3.0 L to 1.9L VW TDI sawp

[98v70dad]

I'm interested in doing a 1.9L VW TDI engine swap possibly. I've done a little bit of research and this swap seems very doable without a lot of effort and expense. The 3.0L I've got is a dog though and I don't want to spend money and effort to end up with another dog that gets better gas mileage.

I want to tow a 3000 lb trailer and want to get decent acceleration performance and maybe a little less than 30 mpg.

It seems that the VW TDI may be a little small to get decent performance so I'll ask what you folks think. Is there a better choice?

 

[RonD]

Probably not worth the effort unless you want a diesel engine, torque is about the same

3.0l Vulcan was designed as high RPM engine, many drive it like a low RPM engine so never get full power from it
Best torque for 1996 3.0l is at 3,300rpm, 170ft/lb
Most engines do best torque at 2,400rpm
Best horse power for 1996 3.0l is at 5,000rpm(150hp), most are at 4,000rpm

1.9TDI, 2004 and up, has 177ft/lb and 100hp, 2003 and earlier was less

So you need to drive the 3.0l like a "rented mule", full out at higher RPMs to get any power, its the design

Explorer V8 conversion would be less work with better results for towing
5.0l did 275ft/lb with 210hp

Just an opinion

All Diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines, 30% compared to 25%, apples to apples.
Some diesels are getting close to 40%, gasoline is still under 30%
Diesel fuel also has 10-15% more energy stored than gasoline, this helps the conversion to movement power so less waste heat
So for MPG diesel will always win out

And diesels have better torque for displacement, i.e. the 1.9liter diesel has same torque as 3liter gas engine, 170ft/lb
So for a swap with an eye for towing you would want to go with 200+ ft/lb engine, diesel or gas

Torque "gets you going"
Horse Power "keeps you going"

Once vehicle is moving(torque) it doesn't take much HP to keep it moving

 

[Motohead1]

If you want to tow and be very fast and have ok FE then a v8 swap is nice.

If you want to tow and be fast and have awesome FE then a ALH with a tune turbo and injector swap is the ticket. A PD motor will make more HP and add just a little bit more cost not much though.

Im running a ALH warmed over in a 4300 lbs truck and its definitely not a dog.

 

[planeflyer21]

Howdy 98v70.

I also am looking at the TDI swap. TD Conversions has kits for these, to include tuning by Malon (a big name in the small hot rod VW community), engine mounts, and conversion adapter plates for either the Ford 3.0 Vulcan or the 4.0.

On the 1.9 TDI torque is boosted to 239 lb ft, 1 lb ft more than the factory 4.0 engine with the Malone 1.5 tune package.

With the 2.0 TDI the Malone 1.5 tune package gives 283 lb ft of torque, about 100 lb ft higher than the stock 3.0, plenty of low-end grunt for towing!

The TDI, while having that wonderful low-end torque that diesels do, is also comfortable at highway speeds.

Look up TD Conversion's website, click on "past conversions" and choose the 1.9 Ranger, then watch the video.

Lots and lots of room there in the engine compartment. Nothing like a V-8 conversion.

I'll document my journey in a few months.

 

[98v70dad]

If you want to tow and be very fast and have ok FE then a v8 swap is nice.

If you want to tow and be fast and have awesome FE then a ALH with a tune turbo and injector swap is the ticket. A PD motor will make more HP and add just a little bit more cost not much though.

Im running a ALH warmed over in a 4300 lbs truck and its definitely not a dog.

OK. I appreciate your comment but have no idea what it means. I'm new to all of this. What is a PD and ALH...I have no idea?

I drive almost 100 miles to work and back every day. The 302 swap is an obvious choice for simplicity but I also have to drive the truck to work. 15 mpg won't work for me. Thats why I'm interested in a diesel- great towing ability AND great gas mileage.

 

[98v70dad]

Howdy 98v70.

I also am looking at the TDI swap. TD Conversions has kits for these, to include tuning by Malon (a big name in the small hot rod VW community), engine mounts, and conversion adapter plates for either the Ford 3.0 Vulcan or the 4.0.

On the 1.9 TDI torque is boosted to 239 lb ft, 1 lb ft more than the factory 4.0 engine with the Malone 1.5 tune package.

With the 2.0 TDI the Malone 1.5 tune package gives 283 lb ft of torque, about 100 lb ft higher than the stock 3.0, plenty of low-end grunt for towing!

The TDI, while having that wonderful low-end torque that diesels do, is also comfortable at highway speeds.

Look up TD Conversion's website, click on "past conversions" and choose the 1.9 Ranger, then watch the video.

Lots and lots of room there in the engine compartment. Nothing like a V-8 conversion.

I'll document my journey in a few months.

My concern is acceleration pulling a 3000 lb trailer. Many people have done the conversion and brag about the gas mileage. I've found nothing about a ranger with a 1.9 TDI and irs acceleration performance post swap.

 

[98v70dad]

Probably not worth the effort unless you want a diesel engine, torque is about the same

3.0l Vulcan was designed as high RPM engine, many drive it like a low RPM engine so never get full power from it
Best torque for 1996 3.0l is at 3,300rpm, 170ft/lb
Most engines do best torque at 2,400rpm
Best horse power for 1996 3.0l is at 5,000rpm(150hp), most are at 4,000rpm

1.9TDI, 2004 and up, has 177ft/lb and 100hp, 2003 and earlier was less

So you need to drive the 3.0l like a "rented mule", full out at higher RPMs to get any power, its the design

Explorer V8 conversion would be less work with better results for towing
5.0l did 275ft/lb with 210hp

Just an opinion

All Diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines, 30% compared to 25%, apples to apples.
Some diesels are getting close to 40%, gasoline is still under 30%
Diesel fuel also has 10-15% more energy stored than gasoline, this helps the conversion to movement power so less waste heat
So for MPG diesel will always win out

And diesels have better torque for displacement, i.e. the 1.9liter diesel has same torque as 3liter gas engine, 170ft/lb
So for a swap with an eye for towing you would want to go with 200+ ft/lb engine, diesel or gas

Torque "gets you going"
Horse Power "keeps you going"

Once vehicle is moving(torque) it doesn't take much HP to keep it moving

The 302 V8 is the easy choice for towing but I also will be driving it 100 miles per day in metro Atlanta where gasoline is taxed heavily and costs 2.75 per gallon. I know its higher up north because I moved here from Chicago but my interest in a diesel has to do mostly with the economy. A diesels awesome towing ability would be a bonus. In the research I've done the diesels available are either too big, too small or too unique for easy availability of parts. On the surface of it the VW 1.9 TDI doesn't seem up to the task for my purposes. I was hoping that someone could give some comments on how it could work if tuned in a certain way.

 

[Motohead1]

OK. I appreciate your comment but have no idea what it means. I'm new to all of this. What is a PD and ALH...I have no idea?

I drive almost 100 miles to work and back every day. The 302 swap is an obvious choice for simplicity but I also have to drive the truck to work. 15 mpg won't work for me. Thats why I'm interested in a diesel- great towing ability AND great gas mileage.

An ALH is 98-2003 but really you want a 2000-2003 that has a 121 pin ecu. a PD or "common rail" started in 2004 and there are variations. Go read up in the conversion section at TDi club and it will make sense.

I drive 50 miles round trip for work and get 28.5mpg all day long combined. A lighter ranger on a stockish tire will get 30+ easily and its been done multiple times.

 

[Motohead1]

The 302 V8 is the easy choice for towing but I also will be driving it 100 miles per day in metro Atlanta where gasoline is taxed heavily and costs 2.75 per gallon. I know its higher up north because I moved here from Chicago but my interest in a diesel has to do mostly with the economy. A diesels awesome towing ability would be a bonus. In the research I've done the diesels available are either too big, too small or too unique for easy availability of parts. On the surface of it the VW 1.9 TDI doesn't seem up to the task for my purposes. I was hoping that someone could give some comments on how it could work if tuned in a certain way.

R520 injectors a bv43a turbo and Malone tune puts my ALH at 180+hp and well over 300ftlbs. Normal driving I see around 12psi. But there is 27psi available and it will move no problem when you need to. An occasional 3000lbs trailer would not be an issue IMHO.

 

[98v70dad]

R520 injectors a bv43a turbo and Malone tune puts my ALH at 180+hp and well over 300ftlbs. Normal driving I see around 12psi. But there is 27psi available and it will move no problem when you need to. An occasional 3000lbs trailer would not be an issue IMHO.

The 3000 lb trailer is a camper and the truck won't get used for that more than once a month but when it does it will be towing that load all day in the mountains.

This truck was a gift from my dad that cost me nothing but its about the exact opposite of something I would have bought myself. One of the conditions of dad giving to me is that I don't sell it any time soon (he loved it) so trading it on something more suitable isn't an option

I've been waiting patiently for a mid sized diesel truck so I can buy one. Every time we're getting close each and every manufacturer has moved the date out. I've been waiting for the new ranger in diesel but that's not until 2019. Every GM product I've ever owned has been a reliability problem and the colorado/canyon have already shown a trend to not be reliable. I had decided to settle on the new Frontier which was due out this month and recently they announced the intro of the redesign will be next year instead of now as expected.

The truck as is will supposedly pull the trailers up the the mountains out west if 35 - 40 mph is acceptable performance. Crawling along and getting about 12 mpg is not what I want to do. I don't need to be going fast but 55 - 65
mph with the load on seems a reasonable goal.

So I got the bright idea of dropping a diesel in my 20 year old ranger. why not? Its a nice truck except for it performance issues. I could spend 3 to 5K and have basically what I want instead of the 42K a new diesel will cost if they ever come out with one. I just need to educate myself on the possibilities because before I posted this thread I knew nothing about it.

 

[pjtoledo]

if you want to spend 3 to 5K why not look at the new Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost?
lots of HP for towing, turbo for hi altitudes/thin air, light weight, RWD configuration.
is your truck 2wd or 4wd? if 2wd the 2.3 EcoBoost has a 6speed manual with really wide ratios.
you could have the best of both worlds for towing and economy.

 

[98v70dad]

if you want to spend 3 to 5K why not look at the new Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost?
lots of HP for towing, turbo for hi altitudes/thin air, light weight, RWD configuration.
is your truck 2wd or 4wd? if 2wd the 2.3 EcoBoost has a 6speed manual with really wide ratios.
you could have the best of both worlds for towing and economy.

Thanks. I have a 2WD. I hadn't thought of that idea. Its a good idea overall. But, I live in metro Atlanta and a manual would be awful in stop and go traffic. I've driven manuals back when I was younger and loved them but it Atlanta traffic it would be unbelievably annoying - constant shifting and stopping. I want the good mileage because this truck will be my daily driver if I can get it to do what I want. Otherwise, its going to be an extra car.

 

[98v70dad]

if you want to spend 3 to 5K why not look at the new Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost?
lots of HP for towing, turbo for hi altitudes/thin air, light weight, RWD configuration.
is your truck 2wd or 4wd? if 2wd the 2.3 EcoBoost has a 6speed manual with really wide ratios.
you could have the best of both worlds for towing and economy.

After having some time to think about it - this is a great idea. However, I don't WANT to spend 3 to 5K I just think I could justify spending that much for the vehicle I would end up with. As I said, the manual shift won't really work for me but the same idea with and automatic might do the trick. I know that it won't be as fun to drive.

The diesel has some drawbacks, especially size and weight. I can't cut into the the payload of the truck with a big heavy diesel and still tow a decent sized camper. The 4 cylinder eco-boost might actually be a little lighter or at least the weight would be similar to a 3.0L V6.

Anyhow, I'm going to see if there has been a mustang eco-boost build with an automatic transmission. My truck has only 49,000 miles on it so I could possible sell the engine and transmission to offset the cost of buying the newer engine.

 

[pjtoledo]

you'll have to verify it, but I think the late model 2.3 EcoBoost is a Duratec engine. block is aluminum and bolts to regular Ranger 4 cylinder transmissions.

since you're in Atlanta, have you heard of Ford Performance Specialists?

 

[planeflyer21]

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So I got the bright idea of dropping a diesel in my 20 year old ranger. why not? Its a nice truck except for it performance issues. I could spend 3 to 5K and have basically what I want instead of the 42K a new diesel will cost if they ever come out with one. I just need to educate myself on the possibilities because before I posted this thread I knew nothing about it.

I've never bought a new car/truck, because I'm cheap. Can't see paying even a bit less than list price, to lose 1/3 the new "value" in a few months.

For what dealers are asking for a new pickup truck, you can buy a restomod truck, car, and motorcycle, and still have cash left over eating out.