ALH turbocharger upgrade: which to choose

audilac

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2017
Location
Croatia
TDI
'95. A6 Avant; '01. A3
Hello guys
When i bought the car the vanes on the vnt mechasnism were siezed so i removed the turbochager to clean the vanes but i couldn't dissassemble the mechanism due to the rusted out bolts so i just worked loose the vanes with some wd-40 and flushed some of the gunk out. After that the turbocharger worked fine and it made a lot of boost.
After that i wanted to make some more power so i got an remap, maxed out the smoke limiter and torque limiter but I noticed that the turbocharger could'nt keep up with my demand. At about 100mph in fifth gear the air quantity drops to about 600mg/stroke and it does not make any more power because of the smoke limit. After that i tried to increase the boost regulation duty cycle slightly but the turbo just could not keep up.

So now after about 5000km the vnt started sticking again so i am considering to get an more powerful turbocharger.
The current turbo is an garrett vnt15 with the exhaust manifold integrated and the exit has an three bolt mount.
I will most probably try to get an second hand turbocharger but i want to ask you guys which one could i get that would fit without any or some modifications.
Could a turbocharger from a 130hp 1.9 pd tdi fit, or should i get it from a 110hp 1.9 tdi?
 

Mongler98

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Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
1st off, don't use wd40, its junk and just makes a mess, it has its uses but thats not one of them. 1:1 ATF and Acetone is the best rust thread penetrate. hit with a few heat cycles and it would come out. Now you know.

vtn 17/22 is about the biggest you can go for a vtn unless im missing something. its a fine turbo for a moderate to light build.
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
Might want to verify what stock head bolts can support. Folks running high pressures tend to install ARP studs. All of this kind of information can be found in the Performance forum (recommend consulting there).
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
most decent moderate builds dont run big boost. you can get plenty of power with 15-19 PSI but it sounds like you need more fuel and a cam and some head work to get your top end
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
most decent moderate builds dont run big boost. you can get plenty of power with 15-19 PSI but it sounds like you need more fuel and a cam and some head work to get your top end
"most decent moderate builds" without qualifying this is mostly an unusable bit of input.

"you can get plenty of power with 15-19 PSI" - this is your opinion, we have NO idea what the OP expects.

Again, the Performance forum is the place to go when looking to get info on doing any significant performance upgrades.
 

audilac

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2017
Location
Croatia
TDI
'95. A6 Avant; '01. A3
Thank you guys for you advices :D
I just pulled out the turbine out today and i used the atf acetone mixture to get the bolts out and with a bit of heat i succeded without striping any of them.
Unfortunately the turbine heart is stuck to the housing like hell, i also used oxy-acetilene to heat up the housing and a lot of the penetrant but without any success.
I also managed to chip off a bit of the turbine heart casting while trying to get to the vane assembly.
I managed to free up the vane assembly as I did it before without dissassebling it so I am considering to let it as it is before I destroy something by trying to remove the housing. It is really really stuck in there so i have no hopes of removing it without further damage.

Should i try to flush out some of the soot with some solvents before refitting it as it is?
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
soak it over night in a bath of mineral sprites or diesel fuel if you dont have any. see what that does.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
also this is not my opinion, this is what i was told by a few builders and kerma when i talked with Chris. 19psi with plenty of fuel can get you to the 200HP mark. Decent to moderate builds being 150 to 200hp daily driver.
 

audilac

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2017
Location
Croatia
TDI
'95. A6 Avant; '01. A3
You are talking about crazy horsepower numbers, i would be more than happy with 130hp and do not want to destroy my engine.
On the fuel I am still limited by the 51mg/stroke injection quantity in the fuel quantity adjuster map. I could crank up the smoke limiter map but that would result with a lot of black smoke which i do not want.

I have noticed that the markings on the compressor housings say GT1749V , is this a more powerful one than the VNT-15 ?
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
audilac,

Here's a good guide as to what IMO you're asking for;

http://www.fixmyvw.com/160-hp-kit-for-alh-tdi-malone-tuning-garrett-package/

You'll also need a clutch, and your gearbox needs to be in good shape.

It's about where I'm at. Sporty performance and reasonable economy.
Any more power and you start needing engine upgrades like head studs, a better cam, yada yada.
My RC4 tune is circa 24psi boost according to Jeff. Drive it all conservatively and I should have good long term reliability, with enough giddyup to be a lot of fun. I did spend a lot of money on
suspension and the LSD, but overall very happy with the result for
a daily driver. The only thing lacking on my build are some bigger
nozzles, there's a set of PP764s in my future.

Your Mileage, and budget, WILL Vary.

Cheers,
R*2

Ps. ^5s on the Acetone/ATF Mongler, beats any penetrating oil out there hands down. Cheap & effective!
 
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maxmoo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Location
Lakefield, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2000 golf, 2001 golf, 2000 beetle, 2003 wagon, 2004 golf, 2004 jetta, all diesels
You are talking about crazy horsepower numbers, i would be more than happy with 130hp and do not want to destroy my engine.
On the fuel I am still limited by the 51mg/stroke injection quantity in the fuel quantity adjuster map. I could crank up the smoke limiter map but that would result with a lot of black smoke which i do not want.

I have noticed that the markings on the compressor housings say GT1749V , is this a more powerful one than the VNT-15 ?
probably a vnt-15....although there are different versions....I'm not up on all that.

However the vnt15 is actually a very good turbo works very well up to about 140-150hp. With the smaller turbo you get that great low end torque that make these cars such a blast to drive.
I would stay with a vnt15 turbo and upgrade the nozzles and a stage 3 tune with an upgraded clutch and a 2.5" downpipe.
I think you would be very happy with that setup.
 
Last edited:

otm646

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Location
Metro Detroit
TDI
1998 AHU Jetta.
PSI is a totally useless once you understand what you're discussing. Pressure is resistance to flow. Intake and exhaust are critical to any performance build. You need to be talking in mass airflow to select a turbocharger, not PSI.
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
I'll concur with maxmoo.
 

turbovan+tdi

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Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Location
Abbotsford, BC.
TDI
2003 TDI 2.0L ALH, auto, silver wagon, lowered, Colt stage 2 cam, ported head,205 injectors, 1756 turbo, Malone 2.0, 3" exhaust, 18" BBS RC GLI rims. 2004 blue GSW TDI, 5 speed, lowered, GLI BBS wheels painted black, Malone stage 2, Aerotur
What are your goals? A stock turbo, exhaust, nozzles and a tune will be very fun to drive. You will max out your clutch with a the above combo. If you want to retain good bottom end torque, get a VNT17, anything more and you'll need bigger nozzles, another tune etc. KISS unless you are going for big numbers.

130-150 hp is almost double the stock rating and will be a blast to drive.
 
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