Reddok
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2010
- Location
- Hamilton, Ontario
- TDI
- '00 Jetta TDI 01M, '02 Jeep Liberty Renegade ALH TDI swap
I bought my first VW back in March - a 2000 Jetta TDI, I got a good deal on it because it had 'issues'. I did some reading here before I bought it, so I knew I could probably fix most of them. I ended up replacing the turbo, changing the timing belt - made all the tools from the info available on the site and a few other basics like changing the filters.
Needless to say the car runs great - and the fuel economy was amazing. Much better than the GMC Envoy I got rid of. BUT - the wife needed an automatic, so this car is a 01M so no towing for me. This is a bit of a problem as I have a boat and a utility trailer I like to use, so the hunt was on for a second vehicle that I could tow with.
But I was hooked on the TDIs fuel economy.
So I wanted something:
- Diesel (30mpg)
- Had to seat 4
- Had to be able to tow (possibly a 3000lb pop-up too)
- Around $5-10k
And I prefered to have:
- 4x4
- Something I could take off roading
- A real transfer case with low range (No Escape Hybrids)
- Airbags
Too bad the Toyota Hilux wasn't available here. The Liberty CRD was a good choice, but they were only made for 2 years and were still pretty expensive. And they only get 20-25mpg.
So when I was looking at CRDs and found a really good deal on a 2002 Liberty Renegade that had some major drivetrain issues, I decided to convert it. Unfortunately there isn't anyone who has done this swap yet so it's going to be a lot of trial and error.
I saw Babyrattlers swap and thought his adapters might work for me, but the Wrangler AX15 he is using has the starter on the passengers side and the Liberty has the starter on the drivers side. So it looks like I'm on my own for a bellhousing and flywheel adapter.
I had already ditched the automatic that was in it and installed a NSG370 6 speed out of a 2005 Liberty.
I found a guy that had a complete running 2002 TDI parts car and he let me take whatever I wanted for a pretty good price. Took me 3h to remove the engine and tranny and another 3 hours just to get all the wiring - it filled a blue box when it was all said and done.
So far I've made a temporary bellhousing adapter out of 1" square steel tube so I could mock up the motor mounts and check fit and angle. The starter being on the drivers side posed a bit of an issue and one of the wings on the back of the oil pan had to be removed in order to get it to fit.
It looks good sitting in there! But the vacuum pump hits the firewall and I'm going to have to clearance it, but at least it clears the front diff.
Still a ton of work ahead...
Needless to say the car runs great - and the fuel economy was amazing. Much better than the GMC Envoy I got rid of. BUT - the wife needed an automatic, so this car is a 01M so no towing for me. This is a bit of a problem as I have a boat and a utility trailer I like to use, so the hunt was on for a second vehicle that I could tow with.
But I was hooked on the TDIs fuel economy.
So I wanted something:
- Diesel (30mpg)
- Had to seat 4
- Had to be able to tow (possibly a 3000lb pop-up too)
- Around $5-10k
And I prefered to have:
- 4x4
- Something I could take off roading
- A real transfer case with low range (No Escape Hybrids)
- Airbags
Too bad the Toyota Hilux wasn't available here. The Liberty CRD was a good choice, but they were only made for 2 years and were still pretty expensive. And they only get 20-25mpg.
So when I was looking at CRDs and found a really good deal on a 2002 Liberty Renegade that had some major drivetrain issues, I decided to convert it. Unfortunately there isn't anyone who has done this swap yet so it's going to be a lot of trial and error.
I saw Babyrattlers swap and thought his adapters might work for me, but the Wrangler AX15 he is using has the starter on the passengers side and the Liberty has the starter on the drivers side. So it looks like I'm on my own for a bellhousing and flywheel adapter.
I had already ditched the automatic that was in it and installed a NSG370 6 speed out of a 2005 Liberty.
I found a guy that had a complete running 2002 TDI parts car and he let me take whatever I wanted for a pretty good price. Took me 3h to remove the engine and tranny and another 3 hours just to get all the wiring - it filled a blue box when it was all said and done.
So far I've made a temporary bellhousing adapter out of 1" square steel tube so I could mock up the motor mounts and check fit and angle. The starter being on the drivers side posed a bit of an issue and one of the wings on the back of the oil pan had to be removed in order to get it to fit.
It looks good sitting in there! But the vacuum pump hits the firewall and I'm going to have to clearance it, but at least it clears the front diff.
Still a ton of work ahead...