RWD diesel car swap options

1SlowVW said:

The tdi motors share a bell housing pattern with the 1.6td(actually with pretty much every water cooled vw ) motors that were sold in the states. Adapter plates exist to bolt that combo into a ranger so I think that's the easy button for a rwd swap.

For max simplicity get an ALH then have the pump converted to manual. Will then run on 1-3 wires. 
 

VWAG V/VR engines and Audi fives (and VW Diesel inline sixes as used in Volvos) are different.  The 4 cylinder VW pattern is unique and the only other engine that uses it is the 07K five.

IIRC the Porsche 924 uses the Audi five pattern, because the Audi five used the same pattern as the Audi four that the 924 engine was based on.  This is the method for Audi engined 924 swaps.  (And Audi engined Boxster swaps, because the Boxster pattern is very similar to Audi 5/6/8)

I AM curious what Ranger transmission there exists an adaptor for.  The old 2.3/2.5 engine, the 2.9/4.0 V6, the 3.0 V6, or the Duratec four?

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

I remember seeing them swapped into four cylinder rangers.

You are right all 4 cylinder water cooled vw bell housings are all the same as well as the 07k. 
Diesel or gas, heck a lot of them even share exhaust manifold gaskets, valve cover gaskets , head gaskets in a pinch. Lots a vw Lego to be played depending on what results you want. 
 

A quick Google shows quite a few adapters available.

https://tdconversions.com/en-ca/collections/ford

trumant said:

VW TDI all the way

https://www.youtube.com/embed/scRYHodN6Gg?rel=0

 

That was terrific. Thanks for posting it. 

http://www.competitiondiesel.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141513
 

I started reading through that post and it got me thinking about this again. 
 

What kind of mpg's could you get by swapping a truck diesel ( duramax, Cummins,powerstroke) into a lighter and lower chassis? It seems like these big heavy trucks can get mid 20's highway. 

I looked into 335Ds a while ago, they seem to randomly catch on fire a lot, and you have to drop the rear suspension and replace the $1800 DEF tank every 80k miles or so.  Mercedes OM606 is pretty good other than the glow plugs tend to seize and snap off when you try to change them.  The OM603 is ok, the #22 head is the best one, but the stock heads don't hold up well and the vacuum pump is a kinda dumb design that is prone to failure.  Parts for them are getting harder to find too.

Somebeach (Forum Supporter) said:

What kind of mpg's could you get by swapping a truck diesel ( duramax, Cummins,powerstroke) into a lighter and lower chassis? It seems like these big heavy trucks can get mid 20's highway. 

The blue chevelle that just ran rocky mtn rack week 1.0, I seem to recall they get 30. The red sn mustang from a few yrs ago that ran drag week got similar.

I wish the truck diesels were just a bit smaller packages. The DMax is the smallest of the 3/4+ Ton engines and still a honker.

Several years ago, people were taking 2.3L Kubota engines from refrigeration trailers and putting them into small chassis.  Ford Rangers and Jeep Wranglers seemed to be the most common.  It would take some experimenting to get it dialed in, but I'd be surprised if you couldn't get 35+ mpg.  At one point a guy was making transmission adapter plates for the Ranger 5 speed.  I was really interested in these for a while, but never went anywhere with the idea.

I just stumbled into a TDI 2.0PD with anew vtn17 turbo, cam, injectors, timing belt, air to water intercooler, ecu harness with security bypassed, with a jeep install kit.  

I am assuming its from cotybuilt so a Jeep manual trans would be needed.

I need another project like a hole in my head but cant help but think it might be fun in one of my rx7s, rx8 or 98 grand cherokee.  Part of me thinks just to find a cheap TJ since it appears to be built for that.  

Anyone have any experience with these motors / swaps?

Not sure what other bellhousing would work, but the first gen Jeep liberty was offered with a longitudinal diesel which they called the CRD. I think they had a small cult following of enthusiasts. I've seen the E90 generation BMW diesels make serious power, but can't speak on their ease of swapping into another chassis. 

In reply to Greg Voth :

I'm in the midst of a BHW swap(2.0L PD TDI) into a 1979 Mercedes. What kind of questions do you have?

I know next to nothing about the details of specific diesel engines, but do know about diesels in general. They make a ton of torques at low rpm, and have low redlines. Because of this, connecting them to any 'ol transmission should be researched first, as the ratios are going to likely be all wrong. Well, not exactly "wrong", but rather "not optimal", especially if the aim is high mileage. Another option is to swap in a really low numerical third member.

These "blue sky bench designs" are fun to think about, but to the OP, what's the purpose of this, other than mileage? What's the budget and timeline. If the goal is to have something unusual/strange, fine, but if the point is to have a usable car soon, just buy something used.

I'm not sure what you get in the US, but in Europe there are thousands of Diesel BMWs  a 535D will run a 14s quarter and give you 40mpg   A 135D possibly more

The BMW M57 gets swapped into all sorts of things and there are guides online of how to wire it in

300BHP BMW Diesel into a Jaaaag

Mercedes have similar offerings

I'm running a £500 Audi 2.5TDI 4x4 beater that gets 38mpg at 90mph and goes really well. best money I ever spent

In reply to buzzboy :

Mainly just seeing any tips / tricks / downfalls with it that motor.  What transmissions are readily compatible to swap. 

I did find out that it comes with a land rover discovery it was going to be used in so its a little unclear it the swap kit was for a jeep they were going to stick in a rover or meant for a rover.  

I am not opposed to a land rover especially if most everything is there for the swap rather than having to re-engineer a bunch of stuff.  I am admittedly more of a parts replacer and fabricobler than a real mechanic.  

kb58 said:

I know next to nothing about the details of specific diesel engines, but do know about diesels in general. They make a ton of torques at low rpm, and have low redlines. Because of this, connecting them to any 'ol transmission should be researched first, as the ratios are going to likely be all wrong. Well, not exactly "wrong", but rather "not optimal", especially if the aim is high mileage. Another option is to swap in a really low numerical third member.

These "blue sky bench designs" are fun to think about, but to the OP, what's the purpose of this, other than mileage? What's the budget and timeline. If the goal is to have something unusual/strange, fine, but if the point is to have a usable car soon, just buy something used.

The purpose is just a day dream mostly.
 

In my mind I've been keeping an eye out for a 335D donor on the salvage auction site. I would then pull the engine and transmission and swap it into my dead 1993 Volvo 960 wagon. I would use it for my 20mile each way daily commute.
 

I would also do a OM606 or Om603 but those donors seem harder to find. 
 

So no real budget or timeline. I am working on my first in-depth engine swap still that I started 2 years ago, so until I get that done I am trying not to get myself too deep in anything else. 

Greg Voth said:

In reply to buzzboy :

Mainly just seeing any tips / tricks / downfalls with it that motor.  What transmissions are readily compatible to swap. 

The BHW has a balance shaft module that is a known failure point. I wouldn't be suprised if yours has it removed already given the other work you mention. The PD engines put a lot of stress on the camshafts and the factory cam is known to go flat. VW specified a certain oil type that you need to stick to. Sounds like you already have a replacement cam, which is a good starting point.

There are swap bellhousings available for a bunch of common stuff: SBC, SBF, KA, VG, Vulcan, Essex, Toyotas and many more. I'm doing a Z32 5 speed due to it's power handling and shifter location.

I would like to see a Duramax in a C3 Corvette.  Those engine bays are enormous.  There is one I've seen on the internet with a nicely swapped 6.5.  But a haven't seen a 6.6 Duramax.

buzzboy said:

I wish the truck diesels were just a bit smaller packages. The DMax is the smallest of the 3/4+ Ton engines and still a honker.

Now that the full sized trucks are offering 4-cyl and V6 diesels, I started getting excited, until I realized that they just snag them from VM Motori or some other pre-existing (and not very reliable) source.  Also, newer diesels are so friggin complex.

OM606:  Big fan, super simple to make gargantuan reliable power, super expensive.  It's the 2JZ of the diesel world, but gold-plated.
VW TDI:  Pretty easy to get to 300 lb-ft, gets expensive after that.  Pricey adapter lets you use GM transmissions
4BT:  Huge displacement for an inherently unbalanced design.  Loud, rattly, and will shake the fillings out of your teeth.  Designed for industrial generators, so zero berkeleys were given about NVH.  Retrofitted into commecial medium duty trucks out of convenience.
VM Motori 2.8L:  Think Colorado, Jeep Liberty and GC.  Great reliability record (unlike it's V6 cousin which tends to snap rods).  Not a ton of aftermarket support, but it makes 300 lb-ft out of the box.  A tune could get you 400-450 pretty easily.  Depending on which one you get, adaptability to MB and GM trans.  There were some Liberties that got a different box (Aisin maybe?) that are a bit proprietary.

Got the land rover last night.  Appears to be a codybuilt front truss crossmember to use TJ jeep accessories and a custom adapter to a discovery trans. Also included a labelled TDI conversion plus factory wiring and ECU it lools like.  Not sure exactly what motor it is but would be a BHW, BEM or BRM.  

The land rover is rough.   Ill probably punt the project on / or part it out.  

That doesn't look like a BHW on the driver's side, so I'm guessing it's a BRM. The cotybyilt front accessories are interesting. Kind of accessory and engine mount all in one

From the ecu it looks like it maybe a BEW.  

Yeah the front crossmember or truss is pretty slick.  With the mounts it will bolt to a TJ jeep frame and uses the Jeep alternator, power steering and AC compressor.  Cost like $1500 new though.  

If you're looking for a different Land Rover to start with, I have a close friend selling a 1996 Discovery. In good condition, 0 rust, ARB front bumper and 2" old man emu lift kit for $7k.

I need another project like I need another hole in my head.  I thought about that but I have a ZJ jeep and the subaru for offroady stuff.  Even at 10-12 mpg in the Jeep I probably wont hit 5000 miles a year so I just cant make it make sense.