ALH into 95 Ranger 4x4

HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
PickleRick - I haven't looked into custom AC lines, as this truck never had AC to begin with. The pressure side hose I put together uses -6AN hose and it has adapters to go to the banjo on the p/s pump and into the box. I'm very happy with it so far, especially since it should be easy to repair if needed on the trail.

I have gotten everything connected up, and filled with fluids. But now the truck vibrates really badly at idle. To the point where the head lights were shaking with the grill. Disconnecting the exhaust before the first hanger has helped some.

I'm really regretting not replacing the motor mounts sooner, as there is a much bigger difference than I expected between the worn out ones. But oh well. Off to scour the internet and see what my other engine mount options are, and what I can make work well.

If anyone has done something they like or seen something that looks good to them, I'm very open to suggestions and ideas.
 

Braddman

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Joined
Jun 25, 2019
Location
Barrie, Ontario
TDI
2006 Audi A4 BHW 2.0 TDI, 2005 Toyota Tacoma BHW TDI Swap
Did you install a flex joint after the down pipe? I’m using a 6” flex joint just after my down pipe in my TDI Tacoma.

I am using the BHW motor mounts, they are hydraulic mounts meaning filled with oil and work great. The engine has no balance shaft, the cabin vibrations are barely noticeable. Even though the shifter vibrate like crazy. Thanks to the smoothness of cab on frame design my Audi A4 with a BHW has those mounts, without the balance shaft and it vibrates a fair bit more.

I will also be installing a Fluidampr modified to fit on a BHW by Vdamper. This will help smoothen out the vibrations a bit, reduce the clutch rattle and reduce the sycromesh chatter.

The BHW mounts are expensive though about $250 each. I ended having to buy new mounts for both my vehicles because the oil leaked out of them.
 
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Motohead1

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Jul 16, 2016
Location
charlotte
TDI
2002 bug+telephone pole
F150 hyd mounts work awesome and are cheap. No vibe issues at all and I would second that a good flex joint is a must on the downpipe.
 

PickleRick

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Joined
Nov 29, 2017
Location
Greenville sc
TDI
05 GLS BHW sedan 5 speed conversion. BHW Carver SantaCruz in progress
Im using stock 22re engine mounts (cheap eBay replacements) for my balance shaft deleted bhw. I have no seats or carpet currently and tools/hardware litter the tub.

I haven't rev'd the motor above idle or let it run long as my rear axle is on blocks plus I have no charge pipes attached or ac/power steeing hoses connected but no vibrations noticeable sitting on bare steel above what i have in my passat with same motor and 5 speed conversion.





I have a 6 inch flex at the down pipe as I always thought that was a must for turbo vehicles.

I have 2.5 mandrel bend exhaust with no muffler. While there was no excessive noticeable vibrations it is note worthy that it sounded more kubota like than any of my tdi passats.
 

HoneyBadger

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Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Thanks for the responses guys. I haven't reconnected the exhaust yet, but if I was to do it again I would definitely just plan to put in a flex pipe. I'm going to bend the hangers a bit and get the hung stuff to line up. That'll determine if I cut it up and put in the flex pipe.

I got the IP timed properly today, and then switched to getting all the codes cleared. All that's left now is a P1562 for the quantity adjuster.

The quantity adjuster upper limit is off. My guess is that the extended time that this motor sat has gummed that up a bit and it needs to be cleaned out. I'm going to read the values tomorrow and see what I can find out. But I found this video:
That has given me some good confidence to dive into the pump and see if cleaning it out will help. If not, I do have an 11mm pump I was going to put on after I got it smogged that could go on it now.
 

HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
After following that video to clean up the IP, I cut the wires too short and had to switch pumps. Luckily I already had an 11mm pump that I was planning to put on the truck later. I connected the plug on that pump and found it also didn't have the full travel on the quantity adjuster, but pulled it apart on the bench and had no troubles getting it back together. I don't think I even needed to remove the circuit board. The adjuster "needle" was not easy to move through it's full travel by hand. So I put a wrench on it and gave it a more forceful shove. It moved easily after that. Leaving me with the conclusion that I just had some "scum" blocking the full stroke. Both of these pumps have sat for more than a year without being run, so it seems logical to me.

And with that fixed, I have all my engine codes cleared!! But I discovered/remembered that the alternator doesn't work. I say remembered because a few years ago the alternator went out on my DD so I swapped them thinking I would remember to get a new one for the truck..... safe to say that never happened, so I get to practice and alternator change out here in the next few days.

I will say that doing a timing belt with the motor in this configuration is really nice. The only thing that's a pain is getting the one vacuum pump bolt that's under the outlet.

New alternator and then I get the check engine light to illuminate correctly for CARB and I'm ready to schedule my appointment to get this thing street legal. It's a bit surreal how close I am to being able to drive the truck again.
 

HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Alternator is now working. Turns out I didn't connect the wire that goes from the alternator to the ECU. And that means no power to the exciter and thus the alternator wasn't working. Just an oversight on my part and learning how alternators are wired. I did the sloppy job of just running the wire along side the rest of the loom. Its all behind the ABS and fuse box, so it's a giant PITA to wire it nicely. I'll tuck it in if I ever get in there again.

Final step is getting this check engine light to work. The light is "dim" before start up, and gets brighter after the engine is running. So I need to investigate what is causing this. The light wants to be pulled to ground to turn on, which I thought is how the ECU works too, but maybe it's flipped since I go from dim to bright. In sort of an "off" then "on" state. I'm thinking I'll pull the wire and put it through a bread board and see what I can find out. Hopefully I won't fry the ECU while I do that....
 

HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Well I've been trying different circuitry to get the light to turn off and realized that I've been assuming that the fault codes for not seeing the instrument cluster, airbag controller and ABS controller wouldn't turn the light on...…..

So with that being said I'm waiting to hear back from Kerma to see if they can get the codes to stay off. Then I can actually check for CEL functionality.

On another note, the accessory belt has started to rub after the new alternator, so I'll have to look at that alignment in short order as well. The screw driver is pointing to where it is rubbing. I'm guessing the surface on the alternator might be angling the pully since this wasn't happening with the previous alternator that was on there.

 

HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Well a tune from Kerma, and a little modification to a logic converter from FastForward and the CEL is fully functional and ready to go!

I'm going to start driving with in the neighborhood a little bit to do a shake down and then schedule with a CARB referee to get this thing registered!

I may start a new thread to document that process for anyone doing swaps in CA to know what the process is like.
 

HoneyBadger

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Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Another boring update with no pictures.... Just poking at the small things getting it ready for a smog check/certification

I realized that the nipple on the vacuum pump was leaking, so I did the "fill it with epoxy" mod

I also did the 3 main seals on the injection pump because I was losing prime almost instantly upon shut off. Problem solved and it starts right up every time now.

I took it for a drive around the neighborhood today to get it warm and found a coolant leak, so tomorrow I'll dive in once everything cools down and see if I can't get it to seal. It only leaks once warmed up and under pressure. So it just became a problem.

Dash is all back together and gauges all work.

This weekend I'm going to build a new shift lever to compensate for how the transmission was moved. I've also got plans for a custom shift knob, we'll see how that turns out.

I think that's it for now. It had decent power when I was driving it around under 35mph, so I'm happy so far.
 

HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Coolant leaks seem fixed for the moment, but I'll be keeping an eye under the truck for a while. Unfortunately though, the exhaust wrap is now soaked in coolant and is steaming while I drive around the neighborhood. (It'll dry eventually, just not a great smell when you come to a stop and get a wiff)

The starter was blowing fuses left and right at random times when trying to start, but after a few messages with TD conversions I ordered a replacement (good to have a spare when wheeling also). Well the paper with this starter says that the solenoid needs a 25amp circuit to it, and Ford only has a 15amp circuit. So I think I found the problem, just wish I knew this when I was doing all the wiring. The quality of work is suffering as I try to patch these new problems popping up. I ended up putting a relay near the starter to supply the 25 amps needed. Ugly, but I used a fuse spot in the main box at least. Here's a few pics of the process.

I found a relay and base laying around that originally came with the ARB compressor I have installed.


The under food fuse panel had a few extra spots to use. I just had to fill in the center with a sort of "connector" to the bus bar underneath. Notice no metal on either side where there are no fuses


Fuses removed, so you can get to the yellow locking plate. Easier to see the missing spots down the center.


On the under side, remove the connectors for one side so there is room to remove the bus bar


There are 3 tabs locking in the plastic insulator to remove, then the metal bus bar underneath can be pried up with a screw driver.


I pulled these 3 "connectors" from a JY fuse block I got a while ago and slid them into place.



Everything re-assembled and a big wire from the spare fuse block to connect a fuse and the starter relay has power!
I drove it for about 5 minutes then would park and turn off for 5 minutes then start again. Probably started 20 times today and no issues. Also gave me a good stopping point to check for coolant leaks.

I keep getting a MAF code, and have a new one on order now. After that is cleared, I am ready for smog.

Any one know what the readiness codes in VCDS should read before smogging? Hopefully a few people made it down this far!
 

HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
I supposed it's time for an update here. Haven't made a lot of progress as I'm moving at the end of the month and need to get a different car fixed and gone before then.

I did replace the turbo. I realize now, that it was a bit of throw money at the problem of trying to get the over boost code to clear. But I'm also ok with having more new parts on this motor. Hopefully it'll be really reliable for me for a long time. And I have plans for the old turbo as well. But that didn't clear my boost condition code.

Looks like I have some wiring issues with the MAF. The air actual just sits at 550, when the specified is usually half that at idle and the actual never changes when you rev the engine. I've tried working MAFs and also a N75, and neither fixed anything. So i'll have to dig into the wire and trace it to where ever the problem is.

Like I said not much progress, but I'm picking at it where I can. Will report back when I figure out what's going on.
 

HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Well I figured out why I was getting a MAF error. I had the 12V+ and the 5V ref switched on the MAF connector. So got that switched and the truck runs much better. I'm still getting a 17964 - Charge Pressure Control: Negative Deviation - P1556 error, so I think I need to go back and check my vacuum lines and intake connections. I just started a new job, and still have a new daily to fix, so progress will probably be slow on this. Hopefully I can sneak out tomorrow and check those connections to see what's going on. I have a hard time believing that the brand new turbo is giving me issues since I was getting this code before also.

Current guess is that I have a vacuum leak somewhere.
 

HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Well I have updates, but they aren't very exciting. I got the coolant leak fixed. I have to pressurize the system to find the leaks. Quite a few small ones, and a big one connecting to one side of the heater core. I bought a AST fz41 adapter to the coolant ball and rented a radiator pressure tester at O'Reilly and it worked great. I like the AL adapter over the plastic mityvac option.

With that fixed, I went for a quick drive to check out how the turbo was working, and it seemed to do well. BUT the truck died on my about a half mile away from the house and would not stay running. I got a P1354 code which looks like I might not be getting enough fuel, or have a bad electrical connection. So that's the new last thing before I can go meet with a Smog Referee and get it registered. I'm doing the research tonight about what wires to look at tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have something to report soon and it'll be how much fun the truck is to drive around.
 

HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Well the issue was pretty easy to find. Pin 3 on the pump connector didn't have continuity to pin 2. Since I had pulled the pump apart and soldered the wires back together internally, it seemed logical that the solder joint came apart. And it did, giving each connection a tug revealed the problem joint. Here's a picture


After getting it all back together, I took it for a drive and had great turbo response and power all the way to 3rd gear and 2500rpm.... at which point I lost any boost and had to drive slowly back to the house. This is a similar issue I'd been having, but now it happened in 3rd and not right away. Same P1556 code from before, low boost pressure deviation. I have a new MAF to try this week, since I assume the old one got damaged by having the 5v and 12v power wires switched. Fingers crossed this is it and I'll have a fully functioning vehicle.

Then it'll be time to explore the registration process in CA. I think I'm going to attempt to register it as a specially constructed vehicle to get around the issue of the motor being from a different class of car. CA has SB100 which allows for kit cars to be registered and I think that is my best way to registration right now.
 

HoneyBadger

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Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Ok, new MAF did not help. Issue is very repeatable though.

3rd gear, 2500 RPM, ~37MPH, turbo is running great, good power for a stock tune. Then just a hiss and the N75 goes from where ever it's at to 92.4% and gets stuck there. Is that limp mode? I'm thinking this may become it's own post, but wanted to put it here to see if anyone had quick ideas and to keep track of my issues. ECU gives a P1556 Negative boost deviation. It has a 2.5 Bar MAP sensor stock, not sure if that matters. I did try a new N75 before, but it may be time to try again now that I did put a new MAP sensor on and that seemed to help the issue a bunch.

Any thoughts?

On another note, I found a place that will register your vehicle in South Dakota for some moneys, so I'm going to do that. I should be able to bring the truck "back" into CA once the title changes to say diesel when it gets registered in SD. I'll keep you guys posted about how that goes. I can't find the title though, so I'm 2-6 waiting for a replacement from the CA DMV then 1-2 weeks with DirtLegal.com.
 

Alberta 7.3

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Joined
Nov 11, 2017
Location
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
TDI
CBEA Ranger under construction
I would think the first thing to check would be if you have a vacuum leak somewhere that looses all the vacuum to the N75/actuator, so it goes full pull to try to re-position the actuator to where it wants, but can't since there is a lack of vacuum.
 

Motohead1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2016
Location
charlotte
TDI
2002 bug+telephone pole
I would think the first thing to check would be if you have a vacuum leak somewhere that looses all the vacuum to the N75/actuator, so it goes full pull to try to re-position the actuator to where it wants, but can't since there is a lack of vacuum.

I agree also look for a hose that is collapsing.
 

HoneyBadger

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Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
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'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Oh that's an interesting theory, I guess I figured since the lines were all new (or I guess only a few years old now) that one would collapse, but vacuum drop at that time would point to a hose or device that is leaking all the vacuum. I'll check that out, probably need to rig up a vacuum gauge in the truck, but that shouldn't be too difficult.
 

HoneyBadger

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Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
I hooked up a vacuum gauge, but didn't see much of anything. I just ran a hose from the vacuum ball into the cab and watched there. With how long the hose was, I question how much I would see at all. It's hard because it only happens in 3rd gear, and I can't recreate the situation in the driveway to put the gauge closer and see more accurate readings. It's probably 6 feet of hose, but short of getting a transducer and spending big money to measure, I'm not sure how to measure better. The gauge stayed between 25 and 28 inHG I did see it go up and down with RPM a little bit, and vacuum did start to drop shortly after shutting off the engine.



I also did a run with VCDS to graph the things I think I want to be looking at. It's hard to say if the MAP or MAF reading go wild and that's what causes the code or not. I'm thinking of doing another run, but I'd like to figure out how to scale the graph for easier interpretation. The big blip near center right of the picture is where the code gets thrown. You can see I get to 3000 RPM in second then the purple line goes to 92.4% which is the N75.
 

greengeeker

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
Prior to limp mode, it never met requested and was generally under boosting the entire time. Have you done a boost leak test? (sorry if you already stated this)
 

JELLOWSUBMARINE

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Mar 3, 2014
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yes
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2011 Jetta Sportwagen, 6M, red/tan, navi, pano, 83 5m diesel pickup, 82 p/u trailer,.04 5.5 TDI Passat wagon (gone), 80,81,82 diesel p/u (gone), 80,82 sportruck (gone), 59 passthru bus (long gone), 79&87 westy (gone), 57 baja bug (long gone), 73 914
I may start a new thread to document that process for anyone doing swaps in CA to know what the process is like.
I was wondering about that.
 

HoneyBadger

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Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Green - you are spot on! I hadn't checked for boost leaks yet, I wasn't hearing any whistles, so I wrongly had it lower on the list.

I got around to testing the system today. I figured out I did have a slight leak at one of the intercooler connections, but after I got that sorted. Another test drive and data logging and the issue was still there.

I came back and did another pressure test, this time across the turbo as well. I noticed the turbo leaks pressure quickly. Does it make sense that the turbo across the inlet and outlet would not hold any pressure? The turbo is cold (i.e. not warmed up) so the seals aren't going to be great to begin with. All the videos online showing boost testing pressurize across the turbo and don't seem to have issues. Maybe I'm missing something...

I'm also going to check tomorrow and see if the actuator is adjusted correctly. It's a new turbo and I expect it would be, but I think it needs to be checked before being ruled out. I verified before that it moves smoothly, but didn't look too hard at when the actuator starts to move.
 

greengeeker

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
I came back and did another pressure test, this time across the turbo as well. I noticed the turbo leaks pressure quickly. Does it make sense that the turbo across the inlet and outlet would not hold any pressure?
Yes, normal. If you want to pressure test the entire system, I recommend a blockoff plate at the turbine outlet. Be careful though, when I did this on my TDI Ranger, the pressure was enough to motor the truck UP my driveway (didn't have the parking brake engaged).

If you have the intercooler connections sorted, I doubt you have a leak and your low 'measured' boost cause is elsewhere.
 

HoneyBadger

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Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
Ok, I'm not sure where to go from here. The turbo actuator starts moving around 2inHg and hits the stop at 18 inHg. I tried disconnecting all of the other vacuum system components to see if that would bring the boost levels back where they are supposed to be, but no luck. This is the graph from that. It's basically the same as before I think. I did not drive it until I got the under boost issue this time, I just stayed closer to home this time.

I am noticing that the N75 % value changes, but the requested boost does not match it. Should these be correlated on the graph?



I'm not sure what there is left to check. Or maybe I need to recheck a few things.
What I've checked:
N75 valve functions using VCDS component test
MAP sensor was replaced (helped some)
New MAF sensor after fixing some wires that were crossed in the connector
Vacuum at idle is 28 inHg, barely drops under load while driving.
Disconnected and plugged all vacuum components except N75 and Vac ball. No change.
Pressure tested the whole intake system to 20 PSI and no leaks.
Turbo is brand new. Less than 50 miles on it, but issue was around before then I believe.

My other half thoughts about what to look into next.
Would the N75 show full range in the VCDS test, but not give me full range while driving?
Is there something with the ECU I could check? It has the IMMO deleted and a few other codes from not having the gauge cluster connected.

I have a 2.5 Bar MAP sensor installed as far as I know. Could the tune have coded it for a 3bar? I have a 3Bar MAP sensor I could throw on there, but I'm not sure if that would really do any good. It feels more like a good way to get in trouble than something helpful.

Any and all ideas are welcome for what to try.
 
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HoneyBadger

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Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
'02 Jetta 5 spd, 03 jetta auto, future ALH Ranger
MAP sensor is reporting properly. Checked it at ~10 and 20psi and also ~1bar on the gauge of the test regulator. All 3 points corresponded (within a reasonable error) to what was read with VCDS. Adding the 1 bar for ATM and google says that these are correct. Posting here for a double check

At 0 PSI ==> 1009mbar
At 10 PSI ==> 1765mbar
At 1 Bar ==> 1999mbar
At 20 PSI ==> 2315mbar

I double checked the N75, and using the VCDS output test, I see full travel on the actuator it hits the stop every time.


If it's not the MAP or N75, and not a pressure or vacuum leak. Does that lead to my turbo being the issue? How could I test that?
 
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