3-cylinder TDI performance camshaft...

udo

Active member
Joined
Jan 13, 2015
Location
Netherlands
TDI
VW Fox TDI
Hello,

Does anybody make a performance camshaft for the VW 3-cylinder TDI's?
I was unable to locate one, does that mean there is none?


Kind regards,
Udo
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Is that really enough?!
If so: who in Europe can do a decent job at that?
regrind will be better than new. new profile. cam will take up the smaller radius via the hydraulic lifter and thus the lobe will be longer.
Magic i know!
 

adamss24

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Location
Great Britain
TDI
audi a4 2.5 tdi 98 quatrro 6speed
Thing is manufacturers does get it pretty well so it’s the right blend of emissions, power and fuel economy !! Vag group does get it pretty well from the drawing board...you get more results spending your money on better turbo and fueling mods...each to their own I suppose !
 

udo

Active member
Joined
Jan 13, 2015
Location
Netherlands
TDI
VW Fox TDI
Thing is manufacturers does get it pretty well so it’s the right blend of emissions, power and fuel economy !! Vag group does get it pretty well from the drawing board...you get more results spending your money on better turbo and fueling mods...each to their own I suppose !
Hmm. OK...
So what about camshaft wear and tear?
Would it make sense to replace the camshaft after XXX amount of KM's/miles?
If so: what number would be more or less 'correct'?


The car already went from stock to a VNT turbo, has bigger injectors.
That is why I am looking at other things to improve.
Adding lightness? (without sacrificing features)
 

adamss24

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Location
Great Britain
TDI
audi a4 2.5 tdi 98 quatrro 6speed
I like AVE's quote: if its not broken, fix-it till is ! Just replace like for like or get a cam and get it ground to fit your needs as advised above...I personally would not spend money on a cam but swap a new engine with more potential or get a new car altogether and start fresh on that !
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
unless you have some really good head work and a HUGE turbo and fuel demands, a cam is nearly the lowest bang for your buck.
 

udo

Active member
Joined
Jan 13, 2015
Location
Netherlands
TDI
VW Fox TDI
`New` car means a lot of work and perhaps stricter regulations w.r.t. what I can do to the car. The current chassis has no such regulations (cat, sootfilter, adblue, EGR, etc).
Changing to four cylinders is expensive too as the registration has to be changed, but I'd have to find out if the regulations w.r.t. the chassis can stay intact.
FWIW I live in the Netherlands.



This means that I will not yet bet on a different car; how many KMs until a preventive cam swap should be in order?
 

adamss24

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Location
Great Britain
TDI
audi a4 2.5 tdi 98 quatrro 6speed
Best to whip the cam cover off and check the lobes for wear. If it needs it then replace it by all means ! PD engines makes weird noises when cams do wear...
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Yes. Cars are expensive and heavily regulated. So what's the problem?
 

TDIMeister

Phd of TDIClub Enthusiast, Moderator at Large
Joined
May 1, 1999
Location
Canada
TDI
TDI
Agree with all the posts here advising to spend your money where it will do more good. The 3-cylinder TDIs are all PDs (except some newer CRs), and PDs will never be ideal for high RPM where a cam will benefit. If your camshaft needs to be replaced anyway because it's worn, that's a different matter.

An upgraded turbo and injectors will be far more beneficial, from mild to wild. Pistons and rods also mostly interchange with other VAG engines if you cross the stage of very drastic modifications. Once you've done all these, then, yes, you could go back to the head and do a port, polish and big-valve upgrade with custom ground cam. You should be past 240 HP for that to even begin to make sense, though.
 
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