1995 Cabrio TDI Swap

Has anybody done a TDI swap into a 1995 cabrio? What TDI motor would be a good candidate for this? How hard would this be to do? Mine has the 5 speed 2.0 gas engine in it currently.

Mk3 TDI Jetta is the best donor, its a simple R&R. Its been done a couple times, search a little.

Thanks for the info.

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http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=142679

Sorry, I'm brand new to the forum. Any forum actually.

jk, automatic or manual in the Cabrio? Manuals use the same axles as the 97 ~ 98.5 Jetta TDI so that's one less thing to exchange.
There's something different about the Cabrio and Jetta harnesses that runs across the radiator for the lamps on the right side. Using the Cabrio lighting harness (single filament, dual bulb headlamps) with the TDI Jetta's engine bay main harness caused electrical issues for me and the same issues for another TDI into Cabrio swapper. I resorted to running a separate dedicated wire because I could not locate the wiring problem.

Do yourself a BIG favor if you do this. Mark all the UNATTACHED electrical connections too before pulling the harnesses out of the cars. It'll save a lot of hunting for non-existent mates in a few week's time.

It's a manual. Are ratios the same on a cabrio and a tdi? What else will I need? Different instrument cluster? Is there a link on the forum that shows definitions for all the abbreviations and models that people are using? Is there a swap or aftermarket mfg to put disc brakes on the back of a 95 cabrio and if its a swap, what needs to be done to make it work. I'm new to the diesel world and late model VW's. I still have my first car, a 55' rag top oval. Thanks for the input!

Hope I didn't come across as too rude.

You will want to use the transmission from the TDI. That will also require swapping over the cable shift setup, and the hydraulic clutch.
Not only are the ratios of the 020 style transmission that comes in the cabrio incompatible, but they are an already fragile 'box that can barely handle a tuned 2.0...That is why heavier (B4 passat 2.0's) and more powerful/torquey TDI's came with 02A style transmissions..they are quite a bit more beefy..well worth the effort.

If you really want to do it right the first time, find an 02J style trans from a mk4 TDI. They are even better than the 02A.

If money has no limit..find an 02M from a european TDI..6spd would be nice..

Hey GTiTDi, Thanks for the info and no you weren't rude. Will the mk3 motor work with these trans? G60ING had said in an earlier post that a mk3 motor was a pretty straight forward swap or would it need a later motor with those trannies? what issues would there be with the later motor? I've read on the swap threads you start running into issues of electronics. Just curios but what would an O2M cost, if you have any idea? Thanks again for the help, I'm learning more each time I get on the forum.

Is the tdi 02M different from a golf or gti trans? I just did a quick check on ebay and found 2 on there but didn't know how those would work. 6 speed would be very cool, but don't know if that's something I could swing yet.