ALH TDI engine transplant into '84 Vanagon

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Saturday afternoon Update:

While tweaking the engine/tranny position, I determined something wasn't just right. Long story short, the Tranny mount (in post #237 on previous page and below) is from a "Diesel Tranny" and my Tranny is from a Vanagon with the Air-cooled engine (DK Code). Although the mount will bolt up to either Tranny, it makes the front of the DK Tranny too high. Also, due to the off-set in design (don't ask how to explain that one), using the Diesel Tranny mount on the DK Tranny, it has to be moved to the left on the cross member (remember the discussion and photos in previous post?).

So, I drilled three new holes to lower the front of the tranny by two inches. The results made a big difference in the angle of the engine. Also, very important, the shifter linkage I'm using come from an '82 Vanagon with the the DK tranny which would be questionable with the tranny nose higher in the mount.

I have photos and will post here later, hopefully tonight!

This pic shows the Vanagon tranny mounting bracket before I drilled the set of three holes to lower the tranny by two inches. If you look close, you can see where I "center" punched them for drilling.


This pic is of the Vanagon tranny mounting bracket. Notice there are two sets of three holes. The top single hole and two side by side holes are OEM. I drilled the second set of holes to lower the tranny as discribed above.


Here you can see the bracket is bolted to the front end of the tranny and to the mount. Look at the shift lever (thingy with two balls on it), just imagine it being two inches higher up. In that case, the tranny linkage would bind and not work properly. One other important aspect of this photo relates to the position of the mount. Notice there are two holes to the left of the bolts. Well, as I discussed in a previous post, the cross-member has two sets of holes. In this application, I had to move the mount to the right in this view toward the rear of the vehicle. Thus, looking from the rear of the vehicle, the tranny mount is bolted in the left set of holes. This "centers" it giving the same distance from Drive flange to axle stub on each side.


You can see in this photo how high the bracket raises the Tranny. Obviously, these are two different brackets (this one is nice and shiny and the other one shows rust).


This pic is looking straight down at the right rear mount bar. Also, you can see the TDI Alt and Serp idler roller and no AC Compressor. That bar will have to be modified to accomodate the TDI AC Compressor.


This is another veiw looking straight down and toward the rear of the vehicle.


EDIT: Below is a pre-view of the Carrier Bar mod .....



This is a left mount bar view. The EGR exhaust gas port is very close to the motor mount. Also, the Turbo oil line is very close to the same area. Of course, those OEM early model Diesel Motor Mounts will be replaced with the Volvo hydraulic mounts. Edit: I did cut off the EGR port.


This is a view of my wooden structure to support the engine. Notice there are two adjusting supports. The two supports allow "tweaking" for the 50 degree angle. Also, I can move the whole support from left to right or right to left for "centering" the engine/tranny! Once everything is "perfect" the card board fabrication will be commenced to make templates for the motor mount brackets.


Looks to be about 2 inches of clearance from the back of the engine to the back of the engine bay.
 
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markward

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Location
Loxahatchee, Florida
TDI
82 Vanagon and 2011 JSW
Andy and Jon, we are back from our road trip. The AC worked great. Covered about 4200 miles over two weeks. We managed to camp in State parks with altitude every night. It was hot as heck the first week in PA area.

Looks like good progress. I tried to explain the differences in the diesel transmission mount. At least now you understand. In the diesel, the transmission was pointed higher than the air cooled. The last section of shift rod for the diesel had a different shape to work at the different angle. In the end it does not matter, because it is a conversion and you are fabing the engine brackets from scratch. As long as the shift rod is not in a bind, and the engine is centered you will be fine.

A couple things. My transmission bracket was using the offset body holes as you discovered. It was not until I upgraded to the later transmission that I was able to use the centered bolt holes. That seemed odd. Also, I did not have to modify the carrier bar until I wanted to install the AC compressor. I had enough clearance around the ALH brackets. You should double check the crank bolt is centered in the chassis. I used a tape measure between the sheet metal boxing that the bumper brackets bolt into. The easiest way to modify the carrier bar was to carefully grind/cut the bushing off of the end of the bar at the rear. The cut the carrier bar near the stock engine bracket. I believe I used a peice of 1 3/8ths roll bar tubing internally to sleeve the two sections. I rotated the bar outboard to the right and then welded the carrier bar back together. I made a new carrier bracket that utilized the stock bolt holes in the valance, plus an additional bolt. I then welded the bushing end back on. A little black paint and you can not tell. mark

edit. Andy, I just reviewed your pictures. Something is not right. I originally had the complete egr system connected and had no problems with clearance. I have since removed the entire egr system, but still have the manifold flange with a cover plate. I upgraded to the test pipe that deletes the egr completely. Simplified the coolant hose routing as well. I think you may have the engine too low and that is why you are running into clearance problems. I can take some measurements for you if you need them. I wish I could find the picture of the angle that shows how much the diesel is angled up in the front and down in the rear. I will try. mark
 
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AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Mark, Glad you and the wife had a nice vacation. Wow! Gees, I'd love to get out and go camping. The grandchildern have been asking about the RV. So, we may be doing a weekend or two with them sometime soon.

Yes, tonight I went by my uncle's garage and pressed out the rubber bushing on the rear of the right mount bar. I have a friend that will be doing the welding for me. So, I have to take everything to him. The plan is to secure the bar in a jig. I will then mark and cut the pieces for modifying. I think it should be pretty straight forward.

Also, tomorrow my uncle and I are making the last run at the junk yard/recyler to finish stripping that old '82 Vanagon. I need the bottom shifter plate as discussed in previous post(s). Also, I plan to remove the rear deck lid, cut out the engine bay top (part that the lid sits on) and remove the entire front suspension including the rack and pinion. I have all the pieces parts to rebuild/update the front suspension. So, this will give me an opportunity to do the rebuild then remove my front suspension and set in the new one!............anyway, that's the plan.

Yes, I may have my engine a little too low in the rear.

I have two different Intercoolers (one OEM TDI) and the other one is from an Eclipse. So, dealing with locating, etc., of the IC will be coming up soon!

For those that like to see photos, here is a pic of the Clutch Slave Cylinder. As with some of the other work, I had time on my hands and used it to clean parts, paint, etc.

 
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markward

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Location
Loxahatchee, Florida
TDI
82 Vanagon and 2011 JSW
Andy, I posted over on the Samba asking for the diagram I remember seeing. Allistair posted the drawing I remembered seeing. It shows the engine at a 4 degree droop. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5389277#5389277

Again, the droop is not as critical for function as probably for clearance under the deck. You have little flexibility in the angle the last section of shift rod connects to the transmission so that may end up being the design point.

On my conversion, I had my transmission in the stock diesel location with the 4 degree droop. That may account for why I did not have clearance problems originally, but my Van was already a stock diesel and had the proper mounts, shift linkage etc. When I changed to the 091/1 transmission the engine droop was gone. I also had to enlarge the cutout in my engine cover with the engine in it's new position. I like your idea for clearance. Because ours is a camper edition, I had other considerations since the rear cabinet covers a 1/4 of the rear area. I am satisified with my "bubble" solution, but believe I need addtional insulation in that area to keep the heat from coming up into the passenger area. mark
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Based on the "cut" I made in the ALH oil pan to mod it for the Diesel set-up, the angle appears to be okay (top and bottom). So, I'm guessing that the two inch drop in the front tranny mount was about right for my set-up (091 tranny with 091 shifter and linkage all the way to the back).

One thing I'd like to know is the clearance between the cross piece (bottom of motor mount to motor mount) and the bottom of the oil pan in the original 1.6 diesel set-up. That distance would be helpful in determining droop angle. However, in my case, I plan to keep the "droop" about the same as the original diesel models and install the cross piece from the left to the right mount.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Junk yard run today

Okay, finally, I found the time and assistance to make the junk yard/recyler run today.

Here is what I picked up for $75.00

-Rear deck lid (same color as my old '83 with good strut supports)
-complete front suspension, minus the sway bar:mad:
-evaporative tank left side
-windshield washer bottle with electrics (and fluid:D)
-rear motor mount brackets for the bars
-brake proportioner valve assembly
-speedometer cable, complete from wheel to cluster
-shifter bottom plate that I forgot to get the last visit
-large air duct tube for the '83
-rack and pinion
-the "hole" for the engine deck lid.........that sucker was a PITA to cut out
-seal for the rear deck lid
-another seal from a late model domestic van side door
-heat duct control boxes for the air cooled engine (just laying there from when someone removed the engine long ago)!

Well, the old '82 Vanagon is all but "picked" now. If anyone needs side glass it's all there. Everything else has dents in it or is gone!:D
 

markward

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Location
Loxahatchee, Florida
TDI
82 Vanagon and 2011 JSW
Andy, I don't have the measurement you seek, but the flat plate when bolted up was pretty close to the bottom of the pan. Maybe you could ask over here? http://www.vwdieselparts.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=3d03ffbf0096d004963ea04e735f925d They have a vanagon diesel thread. If you mounted the transmission into the original bracket holes, that would move the nose of the transmission up and increase that 4 degree angle. You could then move the engine up to get the 4 degrees back and that should give you the clearance for your egr and accessorie bracket. You need to raise the deck anyhow, so I'd think it would be better to follow my recommendation. The only reason to modify the carrier bar was to allow the AC compressor to fit and it almost fit without modifying the bar. That tells me your engine is too low. As far as I remember the diesel had a straight final section of shift rod and the air cooled had a sweeping bend. I am sure it was to account for the different mounting angles. The air cooled engine mounts must have held the engine taller, but because it was a boxer engine had the room to be moved up. VW was trying to shoe horn an upright water cooled engine into basically an air cooled vanagon. The only option probably was to droop the engine and accomodate the shift rod. I would think you would want as much ground clearance as you could get. mark
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Well, I guess the alternative is to either find a Diesel shifter section or modify the one that come from the Air cooled engine/tranny.

Right now, using a straight edge, the oil pan looks to be about 1 inch above the cross piece. Of course, I do have room to raise the engine up or lower it just a little.

As I stated previously, and alluded to above, the Air-cooled shifting linkage will scrub the cross-member if I use the original mount holes.

In the last hour, I've been measuring distances, etc. , to accomodate the exhaust out of the Turbo, back and across the rear with a muffler. It seems there is plenty of room, even with the cross piece that connects the bottom of the two mounts.

Seems there is only about two options on the exhaust. 1) between the Actuator and mount or between the actuator and the engine which puts it fairly close to the oil drain back pipe! However, I like that option.

Any suggestions on muffler? Does the CAT do any muffling? Has anyone tried to install the CAT?
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
As my tranny/engine combo hangs in the engine bay, the oil pan clearance is exactly 1/2 inch (measured it). As you may recall, I cut the angle very similar to the 1.6 oil pan angle and distance from the engine block. Also, the tranny at the center of the Drive Flange is 17.5 inches down from the ceiling. In my '83 Air-Cool, with the same tranny/shifter, that distance is 16.25 inches. Thus the '83 tranny is higher in the mount. So, if I raised my engine enough to change the measurement to the same as the '83 Air-cool, the bottom of the oil pan would be close to two inches above the cross piece

Maybe I could do a slight compromise and split the difference. That would give more ground clearance, more space at the left mount and require less modding of the right mounting bar.

Well, hopefully, this coming Thursday I will have the mount bar modified and the mount brackets ready for their mounts.
 

markward

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Location
Loxahatchee, Florida
TDI
82 Vanagon and 2011 JSW
Andy, I am heading by the shop tonight. If I remember, the original diesel shiftlinkage is sitting on the bench. I will take a picture of the last section for comparison. Did you see the oil pan adapter on the Samba? As I suspected after your comparision it is quite a bit thicker to accomodate the oil pump gear, but other than ground clearance would be a super clean installation.

I am not there and can only offer advice based on what I ran into. In the end, you have to make those hard decisions just as I did. I'd like to see how your carrier bar is modified. Mine ended up moving the end out enough that a custom bracket had to be made to bolt it up. I thought I sent you pictures, but can't seem to locate them now. I think you are making great progress finally. mark

edit: I ran my exhaust forward from the turbo, under the engine, and the muffler is on the r/s. I did not use the cat, but still have it. Engine runs so much cleaner compared to the original diesel, I don't think it is a problem unless they change the emission rules in Florida at some point. I have some pictures on the Samba of my exhaust. It has worked fine and I was able to make a custom receiver hitch that fit up into the area where the stock muffler would go. I was then able to fabricate a torque mount that bolted between the block and the hitch. You will find you need some sort of torque limiter, but you can add that later. This will really help with resonance going through the gears. mark
 
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AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Mark, I have the right mount bar in a "jig" for reference. I plan to cut the bar about 1/4 inch back from the round part that contains the rubber bushing (which I have already pressed out). Then, I plan to add a 3 or 4 inch piece of square tubing to move the point of contact/weld to the right. The bar will also have to be cut near the OEM mount area to rotate it over to the new position. Also, I'm thinking the "downward" part of the bar will have to be shortened as well.

I was not able to do any work at all today! However, that doesn't mean I've not been thinking about the project.

I'm strongly considering the Saab Motor Mounts vs the Volvo. The Volvo mounts are obviously larger in diameter and require a bottom bolt/nut application.

Lastly, the Dakota Digital Universal Signal Interpreter come last Friday. So, I've been refreshing my mental notes as how it operates, where to locate it, etc.

One thing I did this past weekend was test the starter, disassemble it, and give it a good cleaning...............and fresh coat of black paint. I need to re-assemble and lay it back for later!

EDIT: Mark, I went to my e-mail Inbox and did a search on your name and found the modified mount photos. I really like your method of addressing the carrier bar. So, I'm going to put my idea on back burner for now.
 
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markward

Veteran Member
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Jul 5, 2007
Location
Loxahatchee, Florida
TDI
82 Vanagon and 2011 JSW
Andy, Glad you found the pictures. I was suprised they were not on my thumbdrive. At least I am not nuts. I went by the shop last night and took two pictures of the last section of diesel shift rod. There is a factory bend in the center, that I bet gives you the clearance you need if you put the transmission back in the original mounting holes. Not sure about the transmount diameter. The one I took off was the same as the replacement one that was basically a fit all mount from World Pac or IMC. ETKA shows a few different ones by chassis number, but only one is available now. I thought maybe the differences were in the durometer more than the dimensions. The Saab Mounts work in my application and are nice and compact. I uploaded the shift rods photos to Samba, but will try to post them here for you. mark


 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Vanagon shifter, related

Here is a pic of the shifter linkage at the tranny end. Of course this linkage is from the 2.0 Air-cool engine! There is little doubt that my tranny has to be in the lower position to use this shifter linkage. When the tranny was higher (OEM position), the linkage rod was scrubbing the bottom of the cross-member, among other things.


The photo below shows that the tranny has been lowered to the max due to the ground bolt. EDIT: See that ground cable ........ extremely important! It did not make good contact and was a nightmare with starting issues discussed later in this Thread.


The photo below shows the shifter side of the tranny looking forward from the right side. The shifter knobs and cross-member to the front are quite visible. In this lowered position, they appear to be workable! EDIT: Notice the white radiator pipes, well, I stayed with the metal OE pipes.


Since the measurements from the floor pan above (ceiling) to the Drive Flanges on either side of the tranny are actually a little more (meaning lower) than the measurement from the Air-cool Vanagon, the positioning should be about right. Also, the cross piece from motor mount carrier bars clears the bottom of the oil pan by about 1/2 inch. I really think it's good to go! I just have to make a decision on the motor mouts (Volvo or Saab).
 
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markward

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Location
Loxahatchee, Florida
TDI
82 Vanagon and 2011 JSW
Andy, the shift rod is mild steel and could be reshaped to match the diesel rod. Looking at your picture, I see the transmission end is bent up. The pin on the transmission that supports it is the same for both the AC and diesel. It appears the only difference is the rod itself. If you look at mine, you can see the transmission end is in line with the rod after the midpoint bend. I'd give my rod up, but it matches my spare transmission. If you are interested in reshaping yours, I could measure how far the bend is in from either end as a reference and then when the transmisson end is sitting on the bench, how far up the front end is up. Are you interested? I will be at the shop tomorrow and don't mind making some measurements for you. Up to you. mark
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Friday night/Saturday morning update:

Today (Friday), I dwelled on the shifter, linkage and mid-point bushing and support. As stated previously, I have the complete set-up from the Gear Shift Knob to and including the tranny from an Air-cool model.

Recently, I was involved with a "group buy" for the shifter/linkage bushing. As it turned out, the "stock" was very hardened, obviously from some old NOS. Anyway, I had to do some improvising to make it fit the support piece. And, I had to "locate" the support piece cause there is no pre-drilled hole, etc., on the WBXer models for the earlier model shifting stuff.

So, after putting it all together, the shifter works really fine. It easily engages each gear with a snap! I was amazed how a little grease made it feel like Dealer show-room stock! The shifting rod at/near the transmission clears the cross member just fine. I suppose the tranny could be raised back up about half the distance (one inch) and would function okay.

Mark, I really don't think there is a need to modify the linkage. It all seems to work just fine as is. The tranny location in the front mount is very very close to the same position as it would be in the Air-cool Vanagon.........the tranny doesn't have a clue that a 1.9 TDI is hanging on the end of the Bellhousing! Clearance below the oil pan should be very close to stock. So, thanks for the offer to take measurements the shifting rod, binds, etc.

I'll post photos tomorrow.

Also, I picked up the modified right Carrier Bar. I'm excited how well it turned out. I'll bolt it in tomorrow and take photos!

Lastly, I did order the Saab hydraulic mounts. The Volvo mounts were going to require a lot more work modifying the carrier bars to accept them.........and, I just didn't have confidence that they would provide adequate vibration protection!
 
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jjordan11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2008
Location
Lehi, UT
TDI
1988 Audi 80 quattro PD130, 1982 Westfalia TDI
All this talk about modifying the motor mounts has me wanting to do the same :). Where are you guys getting them from and how much?

That's good about the transmission shifting good, mine is starting to get pretty good with the shifting. 1st and 2nd sometimes didn't want to engage, but I noticed when rebuilding it the 1-2 slider did need to wear into the 1-2 hub.

Anyways, I'm excited for you Andy for making some good progress.

Jon
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
All this talk about modifying the motor mounts has me wanting to do the same :). Where are you guys getting them from and how much?

That's good about the transmission shifting good, mine is starting to get pretty good with the shifting. 1st and 2nd sometimes didn't want to engage, but I noticed when rebuilding it the 1-2 slider did need to wear into the 1-2 hub.

Anyways, I'm excited for you Andy for making some good progress.

Jon
Jon, I first purchased a pair of hydraulic mounts for a 2.0 (late 80s to early 90s) Volvo. I've determined they are just to large in diameter which would require considerable modification to the carrier bars.

So, I'm going with the Saab mounts like Mark used (rsxsr). They are for a late 80s to early 90s model. The cost is high (over $200.00 a pair. I may regret it, but I'm going with a generic (probably China) pair for under a $100.00. They should be here next week. (I'm thinking the Volvo mounts were China made too...........no place of manufacture generally doesn't indicate OEM.).....LOL!
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Last Day of Spring Update (6/20/21)

Below are two right side Carrier Bars from a Diesel Vanagon normally supporting a 1.6 Liter Diesel engine. The top bar in the photo has been modified to accommodate the AC Compressor on the TDI engine........see the rest of the photos for details.



Another view


Another view


This view shows the AC Compressor with the Carrier Bar in place


This is another view of the AC Compressor with the Carrier Bar in place


Another view looking right down the Serpentine Belt


The engine bracket (my term) that will bolt to the engine and "reach" over to the top of the Motor Mount (not installed in any of the above photos) will be a challenge to fabricate due to the AC Compressor..........seems to just keep getting in the way!
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Here are a few odd and end things I've been doing just to keep moving on this project.

I rebuilt the nice pretty clean starter. It's from a Vanagon Diesel with the 1.6 engine. That starter will match my 215mm flywheel, which has been successfully used in other TDI applications...........we'll see! EDIT: I eventually installed a TDI starter using an adaptor. Also, I had two "used" TDI starters. Eventually, both of them got draggy. Cleaning did not help them. So, I purchased a new starter off eBay.. made in China. After over a year it still works just fine. Seems I paid less than $70.00 shipped to my door with no core charge.



Another view


Motor Mounts. The mount on the left is for a Saab 2.0 gasser engine. The mount on the right is for a Volvo 2.0 engine.......... I'll be using the Saab mounts. EDIT: I did not use these mounts. I used hydraulics then changed to the OE style for a Vanagon Diesel... much smoother.


Now, here are a couple of photos of the Down Pipe from a VNT 15 Turbo with a piece of plumbing pipe laying there too. The idea is to cut the Down pipe off, then cut it again just out of the Turbo and rotate about 25 degrees to point it straight down (almost straight down) then weld the Street Elbow on. It has a 1.5 inch inside diameter on the smallest end. I plan to cut it off to where it will be almost 1.75 inches in diameter and then weld it to a 2 inch pipe going straight back below and between the Actuator and the drain pipe from the Turbo. EDIT: Although I did custom build a "down pipe" using these pieces, I later custom made a SS set-up using the quick disconnects. It is far better and I tremendously improved the hanging using two rubber mounts.... smooth! You can skip over to Page 44, Post # 1302 to see the custom SS down and around pipe ...LOL


Another view. I realize the diameters seem to be too small. But, the down pipe is less than two inches inside and the Plumbing Elbow is just under two inches on the large end. So, cutting it off on the smaller end will result in a hole that is about 1.75 inches or just a little larger.........less than 5/16 inch of restricted area distance........what do you think?


The TDI engine photo below will give you an idea of what I'll be attempting to do. As stated above, the Down Pipe will be cut off about 4 inches down and the Street Elbow plumbing pipe weld on. This will allow the exhaust pipe to go straight toward the rear of the Vanagon between the Acutator and the block just above the oil pan.........Of course, the Down Pipe will also need to be cut just as it comes off the Turbo and rotated about 25 degrees to get the proper down angle!


Below is another view of the engine that shows the other side of the Turbo where the Down Pipe bolts on.
 
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markward

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Location
Loxahatchee, Florida
TDI
82 Vanagon and 2011 JSW
Andy, I used a peice of roll bar tubing to make the r/s engine bracket. It has a flat plate that bolts to 3 holes on the block, one required a spacer and then is sweeping bend down to the engine mount. This gave me the compressor clearance I needed. I am linking two photos from Samba, but don't have one of it off the van. It is blue in color. Top view and bottom view.

 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Update:
-AC Lines/Compressor
-Modifications to accommodate the Vacuum Pump and Coolant Flange on the back of the head.
-Intercooler location


As I posted in rsxsr's Thread on AC sytems, I removed the AC lines from their OEM position and disconnected them from the OEM compressor. It appears there will be ample length, however, I do have "adaptor" issues to deal with.

Vacuum Pump: Also, at the back of the TDI engine head (toward the front, remember the engine is backwards), on the left side the Vacuum Pump and Coolant Flange were in conflict with a wiring junction box on the Vanagon engine bay wall. I moved the junction box to the opposite side (outside the engine bay) which gave ample room for the Vacuum Pump. The existing wires were all long enough to accomodate the move. I did have to extend and reposition the two wires going to the license plate light (pretty simple).

Here is a view after I took off the lid and removed most of the wires.


Photo after junction box removed.


This photo is of the electrical junction box re-located on the opposite side of the engine bay wall.


This photo shows the end of the TDI head, no Coolant Flange but the Vacuum Pump is installed (sorry about the focus)


Note: One thing I am doing is preserving the integrity of the old "systems" so that in the future, if someone wants to switch out this engine to a VW gasser or Subie, the old "stuff" will still be intact and usable.

The Coolant Flange: is another story. The three Coolant Heater Plugs will not bolt on without touching the edge of the engine bay. I suppose that piece of the engine bay firewall could be cut-off. However, I'd prefer not cutting anything out of the engine bay if possible. Also, by unbolting the Flange that holds the three heater plugs and doing a 180 degree to re-bolt does not work. The little O-ring does not provide a seal due to the two halves being off center! I suppose a paper gasket could be used to accomplish sealing.............scratching my head on this one!

Intercooler location: As several folks doing engine converions with the use of an IC, I'll be locating mine on the left side in front of the left tail light assembly. I picked up the IC from a pile of parts my son had (I think it is from a Toyota). I'll have to cut and weld to change the direction of the inlet and outlet pipes.

The Air Intake routing from the filter to the Turbo is going to be the challenge!

Photos........will follow, either tonight or tomorrow!
 
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markward

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Location
Loxahatchee, Florida
TDI
82 Vanagon and 2011 JSW
Andy, my 98 ALH did not have the glowplugs in the coolant neck as you are describing. They must have been added later in production. I don't miss them as far as I know. Perhaps you could back date to the earlier setup. The only adavantage I could think of is they might help the engine get to operating temperature quicker and might help the heater supply heat sooner, but even at 10K feet at 32F the engine had no problem getting to temperature and the heat works fine. Just an idea.
 

rackaracka

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2001
Location
Monroe, NJ
The coolant flange with glow plugs is installed on cars with Manual Transmissions. You could possibly install a non glow plug equipped flange from an automatic, and just lose the glow plugs.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
This is a photo of the Turbo Side of the TDI engine. This photo is for you to use your imagination. As I posted previously, I plan to bring the exhaust down and back just below the Actuator and the Oil drain back line.

Notice the bottom of the engine block to the lower right of the photo. That can be used as a reference. There appears to be ample clearance for the exhaust pipe in that area. Of course, a heat shield for both the Actuator and the Oil line will be needed.

One other point of interest: I plan to rotate (index) the discharge outlet of the Turbo to about 10:00 O'clock postion from the 4:00 O'clock position to better access the Intercooler.
 
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AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Saturday update:

Today, I did not accomplish much. I worked on re-routing the brake booster vacuum line. The large vacuum line on the Vanagon comes out in the engine bay relatively close to the Vacuum Pump on the back of the TDI head. However, due to several reasons, the line needs to be relocated. I did manage to separate the line from the factory connections (heat and strength). I also discovered that the small vacuum nipple for the Turbo, N75, etc., had been broken off....probably when the engine was removed. Yep, another one of those JB Weld repairs.

Anyway, the job of re-locating the Vacuum line for the brake booster is not finished. However, I do have it layed out in the plan to finish on Monday!

Here is a photo of the Vacuum Pump and it's proximity to the engine bay wall of the Vanagon. You can see the Vacuum nipple on the pump at the top and center of the photo.


This is a view of the valve cover, vacuum pump and the black plastic vacuum line that's OE on the Vanagon. The need here is to relocate where the line comes thru the engine bay wall. I've modified the 90 degree elbow that comes out of the Vacuum Booster of the TDI brake to use as a fitting when making the relocation.


This is a view of the repaired Vacuum Valve from the TDI application. The small vacuum nipple was apparently broken off when the engine was pulled from the donor vehicle. Of course, it has been JB Welded! The nipple come from source in my stock of STUFF!


Edit: One thing I forgot to mention. While re-routing the Vacuum lines, looking at the new location of the AC lines, fuel return line, coolant piping, etc., I made a major discovery. This is something I should have caught early on. The routing of the "return" heater pipe on the TDI engine comes in behind the head and around to the IP side of the engine. From there, it goes to the back of the Water Pump. Well, that pipe has to be taken out and modified to go toward the right side of the Vanagon to be attached to the return heater pipe. I guess I'll do that job when I pull the engine back out for the flywheel/clutch install..........Gees, how did I miss that?
 
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AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Update on heater coolant hose location/re-location issue (remember from post #268)

Here in this photo of the TDI engine, you can see a black metal pipe that goes across the back of the engine and turns up. Well, that line is the RETURN from the heater. I'm not sure what I was thinking. It must be re-located.


Here you can see that black metal pipe from another angle. Notice the top black rubber hose going up from the oil cooler. Just to the right of where it connects to the heater return pipe is where I had to cut it off.


This photo shows the pipe laying out after I removed and cut it off at the point described above. Looking at the pipe from bottom to top, the first T to the right is the return line from the bottom of the Coolant Tank, the next T (at about the 7 inch point) comes from the oil Cooler and of course the main line is the return from the heater. The bottom end goes into the engine block (uses an O-ring) at the back of the water pump and actually provides heat from the flow of coolant to activate the T-stat!

EDIT: notice the pipe going off to the right at the end of the tape (return from expansion tank). June of 2017, I cut and plugged the hole and move the pipe to the bend of the top piece on the far left. It is pointed down and toward the expansion tank which is mounted on the right side of the engine bay. Moving the pipe gave much needed access to the top engine mounting bracket bolt. I did not take any pics of the procedure but may do so later. (edited on 12/28/17 and 1/20/2019, 1/4/2020)


This is a view of it back on the engine after being cut off. I will have to cut the other piece maybe a couple of times then weld back together to get the proper orientation. The other solid black line is the oil feed to the Turbo!


This is another view from a different angle. You are looking straight into the nipple for the return of the coolant from the oil cooler.


I'll follow-up with photos after it has been welded back together with the orientation I want!
 
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AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Update:

As you can see, I've been addressing small but important items over the past few days. The welder man has not started on the motor mount mods to accept the Saab hydraulic mounts. So, while I'm waiting on them, I've tried to keep moving other things along.

Today, I installed the starter, the clutch slave and associated braces, and modified the coolant flange on the back of the head. The OE coolant flange on the TDI Engine comes with three low-heat glow plugs that would not fit due to clearance issues with the engine bay, as I have mentioned previously. I added a flange from my VW parts cache to replace the heater plug flange. It has two sensors that will not be of any use.

Remember, my comments are at the top of the PHOTOs

The following photos show how they fit in relation to one another. This will help me with routing of other components, i.e. air intake piping, coolant hoses, heater hoses, fuel lines, location of fuel filter, AC lines, etc.

In this photo you can see the Clutch Slave (red), Starter to the right of slave, coolant pipe coming out of the head (goes to the radiator), coolant pipe to the oil cooler and the oil feed line for the Turbo.


In the photo below, to the right you can see the coolant pipe for the oil cooler. At this point, the coolant is going toward the oil cooler from the head.


Here you can see where the coolant pipe for the oil cooler connects to the flange on the back of the head. Also, visible is the temp sensor, the VW Rabbit heater flange replacing the three low-heat glow plug flange and also notice the temp sensors that will have to stay until I find some plugs.


Belwo is another view, closer up!


This is a view of the two coolant pipes going and coming from the oil cooler. Also, you can see the starter and the plastic plug for checking TDC (white thingy that's out of focus in foreground)


Below is a view of the AC lines after I gave them a good cleaning. I also rubbed them down with silicone lube! There was pressure in the system when I disconnected them from the old OE compressor. Adaptors should be here this week. Also, there is plenty of line length to take them up and over the tranny to the right side of the engine at the TDI AC Compressor location.

EDIT: Summer of 2017, I replaced the entire OE AC set of hoses using Cold Hose dot Com sources. That old system was just, well, too old.

 
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AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/5205/medium/100_1259.JPG

ha!!...did I break that thing Andy?...it's been so long I can't remember!!!:D

Well, we'll never know. I could have broke it when I was moving the engine.......into the house garage and from there to my auto garage. Oddly, I found the nipple this evening still in the line...........now, I know where it goes!.......:D

I tell you, all this minor but important detail will drive you nuts!

I need to remove and install a new fuel line from the tank to the rear engine bay. I plan to leave the OE return fuel line. Also, I need to remove the accelerator cable and housing (no manual TDI for me and will never go back to the ol' 1.9 gasser!:cool:

Also, I was hoping to refresh the front suspension. I have new bushings and ball joints. But, I've decided to let that go for now. I want to get the engine set, running and then tweak the AC and hopefully install the Power Steering.

I'm beginning to doubt I'll make the July 15th projected finish date!:rolleyes:
 

markward

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Location
Loxahatchee, Florida
TDI
82 Vanagon and 2011 JSW
Andy what are you doing about the accel pedal? Are you using the all in one from the donor? If so, you may find the position is very uncomfortable. After a couple road trips I modified my TDI pedal to work with the stock vanagon pedal. Huge improvement. I cut the vanagon pedal flat and filled with jb weld. I then cut off the pedal from the TDI assembly and filled the side with jb weld. I then found some teflon tape that I applied to both where they meet. The tape is used in cabinet making. Gives a nice smooth surface. My original idea was to come up with a rod between the two, but this was easier and has worked out fine. mark

 
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