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Date:         Sun, 26 Aug 2007 22:15:55 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Subject:      Some thought on that 1.8 turbo transplant..
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"

If I read right, that company that converts vans commercially to the 1.8 liter Turbo motor is using an aftermarket EMS.. You can get a Motec or probably many others by now, aftermarket fully programmable Engine Management System for around $3k, new. Probably find em on Ebay used, too. That kinda system, while not simple, is pretty easy to deal with and it provides outputs for all your needed auxiliary systems. If you wanted to, you could simply have an LED screen inside with all the instruments available at a keystroke. (They sell a ready made dash screen, if you wanted that) Or you can easily configure the output of your EMS to supply whatever signal direct to the individual instruments you choose (or already have).. What I am getting to is that you probably don't need a "wiring harness" as such..there are circuits and outputs for everything right in the EMS black box..It'll control everything..fuel pressure, turbo boost, timing, knocking, air/fuel ratio, even the anti-lock brake system, the cruise control, but not the cost of gas at the pump.. You can also easily tune for whatever type of power output you need (limited, of course, by the motor's actual physical capabilities) But, say you are after low end..you just alter the mapping of everything until you optimize low end performance and then hit "save"..and you have it. If you decide later that you want different power, you plug in your laptop and alter the EMS program until you get what you want, again hitting "save".. Pretty fantastic stuff, but the Motec that I had has been used in successful racers for perhaps 10 years...and they are dead on. Simple and dependable, well supported and very upgradeable.. If I was to do a turbo transplant into my Van, I would look at that route, to make it easy, if I found the interface between the donor motor and the Vanagon to be too mismatched.. A couple of grand for a very good long block a couple more for the EMS. Some dyno time, or most people just tune on the road or at the track, using the EMS's data logging function to see how the performance is improving as the tweek the programming... My 928 race motor, with a totally prototype intake system, never been done before, on a brand new long block, we took it from initial start up to almost 600 rear wheel horsepower in about an hour and a half at the dyno...Something as widely used and well known as a New Beetle Turbo motor, that would be really simple tuning..

Don Hanson


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