel to look at our 82. That said, an engine conversion is not something you can do along a curb. I wouldn’t even attempt an straight engine swap on the street. All it would take is one distracted driver and the engine would be the least of your worries.
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?Waldo?
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 1:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Diesel swap recommendations? Reply with quote

sphet wrote:
I love the idea of upgrading the engine, but love the way my van looks. Would an mTDI keep the mechanical pedal and dash the same? I know I'd be without a tachometer (82 had none) but what else would I be missing?


There's no problem keeping the Vanagon instruments. Given that your van is a 1.6 non-turbo, the wiring and instrumentation for an mTDI would be the same as what you currently have.

It is also possible to add a tachometer that runs off the w-signal from your alternator.

MarkWard wrote:
...and the free cruise control is nice.


I've seen similar comments by multiple people before and always find it funny. The cruise control on an eTDI is far from free. That's like saying your tax refund is free money from the government. It's one of the more challenging cruise control systems to install. It requires the whole engine management installation. I think cruise control is a nice option to add, but I sure don't want the operation of my vehicle to depend on it. When the cruise control fails on an mTDI, you have to drive using your right foot on the accelerator. When it fails on an eTDI, you're often in limp mode or walking.
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old_man
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 1:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Diesel swap recommendations? Reply with quote

I have an mTDI

- I would not do a swap in the street
- Finding a shop that can do it might prove quite difficult when it comes to tuning and adjusting the pump/timing
- I would strongly recommend a EGT gauge over a tach
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MarkWard
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 1:29 pm    Post subject: Re: Diesel swap recommendations? Reply with quote

Waldo no idea what you are talking about. Takes about 5 min to enable cruise on the ECU using VCDS. Uses the stock vanagon cruise switch.
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 1:32 pm    Post subject: Re: Diesel swap recommendations? Reply with quote

Cruise is the last feature I still haven't setup on my swap. I just need to attach the bellows and then connect it to the throttle arm--free cruise.
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?Waldo?
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 1:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Diesel swap recommendations? Reply with quote

MarkWard wrote:
Waldo no idea what you are talking about. Takes about 5 min to enable cruise on the ECU using VCDS. Uses the stock vanagon cruise switch.


It's unfortunate that you do not understand what I am saying. It is true that cruise is included as part of the electronic engine management, but that doesn't make it anywhere near free. It's a whole lot more expensive in labor than the installation of an mTDI "engine management" and standalone cruise control and carries more downsides. When the brake or clutch switches misbehave on a standalone cruise control, the cruise control misbehaves and you motor on happily using your right foot on the accelerator. When the switches misbehave on an eTDI, the engine goes into limp mode. When the standalone cruise module fails, the cruise control doesn't work and you motor on happily with your right foot on the accelerator. When the eTDI cruise control module (ECU) fails, you're calling a tow truck.


Last edited by ?Waldo? on Fri May 14, 2021 3:28 pm; edited 2 times in total
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mikemtnbike
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 1:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Diesel swap recommendations? Reply with quote

I feel pretty confident saying that Vivid Vans in Duncan would be a good candidate as a shop to work with. Ferry rides are fun.
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