Project Kill Da Auto Wabbit!, Or how I learned to love the Manual Swap

TonyJetta

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 15, 2005
Location
Tucson, Az
TDI
'15 Jetta TDI SE / '06 Jetta TDI DSG Pkg0 / '96 Passat TDI
Driving back a 'bad transmission' car that you don't know what else is wrong, is asking for an expensive tow bill.

If you are really interested in the car, rent a u-haul and dolly or car trailer and tow it back to LA.

Tony
 

GdB

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Location
Cypress, California, USA
TDI
Golf IV swap 2002
Driving back a 'bad transmission' car that you don't know what else is wrong, is asking for an expensive tow bill.

If you are really interested in the car, rent a u-haul and dolly or car trailer and tow it back to LA.

Tony
Thanks, but I already considered that.

Driving out to tow it back is an extra 2 days I could have worked or been fixing it, plus lodging expense and fuel cost.

It might be better to just get a local Gasser Jetta Wagon and swap it to TDI.

I forgot to mention that I am ready to raid my TDI 5 speed Golf for parts, and dump it's twisted FUBAR chassis. It has a 149k TDI with fresh timing belt, and a Peloquin 02j 5 speed in great condition.

It's cheaper to fly out and drive it back, IMO.
 
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GdB

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Location
Cypress, California, USA
TDI
Golf IV swap 2002
Looking for help with Albuquerque, NEW MEXICO swap

FYI My Golf TDI Woes:
The front end bushing are shot and it pulls a lot to one side. Not good to tow or drive 900 miles!
rock hard jarring front end from having to use castor and camber adjusters to correct the alignment
leaking doors from twisted chassis.
FUBAR front headlights with nice glass
hood and right front fender primer grey paint, but the rest of the pody paint almost looks the same.
drivers seat adjustment does not stay locked if you touch it (my wife and I always change it)
glovebox lock failed, straped with velcrow
armrest top (common...)
radio power drain, but I have a PV soalr panel and inverter to keep the battery topped off.
IN SHORT I NEED TO SWAP OUT THE CHASSIS!
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
Texas is totally close to you :)

Let me know if I can help... I may be in Idaho in a few weeks... that's also somewhat close to cypress... in a way... TDI's make the miles go away.
 

seo

Active member
Joined
Dec 19, 2014
Location
Belfast, Maine, US
TDI
2003 Jetta tdi wagon
A couple years ago my wife bought a 2003 jetta TDI with Ottomatic transmission. Paid too much for it, particularly when the slushbox did not pass oil analysis, and promptly began shifting poorly. Luckily, a friend who owns a VW shop brought in a scrap tdi Jetta, with 5 speed, and so, working with another friend who has a small shop, we did the transplant job. It took about three days, and lots of new parts (clutch, flywheel, etc), but it started up and ran with minimal problems. (The 'check engine' light is still on...ECM needs to be re-programmed. Six months later, the manual trans went bang. Panic. Luckily, the same helpful shop owner had just taken in a tdi gasser with a manual 5 speed, so we worked the swap of gasser trans into tdi. It worked...ok. The car is very short-legged, because the gas Jetta engine turns a lot higher than the tdi. So now we have a car that's had a lot of money put into it, with a transmission from who knows where? The only way that suggests itself to make the car act like a tdi is to install a tall fifth gear, either a .658 or a .622. It would make for a busy life in the differential box.
There are reports of retro-fit six speeds, but that would need a whole bunch more new parts. What to do? LESSON ONE! Inspect any gearbox out of a "hanger queen" very carefully. Do the oil analysis. Lean toward a lower-mileage rusted out northern car over a high miler. Realize that you really need a whole hanger queen, because you need fly wheel, clutch pedal & hydraulics, half-shafts, motor mounts, etc, etc, world without end, amen. Unless you're really lucky, this isn't a cheap project.
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
they sell a .612
 

seo

Active member
Joined
Dec 19, 2014
Location
Belfast, Maine, US
TDI
2003 Jetta tdi wagon
From my incomplete understanding of how this drive-train works, it seems pretty clear that VW gets taller gearing in the tdi by using taller final drive gearing than what's used in a gas-engine Jetta. This compensates for the fact that the tdi's cruise-speed engine RPM is slower than VW's gas engines.
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
yup final drive is taller, IIRC it's identical to the VR6 5 speed, but the VR6 has a different 5th gear.

The .612 does exist... I got mine from Bora Parts, put it in a 2.0 transmission for maximum fun on the TDI (and 1.8 flanges too)
 

GdB

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Location
Cypress, California, USA
TDI
Golf IV swap 2002
Texas is totally close to you :)

Let me know if I can help... I may be in Idaho in a few weeks... that's also somewhat close to cypress... in a way... TDI's make the miles go away.
What day is the last day for you to detour to cypress? I don't want to miss this chance.

How much would it cost me for your help with all the mechanical swap stuff?

You can stay at my place for a few days also if you want to see a bit of LA.
 

seo

Active member
Joined
Dec 19, 2014
Location
Belfast, Maine, US
TDI
2003 Jetta tdi wagon
I'm not doing very well on my internet searches lately. Or repeating them, anyway. Just a couple of days ago I found (or at least I think I did) a .622 gear set, from England, for less than $300 USD (exchange rate). It included the rubbery end cover gasket. Now I can't find it again. Is anyone else having a similar halucination?
SEO
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
Should have been the same connector, unless it was from a very early 1999.5, in which case it would be the old style square connector.

Which pins do you have going where? they do matter as one is ground, one is positive, and one goes to the instrument cluster.
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
Anyone do a turnkey 01M to 02M swap in San Francisco Bay Area or around? I have a 2003 Golf TDI. Thanks!
Fly me out there, I can make it work :)
 

GdB

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Location
Cypress, California, USA
TDI
Golf IV swap 2002
Swap parts for sale in SoCal

Swap parts for sale in SoCal.

I think I have everything for a second swap. The wagon I was planning on using it all on is gone.

After I acquired the transmission from a local yard (not sure how many miles but I looked for low mileage), it was rebuilt with these goodies: 0.658 5th Peloquin LSD and preferred 1st 2nd 3rd syncros.
I only ran it a 2000 miles as it had a 2nd gear shifting problem.
After pulling it I noticed it was low on oil and leaking from the axle seals, but not sure if that was related to the 2nd gear shifting problem.
So maybe it still needs splitting open.

I think I have manual and auto axles, and maybe even an extra set of axle cups to convert the 02J to auto axles.
 

TDIGhost

Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2018
Location
Portland Or
TDI
01 Jetta TDI Manual(only telling the car its a manual left)
Tranny Tins

Quick story. Bought a 97 Gls 147k miles with a bad clutch, put a clutch into it. Week later it gets totaled. Insurance gives out enough monies to get an 01 Tdi 4speed Auto 200k miles. week later the 01M leaves me on the side of the road as the tranny does what 01M's do..... Right now I am gathering the parts to start the swap. I just have one question, and I have read all the pages up till page 90 as I make this post. With "YMMV" in mind, Does the Auto tins hit anything on flywheel to cause issue. I can get Manual tins but I would have to hit the Upull yard and drop a manual. Thanks to all the Pioneers because with this it gives me great confidence to do the swap(once did a head gasket on the side of the road because I couldn't do it in the location I lived in).

the automatic tins won't work. They are important, they keepthe clutch clean of debris, oil, etc.
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
The automatic tins hit, you'll need manual tins.

on a side note, I have seen a few cars that people have forgotten the tins, and it didn't seem to effect much, other than letting in more oil/dirt from vacuum pump leaks... I guess if you keep a tidy engine, and assuming you cannot find the tins, I believe it will be fine with omitting the tins. YMMV as you state.
 

TDIGhost

Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2018
Location
Portland Or
TDI
01 Jetta TDI Manual(only telling the car its a manual left)
Ok thank you, I know there quite a few 99-03 manual VW's in my local Upull yard. just the hassle of dropping the tranny for a piece of tin. but if i don't do it right the wife will freak.

Now I have seen it pop up every now and then, but does the starter matter if its gas or tdi? Because that the one thing the yards don't have is tdi's.
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
Not sure on the starter... never tried...
you can always look on car-part.com they are not very expensive used.
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
sounds like automatic mileage.
 

bobbiemartin

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Location
Jacksonville, FL
TDI
2010 Tiguan TDI 4Motion, Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD

TDIGhost

Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2018
Location
Portland Or
TDI
01 Jetta TDI Manual(only telling the car its a manual left)
If I wanted to use the reverse switch as the starter interupter(theft reasons), is there anything I should worry about ie starter taking off while getting into reverse.

I know the wiring has been written, just didn't know of any issues long term.



EDIT: after finding the page with the wiring, i can't quite make out if it was solved or not. i would like to use the reverse switch, but its not necessary.
 
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CoolAirVw

Vendor
Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Location
Kansas City Missouri
TDI
Jetta
If I wanted to use the reverse switch as the starter interupter(theft reasons), is there anything I should worry about ie starter taking off while getting into reverse.

I know the wiring has been written, just didn't know of any issues long term.



EDIT: after finding the page with the wiring, i can't quite make out if it was solved or not. i would like to use the reverse switch, but its not necessary.
Your car is set up with a immobilizer unless yours was deleted for some reason. Theft is generally not an issue unless your theif steals your key.

Its is certainly possible to wire in the reverse light switch into the starter circuit just simply branch off the wire coming out of the reverse light to power the clutch start inhibit switch.
 

Judson

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
Cheyenne, WY
TDI
2001 Jetta
I had Jimbote do a manual swap back when my car had only 95k miles. Worked perfectly. The G60/VR6 combo was rattly at idle but otherwise i was very very happy with the result.

Recently I've been on a sound deadening kick and now that I live in Wyoming not Virginia I had Brandon (Metrick Methodz in Fort Collins) do a 5 to 6-speed swap. I got the full monty from darkside: DRW, quaife, fork strengthening, and even spindles to fit the larger calipers I had on the shelf waiting for a front brake upgrade (rotors and pass were tired anyway). I also went with their PD150 clutch/flywheel combo.

Folks if you have the money I strongly recommend this combination. It is so smooth, so quiet, so easy and relaxed. 2100-2150 RPMs at 80, around 1800-1850 at 70. Of course I had already done power upgrades so pulling at those RPMs on the highway is no problem. The DRW is more modern and just shifts better. The quaife is almost invisible until you need traction/are accelerating out of a turn. Yeah, I know: it's probably an extra two grand over a standard kit. But since you're paying for the labor anyway....

I really don't think you'll see much in terms of gains in mpg on the highway, though. I've only been through one tank, and have seen maybe a 1-2 mpg increase. So, it's not going to pay for itself in terms of savings there. (big grain of salt given one tankful)

.02, fwiw, etc.
 
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bannerd

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2017
Location
NY
TDI
2002 Golf MK4
Hey all, my 2002 VW tdi golf is slipping really bad and sometimes the engine will rev but the car just doesn't move. I'm going to do the manual swap to a 5 spd, it doesn't look too bad. My only question is, where can I get a cheap vag com to set it from auto to manual?
 
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