95 Dodge Caravan TDI

So, folks, I bought it Will post more details later


https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=383273

Nice. Let us know how you do for mileage.

So, no more photos at the moment. Installation was done on the budget, basically using most TDI stuff (piping etc). Has OBD plug under the dash (good!). Radiator and fan - original Chrysler. AC is not connected, I'm not going to do this either. Wiring and piping under the hood - nightmare, needs to be rerouted, fixed etc. BUT . Whoever did this, done it right in regards engine mounting, custom axle shafts, exhaust. There's no any unusual vibration, it feels like a Jetta on the road, if not better. I drove it @ 150 km/hr (almost 100 miles per hour, real speed @ GPS) right after I bought it - it just flies! Another funny thing - according to the specs, original Caravan just couple hundred pounds heavier than Jetta, and after engine swap and removing back seats most likely just as light if not lighter. It's quick on the road and I feel it'll pull 2000-3000lb trailer easily (it has 5000 trailer hitch).
Installation unfinished - besides terrible wiring, tach and speedo not working, no glow plug light, reverse lights not working (all other gages do work), shifter too low and hard to reach (mount is just a little higher than the floor), van needs some body work and paint, ball joints etc., but I love it, it makes me smile - Caravan with little diesel and 5 speed is something in North America . I used to drive very rare '86 Dodge Caravan 5 spd, originally with blown 2.2 engine, which I replaced with 2.5l from Dodge Daytona. It also was fun to drive and good on gas, but nothing close to this setup . Not sure about actual gas mileage yet, I'm pretty sure it'll be the same as Jetta/Golf. So far drove it 300 km - sometimes engine acts weird (after start has no power at first until I rev the engine, one time engine started to vibrate on the idle after high speed driving, back to normal after restart). Most likely both van and engine are high mileage (150k miles or so), so check up will be needed. When engine is hot it takes couple seconds to turn it over before it starts, any ideas why?

Any chance this was done by David Rock of David's Farm (youtube character)? I used to watch many of his videos and I know he did a couple of these for sure....among some other really strange things. He's quite the fabricator, though....and in jail now I believe.

No idea, I bought it from chinese guy who, apparently, bought it from someone else not long ago, probably, he realized soon after that this is not finished product

Totally jealous, and happy for you! I've been eyeing this thing since witchcraftz put it out there like a harlot for all of us to see and lust after. I live just south of the border of you, and I've been resisting looking into getting it here because if it was anything close to maybe, I would have picked it up, and then I'd have to get a divorce... The wife wouod kill me over that one.
Anyway, I/probably we want to live vicariously. Lots of posts about anything you want to tell us about it, please .
I already have some great, fun but functional ideas for raising the stick shift. And you need an eco tune, and an exhaust upgrade. Any way to do a ventectomy on it?

So far I know nothing about modifying TDI. Not sure if I'll do any mods in near future - I'm on very tight budget also . Even buying Dacota Digital for speedo and tach hurts me. . First I have to paint roof and fix couple other things on the van, than clean up wiring etc. Please let me know your ideas regarding raising shifter. It's also too close to the dashboard, I'd probably need longer cables to move it, not sure yet what can be done here. Will try to make few pictures today.
I still have to do more research if wiring is done properly - not sure if fan is connected and working, other things. I don't have OBD scanner at the moment, will try to find one and check for codes (there's Eng check light on the dash, which goes off as it should, but I'm not sure if it's connected to VW brains or it's just fake .

I wonder if the later eurovan manuals (none in north america) would work for you? Should have longer cables (assuming the t4 was cable in the later years) and a longer shift rod.

T4 Transporters cargo vans were sold in Canada until 97 I think with a diesel and 5spd transmission. There are at least 3 in Ontario with thse specs, might be worth trying to find one around Van.

Well, that cable would be really hard to find I can imagine ). Long time ago I've replaced cables on that '86 Caravan 5spd with something from other Chrysler, modifying cable ends (cutting and welding ends from old cable) and brackets, it worked, but took me whole day to do . First I need to decide how to make higher mount for shifter, than check/measure original VW cables, and than spend half a day browsing local junk yard trying to find something usable .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiPwnqoEPbA

http://pics.tdiclub.com/showgallery.php?cat=5865

Thanks for the pics and videos! Perfect vicarious living.
How did the roof get so worn out and the rest of the van looks so relatively good? Bizareness that it got so buggered the most.
Look for a old vw stick shifter; 70's or 80's vintage. Those things were the longest in the world. If those aren't long enough for you I don't know what would be . It will probably need an adapter nut or two, but the hardware store will have something for it no problem.
With the cables; they make cable extenders. Female to female on both sides with screws to tighten down on the cables. I've had good luck with filling it with lock tight/jb weld and it going forever (in my '78 bus I used to have I was on a road trip and the clutch cable snapped. I was in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming, but the little hardware store had all the pieces I described above. I not only made it home, I forgot about it entirely until it was time to sell, some 5 years later, and the guy buying it pointed it out.). It would probably be a B to cut, but that's the cheap and easy route. That, or buy cable by the yard and fashion the connectors back on them. I'd imagine the connectors on both ends would be hard to find, maybe expensive, and if you tried to use the old ones impossible to get them off without destroying them. But maybe?
Sounds like you have your hands too full to worry about mods yet. The wiring alone will keep you busy! I don't think the engine check light would work at all if it wasn't connected to the brains. It would be pretty tricky to wire it up separately. You'll find out soon enough though .
I'll be home in early June. If you'd like any help I'd be more than happy to run up there for a day and help you chase down wires, or look at and try to extend cables or the stick shift or whatever.
godspeed, and thanks again for the updates/pics.
Andrew

Just looked at the pictures a little closer. A vw stick shift would be obscenely too long. The thing to do would be to get a feel for the length you wanted it, a tape measure estimate, or a cut off broomstick and feel what feels best, and then go to the junk yard and find the closest one to that length. Sometimes you can get lucky and a different/new one will just go into the existing, but if not adapter nuts (fun to say) will work all the way.

Last idea; what would you think about putting a stock cluster in there? Looks like it's generally the right shape and it would probably save you many headaches with wiring. As long as it isn't too spliced and cut up already back there.
I have a broken cluster from a 03 jsw tdi. When I get back in June (not sure you want to wait that long) it's yours if you want it then.

Thanks for offering help! Not sure about VW cluster, as all other gages work fine (oil pressure, voltage, fuel and temp). I have no idea how it was done . I just found, that in 1995 Caravan already had body control module, trans.control module and bunch of others. Most signals transmitted via data bus, there's no inputs for speedo, tach etc. on the cluster! Didn't know things in 1995 already started to move in stupid direction
I might throw VW cluster under the dash and take voltage for check engine light, glow plugs light etc. off it, unless I can locate these signals in the harness.

Anyway, will try to do one thing at the time, I have perfect speedo and odometer in my GPS anyway
So far drove it over 500km, this thing has unbelievable fuel mileage, a specially taking in consideration that I drive pretty hard I just love it!

I was hoping an owner of this would pop up here someday. I saw this for sale in maple ridge maybe 1-2 years ago.

ranchero76 said:

I might throw VW cluster under the dash and take voltage for check engine light, glow plugs light etc. off it, unless I can locate these signals in the harness.

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Check out this thread:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=296888

Glow plug and CE light are available on pins at the ECU. On some models they are even wired into the connectors. As for tach, the Dakota digital box sgi 5 will take the tdi crank sensor and convert it into something the Chrysler Ecu can understand. Some of us had to hook up cam sensors in various ways as well to get the tach to work.

Thanks for the link! So CEL is on pin 24, glow plug light is on pin 40, am I correct?
Are you using LED or incandescent? Not sure if Dakota will help with tach as I don't even know for now in which state is original Caravan ECU ).

ranchero76 said:

Thanks for the link! So CEL is on pin 24, glow plug light is on pin 40, am I correct?
Are you using LED or incandescent? Not sure if Dakota will help with tach as I don't even know for now in which state is original Caravan ECU ).

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If your other gauges are working, your original chrysler ecu should be in there and functioning. CE and GP pin locations are correct for 2002 ALH. Not sure about other years. I am using LED, but I believe someone else is using incandescent with no problems.

Reddok said:

If your other gauges are working, your original chrysler ecu should be in there and functioning. CE and GP pin locations are correct for 2002 ALH. Not sure about other years. I am using LED, but I believe someone else is using incandescent with no problems.

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Yep I've been using incandescents in my swap since for over 30k miles with zero issues....

Ok, guys, will try to play with it, just need to find time . Not sure what they did with original ECU, as CEL goes off with no original motor present ))))).
So far - 700km, this thing has unbelievable fuel mileage

What sort of mileage do you estimate you're getting!!!? 700km on an entire tank, or 700km and you still have 1/2 a tank left?
Inquiring minds want to know .

No info yet, filled tank, can't get it empty ))))))

250km on full tank, gage hasn't moved from full yet

ranchero76 said:

Ok, guys, will try to play with it, just need to find time . Not sure what they did with original ECU, as CEL goes off with no original motor present ))))).
So far - 700km, this thing has unbelievable fuel mileage

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at what point does your CEL go off?...about 30 to 40 seconds after cranking?

3 sec after turning ignition on

ranchero76 said:

3 sec after turning ignition on

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do you have the lamp connected directly to pin 24?...if so the lamp is functioning backward....on when no codes present and off when codes are present.... http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=353083

No idea yet, haven't check anything.

Ok, finally, I've got time to check timing belt and make first cleaning/repairs.
Took out EGR, as expected, intake was very dirty.




So was EGR.




Actually, somebody did EGR delete...using Sprite can. No surprise that it didn't last long.





So I fabricated two plates (for both ends of the pipe) out of nice steel, stainless or galvanized, yet flexible. BTW, I made extra set, if anyone needs these but too lazy to make them, make me an offer .



Timing belt appears new, so I'm not going to replace it. There's some grease on gears, possible, seals will need replacing soon, but for now it's not to bad, will keep eye on it.




So I assembled everything back together.
Then I decided to try to do something about shifter, it was just in wrong location, period.
For the first time I went under the van, looked how conversion was made (sorry, no pictures yet). Shifter cables appeared to be routed wrong way, so I decided to fix that. Disconnected shifter cables from tranny, unbolted shifter (holes were drilled thru the floor and shifter just bolted to the floor). Then I've made hole for shifter cables in the firewall (before, hole was in the floor). This allowed to pull shifter back and raise it.



I used 2x10 wood blocks under the shifter. Actually, I might cut them nicely to the shape of shifter bezel, wrap with carpet and leave them as permanent solution, sturdy and simple




Drilled holes thru the wood and floor, found couple long bolts for temporary use, still have to find right ones. Adjusted the shifter cables.
Took van for test drive. It's totally different van! Shifter is just where it should be, like it's factory setup! Shifts are way more precise, probably, because of cable adjustment. Before I had real problems with first gear, it made me thinking that 1-st gear synchronizer is gone. EGR delete and intake cleaning definitely improved engine performance - it runs smoother, feels more powerful.
So, that's it for today, hopefully, will finish shifter mounting tomorrow.

To these interested - finally, first tank of diesel finished ). Unbelievable 1200km on the tank. 6.01 l/100km or 47 MPG. That includes approx 50/50 city/hwy, lots of fast driving, some traffic stalls, border wait etc, with no intention to save fuel. I have strong feeling 50 MPG will be reached easily if driven more carefully.
I guess this is by far most economical Dodge Caravan in North America