1.9l/3.0l tdi for 1/2 truck

Ackilys

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jul 1, 2012
Location
Ontario
TDI
‘09 Jetta dsg, ‘11 jetta 6spd, ‘13 passat dsg
do You think with a fully modded 1.9l (alh/bew) would be able to haul 8-12k lbs? Or would I have better luck with a 3.0l - towing fuel Econ is the aim
 

evguy1

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2014
Location
Erington, BC, Canada
TDI
2000 Jeep Cherokee TDI, 2008 Jeep JKU TDI
I have a Cummins ISB170 (4 cldr) in my Dakota and love it.
Tows really well and still decent fuel economy.
I have 1.9 TDI's in everything else but just cant imagine the 1.9 towing my 5th wheel across the continent a few times like the Cummins has.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
You can buy a brand new 1/2 ton pickup with a 3.0L diesel from Ram, Ford, and soon GM. If that is what you want.... and you can afford it.

The biggest issue with "American" full sized pickups, even the 1/2 ton variety, is their portly curb weight. They have so much of their own bulk to get moving even when empty, that they need quite a bit extra to be able to haul or tow anything significant without complaining. And what you can tolerate is of course your own.

I have a 1996 F150, with the standard issue 4.9L I6 bolted to a proper manual gearbox. 2WD, regular cab, long bed. That engine has 145hp and 250tq, lots of oomph off idle, and does not need (well, it really can't) to spin over 3500 RPM. It mirrors almost lock step with the 2.0L BHW TDI, which is 136hp and 247tq, and the operable RPMs are pretty close too. I think that would maybe be a decent swap, but only for whatever uses the standard engine would be used for. I'd never pull much with it, or haul anything over its meager payload.

Oh and the Fiat Ducato (Ram Promaster here) gets a big 3.0L Iveco 4 cyl diesel (option).

Plenty of other examples of 4 cyl engines (diesels) tasked with a big job yet able to get it done without any troubles. My 2.1L Sprinter is perfectly adequate, and I am sure the 2.8L Express/Savanna is too. With the right gearing, you can do quite a bit. Just depends on how fast you want to go and how quickly you want to get to however fast you want to go. VAG uses 2.0L 4 cyl TDIs in their Crafter vans. Ford uses 2.2L 4 cyl diesels in their Transit vans (we only get the 3.2L 5 cyl or a pair of worthless gassers). But those vans have a much more efficient unibody, so their curb weight isn't sapping so much power.
 

iwannajettatdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2003
Location
Salem, OR
TDI
2015 Brilliant Black Audi Q5 3.0TDI, 2014 Tempest Blue metallic Jetta Sportwagen TDI, 2002 Blue Eurovan Weekender BHW TDI
I know a year or two ago when I was looking pretty in depth at swapping a 3.0L v6 tdi into my Frontier no one had a way to run the ECU standalone. So that would probably be the biggest hurdle honestly. Lots of sensor swapping/modification to get the right signals to the ECU. It's not impossible, but it wouldn't be easy. Plus you'd have to swap the whole CANBUS system over since the newer motors use that to communicate.
 

Ackilys

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jul 1, 2012
Location
Ontario
TDI
‘09 Jetta dsg, ‘11 jetta 6spd, ‘13 passat dsg
I have a Cummins ISB170 (4 cldr) in my Dakota and love it.
Tows really well and still decent fuel economy.
I have 1.9 TDI's in everything else but just cant imagine the 1.9 towing my 5th wheel across the continent a few times like the Cummins has.
How much is the payload on your 5th wheel and what’s the overall gwr
 

Ackilys

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jul 1, 2012
Location
Ontario
TDI
‘09 Jetta dsg, ‘11 jetta 6spd, ‘13 passat dsg
You can buy a brand new 1/2 ton pickup with a 3.0L diesel from Ram, Ford, and soon GM. If that is what you want.... and you can afford it.

The biggest issue with "American" full sized pickups, even the 1/2 ton variety, is their portly curb weight. They have so much of their own bulk to get moving even when empty, that they need quite a bit extra to be able to haul or tow anything significant without complaining. And what you can tolerate is of course your own.

I have a 1996 F150, with the standard issue 4.9L I6 bolted to a proper manual gearbox. 2WD, regular cab, long bed. That engine has 145hp and 250tq, lots of oomph off idle, and does not need (well, it really can't) to spin over 3500 RPM. It mirrors almost lock step with the 2.0L BHW TDI, which is 136hp and 247tq, and the operable RPMs are pretty close too. I think that would maybe be a decent swap, but only for whatever uses the standard engine would be used for. I'd never pull much with it, or haul anything over its meager payload.

Oh and the Fiat Ducato (Ram Promaster here) gets a big 3.0L Iveco 4 cyl diesel (option).

Plenty of other examples of 4 cyl engines (diesels) tasked with a big job yet able to get it done without any troubles. My 2.1L Sprinter is perfectly adequate, and I am sure the 2.8L Express/Savanna is too. With the right gearing, you can do quite a bit. Just depends on how fast you want to go and how quickly you want to get to however fast you want to go. VAG uses 2.0L 4 cyl TDIs in their Crafter vans. Ford uses 2.2L 4 cyl diesels in their Transit vans (we only get the 3.2L 5 cyl or a pair of worthless gassers). But those vans have a much more efficient unibody, so their curb weight isn't sapping so much power.
I’m looking at pulling a trailer for business purposes. Just looking for a better option than a f250 (gvwr) with a v8. A 250/350 with a jacked up 1.9/3.0l I thought would be ideal
 
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