ALH TDI engine transplant into '84 Vanagon

[jimbote]

I'm still scratching my head about how or what to do with some additional InterCooler performance. I'm seriously considering adding another heat exchanger....maybe run the piping up and back on the left side for a mid-mount with a fan!

Hey Andy...I have yet to intercool my vanagon but I'm considering a scoop on the drivers vent as well as a duct underneath the "D" pillar (bottom cut out and sealed from the engine compartment) that vents to low pressure area under the tail light (I will have to "create" a vent there ) ....there is a thread on the samba where someone did pressure testing on the vanagon rear vent that had some very interesting and surprising results

 

[Ski in NC]

Risky to use NPT fittings and tees for oil pressure sensing transducers on diesels. Invariably they have a fair amount of mass cantilevered out from the engine, and the engine is alive with vibes. NPT threads have sharp thread roots and those make perfect stress risers. Perfect for fatigue. Especially brass nipples. Sometimes best to mount sender/switch remotely on chassis, and couple to engine with small dia hydraulic line. I investigated a couple big marine engines that failed this way. Once the nipple broke off, oil switch lost its ground path, engine ran til it seized.

 

[AndyBees]

Hey Andy...I have yet to intercool my vanagon but I'm considering a scoop on the drivers vent as well as a duct underneath the "D" pillar (bottom cut out and sealed from the engine compartment) that vents to low pressure area under the tail light (I will have to "create" a vent there ) ....there is a thread on the samba where someone did pressure testing on the vanagon rear vent that had some very interesting and surprising results

Well, my InterCooler gets plenty of air, fan works good, light comes ON up front to let me know the fan is running, etc. However, I am seeing 75f temps above ambient routinely. I'd like to knock at least 25f off that. I monitor the temp with ScanGauge. Lastly, since I plan to pull a 1,350 poun Popup Camper, improved IC performance will be needed. As I've stated previously, pulling 1,500 lbs with the Van has been a breeze. But, I did that in cooler months. (*ell, I'm getting too old to pitch a tent! And, I did go into this knowing a Westy would be better for that purpose. But, I do too much daily driving (blowing doors off 'em little 4-bangers) to be driving a Westy! If a V-6 Chevy Votex ain't tuned good, at 40 mph, in 4th gear, when I push the go pedal, they are coughing trying to get it to kick-down ........ I'm gone in a flash up to 90 mph in seconds!

Risky to use NPT fittings and tees for oil pressure sensing transducers on diesels. Invariably they have a fair amount of mass cantilevered out from the engine, and the engine is alive with vibes. NPT threads have sharp thread roots and those make perfect stress risers. Perfect for fatigue. Especially brass nipples. Sometimes best to mount sender/switch remotely on chassis, and couple to engine with small dia hydraulic line. I investigated a couple big marine engines that failed this way. Once the nipple broke off, oil switch lost its ground path, engine ran til it seized.

Yep! You are so right. I actually had a brass square T screwed into the Oil Filter housing. In one hole I had the OE sensor. In the other hole, I had another brass square T (that's the one that broke). One of those holes had a sensor for a Cheap Electrical sweep pointer gauge. The other hole I was using for a more expensive gauge with the LED. In fact, I'm using a grease gun hose to locate the sensor over the transmission suspended on a spring to absorb the vibes. Note: an NPT grease gun hose is excellent for doing remote sensors.

So, my plan all along has been to dump the Cheap oil pressure gauge. I suppose the engine made the decision sooner for me!

 

[AndyBees]

Exhaust system

An interesting phenomenon occurred today while driving the Vanagon on the expressway. The loud roar that begins at about 72 MPH was all but gone. As I sped up to 75 mph and above, still a very low roar compared to the way it use to be.

Anyway, at the moment, I have the exhaust system suspended on two separate springs in different locations due to a mounting point breaking loose a few weeks ago. It has never been suspended off the chassis, always off the engine which floats on the mounts. Also, the system is now about two inches lower.

Today was the first time I'd had the Vanagon over 55 or 60 mph since the exhaust issues.

Thus, I'm thinking this is sort of like a "business" ... location, location is everything.

So, with the new system, I will slightly lower the exhaust from the original position and include a spring(s) as part of the support. The new muffler has a down tip that I plan to point straight back. And, including the short resonator pre-CAT, this machine should be more enjoyable to drive!

I'll post some before and after pics when it's all finished!

 

[AndyBees]

We (wife and I), spent one day at the SOWO held in Helen, GA over the weekend. We spent the rest of the weekend touring in the Smokies... mostly on the north side in the Cade's Cove area. It was our anniversary weekend (41 years), so, had to take her to do some photo shoots in nature. Something she loves to do..........

Anyway, we saw a lot of TDI Club folks there, Andrew Rodriguez, Jon Fittig, Clint (TDI_Nash), TDI_G, VW_Nut, etc., to name a few.

On the trip, close to 600 miles total, the ALH Vanagon averaged 35.2 MPGs... very impressed!

Interestingly, on the way back home, cruising at 70 mph on I-75 heading north toward home about 10:00 pm a Split Window Kombi passed me running about 80 mph. Seems I saw it at the SOWO in Helen, GA. Seems I might know that dude .. lives over near Oneida, Tennessee!


EDIT: Bit of an update on the fuel economy.

Today (5/20/14), we finished putting about 195 miles on the last tank of fuel purchased while out over the weekend to SOWO, etc.

396.6 GPS miles at 10.636 gallons . . . . Over 37.28 mpg.

 

[jjordan11]

That's great mileage Andy, what speeds were you going to get that 37.28mpg?

 

[AndyBees]

That's great mileage Andy, what speeds were you going to get that 37.28mpg?

Honestly, the driving was mixed. I did do some 70 mph and above on the expressway. But, I think driving the two-lane back roads in the 55 to 65 mph range is where it really done good.

Climbing the Smokey Mountains, ScanGauge would show an average of about 10 mpg... going down the other side, the average would gradually climb above 30 mpg.

I was not running the AC. Actually, the temps have been nice and cool here since the middle of last week!

The results are based on actual fill-up gallons and GPS miles. On that last tank, as I recall, the odometer was showing about 12 miles less. So, even using that figure, the MPGs are impressive!

 

[Ski in NC]

Keep us posted on your travels!! Still heading to the NW???

 

[vw_nut]

It was good to see you at sowo be safe on the roads.

 

[AndyBees]

Keep us posted on your travels!! Still heading to the NW???

Yep, I'm trying to put it all together over the next 35 to 40 days. Although I have purchased everything to install a complete new exhaust system, I've decided to leave the old one on so I'm not rushed getting it done.... same thing with the crude bumper/tow system (pulling a pop-up camper)

It was good to see you at sowo be safe on the roads.

Yes, my wife makes me drive slow....er when she's on board!

 

[AndyBees]

Finally, I got the tags and registration for the Popup Camper.

I did a test drive of just a little over 32 miles. Round trip, the road involved just over 10 miles of blacktop county road that I could only run in 3rd gear. The other 22 miles involved a winding and hilly two-lane state highway with a new reconstructed five mile section. I did a loop and never covered the new section on the return.

So, I'm impressed, it pulled good on the hills, handled well in the wavey ups and downs in a few bad sections of road. I got it up to 65 mph in the new section with no problem at all. A 1.5 mile hill on the new section was handled well by the ALH TDI engine.... turbo boost stayed at or above 17 psi going up the long hill.

According to my ScanGauge, the overall average on the test run was 25.9 MPG. The ScanGauge average is pretty much with the GPS confirmed MPGs from tank to tank of fuel. So, considering I drove 1/3 of the miles in 3rd gear, I'm impressed. It typically gets 32 to 34 MPG from tank to tank of mixed driving.

My other "diesel pusher" can be seen there in the background!

So, we are less than four weeks away from departure to Alaska, 7/7/14.

I have a ton of work to do to the Van and a little to the Camper. I got new tires for the camper today!

I've considered installing electric brakes on the Camper. I'm still pondering the idea!

 

[markd89]

Looking good!

What were your EGTs when running the hill with 17 psi? How long did you keep them there?

Mark

 

[AndyBees]

Mark, proper placement of the EGT sensor is among that "ton" of things that need to be done. Right now, it is located in the EGR exhaust port on the manifold. So, I seldom see temps above 450 to 500f.

I hit the hill (long rounding curve at the beginning of the new section of road) running about 45 mph. I was able to accelerate and get the speed up to 63 mph as I approached the crest. However, I never did not do a WOT ... just held the accelerator position so that the boost didn't pass 17 psi.

My welder modified the trailor hitch this morning. It's just a basic piece of channel iron with a very heavy L welded to it .......... ugly, but designed to do the job. He also welded additional brackets to add more bolts to hold it to the OEM bumper stubs. So, it now has 4 bolts on each side.

The welder is going to do my a custom stainless steel rear bumper this fall. About a month ago, I looked at some of his work on the front and rear of a '74 VW Thing. I was impressed!

 

[vw_nut]

Andy
One of these days I'll get my camper on the road a d well go camping

 

[AndyBees]

Dean, get that camper out and dust it off. I had to use several bottles of "mold and mildew remover" to bring mine back to life (inside and out)............ and lots of water. Then I put on some Armorall protectant! Seems to shed water just fine!


Okay, remember the series of Posts way back in this Thread dealing with the fuel tank? Well, I removed it today...

Couple of reasons, it did leak, albeit, just enough to keep the bottom damp. But, the two reasons are this: 1. If you saw (pics in those posts) how I put it back together (screws, pop-rivets and JB Weld) you can only imagine what might happen if it got hit by piece of road debris ....... possible catastrophic failure! 2. If the border agents (Canada or USA) looked under my Van, the bottom of the fuel tank would stick-out like a sore thumb....you get my drift.

So, tomorrow, the new tank will be installed.

Gees! I had hoped to be already done by now. Unfortunately, many things come up in the last few weeks/days that have kept me away from the Van.

So, preparation has begun!

 

[AndyBees]

Okay, here are few pics of things I've been working on in preparation for the trek to Alaska.

Four pics relating to the fuel tank removal and replacement...

Below is what the tank looked like after two years and about 20k miles (the repair/fix for this tank is posted earlier in this thread...lots work for naught, sort of)

Below are pics of the new fuel tank ... almost ready to install!

Due to several requests about my oil pressure gauge sending unit setup, the following pics should be sufficient to answer any questions.

So, next are pics of the Oil Pressure Gallery access at the OE site on the filter housing for use of an aftermarket gauge... Notice the "grease gun hose" which is used to locate the aftermarket sending unit away from the engine vibes. I've been running this set-up since last summer.

EDIT: (11/24/18) Notice the return pipe from the expansion tank just below the oil pressure sensor. It can be seen in all four pics below. Well, I moved that pipe to a new location. If you notice, there is a bolt in the engine mount bracket underneath that pipe. It was extremely difficult to access that bolt due to the pipe. I removed the metal coolant pipe and cut off that nipple and had it weld in the new location near the return from the heater.

Below, the round thingy there in the center of the pic next to the brass fitting is the OE DipStick tube plugged off. Also, ^^^ above, you can see the clamp that holds the plug in place... no oil leaks!

At one time, I had three oil pressure sending units at this location. Now, I am only using two, the OE unit and the aftermarket digital.

 

[AndyBees]

In preparing for the Road Trip next week, I've been doing maintenance on the Vanagon over the last few days, as I found time.

Things I've done or in the process of doing.
-New fuel tank as previously posted
-Engine oil out
-Tranny oil out
-Filters out (oil, air and fuel)
-Left side engine mounting bracket out as well as carrier bar (going to the welder tomorrow)
-Turbo/manifold off for re-locating EGT sensor and removal of the exhaust port to the once EGR system (This will be a "cut-off and weld on a cap" deal.)
-Coolant out.. new T-stat and ECT sensor installed
-Exhaust system completely off ........ needs major rebuild. It was/is in bad shape due to a number of reasons. I plan to do more than a patch-up job. However, I do intend to completely replace the entire system when the Road Trip is over. I have all the parts, however, not enough quality time to see that the job is done right....... gees, I'm at the 11th hour

Things still to do:
-Rear brakes, inspect and adjust (seems the auto adjuster isn't working) (Done)
-Remove front rotors for a slight mill job (finished)
-Replace front disc pads (installed, and greased front wheel bearings)
-Install a "new" speedometer cable from wheel to counter box (installed as well as a new VSS)
-Re-do the grounding connections in the dash. I have too many items grounded together ......... my understanding this can affect readings on gauges, etc. (finished)
-Install new O-rings in AC system (found one to be leaking) (fixed..)
-Replace Turbo pressure hose over to the InterCooler (installed)
-Install a dedicated positive wire for power to the Deep Cycle Battery on the Popup Camper (installed)


Not that the upcoming long distance Road Trip is something new, I am working on a list of things to take along, such as tools and spare parts. Of course, there's a limit as too how much one can drag along. I tend to take more than enough tools and rely locally for parts. So, in the parts department, I'll keep it pretty basic. I'll post a list of things later.

Here is a link to the Road Trip thread I've started:http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=417129

 

[jimbote]

hey Andy ... after riding in my buddies newly coverted TDI westy you may want to ditch the pillar mounted intercooler/fan arrangement all together ...he's running a "mid mount" intercooler just inside the drivers frame rail with a shallow scoop barely lower than than the LP tank (if at all) ... at sustained highway speeds 70+ mph no higher than 107* IAT! most of time is was just under 100*.... this is with an ambient of around 85*!!... this is most definitely the route i'm going on my westy TDI ... it cleans up the engine bay and performs awesome !

 

[AndyBees]

hey Andy ... after riding in my buddies newly coverted TDI westy you may want to ditch the pillar mounted intercooler/fan arrangement all together ...he's running a "mid mount" intercooler just inside the drivers frame rail with a shallow scoop barely lower than than the LP tank (if at all) ... at sustained highway speeds 70+ mph no higher than 107* IAT! most of time is was just under 100*.... this is with an ambient of around 85*!!... this is most definitely the route i'm going on my westy TDI ... it cleans up the engine bay and performs awesome !

Yep, I've been seeing temps far higher than I expected... 160f with ambient at or slightly above 85f.

And, I did consider doing a mid-body IC setup as your friend did. I just ran out of time to address it. We are only days away from heading north to Alaska.

 

[AndyBees]

Okay, here is a bit of an update with pics (all comments are above the photos)

On the left side (Turbo side) of the engine, I removed the motor mount bracket, mounting carrier bar and the Turbo. The motor mount bracket needed reinforcement.

Below are a couple of pics showing the Turbo and the loop/droop drain pipe out the bottom ... no problems after more than 20k miles.

Below, stripped down to the bare block ... a little salt debris still hanging on. It's not as bad as it looks .. some of that is mud from driving back roads.

Below, re-locating the EGT sensor to the correct spot

Another view of the EGT with the Turbo mounted... notice the fabbed heat shield?

Below, you can see that I had the EGR exhaust port removed and the hole welded shut.

Below is another view of the manifold with the EGR exhaust port removed.

Below is a pic of the oil feed line to the Turbo ... special crafted wrench in use.

Below is a pic of the "new" genuine Turbo Pressure hose .... Unbelievable, that I've been running a Radiator Hose for over 20k miles....LOL

EDIT: The big bundle of wiring in the convoluted cover is for the connector to the PopUP Camper. I installed a dedicated circuit to the brake lights on the Camper, as well as installed additional lights. Also, in that bundle is a hot wire to keep the Deep Cycle Battery charged while on the road.

 

[AndyBees]

Continuing with the update above...

Below are pics of something I've considered for quite some time. ... temperature of the coolant coming out of the Oil Cooler (or is it a heater?).

Follow the pics down and come to your on conclusion..

Below is a close-up of the metal pipe with a threaded bung for a 27 NPT fitting. The pipe is a junk yard pick for the purpose. I cut and shaped it, my welder did his thing.

I believe this will be a nice addition to the functions I will be monitoring. The gauge is located on the right in the dash mounted instruments.

The coolant coming out of the head is hot, hot and goes directly to the Oil Cooler on the bottom of the filter housing. I suspect that the oil is hotter, thus, the oil cooler. We'll see!

 

[AndyBees]

Here are a couple of pics of the magnetic transmission oil drain plug. I'm not sure what to make of this, however, the only thing I did and nothing else, is change the oil. There has always been a whine in 3rd gear since the rebuild. I have always considered it to be the nature of an aftermarket gear. It only whines when letting up on the accelerator.

Anyway, the oil was pretty black. As I stated very early in this Thread and documented with pics, I replaced all bearings accept the pinion bearing, replaced all brass syncro rings, new reverse gear, new shifting fork for 3rd/4th, and upgraded 3rd and 4th gears.

So, I guess the pic just reveals break-in wear!

 

[jimbote]

that last pic looks like ferrofluid!

 

[AndyBees]

that last pic looks like ferrofluid!

Yeah, it does ....

Well, since it shifts fine, no grinding, no leaks, etc., I'm leaving it alone.

Re-hanging the old exhaust system is about to get the best of me! I'm bent on no replacing it until the trip is over. So, plumber's support metal, coat hanger wire, springs, etc., will be holding it up... Since the Camper will be right behind me no one will every notice the ugly mess

 

[Ski in NC]

Is mag plug new to the trans? If so it could be cleaning up old gunk. I'm with you, if it does everything it should, motor on!!!

 

[AndyBees]

Is mag plug new to the trans? If so it could be cleaning up old gunk. I'm with you, if it does everything it should, motor on!!!

Nope! Early on in this Thread I posted several pics and lots of narrative about the tranny rebuild and upgrade.... The tranny was squeaky clean inside (and out). And, the magnetic plug is OE to those transmissions. Here is a link to a Thread in the Samba about fuzzy ferrous magnetic oil drain plugs from Vanagon transmissions.. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=596332&highlight=

Well, today, I finally finished-up most of the maintenance stuff on the Van and drove it out of the garage. I still have a few minor things to attend to.

Discovered a problem that explains my recent higher than normal Inter Cooler temps... darn fan quit! Although the indicator light I installed in the cluster area showed the fan ON, it was not running.

So, it's too late to find a 10 inch puller fan.. I'll have to go back to the blower fan set-up I was using early on! This is a real bummer! But, it's good that I found it now rather than discover the problem when it would be a real problem.

As for the exhaust, I fabbed two steel straps to go around the CAT and installed it similar to the way I started. This time, everything is bolted as opposed to welded!......... I feel confident it will work for the upcoming road trip!

Lastly, (I need some advice here.)The Engine Coolant temp recently was showing anywhere from about 160f to 175f even on hot days (ScanGauge verified). So, I changed both the T-stat and Temp Sensor (Bosch). Now, even before I started the engine, ScanGauge was showing the Engine Temp at 418f ... and no change after a 5 mile drive.... So, is this a bad Temp Sensor?

 

[AndyBees]

The new VSS and speedometer cable settled down the speedometer. The cruise control couldn't be any better.

To fill the transmission with oil, I had to remove the shifting linkage. Well, after re-installing the linkage, shifting is better. Not that it was bad, first and second were always a little difficult (no raking ever, just sort of stiff)... falls in gear now!

Other than replacing the IC cooling fan, seems everything else is ready to go!

 

[markd89]

Lastly, (I need some advice here.)The Engine Coolant temp recently was showing anywhere from about 160f to 175f even on hot days (ScanGauge verified). So, I changed both the T-stat and Temp Sensor (Bosch). Now, even before I started the engine, ScanGauge was showing the Engine Temp at 418f ... and no change after a 5 mile drive.... So, is this a bad Temp Sensor?

I would guess that it is, unless Scangauge is looking at the wrong place. You could confirm the temp with VCDS. I don't know, but perhaps others do, what the computer is going to do with a 418f temp. i.e. does it know that this temp is implausible ignore it?

Mark

 

[markd89]

hey Andy ... after riding in my buddies newly coverted TDI westy you may want to ditch the pillar mounted intercooler/fan arrangement all together ...he's running a "mid mount" intercooler just inside the drivers frame rail with a shallow scoop barely lower than than the LP tank (if at all) ... at sustained highway speeds 70+ mph no higher than 107* IAT! most of time is was just under 100*.... this is with an ambient of around 85*!!... this is most definitely the route i'm going on my westy TDI ... it cleans up the engine bay and performs awesome !

I'd be very curious to see some pics of this setup...

Mark

 

[jimbote]

I'd be very curious to see some pics of this setup...

Mark

I'll try and get some pictures up this week...my buddy is out of town with the westy for the fourth....I can say this the intercooler is huge! but it fits nicely ...here's an ebay link to the cooler ...he actually had the same intercooler/scoop setup in his 76' ALH bus before he found the 86' westy ....it was mounted much further forward on the 76' (just behind the front tire) ...now it's mounted almost beside the LP tank on the 86'