ALH/5spd to Ford Windstar Swap

Another small piece done

I finally replaced the pvc intercooler pipe (that I did in the original swap to get this thing on the road) with an aluminum one.

What do you have left to do?

How many miles on the swap so far? MPG?

wow a ford winstar van with tdi hows the mpg

Right now we are at 34,000 miles since the initial get it on the road swap nearly two years ago. Winter mileage has ranged from 32 to 35 mpg and summer mileage is fairly consistently 39 to 41 mpg. There are a few things left to do. I have a handful of things left directly related to the swap. Most are electronic, like lights on the instrument cluster, no fuel gauge yet, etc. Once I finish the electronics, I can put the dash bezel/trim back together. The a/c isn't hooked up yet, and I need to make a cover for my shifter tower. There might be a couple other things, but that should be most everything.

Curse you VWoA for not importing a TDI minivan....

Congrats on the build. Enjoyed reading about it from the beginning.

Just rolled over 40,000 miles on the conversion. Not much else to report other than I'm enjoying better warm up times and better cabin heater performance with the belly pan in place. I settled on the radiator blocked 100% except for a approx. 5" square in the middle. I think some kind of automatic radiator shutter system could be really useful. Anybody have any ideas?

I did break the rear axle because of crappy design/materials. Fortunately I got a new one from Ford under the recall for $300 and installed it myself.

Venetian blinds
I'm impressed with your milage,It does have a pretty aerodynamic nose on it and amazed at how cool these engines run.

1.9ZOOK said:

Venetian blinds
I'm impressed with your milage,It does have a pretty aerodynamic nose on it and amazed at how cool these engines run.

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Lol. How about some kind of shutter system off of a greenhouse fan or something?

If I read the chart right, the van has better cd per sq. ft. than my 97 Civic hatchback. By far my single biggest problem with the swap has been tweaking the cooling system to improve winter heat and warm-up times.

The last tank was 38 mpg - thats really sweet for quasi winter mileage!

they only make 4 rear axles for one... aluminum wheels vs steel AND drum vs disks...

Very interesting story. Did you figure out the coolant glow plugs; do they work properly?
I have read here that the two controlling relays for these gp's are grounded in the ECU.

JB05 said:

Very interesting story. Did you figure out the coolant glow plugs; do they work properly?
I have read here that the two controlling relays for these gp's are grounded in the ECU.

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You know, I couldn't tell you for certain. I've never tested them. As far as I know, everything needed for them to work is still hooked up. Maybe I should test them. Might help explain why I've had the devil of a time with heat and warm-up times.

I don't have then installed on my Ranger and it gets up to temp rather quickly. I would be looking at your thermostat.

I've changed the thermostat a couple times in the past (I think once since the swap), and I have a new one sitting on the shelf, I just haven't taken the time to put it in.

What do you do when you realize that the battery in your swap is to small?


I realized last week that the stock Windstar battery was undersized when you take into account AH ratings of the oem VW's. I had put in a new battery (Deka) soon after the swap and it made it a tad over two years. I thought this was pretty poor until I realized I was probably torturing it by using it with the diesel. Since I have a good source for a good brand and reasonable priced new batteries ($130 for the one in the picture), I said what the heck and bought the same battery that my old Dodge Cummins uses. The truck battery has about a 100 AH rating!

And yes, it does fit without modification...barely. The top of the plastic box just touches the hood liner with the hood fully closed.

Quick update: I installed new DLC 520 injectors from Kerma and am very pleased with them. They haven't been in long enough to track mileage accurately (1,500 miles), but I appear to have gained a couple mpg. The biggest improvement was power... which made an amazing difference. My old injectors were original at 268,000 miles and must have been absolutely worn out!

I have a question for you guys... is there an expected life span on the injection pumps? I'm still running the original and got to thinking I might should put on my to-do list getting it refreshed.

It may take a while for me to check back. My place is in a rural location and our one internet source crapped out, so I don't get a lot of chances to hit the web. Thanks in advance.

With the previous talk about smaller tires to gain some scoot, you could grab a transmission from a VR6 golf/jetta to get a little more revs, and slightly tighter ratios.

Added bonus is that the gasoline trans is about $150, where the diesel one sells quick at $300.