JeddaDeezl
Member
I have been getting a ton of questions about this build so it is time to start an official build thread. The interest surpasses just Jeeple, so I decided to host it here to be more open to all who may be considering one of these swaps!
In the summer of 2018 I picked up a the 5th XJ I have now owned - a 2001 Yellow XJ with a nasty rod knock. For the past two years I've DD'd a 2001 Jetta TDI auto and while I like MK4 VWs, the Jeep itch was real...but I just wasn't excited about getting back into a vehicle with <18 MPG, and well, the engine in this XJ needed to be replaced anyway! Nothing wrong with the car really, I put about 15k a year on it so I am sure I could have run it another 5 boring years. But this swap was just begging to happen, so here goes.
The Jeep already has some kind of lift on it, maybe 3" when it was new but it has settled a lot. One of the many things to note for swapping an ALH into the XJ platform is that lift is REQUIRED due to track bar clearance, there is simply no way you are going to fit it under the hood cleanly otherwise. Sure you could cut into the firewall to keep the engine aft of the track bar, or maybe run a cowl hood and mount it high, but that is not what I wanted here. Keep in mind through all of this that I am after a clean and reliable swap with no clutter or cobbled together bits.
Since I am writing this mid-project, here's a list of requirements I have determined. I will come back and add them here as I discover more along the way.
1: 3+" of suspension lift is required to fit the engine cleanly in the engine bay, below the hood and in a comfortable fore/aft position.
2: The entire driveline must move FORWARD approximately 3". This means shortening the front driveshaft and re-tubing the rear shaft or upgrading to something nice.
3: ECU tuning is necessitated by the fact that ALH and newer TDI engines are equipped with the VW immobilizer which must be turned off to run the engine electronically outside of the VW it came from.
4: EGR/ASV/MAF delete is somewhat necessitated, mainly for clearance issues but also simplicity. I am not even attempting to keep these systems on my engine but I do believe the EGR valve would contact the hood or be uncomfortably close.
5: For a 97+ XJ you can piggy back the computers, meaning you keep the Jeep ECU to run the CANBUS dash gauges. I'll need to double up the coolant temp sensors so the Jeep ECU gets a read on that to give the factory gauge.
6: For factory automatic XJs you will most likely want to transmission swap to the AX-15 or NV3550 but there's a big bonus there, you get a lower gear ratio (3.55:1) with the factory axles in an auto XJ which is a great ratio for around 31" tires with the diesel/manual combo. I do not know of a TDI swap that kept the AW4, but at minimum this would require configuring the TCU to run in harmony with the TDI.
7. Yes you CAN keep the factory VNT-15 turbo.
8: I am using a TD Conversions adapter, which allows the engine to be clocked in 1 of 3 ways. I was unable to clock the engine with a full passenger side lean due to starter to turbo clearance. This is a possible configuration with other turbo options. I have mine set to the center position which is about vertical.
9: The power steering pump sticks WAY off to to the driver side. Clearance to the steering shaft is a little tight, but manageable.
10: Factory VW A/C compressor must be removed, there simply is not clearance for it with where the track bar connects to the frame and the upper control arm/differential would hit it regardless of your suspension setup. A compressor from a BHW is an option to consider. This means a shorter belt from crank to alt and ps, with a custom tensioner. I'll detail this step when I get to it.
Here's a few shots of the Jeep the day I brought it home
In the summer of 2018 I picked up a the 5th XJ I have now owned - a 2001 Yellow XJ with a nasty rod knock. For the past two years I've DD'd a 2001 Jetta TDI auto and while I like MK4 VWs, the Jeep itch was real...but I just wasn't excited about getting back into a vehicle with <18 MPG, and well, the engine in this XJ needed to be replaced anyway! Nothing wrong with the car really, I put about 15k a year on it so I am sure I could have run it another 5 boring years. But this swap was just begging to happen, so here goes.
The Jeep already has some kind of lift on it, maybe 3" when it was new but it has settled a lot. One of the many things to note for swapping an ALH into the XJ platform is that lift is REQUIRED due to track bar clearance, there is simply no way you are going to fit it under the hood cleanly otherwise. Sure you could cut into the firewall to keep the engine aft of the track bar, or maybe run a cowl hood and mount it high, but that is not what I wanted here. Keep in mind through all of this that I am after a clean and reliable swap with no clutter or cobbled together bits.
Since I am writing this mid-project, here's a list of requirements I have determined. I will come back and add them here as I discover more along the way.
1: 3+" of suspension lift is required to fit the engine cleanly in the engine bay, below the hood and in a comfortable fore/aft position.
2: The entire driveline must move FORWARD approximately 3". This means shortening the front driveshaft and re-tubing the rear shaft or upgrading to something nice.
3: ECU tuning is necessitated by the fact that ALH and newer TDI engines are equipped with the VW immobilizer which must be turned off to run the engine electronically outside of the VW it came from.
4: EGR/ASV/MAF delete is somewhat necessitated, mainly for clearance issues but also simplicity. I am not even attempting to keep these systems on my engine but I do believe the EGR valve would contact the hood or be uncomfortably close.
5: For a 97+ XJ you can piggy back the computers, meaning you keep the Jeep ECU to run the CANBUS dash gauges. I'll need to double up the coolant temp sensors so the Jeep ECU gets a read on that to give the factory gauge.
6: For factory automatic XJs you will most likely want to transmission swap to the AX-15 or NV3550 but there's a big bonus there, you get a lower gear ratio (3.55:1) with the factory axles in an auto XJ which is a great ratio for around 31" tires with the diesel/manual combo. I do not know of a TDI swap that kept the AW4, but at minimum this would require configuring the TCU to run in harmony with the TDI.
7. Yes you CAN keep the factory VNT-15 turbo.
8: I am using a TD Conversions adapter, which allows the engine to be clocked in 1 of 3 ways. I was unable to clock the engine with a full passenger side lean due to starter to turbo clearance. This is a possible configuration with other turbo options. I have mine set to the center position which is about vertical.
9: The power steering pump sticks WAY off to to the driver side. Clearance to the steering shaft is a little tight, but manageable.
10: Factory VW A/C compressor must be removed, there simply is not clearance for it with where the track bar connects to the frame and the upper control arm/differential would hit it regardless of your suspension setup. A compressor from a BHW is an option to consider. This means a shorter belt from crank to alt and ps, with a custom tensioner. I'll detail this step when I get to it.
Here's a few shots of the Jeep the day I brought it home
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