1991 Jetta COUPE - GAS to DIESEL swap

[Mr_Diesel]

Here's the coupe yall been hearing me talk about for the past few weeks... She aint much to look at right now, but it's a work in progress... I'm going up to canada in october to get like 5 TD engines, and one of them is going in this little beast. In the mean time, the 1.8L Digifant engine will have to suffice :D

Enjoy

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0252.jpg

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0253.jpg

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0254.jpg

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0255.jpg

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0256.jpg

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0257.jpg

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0260.jpg
YES, THAT SAYS 243,370 MILES

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0261.jpg

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0262.jpg

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0263.jpg

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0264.jpg

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupe/IMG_0265.jpg

[twig]

i love it diesel. my coupe's body is in a bit better condition, but since you're putting in a TD in there, it'll kick mine's ass.
say, if you happen to travel near niagara falls, or even better st. catharines, Ontario, let me know and we can hook up.

[Mr_Diesel]

I'm going to Moncton, NB... I'll cross the border in Maine. Thx, btw

[HyperNut]

what pressure is a td running at?

[Mr_Diesel]

what pressure is a td running at?

Unsure... 7-14psi

[twig]

thats too bad diesel. why not try and take the scenic route?

[Matty-O]

Lots of potential for being a truly sick car, but lots of work to go...Good Luck with the coupe, im rootin for ya

[HyperNut]

actually i was wondering what the pressure in the cylinders will be, i was thinking about the compressed air thread

[sausageburner]

that's alot of work buddy.. hey maybe your coupe will be as cool as mine! lol, joking... Very nice though, I need big bumpers... these small ones suck!

[Mr_Diesel]

actually i was wondering what the pressure in the cylinders will be, i was thinking about the compressed air thread

compression... just tested is as follows:

cyl1: 113psi
cyl2: 109psi
cyl3: 111psi
cyl4: 102psi

Anything above 90 is okay compression... but you want it to be near 125ish... 125 is a characteristic of a brand new engine at a 10.5:1 compression.

[Mr_Diesel]

Update:

The coupe is running excellent. I got some stock VW rims on it (silver ones with the round holes in them), got the whole thing put back together, and guess what... IT RUNS!!! It's running really really rich right now, thanks to burn_yur_moolah, I've got some ideas from his bently of what I can do to help with this....

Problems right now:

1. Left CV joint is ready to explode (CV boot doesnt exist)
2. Front grille is practically dead.... Needs to be replaced.
3. Ignition key and door key are different... I'll probably try swap ignition switch and door cylinders with my parts jetta.
4. Rear window brake light does not work for some reason.
5. Running rich... Needs an O2 sensor, I think.
6. Driver's side door does not close unless you push down the lock... I'll have to check that out. Might need to swap door latches with parts jetta.
7. Coolant warning light is flashing for some reason. Changed resivior bottles with no luck. (Radiator fan is ALWAYS running and takes 12 minutes to shut off after the key is switched off reguardless of engine temperature col or hot.
8. Car is still slightly out of time. Having the timing belt done on payday.

[Gotturbo]

And now its got a RED HOOD!!!! :lol: :lol:

[Mr_Diesel]

Yeah!!! Hey Sam, wanna help me swap fenders tonight?

[Mr_Diesel]

Yeah!!! Hey Sam, wanna help me swap fenders tonight?

[Gotturbo]

Maybe if I feel good... I have a cold :(

[Gotturbo]

Maybe if I feel good... I have a cold :(

[GoodDayForADrive]

I'll help! oh wait.. there's that distance thing... well, if you wanna pay for a round trip ticket over there, I'll help :)

[GoodDayForADrive]

I'll help! oh wait.. there's that distance thing... well, if you wanna pay for a round trip ticket over there, I'll help :)

[Mr_Diesel]

lol, thanks but no thanks.

[Mr_Diesel]

lol, thanks but no thanks.

[Mr_Diesel]

Bad news... The engine is running like ****. It needs a rebuild. Period. I'm going to drive it up to TDC motorsports where it will await it's vr6 swap.

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

[WishingForSpeed]

drools on self....How much is that going to fun, arent you going to have to replace a bunch of other stuff?

[Mr_Diesel]

bah... I'm just ticked. I'd rather be driving a beater jetta than this damn mercedes.

[WishingForSpeed]

hmm, quick sell the benz for a Jetta!

[burn_your_money]

I'll trade you. Car for car, mines a real beater. :D

[WishingForSpeed]

Sorry this is random but it just poppe dinto my head. Anyone here ever see Suicide Kings...the bum, "You got a Benz, I got a busket!" LMAO

[Mr_Diesel]

Update!

I got sick and tired of driving my mercedes, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I pulled the engine out of an 84 rabbit diesel and over the course of my (unemployed) week, installed it into my coupe. I actually mounted the engine into the car today.

Click here for a short How-To... GASOLINE TO DIESEL SWAP (http://www.dubnetworks.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=492)

[WishingForSpeed]

nice!

[Optigman]

Just skimmed through the DIY WOW! (crowd cheers in background)

I read the fan was running non stop, has this been fixed?

[Gotturbo]

I do believe it was fixed but the 1.8L was ripped out so all electronics are gone for that engine.

[Optigman]

I do believe it was fixed but the 1.8L was ripped out so all electronics are gone for that engine.

cool, just for anyones amusment though, if the fan thing happens to you check 2 things. 1-the heat/ac fan is switched off 2-if the climate fan switch is off, then check the temp sensor on the radiator. If the sensor is corroded it will cause the fan to run non stop. you can clean it off unless the sensor is shot then you'll need a new one.

[Mr_Diesel]

I do believe it was fixed but the 1.8L was ripped out so all electronics are gone for that engine.

cool, just for anyones amusment though, if the fan thing happens to you check 2 things. 1-the heat/ac fan is switched off 2-if the climate fan switch is off, then check the temp sensor on the radiator. If the sensor is corroded it will cause the fan to run non stop. you can clean it off unless the sensor is shot then you'll need a new one.

Been there done that. 2 sensors, 2 radiators, 2 wads of wires... can't figure that out... It's all good... The fan will run for 15 minutes after the engine is shut off reguardless of engine temperature. Fan problem I can live with.

[Mr_Diesel]

Drained the gas, and hooked up the fuel lines. Installed a diesel throttle cable, and hooked up the airbox. Ran wires to the glow plug solenoid (powered by a ford starter solenoid). Did all that this morning... A few misc things left to do.

Fill tank with diesel
Install front end/radiator
Run wires to the glow plug solenoid/fuel pump
Install switches to run those 2 items.
Fix tranny mount
Mount the fuel filter

That's about it.... should be ready to start in a few days.

[GoodDayForADrive]

sweet, let us know :D

[burn_your_money]

Nice man. Keep us posted :D

[speedbump]

actually i was wondering what the pressure in the cylinders will be, i was thinking about the compressed air thread

compression... just tested is as follows:

cyl1: 113psi
cyl2: 109psi
cyl3: 111psi
cyl4: 102psi

Anything above 90 is okay compression... but you want it to be near 125ish... 125 is a characteristic of a brand new engine at a 10.5:1 compression.

You're kidding!! thats all a VW TD has for compression? 8O Where I work, our diesel compression tester start at 200psi.
My A3 Jetta 2.0l has between 180 and 190 on all 4 at 135,000 miles, I expected a diesel to be highet than that.

[burn_your_money]

Aren't diesels suppose to be around the 400 psi mark?
EDIT, I think the above PSIs ar from the coupe digi 1 engine.

[Mr_Diesel]

Aren't diesels suppose to be around the 400 psi mark?
EDIT, I think the above PSIs ar from the coupe digi 1 engine.

You are correct... compression in my diesel motor is about 418psi across the board.

[MKIIVR6]

sweet, let us know :D

Ditto. I want to know as well.

[speedbump]

Aren't diesels suppose to be around the 400 psi mark?
EDIT, I think the above PSIs ar from the coupe digi 1 engine.

You are correct... compression in my diesel motor is about 418psi across the board.

Ok, that sounds better. I was confused because HyperNut asked about the "pressures" in a td engine, and low 100s was your responce. :roll:

[miamiDaveGLi]

:D got any new pics for us cody :D

[Mr_Diesel]

Fill tank with diesel - CHECK
Install front end/radiator
Run wires to the glow plug solenoid/fuel pump - CHECK
Install switches to run those 2 items. - CHECK
Fix tranny mount
Mount the fuel filter

New Items for the List:

Cork off the extra openings in the intake manifold.
Remove the vane from the MAF sensor.

Run permanent wires and a toggle switch for the fuel shutoff valve.
Connect the exhaust system to the downpipe.
Label the gas tank lid, vacuum line schematics and instrument cluster as has been converted to diesel per request of Utah County Emissions.

Anyway, here is the update... The above check items were done today. I was getting ready to start it, and I got a ketchup bottle and filled it with diesel. I proceeded to squirt some fuel in the intake manifold to give the engine some incentive to start right up.... LOL, and I gave it A LOT of incentive. I turned the key, and it sucked up all that diesel fuel, and WHAM... HYDRO LOCK! The engine would not turn. I got a wrench and turned the engine backwards. The cylinder that was hydro lock just so happened to be the one that had just finished it's exhaust stroke, therefore turning the engine backwards dumped all the extra fuel out of the cylinder. (thank ***).... I thought I busted a piston or something! After the hydro lock had been eliminated, I cranked it over, and at the first crank, all that diesel fuel finally combusted! This generated an enourmous cloud, it was incredible. The engine ran for 5 seconds and then stopped!

Anyway, I cranked for several minutes... Tried to get the engine started for an hour. Finally I decided to give the starter a rest....

And then... It hit me! I am a dumbass. I FORGOT TO RUN A WIRE TO THE FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE!!! OHHH ****! Needless to say, I ran a jumper from that valve to the battery, and the second I turned the key, the engine fired right up! She billowed hellacious amounts of black smoke, as she slowly sputtered and stabilized. It took her about 45 seconds of running to get all the air out of the injector pump, lines and injectors, after that she ran like a dream. She sounded like a enourmous man made monster coming to life.

340,000 miles on the engine, and it starts and runs like the day she rolled out of the factory.

Now I just have to get her all shined up, and paint the steelies, and she'll be road worthy. Pictures of the completed project to come soon.

[miamiDaveGLi]

:D THATS AWESOME MAN !!!! WE NEED A TD COUPE BURN OUT :twisted:
cant wait to see it complete!

[burn_your_money]

WOOT WOOT!! Nice man. Glad to hear you got it going :D You should get us some pictures of this setup.

Dave, I'm pretty sure that this is his NA diesel.

[Mr_Diesel]

:D THATS AWESOME MAN !!!! WE NEED A TD COUPE BURN OUT :twisted:
cant wait to see it complete!


There won't be any burnouts with this car... She has 340K on the motor.

[GoodDayForADrive]

*is excited* :lol:

[2002maniac]

Sweet dude!! good to hear it. I didnt finish mine :( still have to hook up the axles and the downpipe(it was too cold to be laying on the concrete). The new clutch cable was a biatch, took me forever. She'll prolly be ready to drive with 1 hrs work. Then we can race :twisted: hehehe

[Mr_Diesel]

Sweet dude!! good to hear it. I didnt finish mine :( still have to hook up the axles and the downpipe(it was too cold to be laying on the concrete). The new clutch cable was a biatch, took me forever. She'll prolly be ready to drive with 1 hrs work. Then we can race :twisted: hehehe

Awesome dude... Just for kicks I went out there today and ran a wire to my fuel valve. Let the glow plugs warm for 10 seconds, turned the key and she started right up. Now big clouds of smoke this time. The coupe is offically alive... Payday is monday (tommorow) I am going to buy some stuff get it all ready and register it sometime this week....

Gotta start saving for the CV joints and wheel bearings cause those are going soon.


Mark this day as the day the coupe got it's new lease on life. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[burn_your_money]

I wrote it down in my book :lol:

That's awesome man. hopefully one day I can stop in and see this thing in real life.

[Mr_Diesel]

Beins this is a precious and extremly significant day, I took the liberty of making a short video.

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/coupestart.wmv

[MKIIVR6]

When that is all buttoned back up and registered, I would like to come down there and see it. Perhaps we could race or something. Looking like lots of progress has been made. 8)

[Mr_Diesel]

Sure thing... Me you sam and cameron should go get lunch next saturday or something.

[miamiDaveGLi]

8O damn cody thats AMAZING man im way impressed !!!! i wish i coud come to lunch with you guys !
props on the sub titles :twisted:

[burn_your_money]

All that is missing on this end is that lovely smell of diesel :D

Sounds REALLY good man :D

How many more hours would you guess until it's driving around the streets?

[Mr_Diesel]

All that is missing on this end is that lovely smell of diesel :D

Sounds REALLY good man :D

How many more hours would you guess until it's driving around the streets?

Well... I would have guessed about 8 hours, but I finished it tonight. Got the 500Watt flood lamp out and worked on the sucker until it was done. All I have left to do is clean the crap out of the back seat and get the junk out of the trunk, attatch the front bumper and front grille, and she'll be ready for emissions. It's going to be my birthday present to myself.

[Mr_Diesel]

Problem now. The 1.6 si about 1 inch shorter than the 1.8... thus the downpipe is resting on my steering rack! Anyway... i won't be able to use my trusty gasoline manifold, so I've gotta switch back to the rabbit manifold... dang it.

[Mr_Diesel]

Update.... I decided to take the chances of using the gas downpipe. I simply removed the heat shields and that gave me an extra half inch of clearance. Needless to say, it works great. The empty cat converter is now the muffler... Now that I got the part done that the exhaust guy wouldnt do, now I should be able to take it in there and have in weld up all the goodies under there. After that, I am going to buy a pop-rivet gun and pop-rivet my front bumper on so it doesnt fall off in the middle of the road again! After that all she needs is that wire and switch to run the fuel shutoff switch, and I'm probably going to go spend the money and get an intermittent switch to run the glow plugs, cause I accidently left the switch on today and about fried the starter solenoid, and glows, soooooooooo.... I'm going to put a switch on there that won't allow me to forget. After that I have to install fuseable links to protect all my new wiring, and she will be ready for emissions. My goal is to have it running and looking pretty before the Wasser-Kuhler meeting on the 18th!

Peace!

[burn_your_money]

Right on man. That's awesome. It's nice to see it all coming together.

[Mr_Diesel]

Update:

12/1/04

Took it in for emissions (made an appointment at the diesel IM place) When I got there they told me if it was older than 1996, then they have to put it on the dyno. So.... They need to have inspection completed first so they can determine if it's safte to put on the dyno. So my IM plan was scrubbed. I took it in for inspection, and found out:

1. Headlights don't work (damn switch)
2. Struts are bad
3. My fuel shutoff valve can't be run by a switch. The engine must be killed by the ignition switch.
4. The fault door latch needs to be replaced.


So to fix the struts, I shoved pieces of towel inside the strut tower, and that made them stiff as hell. That should pass now. I am going to rig up a toggle switch to power the headlights. The fuel valve will be operated by the coil pack's power supply. Teh door latch is getting replaced with that from the parts jetta.


Just though you'd all liek to know.

[GoodDayForADrive]

Update:

12/1/04

Took it in for emissions (made an appointment at the diesel IM place) When I got there they told me if it was older than 1996, then they have to put it on the dyno. So.... They need to have inspection completed first so they can determine if it's safte to put on the dyno. So my IM plan was scrubbed. I took it in for inspection, and found out:

1. Headlights don't work (damn switch)
2. Struts are bad
3. My fuel shutoff valve can't be run by a switch. The engine must be killed by the ignition switch.
4. The fault door latch needs to be replaced.


So to fix the struts, I shoved pieces of towel inside the strut tower, and that made them stiff as hell. That should pass now. I am going to rig up a toggle switch to power the headlights. The fuel valve will be operated by the coil pack's power supply. Teh door latch is getting replaced with that from the parts jetta.


Just though you'd all liek to know.

towels, eh? :lol:

[Anonymous]

Hey Cody I was thinking about all these switches and stuff you're using...and it hit me--->JEGS, they sell switch panels...and heres a few links for my suggestion...

http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=1205&prmenbr=361--->this one's $66

http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/search/search.d2w/report2?searchphrase=Switch+Panels&smartsearch=on&ns=Y--->this is a list for all of the switch panels

[Matty-O]

that was me------^^^^

[Mr_Diesel]

Hey Cody I was thinking about all these switches and stuff you're using...and it hit me--->JEGS, they sell switch panels...and heres a few links for my suggestion...

http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=1205&prmenbr=361--->this one's $66

http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/search/search.d2w/report2?searchphrase=Switch+Panels&smartsearch=on&ns=Y--->this is a list for all of the switch panels

I am going to go to the junkyard and get rear defroster switches to use for my switched items, then I can use the empty spaces in the dashboard... I am going to drill a hole in one of the plastic dummy switches and install my intermittent glow plug switch. Then I can hide all my wires inside the dash, and it will appear stock.



towels, eh? :lol:

Yeah, it works wonders, lol... Stiff as your grandpa on viagra... *whoops... did I just say that?*

[Mr_Diesel]

I finished the car today, and found a few other problems.

Today's accomplishment:

1. Attatched the grille ( so it wouldnt fall off )
2. Fixed the heater (had to replace the blower motor)
3. Pop-Rivet on the front bumper.
4. Replaced the radiator support/headlight frame (again)
5. Fully removed the back seat. Getting ready to mount the subs.
6. Mounted the glow plug and fuel pump switches in dummy switch panel.

Ran into a new problem. The little vaccum diaphram that operates the heater airflow valves is broken! The diaphram that selects between defrost and panel vents. It BROKE RIGHT OFF!!! That's going to be a bitch to replace. It's good I saw that before I put the center console back on, otherwise I wouldnt have had any way of turning on the defrost.

Also, the blower motor for the heater will only operate in position "4". I tried a different switch but that didnt do anything... I heard there is a resistor somewhere that causes this to happen... couldnt find anything. Do you think the relay is bad?

Anyway, she's all ready for driving. I drove it to work today, and the car did fine at 80mph.

I used the original clutch from the rabbit which will probably need replacing soon (just because I am a cheap mofo). I'm hoping the clutch disc will last until summer so I don't have to do this in the cold.

Anyway, here's a picture of the Glow/Fuel pump switches.

Later peeps.

http://www.dubnetworks.net/images/IMG_0663.jpg

[miamiDaveGLi]

8O i love it i love it !!!!!! thats AWESOME mang :D get us some dirving vid :D
and ill dig in the bently and scan you the page about the blower motor resistor 8)

[Gotturbo]

Hey man im cruising up with you do the meet on the 18th... So I can ride in this mostrosity that you've built

[Mr_Diesel]

Hey man im cruising up with you do the meet on the 18th... So I can ride in this mostrosity that you've built

I don't think it's earned the title of monstrosity.... It only has 53hp, but it dynoed at 111 lb ft!! I am surprised. Anyway, yeah, that's cool if you wanna ride up. Now you can hear what real subwoofers sound like when they are not inside a soundproof mercedes trunk :twisted:

Also, I got pulled over tonight (If I get another ticket I loose my licence) So I was REAAAALLLY scared. Turns out he pulled me over cause my licence plate wasnt illuminated.

[2002maniac]

Did you personally dyno it? Where?! i want to dyno my car when its done. How many tickets do you have? I got three in september :evil: Im driving suuuper careful now!

[MKIIVR6]

The three of us will need to race that night. Three old beat to crap A2's going down the road all in a fit of anger and rage. :twisted:

[Mr_Diesel]

Did you personally dyno it? Where?! i want to dyno my car when its done. How many tickets do you have? I got three in september :evil: Im driving suuuper careful now!

When you take in a pre 1996 diesel vehicle it has to be dynoed to get emission's results. On the I/M's slip, they print off your max torque, Max Hp, and Hp/Torque at 50mph.

If you were desperate enough, I'll bet you could call the diesel emissions place (in spanish fork it's the Utah County Health Department for Vehicle Emissions on south main street by the county jail.) You could *probably* talk them into giving you a simple readout for like 15 dollars if you made an appointment and it was areally slow day. But you don't get the printoff of your powerband or anything.

I have one speeding ticket (10 over) and a reckless driving ticket for speeding 120 in a 40mph zone. Reckless driving is the WORST moving violation you can get. Taht alone was like 125 points, then the speeding ticket was 35 points, so I am like 40 over my limit! I'm riding on thin ice... So I am armed with a 53 horsepower car and a radar detector.

[kodkingvegeta]

I no this is 2 yrs old. But I really want to see it. Every pic that I click has a dead link.

[Gotturbo]

That car got a 16V then got sold its been gone for awhile now.

[kodkingvegeta]

O, srry man. But like Iv said before, I really like the 91 model, I want one for a project. Lol