I was thinking of doing away with my EGR as well on my ALH engine. But in this case you loose your anti-shudder valve also. How would you stop a potential runaway? I was thinking of just blocking the EGR input.
I was thinking of doing away with my EGR as well on my ALH engine. But in this case you loose your anti-shudder valve also. How would you stop a potential runaway? I was thinking of just blocking the EGR input.
From my TDI experience, the anti shudder valve causes more issues than it is worth. I'm not really sure what you mean by stopping a runaway. If you mean how do I stop a car that won't shut off or won't stop accelerating (like a Toyota lol), both engine and transmission modules shut down with the key in the off position. It is wired the same way a VW would be wired. The EGR valve just makes the shut off smoother for the passengers, but with it deleted there is not much of a noticeable difference. The positives from this are also keeping the intake cleaner from the carbon buildup. There also wasn't the room to run the EGR valve due to interference of the strut tower.
The engine is causing a bit too much vibrations in the passenger compartment, so we are working on making some adjustments to make the diesel Fiero friendly. It is most likely a failed liquid filled engine mount, but we want to rectify this before going further.
From my TDI experience, the anti shudder valve causes more issues than it is worth. I'm not really sure what you mean by stopping a runaway. If you mean how do I stop a car that won't shut off or won't stop accelerating (like a Toyota lol), both engine and transmission modules shut down with the key in the off position. It is wired the same way a VW would be wired. The EGR valve just makes the shut off smoother for the passengers, but with it deleted there is not much of a noticeable difference. The positives from this are also keeping the intake cleaner from the carbon buildup. There also wasn't the room to run the EGR valve due to interference of the strut tower.
The engine is causing a bit too much vibrations in the passenger compartment, so we are working on making some adjustments to make the diesel Fiero friendly. It is most likely a failed liquid filled engine mount, but we want to rectify this before going further.
Dave
The anti-shudder valve closes a flap when there is vacuum and the ignition is turned off to starve the engine of air. Not a big deal if the engine and turbo are healthy. A life saver if your turbo takes a turn for the worse and feeds the intake engine oil. I had no idea this was a problem with diesel engines until someone told me to google it... SCARRY!
We had an issue getting the fuel gauge to work with the Fiero sender. Even reprogramming it didn't help. I wound up taking the Jetta sender and cutting it to bolt on the Fiero sender mounting plate. The feed and return lines are switched to grab fuel at the bottom of the tank and the feed is now the return. I have a pre filter installed just after the tank to catch any algae or debris.
On a downside, the VNT turbo is having issues. The vane shaft lever is frozen which is causing driveability issues. I decided to buy a new turbo from Volkswagen to remedy this situation. It should be installed sometime next week. After that, we are on to finalizing the cluster and getting it ready to be driven on a daily basis for testing.
I have it installed and completely functional. I have to make the face plate for it before I post up pics. (about an hour of work). Some time this upcoming week, the turbo and cluster will be done and pics will be posted.
So far, the driving experience I have had tells me that this car will be faster than a 3.4 swap with 3x the mpg, but I don't want to say that is a definite thing until I have some true testing data. The little diesel can spin the tires easily off the line though. Dave
I took a quick reading and got 54-295 ohms. The fuel gauge can be calibrated with the VAG-COM if there is too much resistance in the wiring. It can't be calibrated enough to match the Fiero's sender, which I had hoped. I purchased a brand new Jetta sender from VDO and took it apart to rewire it to fit the Fiero. Since there is no sock in the tank, I added the pre filter. Regardless, all the gauges are accurate currently Dave
Thanks. In my business one of the products I make is a FSU for 88-98 Chevy diesel trucks. Most older GMs are 0-90 ohm. When I get to that point on mine I'll have to see what I can come up with or just copy you
The turbo arrived yesterday and was installed in about an hour or two. It is integral with the exhaust manifold. I also added the pre filter by the tank. It uses a early 1980's Mercedes diesel pre filter. You can see the intercooler location in the pics.
I performed an alignment too. Today, I hope to have the cluster finalized and then get it registered and insured by the end of this week.
I can't wait to post up some videos for you guys. The car spins the tires easily and is remarkably quick. The smoke is under control now and it runs smoother than expected.
I plan to go get it registered and insured today. I ordered a set for front shocks because they needed to be replaced. There are a few things to tidy up before we drive it on the street, but if all goes well today I'll be driving it home this weekend for the first time. Dave
I went to the NJ motor vehicle dept to get the car registered yesterday. Now that the car is legal, I am really pushing to test this thing out. The front shocks had to be replaced and we did that yesterday as well. I took a quick pic of the new KYB shocks and powdercoated calipers while Ryan was installing them.
I made a checklist of things to finalize on the car before it is roadworthy, and I got almost the entire list complete. The instrument cluster function is 98%. The turn signal and high beam indicators function. The glow plug light functions. All the gauges are accurate (speedo will be checked once on the road, but I can program the cluster for different tire sizes). The only thing left to get working is the cluster backlights and the face. I hope to have that done today.
Dave
[This message has been edited by bmwguru (edited 04-12-2013).]
OK DAVE...its killing me....lets see the gauge cluster...PLEASE!!!
and the rest interior
The interior is completely stock except the cluster. The headliner will be replaced within the next few weeks. Here is a sneak peak of the cluster. The face plate is still sitting on my scroll saw and should be 100% on Monday...(unless more German cars want to spend a bunch of money) It is secure and functional...it just needs the finishing touches to make it look proper. The mileage will be programed to match the Fiero, so that there are no title/registration issues. Dave
finalized pic of the instrument cluster...The light in the lower corner is a reflection from the cigar lighter bulb that isn't installed in the holder as of today. I'll be driving it on the street today. I have my GoPro charged up and ready for some videos.
OMG...that looks awesome and it looks like it would fit in Amida's G1 dash as well...that was my big question!
Killer work as always...PM me know when you are ready!
Thanks, I just put 15 miles on it and I can't stop smiling. This little diesel is quicker than I thought. Very torquey. I will post up some videos later.
Dave...please post...I figured she might be peppier and also curious what MPG you get put of her. My older GOLFs (had two) with that same setup would get a good 55 mpg.
But with the Fiero being lighter (i believe)...you should get better MPG
We sent the car to the detailer to get our greasy handprints cleaned off. We added a few of our own touches....an emblem from a Jetta V TDI. Here are a few pics.....Videos to come this week.
I'll have to post up some videos soon for you all. We put about 50 miles on this car today and our only issue we have so far is fighting over who gets to drive it home. Being the boss, I won The GoPro has been on every second we have been driving it. Anyway, all I can say so far is that I am glad that we built this. It was worth every minute of aggravation to come up with a project that exceeded our expectations once driven. I plan to put some serious test miles on it and get some accurate statistics. If all goes well, the car should be up for sale next month as long at it passes our testing. I plan to install a new Fiero Store headliner within the next few weeks and work out any bugs that may arise. For those "coal" fans, I am sorry to disappoint, but there is no smoke at the tailpipe now that it is fully tuned. We are aiming for a balance of performance that will be equal or surpass a 3.4 pushrod swap with triple the mileage....and fun to drive. If need be, we can make this compete by adding bigger injectors and changing the tune, but that is an option for the next owner. Basically, our plan is to sell the car in the current state once it has been fully tested. If the next owner wants us (or someone else) to do other mods (interior, chassis, drivetrain etc) to the car before delivery, we will at a discounted shop rate. Dave
I remember you saying earlier in the thread this car would be the only TDI converison you'll do, but now that you've completed the project and seem very happy with the results, have you changed your mind about offering this swap as a part of your normal custom Fiero options?
I want to do a complete list of pictures and discuss any questions you guys have about this swap. I read on other boards a lot of misinformation about this swap including "the tricky part was to make a shift cable extension and linkage". The factory Fiero shift cable hooked up to the factory Jetta mount bracket with about 30 seconds of fiddling. I adjusted it to work perfectly. The gear indicator is now located in the cluster and not on the console.
So, is there anything you guys want to know or see how we did what we did?
I want to do a complete list of pictures and discuss any questions you guys have about this swap. I read on other boards a lot of misinformation about this swap including "the tricky part was to make a shift cable extension and linkage". The factory Fiero shift cable hooked up to the factory Jetta mount bracket with about 30 seconds of fiddling. I adjusted it to work perfectly. The gear indicator is now located in the cluster and not on the console.
So, is there anything you guys want to know or see how we did what we did?
Dave
Dont pay too much attention to board chatter. People are going to be negative no matter what you do. You have made a truly unique car. No idea what kind of $$$ you are looking to get for it. But I'd be interested! But only if it has more POWA!
Dont pay too much attention to board chatter. People are going to be negative no matter what you do. You have made a truly unique car. No idea what kind of $$$ you are looking to get for it. But I'd be interested! But only if it has more POWA!
Add some injectors and another tune and it will be a beast. We aimed for fuel economy, but mods are simple to put the car in a different direction if need be. The car is a lot quicker than I thought it was going to be. We are talking about taking it for the 1/4 mile one evening soon in the same form it currently sits.
I have a bunch of video footage and I plan on putting over 500 miles on it this weekend. Sometime this weekend, I'll edit the videos together and post up a youtube video.
I'll post up the videos soon. I want to take more before I get them edited. I spent the past weekend putting hours of driving time on the TDI and now I'm working out the bugs that I found. It is running too cold (coolant temperature) and that is killing the fuel economy. We are just under 50mpg and it isnt getting over 70 degrees celcuis. So, we are hooking up the egr cooler with a bypass to help heat the coolant to proper temperature. I installed the headliner yesterday and plan on driving it more today.
The only issue I seem to have is with refueling the vehicle. NJ is a full serve state (no self serve at the pump). I have to argue with the attendant for about a minute about filling it with diesel. The local station to the shop is no issue. They are used to seeing all the Fieros and modded German cars we build.
