88 Vanagon 2wd TDI conversion

This is one sweet Vanagon that somebody has put a lot of love into.  We're doing our part by installing the engine that will power it like never before, achieve 30+ MPG and put it in another league altogether.

TDIpowered and back on the road with authority.

TDI Conversion A to Z:

TDI conversion in process.

 Performance engine build 101:

 Fresh back from the machine shop.  Block is air blasted, taped and then painted the color du jour.

 Oil squirters installed.

 Crank laid, caps to be installed.

Main bearings w/plastigage.  All nicely within spec.  #4 bearing cap has a 360* oil groove in the bearing to improve bottom end oiling.

 Main bearing caps installed, new TTY cap bolts torqued to 48 ft/lbs and turned 90* to final spec.  Front crank seal flange, crank sprocket and crank bolt installed.

 Butter.

 Piston comparison: ASV pistons on the top, standard AHU pistons on the bottom.  Note the extra oil galleys underneath the piston crown on the ASV pistons.  These interface with the oil squirters and increase piston crown cooling.

 Close up of ASV vs. AHU pistons.  This is why we spend the extra $$ and source the ASV pistons for all our performance builds.

 Pistons #2 and #3 being installed.

 All 4 pistons installed.  Rod bearing radial clearances are checked next with plastigage.

 ARP head studs installed along with head gasket.

 Rebuilt cylinder head sealing surface being de-greased, ready for install.

Head installed and head studs secured.  3-rounds of tightening the ten studs: 42 ft/lbs, 84 ft/lbs, 125 ft/lbs.

 Long block complete.

 One of the last Febi diesel Vanagon oil pumps on the continent, going on this engine.

 Oil pan baffle being installed.

 Bottom of crankcase before fitting oil pump.

 Oil pump, oil pan baffle and oil pan installed/sealed and bolted down.  Engine peripherals installed, including rebuilt inj. pump.

 Front of engine before pulleys are installed.

 Mostly complete engine ready for trans mating.

 Hybrid turbo peaking out from behind our custom L engine bracket.












TDI conversion systems:

 Quick diversion to the completed instrument cluster.

 Engine bay preped for TDI engine installation: coolant bottle and PS bottle on custom bracket.

 Intercooler location.

 The magic wiring junction box.  All of our connections, relays and fuses for the TDI conversion fit into the stock Vanagon junction box, making for the cleanest conversions on the road.

 Vanagon air box with our custom MAF adapter and TDI MAF.

 Close up of diesel Vanagon coolant bottle and PS bottle.

 Engine and trans mated and ready to go.

 That's a pretty site at the end of a lot of prep work: complete TDI engine mated to rebuilt GTA trans. with LSD and 1.08 3rd and .70 4th.

Engine installed.

Awaiting plumbing and misc. connections.

 Fuel supply connected, silicone coolant hoses connected, intercooler assembly connected.

 That's one clean engine bay, with lots of nice blue silicone.

Engine bay nearing completion.

 All fluids primed, engine timed, started and purring like a cream fed kitten.

 99% complete engine compartment.

 Intercooler system--short and sweet and cooled via a high output fan.

Vanagon airbox with our custom Vanagon/MAF flange and TDI MAF.

Back from the exhaust shop, another TDI conversion on the road.  After our requisite 250 test miles this will be shipping out on Fri.

























***All pics and conversion work done by Grease Works and TDIpowered.