Howdy,
Im about to venture into the Westy world for the first time (going from a 2000 new beetle TDI to an 83 Westy) and I have a few questions. This westy had a Overland 1.9L Non-Turbo Diesel installed 12k miles ago.
What kind of performance / economy difference is there between the 1.6L and the 1.9L?
Is is worth while or possible to turbo the 1.9L diesel?
Any comments on Overland or the 1.9L?
Thanks!
1.9L Diesel questions
Moderator: Fatmobile
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VancouverVan
Don't know nothin' about Overland.
I looked into doing a 1.9 rather than a 1.6 when I rebuilt my '82. Seems I recall Jack Ewald didn't consider the 1.9 wise at all - don't recall why not. Others suggested the swap offered something like a 70% increase in hp, odd for a 19% increase in ci. If the hp increase were 1:1 with the ci increase, you'd have a whopping 57 hp. Be sure you have a headrest on ALL seats. The real problem, in my humble view, is the transmission belongs in a tractor. Even on a downhill, I can't do much more than sixty. I've heard the 1.6D provides the same power:weight ratio as an eighteen-wheeler. But Bubba has something like an four-hundred speed tranny. I have four. But the thing is, even if I had a nice six-speed cruising along at 65 mph on a flat interstate, it'd still only be doing 35 mph up even the mildest grade.
In Portland, Oregon, the City that Works Noisily on Your Street at Night, I found a shop that sold the 1.9 for about $2000. Installation was described as easy - swapping a few external parts and having to bend the injector supply tubes. (The additional 0.3 liters come, I gathered, from a taller block / longer stroke.)
I opted for a 1.6 rebuilt by others, driven a while, and then removed in favor of a 2.1 gas conversion. I bought the removed 1.6.
I understand neither the 1.6 or 1.9 n/a's can be converted to turbo without modifying the motor internally so it doesn't melt down and then come apart.
*
My rebuilt 1.6 n/a, which needs some adjustments, still is delivering 26 mpg on road trips, and 22 mpg with a large canoe tied on top. It smokes too much, always, but I'm told that's normal for a Diesel. It bothers me nonetheless. A gas motor smoking like that would need rebuilt, and on starting on cold mornings (cold here being 45 degrees, maybe), it smokes horrendously. I figure I'll tinker it up some so it smokes less on starting, and wear it out. If my former interest in biodiesel recovers - which is why I bought a Diesel in the first place - I'll play at that. Otherwise, I'll Tiico the thing into a 120 hp roadmaster camphappy sootless wanderer.
I looked into doing a 1.9 rather than a 1.6 when I rebuilt my '82. Seems I recall Jack Ewald didn't consider the 1.9 wise at all - don't recall why not. Others suggested the swap offered something like a 70% increase in hp, odd for a 19% increase in ci. If the hp increase were 1:1 with the ci increase, you'd have a whopping 57 hp. Be sure you have a headrest on ALL seats. The real problem, in my humble view, is the transmission belongs in a tractor. Even on a downhill, I can't do much more than sixty. I've heard the 1.6D provides the same power:weight ratio as an eighteen-wheeler. But Bubba has something like an four-hundred speed tranny. I have four. But the thing is, even if I had a nice six-speed cruising along at 65 mph on a flat interstate, it'd still only be doing 35 mph up even the mildest grade.
In Portland, Oregon, the City that Works Noisily on Your Street at Night, I found a shop that sold the 1.9 for about $2000. Installation was described as easy - swapping a few external parts and having to bend the injector supply tubes. (The additional 0.3 liters come, I gathered, from a taller block / longer stroke.)
I opted for a 1.6 rebuilt by others, driven a while, and then removed in favor of a 2.1 gas conversion. I bought the removed 1.6.
I understand neither the 1.6 or 1.9 n/a's can be converted to turbo without modifying the motor internally so it doesn't melt down and then come apart.
*
My rebuilt 1.6 n/a, which needs some adjustments, still is delivering 26 mpg on road trips, and 22 mpg with a large canoe tied on top. It smokes too much, always, but I'm told that's normal for a Diesel. It bothers me nonetheless. A gas motor smoking like that would need rebuilt, and on starting on cold mornings (cold here being 45 degrees, maybe), it smokes horrendously. I figure I'll tinker it up some so it smokes less on starting, and wear it out. If my former interest in biodiesel recovers - which is why I bought a Diesel in the first place - I'll play at that. Otherwise, I'll Tiico the thing into a 120 hp roadmaster camphappy sootless wanderer.
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CrssEyedNSmilin
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CrssEyedNSmilin
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VancouverVan
How is it on grades - as comparison, on freeway grades posted at 60 mph and with no special allowance for shoulder driving or admonitions to not impede more than five cars at a time (in other words, a grade other vehicles, not even Peterbilts, would notice), I'm in third and second going 30 - 35 mph. You?
Which tranny do you have?
Which tranny do you have?
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TD Benn
1.9L Upgrade
I am in the process of installing a 1.9L TD from a 93 Passat into my 1982 Diesel Westy. Pretty easy so far except for the Turbo oil drain line. Has anyone replaced that line with another bent one, or do you just bend the existing one?
I'm documenting the whole conversion if anyone is interested.
Also looking for a diesel tach. Anyone done that mod yet?
Benn, Vancouver Island.
I'm documenting the whole conversion if anyone is interested.
Also looking for a diesel tach. Anyone done that mod yet?
Benn, Vancouver Island.
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username
How goes the conversion? Any photos up on the web?
Diesel tach addition is easy. I got a diesel tach at a wrecker from an '86 Jetta TD dash, and it plugged right into my gasoline-converted Vanagon binacle.
However, my instrument binacle already had a tach (gas), so all the wiring was already there. To make it easy on yourself, you'll have to get a binacle from a gasoline Vanagon that originally had a tachometer in it, or at least the blue plastic circuit board from that binacle.
The same 3-pin socket connector on the blue flexible circuit board plugs into both the gasoline Vanagon and the Jetta diesel tachs - the three pin positions are the same in all '80s Vw VDO tachs, whether gas or diesel.
I suppose if you were desperate and couldn't find the blue circuit board foil or instrument binacle from a gas Van with a tach, you could wire the ground, power and W signal from the alternator directly to your diesel tach, without swapping the circuit boards. Beware if you do this - I think the tach is designed to run about 10 volts through the voltage stabilizer, like the temp and fuel gauges. Straight 12V+ may kill it.
I'm not sure about this.
The alternator pulley from the wrecked car with the tach will probably not be the same diameter as the alt pulley on your new engine - Murphy's Law. That just requires that you turn the adjustment screw on the back of the tach to calibrate it properly.
Diesel tach addition is easy. I got a diesel tach at a wrecker from an '86 Jetta TD dash, and it plugged right into my gasoline-converted Vanagon binacle.
However, my instrument binacle already had a tach (gas), so all the wiring was already there. To make it easy on yourself, you'll have to get a binacle from a gasoline Vanagon that originally had a tachometer in it, or at least the blue plastic circuit board from that binacle.
The same 3-pin socket connector on the blue flexible circuit board plugs into both the gasoline Vanagon and the Jetta diesel tachs - the three pin positions are the same in all '80s Vw VDO tachs, whether gas or diesel.
I suppose if you were desperate and couldn't find the blue circuit board foil or instrument binacle from a gas Van with a tach, you could wire the ground, power and W signal from the alternator directly to your diesel tach, without swapping the circuit boards. Beware if you do this - I think the tach is designed to run about 10 volts through the voltage stabilizer, like the temp and fuel gauges. Straight 12V+ may kill it.
I'm not sure about this.
The alternator pulley from the wrecked car with the tach will probably not be the same diameter as the alt pulley on your new engine - Murphy's Law. That just requires that you turn the adjustment screw on the back of the tach to calibrate it properly.
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DieselGerald
- Glow Plug
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2005 1:03 pm
- Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Ditto on the smoke
I have an 82 diesel westy with a 1.6 (am looking for a 1.9 with a turbo). It is just nasty the amount of smoke at start up on cold days, it seems to help a little to run the glow plugs 2 or 3 times (until the light goes out each time)before starting it.
It is especially bad because we live in the city, and there always seems to be some unfortunate soul walking by at the wrong moment. Our mechanic has said that the 1.6 vw's did this when brand new, I hope a newer motor will help. Does anyone have any experience with this, do the newer motors smoke less?
Also if anyone has a 1.9 td for sale, let me know.
It is especially bad because we live in the city, and there always seems to be some unfortunate soul walking by at the wrong moment. Our mechanic has said that the 1.6 vw's did this when brand new, I hope a newer motor will help. Does anyone have any experience with this, do the newer motors smoke less?
Also if anyone has a 1.9 td for sale, let me know.
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DieselGerald
- Glow Plug
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2005 1:03 pm
- Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Re: 1.9L Upgrade
I'd really like to see how it's going and any pictures and or advice you have about this conversion, as I hope to do it too.TD Benn wrote:I am in the process of installing a 1.9L TD from a 93 Passat into my 1982 Diesel Westy. Pretty easy so far except for the Turbo oil drain line. Has anyone replaced that line with another bent one, or do you just bend the existing one?
I'm documenting the whole conversion if anyone is interested.
Also looking for a diesel tach. Anyone done that mod yet?
Benn, Vancouver Island.
Thanks,
Gerald
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diesel dunk
- Cetane Booster
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2005 7:08 pm
- Location: UK