Zero-wire conversion?

One might convert a normal eTDI to mTDI, turning into a classic "1-wire diesel", for reliability/durability reasons. (Cue EMP/zombie apocalypse/BOV jokes in 3, 2, 1...)

Suppose one wanted to take it a step further and make it a zero-wire, replacing the normally-shut/open-with-12V fuel cut solenoid with a two-way type that took +12V to open, stayed there without further power, and needed -12V to shut again? Presumably it would have finger-powered backup functionality. Some older engines - OM617 and Peugeot XD1, among I'm sure many others - worked like this, sometimes with vacuum-powered shutdown solenoids. I've never seen a VE-type pump that worked this way, and I don't know quite the correct terms to search for, hence the post.

Has anyone converted an MTDI pump to work like this?

With enough money you can pretty much do anything.

The beauty of these engines is in their WHOLE package, which includes the ECU.

If you want only mechanical then go back a couple of generations.

I've got an old IDI Ford and it has NO electronics (other than a GP relay, something that isn't essential).

EMP affecting cars has pretty much been debunked: those with electric cars are a bit more exposed if they're plugged in at the time of an EMP. And, well, if you get a burst right over your head this might all be moot.

If you want to investigate further then folks in this forum might be of more help:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=63

You can simply remove the plunger from the shutoff solenoid. Then use the clutch to stall the engine when you want to stop it, push start it when you want to go, no electricity required as long as it's warm enough to start without glow plugs.

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I did some work on an old VAG diesel powered genset years back, it was a 1.6L IDI diesel, and on the Bosch VE pump instead of the stop solenoid it had a little plunger that was mechanical. In the "rest" position, it was open, allowing fuel into the chamber for delivery to let the engine run. You had to manually push it in to stop the engine, then it would spring back out again. Now oddly enough, this genset then in turn had a solenoid that pulled on a cable that pushed a cam down to push on this plunger, I guess the genset company while using a standard off the shelf VAG industrial diesel engine did not want to use the Bosch stop solenoid. Pretty sure the little plunger however was a Bosch part though, so evidently Bosch/VAG did make a total mechanical diesel Industrial engine option.

MB IDI diesels were like this too. But their plunger was vacuum operated, since some time in the late '70s MB engineers had a project to figure out who could design the most overly complex vacuum system ever. This was why they had a slight delay when you shut the engine off, because it took a second for the vacuum to build in the plunger chamber to shut the fuel off. And if there was a vacuum leak somewhere (common) the delay would/could be much longer, and in some cases so bad the engine would NOT shut off, so you had to open the hood and manually push down on the lever with the red label reading "ENGINE STOP" or whatever it said on it.

Our IH DT466 diesel has a cable with a push/pull knob to stop the engine. It requires no electric anything to allow the engine to run.

oilhammer said:

I did some work on an old VAG diesel powered genset years back, it was a 1.6L IDI diesel, and on the Bosch VE pump instead of the stop solenoid it had a little plunger that was mechanical. In the "rest" position, it was open, allowing fuel into the chamber for delivery to let the engine run. You had to manually push it in to stop the engine, then it would spring back out again. Now oddly enough, this genset then in turn had a solenoid that pulled on a cable that pushed a cam down to push on this plunger, I guess the genset company while using a standard off the shelf VAG industrial diesel engine did not want to use the Bosch stop solenoid. Pretty sure the little plunger however was a Bosch part though, so evidently Bosch/VAG did make a total mechanical diesel Industrial engine option.

Click to expand...

Oilhammer is correct here. In addition, the majority of the old 1.6IDIs, when equipped with an automatic transmission, had this manual stop mechanism. I would assume it exists because with the automatic you can't dump the clutch in 4th/5th to kill the engine.

I have never seen one of these pumps in person, but I've seen photos. Perhaps this could be added on to the pump you're envisioning as I believe that a lot of the VE pump parts, regardless of IDI or TDI, can be transferred over.

The VW 1.6 auto pumps had a lever extending through a hole in the case. It pushes the governor assembly to the full fuel cutoff position. Lots of 4bt pumps have the same thing... If one were building an MTDI pump and wanted that as a feature it'd be simple enough to ask for.

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It doesn't get much easier than using a part from a pre-TDI. Thanks for that info!

I worked a lot on an 82 (or thereabouts) Rabbit for a spell, but it was a manual. Considering the ah... Blistering Performance (*cough*), I'm surprised to learn there ever was an automatic option.