TDI Ranger Build

[greengeeker]

Cooling System: Part 1

The Ranger cooling system uses a mechanically driven fan, massive fan shroud and a viscous clutch to slip based on temperature. The problem with this type of a system is 1) It only has a limited amount of slip so even when you need zero fan airflow it is spinning and consuming power 2) When cold the viscosity of the clutch fluid is high causing basically max fan RPM until the fluid heats up. 3) blah blah blah....the system sucks.


Now that I've eliminated the belt driven fan I'm left with several different options:

1. Ford Rad, Ford condensor, aftermarket fans, aftermarket fan controller, FMIC mounted in front of everything
2. Ford Rad, Ford condensor, Taurus electric fan(s), aftermarket fan controller, FMIC mounted in front of everything
3. Ford Rad, Ford condensor, VW fan panel, VW fan controller, FMIC mounted in front of everything
4. VW Rad, VW condensor, VW fan panel, VW fan controller, FMIC below everything (I'll explain later)

Well I went with option 4 because 1) it simplied my electronics (plug and play) 2) I've never heard of a properly funtioning VW system not being able to cool even the most taxed TDI's 3) It simplied my radiator piping (driver's side inlet/outlet on the radiator match the inlet/outlet of the TDI) 4) It simplified my CAC piping (passenger side inlet/outlet on the intercooler match the inlet/outlet of the TDI) 5) Because of 1-4 I'm pretty sure it's the cheapest option as well.

So here is a New Beetle TDI cooling pack (condensor, radiator, fan panel with two fans):

I've wrapped it in cardboard to protect it during the many intalls and removals but also to provide spacing while making my mounts. In the picture below you can see the VW mounts that would normally slide into a molded slot in the header panel:

My plan is to reverse the direction of these isolators and fabricate some brackets that will bolt to the Ranger header panel. Before I can do that I need to do some trimming of the Ranger rad mounts, some brackets and other minor adjustments with a cutoff wheel to provide the space for the wider VW cooling pack. I also needed to remove a wiring chase that ran right above the radiator and will zip tie it in some convoluted sheathing a few inches higher.

Here is the driver's side showing where I needed to clearance for the condenser line:

I should also mention that the only vw cooling pack that will fit in this location (under header panel and above the frame rail) is the New Beetle cooling pack! Per ETKA it doesn't matter what engine or transmission - the radiator and condensor for all New Beetles are all 650mm x 380mm. The difference will be in the cooling fans/motors which you can simply swap out with TDI ones. I made the mistake of purchasing an AWP (1.8T) automatic Jeta cooling pack without doing the research and found it was much too big to fit => 650mm x 420mm. So if you're doing this swap get yourself a NB cooling pack as any Jetta or Golf radiator, regardless of motor, is going to be too tall.

Here is the NB cooling pack sitting in the Ranger with the flipped isolators and brackets:

And where the mounting bolts are accessed on the front side of the header panel (just look for the 4 shiny spots...ok ok I was a little generous when I said it was rust free )

I would really appreciate some help from the members on my top radiator connection. As far as I can tell all of the mk4 chassis radiators have a 45deg angle built into it. Does anyone know of a VW application where it is straight and would fit this radiator? It's not the end of the world but it would clean up my radiator lines if I don't have to deal with a jog due to this.

 

[greengeeker]

Remote oil filter setup coming later?

It will have to based on my schedule. I'm kinda liking the location of the oil cooler as it will make for probably the cleanest install of a frostheater yet!

 

[Hasenwerk]

I would really appreciate some help from the members on my top radiator connection. As far as I can tell all of the mk4 chassis radiators have a 45deg angle built into it. Does anyone know of a VW application where it is straight and would fit this radiator? It's not the end of the world but it would clean up my radiator lines if I don't have to deal with a jog due to this.

Check out the AEB 1.8T "B5" and VW Passat and Audi A4 - the hoses comes straight off the radiator. Probably 'cause the engine is a N<->S engine like you are going to be doing here!

 

[greengeeker]

I considered them but both lower and upper hose ends are integrated into the hose. The lower also has a sensor bung teed into the hose. I should swing by the junk yard and pick one up just to see if I can remove the hose from the end.

 

[JFettig]

No, this is not me volunteering

http://www.jrmfabrication.com/?wpsc-product=heater-core
I do know where you need to go if you want a whole pile of them.

 

[greengeeker]

A heater core end is going to be too small unfortunately. Wow, that stuff is spendy.

 

[JFettig]

I'm just trying to put the idea in your head... make them bigger and put barbs at the end.

 

[greengeeker]

Sure you don't have time to crank one out?

 

[tango_28]

Hi Nick, that bug looks very familiar, great thread!!

 

[greengeeker]

Hey Ron, Yup that's the one. Putting it to good use!

 

[greengeeker]

Throttle Pedal Install

Small update just explaining the modifications I did to install the throttle pedal in the truck.

First you need to remove the entire pedal cluster from your donor vehicle which is no small feat due to the fact that it is spot welded to the brake pedal bracket. Anyway, once you've extracted it from the donor you need to drill out the spot welds and separate the throttle pedal bracket from the brake pedal bracket to leave you with this:

Remove the Ranger pedal and throttle cable, pull back the carpet and trim the firewall pad and you'll find where we need to mount the pedal:

(I can't remember at the moment but I think I trimmed of the pedal mounting bracket you see in the above picture...I'll confirm this)

Not much I can say about the process but you need to pick a spot where you want the pedal to sit and simply trim the bracket until it fits the contours of the firewall. The amount of time you spend here will depend on your attachment method but I chose to weld in my pedal bracket.

Here is how the bracket ended up looking just before I welded it in the truck:

In place, sans throttle pedal:

And the final product:

 

[greengeeker]

Intercooler Mounting

I mentioned earlier that I wanted to keep my radiator and intercooler tubing as simple as possible. Of course the simplest solution for a longitudinally-mounted TDI would mean both inlet and outlet of the intercooler be on the passenger side. It took a lot of looking but I found such an intercooler that fits between the Ranger frame rails. It is a little tight so I bought some cast 90's to replace the straight out inlet/outlet.

I trimmed the condenser bracketry a little and this guy simply slides in place! I'll probably trim the driver's side bracket a little more to shift it a little further towards the driver's side and gain clearance for the inlet/outlet.

 

[darkhorse]

I like that intercooler!

 

[greengeeker]

Thanks Richard. Ebay special.

 

[Growler]

man, between watching you and the guy with the BMW 2002 im really enjoying these swaps...

 

[unclesfunnyonions]

Great find on the i/c, fits nice.


Alex.

 

[greengeeker]

man, between watching you and the guy with the BMW 2002 im really enjoying these swaps...

yeah, I'm watching his swap with great interest since it is in my top 3 for swap candidates.

 

[mlemorie]

It really is a good time to be browsing the swap section isnt it

 

[TDI_G]

I have a 99 Ranger with close to 200K miles on it and I would love to drop and ALH engine in it. My truck has spent it's entire life in Georgia and is rust free. The 2.5 engine is a dog compared to a tuned ALH. I will be following this thread very closely. Good luck!

 

[greengeeker]

Thanks. Should have a big update in the next couple days. Little ones to come later tonight.

 

[couttsdesign]

yeah, I'm watching his swap with great interest since it is in my top 3 for swap candidates.

Hilarious....I've been watching your swap too....patiently waiting to see the mythical T5 adapter plate...

 

[Freestyle72]

We want updates.

 

[greengeeker]

We want updates.

Sorry been plugging away at the Ranger as well as other peoples' tdi's.

 

[greengeeker]

Fuel System, Part 1

The Ranger of course was fuel injected which meant it's in-tank fuel pump was putting out around ~60psi of fuel pressure which is way more than the 4psi I need for the tdi. So I need to drop the tank to get at the fuel pressure regulator which is also mounted to the sending unit which is convenient since I also need to drain 1/2 of tank of 6 yo gasoline.

Out comes the tank, my fuel pump used to de-fuel mis-fueled tdi's and my spare battery:

Out comes the sending unit so I can get every last bit of gas out:

And here's the sending unit:

In the above pictures you can see the fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator and some sort of EVAP check valve. I'm going to remove the last two and reuse the connectors on the sending unit for return lines (more on that in Part 2).

Here are the connectors as they are installed on the Ford lines. I simply cut a slit to remove them from the lines.

And here they are on the sending unit:

I wasn't too crazy about the return lines the way they were on the top of the sending unit - I figured they would aerate the fuel when the fuel level was below 3/4 tank. To remedy this I went to the bone yard and picked up a sending unit from a diesel superduty for the stainless lines. Don't laugh, this was my first attempt at TIG welding stainless.

 

[greengeeker]

Fuel Tank Mod

This is a pretty basic mod and the premise is almost identical to the ventectomy we have all done on our tdi's: remove the expansion space in your fuel system to increase the fuel capacity of your tank.

Here is the tank with the hump to the left of the fuel sending unit hole:

I took some measurements and calculated this volume to be worth 1.7 gallons. That plus the volume in the lines should make it at least 2 additional gallons.

In this picture I posted earlier you can see another EVAP check valve on the top of the hump that relieves any built up pressure in the tank to the EVAP charcoal canister located above the spare tire:

I'm going to use this fitting and tee into the main vent line that goes up to the fuel fill neck with some hardware store bling .

Here it is all ready to go back in the truck:

 

[Lone Ranger]

Are you not using a 2000 TDI? On mine I just removed the fuel pump and tied right into the strainer at the bottom. No need for a fuel pump to supply the injection pump on the VW. My VW intank unit was just a float and a strainer/reservoir. I thought only the newer TDIs had a lift pump.

 

[Freestyle72]

Are you not using a 2000 TDI? On mine I just removed the fuel pump and tied right into the strainer at the bottom. No need for a fuel pump to supply the injection pump on the VW. My VW intank unit was just a float and a strainer/reservoir. I thought only the newer TDIs had a lift pump.

Some people add a lift pump for performance purposes.

 

[greengeeker]

Exactly. I'm using the stock Ranger pump as my lift pump and will add an aftermarket, adjustable fuel pressure regulator to dial the pressure down to TDI-friendly territories.

 

[Lone Ranger]

I wasnt aware that adding a lift pump would yield better performance or you are planning to do some performance upgrades then?

 

[greengeeker]

I wasnt aware that adding a lift pump would yield better performance or you are planning to do some performance upgrades then?

To be fair a lift pump isn't going to do much for a stock power TDI. They do assist the IP at higher when you start pushing the limits of the 10mm in moderately modded tdi's and the 11mm in significantly modded tdi's.

At the moment I'm planning on two stages (with a possible third) of performance:

Stage 1: 2.5Lima/2.3Duratec Power Level: 119-135bhp
Stage 2: 4.0L Power Level: 160bhp
Stage 3: 4.0L HO Power Level: 207bhp
Stage 4: 5.0L Power Level+

My intercooler, charge air piping and fuel system mods I'm putting in place are prepping for all these stages of performance so I don't have to revisit later. The big test will be whether the M5OD-R1 can handle the torque (if driven sanely) of stage 3. I've received heresay info on therangerstation that it is designed for a 300ftlb torque limit. We'll find out if that is true. If it doesn't hold up I'll just throw a T5 in there and be done with it.