Started 1.9TDI Conversion on a 1977 Jeep CJ-7

Haha, yea I used to run a German Market Audi ECU in my 96 Passat, The Audi ECU brake signal voltages are reversed compared to the VW setup.

I used to get an "Implausible brake signal error" if I sat with my foot on the brake too long.

Oh NO! Why the Ford Rear? They tend to have really low input pinion gear heights. (Really bad for rear drive shaft angles) I'd opt for reverse cut gears to keep the angles happy.

your running a Dana 300 yes? you should be able install an adapter to get the needed signal for the ECU.

babyrattler said:

TDIJetta99,

Thanks for the input. I was afraid of that. I'll need to dig into when we get temps above zero, if that ever happens again
I do not have the cruise hooked up yet because I have no VSS to drive it anyway. As soon as the Ford 8.8 rear axle goes in, I'll have a sensor to pull a pulse from. Thanks again everybody. I'll let you know what I find when I dig into it.

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I'm running the Ford rear for the disc brakes and the strength of the R&P, axles, etc. I do not think the drive shaft angle will be too bad. There are a lot of guys using them in Wranglers with no mention of adverse Dshaft angles. Any idea how much different the pinion centerline is vs. an AMC 20? I am running a D300 and was considering putting the sensor on it but the 8.8 has a sensor already so I might as well use it. I guess I'll see how it goes and adjust from there. Most of the $$$ has already been spent. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the heads up.

Only thing I can think of is check what the output voltage is for the Ford sensor, I know on some of there older stuff they used wacky voltages. IE something other then 5V or 12 volts.

babyrattler said:

I'm running the Ford rear for the disc brakes and the strength of the R&P, axles, etc. I do not think the drive shaft angle will be too bad. There are a lot of guys using them in Wranglers with no mention of adverse Dshaft angles. Any idea how much different the pinion centerline is vs. an AMC 20? I am running a D300 and was considering putting the sensor on it but the 8.8 has a sensor already so I might as well use it. I guess I'll see how it goes and adjust from there. Most of the $$$ has already been spent. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the heads up.

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TDIJetta99 said:

I think that adapter will be too big for the ALH to bolt to.. I have to do a little more comparing of bellhousings to be sure though.. The problem That I seem to run into is the diameter of the torque converter on the 700R4.. It will interfere with the starter on the ALH, and any of the smaller diameter converters have seriously high stall speeds (near 3500-4000rpm). If I could utilize a larger diameter flywheel then I could make an adapter and use a smallblock starter on the other side of the block, but I haven't gotten that far into it yet because I didn't ave a VW crankshaft to mess around with until last week.. I have a junk MK4 2.0 that I can play with, and 2 busted TDI engines so I might be able to figure something out now..

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I was reading this guys tranny swap article and he talked about dealing w/ the stock jeep starter and the 700R4. It's a good read.

Nice read man, I just cut a TDI motor out of a 97/98 Jetta. She only had 81K miles on the OD and the granny that dropped it off was hilarious. I am pondering this motor swap into an FJ40. How have the highway manners been? I've always had stout sbc's and stump rippin bbc's. So the mpg thing is secondary to my tastes. I was planning on going with the acme kit, till I saw this. Do you think the swap is worth it overall?

inKryptic said:

I was reading this guys tranny swap article and he talked about dealing w/ the stock jeep starter and the 700R4. It's a good read.

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Good read, but not the same as the VW's... The Jeep starter still sits on the engine side of the bellhousing while the VW starter is on the transmission side, not only bolting to the transmission, but facing the other direction.. I would need something like the Jeep starter or re-engineer a starter mount on the VW block much like a smallblock chevy..

cruisertime-

I really like the manners of the swap overall. If you are used to bbc torque than this will not be an Earth shaking power plant for you. However, with some mods, you can push 280 - 300ftlbs at 1900rpm which is pretty impressive especially considering the light weight nature of the package. The nice thing about doing the AX-15 swap is that you have a clutch that will easily hold 350 - 400ftlbs (per Centerforce) without the addition of the flyweights. When you add that extra force around 2000 rpm and up you can hold another 20% or more. I have read of some Toyota swaps that have had clutch issues because of the reduced swept area and clutch diameter. The AX-15 will hold up to at least 300ftlbs from the literature I have read so there really isn't a week spot in the package until you hit some pretty high numbers for the AHU motor. The Jeep drives great in stop and go traffic. Others that have ridden in it have been very surprised at how much power it has and I don't even have it chipped yet. I have had it off road a few times and have found the low end torque to be perfect. It is certainly a swap I would do again and actually plan on doing in the future because my wife wants a diesel Cherokee. I wish you well in what ever you decide to do. The TDI is a great engine that you will surely enjoy.

Thank you for the updated info. on this build. I keep getting more and more charged up about this swap. I feel that a traditional 4.0L-4.2L toyota diesel motor would just take away the gains in shear weight alone. I would def make this my DD and relegate the other two weekenders.

At this point, chipping the motor isnt on my radar. So I will keep the electronic injector pump. Right now my shopping list includes a new harness, pedal, matched injectors, gears, tires, and acme adapt kit.

Finally a video

Ok diesel lovers, I have finally posted a video. It is of the Jeep "stuck" on soft, slushy snow and ice. It really wasn't stuck, it just needed about an inch of packy snow kicked out from the stationary wheels. Pretty easy medium to get "stuck" in with open diffs. I'll post a longer one soon but I at least wanted to get this out there for all those who wanted to see and hear the Jeep in action. I can't wait to get the 3.54 open diffs swapped out with 4.11 posi. Still performs quite well for being overgeared by 16%. Thanks for watching.

http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab4/tdicj7/?action=view&current=JeepStuck.mp4

Another Vid

Here's a vid of the Jeep moving

http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab4/tdicj7/?action=view&current=JeepUnstuck.mp4

Enjoy!

Awesome videos!! thank you for posting.

I love it!!!

Love it!

Nice! Sounds like it revs well and has lots of power. How did you like the Wrangler motor mounts? Mine are way too stiff and I need to find something softer... How do you find the engine noise in the cabin? Did you do anything for sound deadening?

Reddok,
The motor does rev very well. It actually performs better than I expected. As for the motor mounts, I ended up using the 4cyl Wrangler mounts. They are MUCH softer than the GM diesel mounts that I first used. Changing the motor mounts made the Jeep much more enjoyable but it does still need some refinement. The transmission mount needs to be changed back to a soft rubber. As for sound deadening in the cab, I used Phatmat (I think?) which is a budget version of Dynamat. I also put a 1/2" or 3/4" layer of heavy felt pad on after the Phatmat. I have not completed the install of the felt. I still need to put sound deadening on the hood and some of the floor. One other major factor is my open element air filter which needs to be shrouded. The intake noise on the TDI is pretty severe. After all that, I need a hardtop and I should be set. With the listed refinements and the re-gearing so that I can hit my 1900 - 2200 rpm cruise, this will be a very refined Jeep CJ, which is not something that many people shoot for in a 70's Jeep. I'll have to check on your thread to see how yours is coming. It's been a while since I've been on. Hope all is well.

I have to get around to updating my thread but I've actually been driving mine instead of typing about it. I'm impressed with how well the motor performs in stock form. I haven't even put the bigger injectors or tune on it yet and it drives really nicely for a 4000lb truck.

I'm going to swap up my non-hydraulic 2.0 gas motor mount for an AHU hydraulic mount and see if that helps vibs. Also going to try adding an extra hanger on the exhaust and I definitely have to do some dynamat or equivalent.

I'm still following this... awesome. would love more data now that you've been driving it. How's your MPG been? Any "oops, I forgot to.." moments?

Is your tub lined (rhino, x-line)? I've heard that stuff has good accoustic reduction properties.

any updates?

I've been stuck traveling to Memphis a lot lately so I hardly get to drive the Jeep. It is still tons of fun. I really haven't gotten a good average fuel milage calculation yet. It seems to run between 28 and 35mpg but I can't be sure about that yet until I get a few more fill-ups under my belt. I'd really like to put a bigger turbo and water-to-air IC in it but I think the gearing/hardtop/air conditioning will come first. I easily hit 1000F on the EGT when cruising at 70mph and going up slight grades. Flat ground without wind nets me about 800F. I think a little smaller/narrower tire would help a lot on the EGT front but that will have to wait a while as well. I'll try to get some solid MPG figures posted before winter. Thanks for looking.

Quick update on fuel milage. I filled up the other day and recorded 36.9 mpg. The driving that was done on this last tank was very mixed: 70+mph highway, 60mph back roads, 30 mph stop and go city. I topped it off until fuel was running out the fill neck (not exactly on purpose). I am very pleased with 37mpg and hope to get a repeat performance with my next fill-up. I'll post after the next fill.

That is really amazing mileage for a brick going down the road! Please keep the updates coming! I'm really wanting to do this swap when I have the time... and money... and space... and skill.. helpful things like that.

babyrattler, thanks for the update! That is really awesome!

Awesome build. Would you be willing to share some of the info on your wiring? I'm currently doing a YJ ALH swap keeping the ecu and need some help getting started in what to wire into what. Would appreciate it.

=Jason-

I'm interested in buying a conversion kit. Let me know if you decide to make and sell them! Thanks!

Did you ever get those axles swapped out yet?

snow season round 2?

I'd love to hear about what the Jeep has been like surviving 2 winters.

I'm all out of troll food... Sorry,

However I would like to hear about the trials and tribulations of operating a TDI powered Jeep. preferable in a factual manner.

Things like the oil filter location are acceptable after the conversion, and the like. Or for people who like those centrifugal bypass filters, that it looks like there is a few good spots to place them.

Also about learning new coping habits for operating such a new vehicle.

tossing around this idea for an 80 cj5... donate my 96 passat tdi engine.reading hear it's alot more than i'd considered!

Love this. Preparing to do a 2002 wrangler now.

This thread makes me miss my built up TJ...went from an inside sales gig to outside sales consulting role and had to sell the Jeep and decided to triple my fuel economy with a TDI.

Maybe one day I'll get the both of best worlds, I know the Grands have the diesel engines in them, waiting for the Wranglers to become a little more affordable and buy a used one a few years down the line after hopefully all the kinks are worked out with the first generation diesels in Just Empty Every Pocket lineup.