Very cool. I’ve done 3 of them (currently working on the 4th), and so far it hasn’t been nearly as bad as many people make it out to be. I do highly recommended parts vehicles though.
That’s a lot of miles. Is it diesel?
And what’s that thing in your front fender?
Yeah, those little diesels can go for a long time. I plan on getting it over 400k.
@TeckMonster
I’ve got the transmission, stock clutch with low miles, shifter/cables, axles, and various odds and ends. I need to make a list of what else I need and start getting it all. There’s a good guide on TDIClub: Project Kill Da Auto Wabbit
Yes, it is a diesel. The thing on the fender is a 120 volt plug I put in for the coolant heater, oil pan heater, and battery tender. Gets cold in Wisconsin and it gets tough to start below 10 degrees f.
The not so good part of my whole transmission swap plan is I can’t drive a manual. I tried when I went to buy one of these cars, and just couldn’t get the hang of it. So I chose the automatic, and now it’s starting to fail. Hopefully I can learn fast.
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That guide (with a quick skim) looks extremely solid, and very complete. It’s a huge help to have a good guide.
When I did my Volvo V70 there wasn’t any guids for it at all, and I was having electrical issue that kept my car in limp mode, and it took me far to long to figure it out.
Very nice. I like that a lot more then the plug hanging from the grill or bumper.
The problem that every person had that I taught how to drive manual was, as soon as the clutch would start to grab and the car started moving they’d just dump the clutch. I’d suggest letting out the clutch to the point it starts grabbing/moveing the car, and hold it there until your at a consistent speed.
I’d start by having them get the car moving without pushing the throttle pedal at all, useing the method I just mentioned.
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Yeah, it’s been a really good day for me.
If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them.
As far as the difficult bits, it’s been idle, acceleration enrichment, wideband voltage tuning, warm up/cranking.
I highly recommend paying for the automatic tune adjustments feature. Really helped me hammer down the difficult bits in the tune.
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Isnt it cheaper to just buy a VW Bora with manual from the get go,
Instead of doing a manual swap?
Because i´m not fully sure if its really worth it still.
Even the manual gearboxes of the 1.9 tdi´s fail allot.
They are kinda weak from that generation.
My understanding of EGR is that it’s only in use in cruise throttle position. Wide open the EGR is blocked shut. This is one of those upgrades that may do nothing but hurt cruise mileage and emissions and your pocketbook.
I’ve heard that the 5-speed manual is actually quite reliable. Significantly more so than the 4-speed auto.
So far I have around $800 into the swap project, and I have most of the major components. A “low” mileage manual TDI (under 200k miles) of this generation can be $4k easily. I bought my automatic three years ago with 194k miles for $3400, mainly because it was in good condition and maintained. They hold value well around here, with the price only going down at 300k miles or more.
I feel I’ve gotten a lot of value out of it, as I used to drive a lot for work. The first two and a half years I owned the car I drove 50k miles. The fuel savings really added up. Now I drive a lot less to work and I feel I can do whatever to the car. Sort of make it fun. The increased fuel economy because of the manual transmission will be nice when I need to make occasional long trips.
EDIT: And on the “make it fun” note, my possible plans for the future are a bigger turbo, better clutch, larger nozzles, and a higher stage tune. I have an “eco” tune right now. With these cars you can make a lot of power and actually maintain or even gain fuel economy. As long as you don’t let your feet get too excited.
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Yeah the manuals are definitelly beter then the automatics from that time.
Wenn it comes to reliabillity its a matter of luck.
What i have read on VW forums is that manual transmissions from the tdi´s from that era, often start to get issues arround the 300K to 350K mark.
And often need a revission, because of the higher torque levels of a diesel engine.
Yeah, it was hard for me to find the transmission. They have to be from the diesel version of the car because of the gear ratios. Lots of transmissions from gas Jettas (Boras), but they won’t work. The one I got actually came out of a TDI Beetle. I only paid $400 for the transmission, clutch, and misc parts. Got a really good deal.
Plus I have a TDI guru relatively close, so if I need internal transmission work done he can do it. I’m not that brave.
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Yeah thats a good deal.
I suppose that any transmission from the 1.9Tdi from the same series should fit,
except from the Audi ones i suppose not sure.
But Skoda and Seat should all be the same thing.
Also the VW golf4
I think they are. The 1.9L TDI was used in a lot of vehicles, especially in Europe. Over here they’re basically considered the bullet-proof TDI engine. Most later TDIs are considered inferior.
Yeah i suppose you are right, i think that the Audi A3 also has a horizental mounted tdi engine.
Keeps your oil clean but it does hurt emissions for city driving.
I’d rather not have soot go back into the cylinders though.
I’ll definitely keep that in mind. I have to finish my S10 before I get into another project. I’m about in the home stretch. All the body mods have been made to accommodate the manual parts. I just need to replace the rear main seal and oil pan gasket, and it can all go back together.
The only thing I’m worried about is electrical, though all the wiring is already there for the manual. Might have to get the ECU tuned, but I might just go for the MS if it does.
Why go forward when you can go sideways?
(slightly NSFW)
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Man, that makes me want to drift something, but the lack of rear wheel drive in my life is real right now.
Maybe I’ll try drifting my S10 when I’m done hahaha.
Just had my first race with my Volvo since I got it going again. It was a against a (IMO) visually tastefully modified 05 Honda Civic, and he was a great sport (he thought it was funny) about getting soundly beat by a trashed station wagon. He snuck out in front a little, but once I grabbed second gear it was all over.
Man it feels great to have boost back!
BTW just installed a boost gauge.
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Hmm, I hadn’t known that.
I’ve been having issues with my injectors getting gummed up, and I’m starting to think this might help that.
It’s a weekend/race car, so I’m not concerned about spending a bit more on gas.
Removing the EGR will also allow me to reduce the complexity of my turbo manifold when I start welding it.
A boost gauge?
Just realized that the boost gauge might be easy to miss, so I drew an arrow on the picture.
Oh, no. I was intending to respond to @alwaysFlOoReD regarding EGR delete.
Nice placement though.
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