shawn83zxt Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Hey guys, I have a running sbc swap, but I'm not impressed with gas mileage at all. I'm also paranoid that I need a rebuild. I had a dream the other night and I think I may want to fab up some mounts to fit a VW turbo diesel (1.9 TDI). For a transmission, I've found an adapter that will allow me to use a Toyota truck transmission. This is a kit designed for a Suzuki, but I think if I measure it there shouldnt be much of a clearance issue. I should be able to use my current drive shaft once I've put the right hardware on the transmission side (correct spline). I should be able to use this kit to mate a W55 Toyota trans (80s Celica) to the VW diesel. Any input would be cool, this is just in the planning phase at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Sorry , think you are crazy if you are thinking of doing such swap . I wouldn't consider do any european motors in any cars . Think they all junks . Have been working on cars , in an auto shop , for over 20 yrs . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkRev Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Sorry , think you are crazy if you are thinking of doing such swap . I wouldn't consider do any european motors in any cars . Think they all junks . Have been working on cars , in an auto shop , for over 20 yrs . Funny, I have owned Chevy's all of my life, right now I have a 2002 TDI and a 98 BMW 3 series, both over 200,000 miles and little to no problems. I also got a 6.0 suburban with piston slap that I almost need to give away to get rid of it. (and it has been nothing but trouble the whole time I have owned it) As for the OP, I would love to see a Z with over 40 mpg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 (edited) Funny, I have owned Chevy's all of my life, right now I have a 2002 TDI and a 98 BMW 3 series, both over 200,000 miles and little to no problems. I also got a 6.0 suburban with piston slap that I almost need to give away to get rid of it. (and it has been nothing but trouble the whole time I have owned it) As for the OP, I would love to see a Z with over 40 mpg. Our shop do a lot VW . Think they are junks . Too many plastic parts , which failed as soon as war. expired . Poor electrical sys. , cooling sys. ? What a joke . Paying too much and getting too little . And parts are way high and take too long to get . You can buy dom and import ( Jap. ) parts all day long at your local store for way cheaper . That's just my opions about european cars , wouldn't never own one . They do put food on my table . LOL Edited November 8, 2012 by Domzs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Hey guys, I have a running sbc swap, but I'm not impressed with gas mileage at all. I'm also paranoid that I need a rebuild. I had a dream the other night and I think I may want to fab up some mounts to fit a VW turbo diesel (1.9 TDI). For a transmission, I've found an adapter that will allow me to use a Toyota truck transmission. This is a kit designed for a Suzuki, but I think if I measure it there shouldnt be much of a clearance issue. I should be able to use my current drive shaft once I've put the right hardware on the transmission side (correct spline). I should be able to use this kit to mate a W55 Toyota trans (80s Celica) to the VW diesel. Any input would be cool, this is just in the planning phase at the moment. I apologize for using the word CRAZY . Just trying to warn you about your choice of motor . We have done a lot of injection pumps , they run about $1500 plus . They do have a lot of other problems . Do you search . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Reminds me of an acquaintance who had TDI Jetta and read about making it run on cooking grease. He collected a bunch of cooking oil and grease from his family and friends over a few weeks, strained it, and poured it into his fuel tank. He called me (because I am a "car guy") and asked me why it wouldn't run. I just laughed for about 5 minutes. He now owns a Honda civic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getoffmyinternet Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Sounds super easy! We could go on all day about the reliability of european cars, but at the end of the day it's just about personal preference. That said, I fly in a twin engine mercedes, so if you want to talk about trusting a continent... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockerstar Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Personally, I would LOVE to see this swap happen! I think it would make for a peppy little DD that was easy to drive and easy on my wallet. I wouldn't want it as my only Z, but it would make for a fun DD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstarrocker Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Only issue I see is electronics, the 1.9tdi is a pain in the ass to swap. You need the cluster, pedals, etc to be wired in. And, that transmission will suck balls unless you swap in a crazy tall rearend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstarrocker Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Only issue I see is electronics, the 1.9tdi is a pain in the ass to swap. You need the cluster, pedals, etc to be wired in. And, that transmission will suck balls unless you swap in a crazy tall rearend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn83zxt Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 Thanks for the input. When it comes to engine reliability, I'm not really worried. My experience with euro engines hasn't been too negative. Maintaining a VW 1.9 may not be as cheap as a SBC 350, but I'm pretty sure it will be fine. There should be some SBC parts in the classifieds soon. PM me if you want something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn83zxt Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 Only issue I see is electronics, the 1.9tdi is a pain in the ass to swap. You need the cluster, pedals, etc to be wired in. And, that transmission will suck balls unless you swap in a crazy tall rearend. I think you're mistaken. This seems to paint a pretty nice picture of the electronics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperZ Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I daily drive a VW TDI. If you have the patience, and get good gearing, that would be a really nice swap. A tuned ECU and higher flow injectors could really wake that car up, plenty of room under the hood, and lots of technical support on TDIClub.com. What's not to like about 40+ mpg and potential to run 100% renewable fuel? I get 45mpg with an automatic on 100% biodiesel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstarrocker Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I think you're mistaken. This seems to paint a pretty nice picture of the electronics I'm not mistaken. You can use that wiring if you want to put a mechanical diesel pump on your 1.9tdi engine, converting into into an old-school, less efficient engine, albeit with more displacement. At that point you may as well just do a 1.6td engine. You said 1.9 T-D-I, and if you want modern tdi and modern fuel efficiency, you will have to swap over ALL the electronics that go with the engine. Do your research on what it takes to put a modern tdi into a vw. Many people do whole firewall swaps to accomodate the electric pedal cluster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstarrocker Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 (edited) . Edited November 9, 2012 by darkstarrocker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstarrocker Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Here's a good thread. All the information you need is here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 I've wanted to do a high MPG 4 cylinder swap into my 280ZX daily driver, but honestly the biggest road block I run into is that most of the ones I like spin the wrong direction. And as tempting as the TDI swap is, I'm not so sure it makes sense to convert a chassis from gasoline to diesel just for RWD capability or even just overall love of the chassis. I think I'd sooner just buy a TDI. If it's about doing it just because, well that's fine. For me, if high MPG was the end goal but I still wanted solid power, my choice would be a turbo B16 honda. The CRX I owned with a NA B16 could reach over 40mpg and would average 35 combined with me flogging on it pretty much always. Add a turbo for some extra grunt when needed and it'd be a pretty potent combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Mark Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Shenanigans. I work at a VW/Audi performance shop and also daily drive a TDI.... Questioning the reliability of European cars is nothing new, but the ALH TDI is a whole different story. At heart, I'm a japanese car guy, but the reason I didn't flinch at buying a TDI is because I know how reliable they are. Mine has 205k on the clock and is just now receiving it's first modifications. I get ~50 MPG in the summer time and have gotten a personal best of 53 MPG... With that said, I'm not too familiar with swapping a TDI into a non-VW chassis. The cool part would be that they do not have an in-tank fuel pump so fuel system plumbing would be fairly simple. I believe you could just make a custom mount for the accelerator pedal. With the ECU, you could send it out and have the immobilizer deleted. I'm not exactly sure, but without immobilizer, you may not have to run the OEM instrument cluster??? I think the Suzuki Samurai guys like the VW TDI swap, so maybe some samurai forums would have good info for the conversion. With a few mods, these engines are capable of ~150hp/~300 ft lbs and at the same time will get 55+ MPG in a much heavier car. As for the injection pump being expensive, they are completely rebuildable. If you find one out of a TDI with an automatic then it's an upgrade:) Don't listen to the nay-sayers. If the swap itself is easy enough for you to tackle and you aren't looking to build a drag-car, then I'd say go for it. Or maybe look into a Mercedes inline 6 diesel swap..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24OZ Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I say go for it but also look into the TSI engine. Twin charger petrol engine, that will have good gas mileage too. Not sure if your transmission adaptor would work though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I often said the way most guys drive their Z-Cars they wouldn't notice the difference if one was to swap the TDI into it! Most guys shift before 3,000 rpm's, and when they really "wind it out" they consider 5,400 in 3rd doing 140kph as really twisting the nipples of the car. "Welcome to a VW Jetta TDI"! I stand by it, if you dampen the motor mounts and put it in a stock-looking car, most guys wouldn't know the engine had been changed. And yeah, an Essing Diesel Tuning chip and you're pretty stout! All stock on the internals and turbo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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