B4 Gas to Diesel Conversion?

[Jim Holland]

As the B4 Passats age and many (not all, but many) of their gasoline engines start to wear out (more from neglect than by design), how tough would it be to buy one of these gas Passats and put a new TDI Engine and transmission in it and drive forever more?

If I were going to do it (and I love my A4 Golf, but would sure love to have a B4 wagon for when I need more people-room) I'd want it done all the way, for example, the instrument panel would have to be replaced with a new one from Germany meant to fit a diesel car.

This would not be a cheap project, ESPECIALLY for those of use who'll have to pay a tech for all the time it will take to tear down, clean (which I could do while he took a break) and reassemble with the TDI powertrain.

What are B4 folks thinking about this option? Is it possible? Is it desireable?

 

[Andrei Rinea]

Sorry if it seems off-topic but:

WHAT B6 PEOPLEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!???? I think you mean the B5.5 (latest passat in europe and in USA too but not TDI as I heard)

 

[PackRat]

Originally posted by Jim Holland:
What would make this project so hard? I ask not already knowing the answer, really! Would the motor, since it's designed to fit in that car anyway, need anything more than the re-mounting of the proper engine mount locations? The B6, beautiful at it is, will be out of my budget for the foreseeable future (while I tighten my belt and try to clean up some old over-spending messes).

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'd say if you were serious, go for one of those mechanical injection TDI motors. Save yourself the trouble of having to adapt the TDI electronics.

 

[Rodg Petersen]

Here's my 2 cents...and worth every penny.
I would save my nickels and dimes and buy a B6TDI rather than go through the pain of re-engining a B4. Don't get me wrong, I love my B4V it's just that I've been through enough "projects". I remember the frustration and pain more than the joy of completion.
Rodg

 

[Jim Holland]

What would make this project so hard? I ask not already knowing the answer, really! Would the motor, since it's designed to fit in that car anyway, need anything more than the re-mounting of the proper engine mount locations? The B6, beautiful at it is, will be out of my budget for the foreseeable future (while I tighten my belt and try to clean up some old over-spending messes).

[ December 17, 2002, 12:53: Message edited by: Jim Holland ]

 

[christi]

I think that if you could get a crashed B4 TDI then it wouldn't be so hard to do. That way you could swap over all the wiring intact.

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

Originally posted by Andrei Rinea:
WHAT B6 PEOPLEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!???? I think you mean the B5.5 (latest passat in europe and in USA too but not TDI as I heard)

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I agree. However, some sites, even commerical ones like Wetterauer, refer to the latest Passats as B6's.

Regarding V6 TDIs - and correct me if I'm wrong - I don't think one would fit in the B4. B4s use transverse engine mounts. I BELIEVE the V6 TDI is a longitudinally mounted engine, which is how the newer B5s/B5.5s engines are mounted.

 

[Rodg Petersen]

The Passats reported to be coming next year with the TDI are supposed to be B6's...well, so I've been told.
Anybody have a B4TDI to sell to this young man to save all those bloodied knuckles??
Rodg

 

[santacll]

we are suppose to be seeing 100/110-130hp PD engines in the fall/winter of 2003 as 2004 models, the picutes of the next generation passat are already floating around the web... and its suppose to be a even slightly bigger than the current passat.

the idea is sound, a b4tdi conversion would be the easist. you would have to obtain the wiring harness, pedal cluster, intercooler, fuel tank etc, and don't forget that the gearing is also quite different so that would make a transmission also desireable...

if i had access to everthing i needed at really good prices and my time was not a factor, i'd have done it to several other cars already,