1.6 n/a upgrades

Upgrades to the 1.5, 1.6 and 1.9 engines that make them go farther or faster
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esox
Glow Plug
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2009 4:00 pm
Location: Ames, IA

1.6 n/a upgrades

Post by esox »

I plan to have a giles performance rebuild on the pump. What are other worthwhile upgrades?


Also,
If i were to have a performance rebuild on the stock n/a pump, and stick a low boost turbo on there (like a eco), would the results be worthwhile?
Or would it be wiser to just stay n/a?
'81 Caddy
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
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Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

A little more complicated but I would always choose to use a turbo if one was available.
If you go with a turbo, the 2 largest improvements are bigger exhaust and intercooler.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
mattbondy
Diesel Freak
Posts: 173
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2007 4:29 pm
Location: Windsor Ontario Canada

Post by mattbondy »

Stock TD did have the oil sprayers but they can be retrofitted or not used at all. If getting the turbo and doing the work to install is no big deal I would go for it. A small, low boost turbo is just going to get you back some of the waste heat out the exhaust. You lose a little to spool the turbo but if the turbo is small that loss should be negligible.

It would make sense to me that turbos would add swirl and swirl is a very desirable in a diesel. Combustion just gets better and better with swirl. Usually the limiting factor is how to keep increasing swirl, eventually it requires a crazy intake and combustion chamber geometry (ie. high heat loss prechambers...).

And of course you get more air which means you have the potential for more torque and/or a cleaner burn.

Given the pump has a limited capacity to put out fuel, one possible downside would be if you love blowing lots of soot out the exhaust that capability will be reduced.
1986 NA diesel Jetta
- future societies will mine for precious oil beneath my parking spot
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