Date:         Fri, 30 May 1997 01:26:26 -0400 (EDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Taylrbc@aol.com
Subject:      Re: Turbo Swap-QuantumTD-Vanagon

Regarding my '83 camper with '85 quantum TD turbo and manifolds
jag@cs.rochester.edu   Martin asks 

>how did you connect the oil feed?

The oil feed line runs from the oil filter casting to the turbo.  I removed
the 
oil filter casting, and had a hole drilled and tapped in the top of the
casting
 and used the factory solid metal line which runs around the back of the head
and 
down to the turbo. If you have the correct TD oil filter casting, you could
probably
avoid drilling and tapping for the oil line.

>How long did the whole project take you?   

I think I spent on and off about 4 months.   This includes trying to find the
correct 
pieces, getting the turbo rebuilt, trying to figure out what to do with the
oil return,
I experimented with an electric pump to return oil to the sump, etc.  

>How many miles do you have on it since the conversion?

Around 15k, One trip to Baja at Christmas this past year, many 150 mi
weekend trips, commuting plus a vacation from California to Oregon.  It has
been 
pretty reliable with the following exceptions; a rear main seal leak during
the first 
year, and a recurring muffler support breaking.  I have never had the engine
out
of the car or the head off the engine.   It is a factory remanufactured CS
long block
with about 95k since install.

>Any figures of what the improvement was (smoke limited torque? hp?)
>(or in indirect figures: acceleration improvement and max speed?)

Because of lack of boost enrichment, and the desire to avoid overstressing
the non TD long block, I am running about 8 psi max boost, and I have also
backed off on the fuel delivery adjustment.   I keep an eye on exhaust gas 
temperature, particularly when climbing steep grades.   Subjectively
speaking,
the car can accellerate to merge on the freeway easier, the top speed (with 5
sp)
is 75 mph plus, typically run 65 mph.  The smoke on accelleration is reduced,
the gas mileage runs about the same- 28 mpg typ.

An estimate for the horsepower would be about 58, note that the 85-90 Jetta
has
a 68 hp td, and the '91 Jetta Ecco diesel without boost enrich. and  with a
 cat.converter has 58hp.

>>Do you have any pictures?

Sorry, I don't, I may check into borrowing a camera for this.


>> *I would try to use the td oil pump, with the vanagon pickup if possible. 

>>The pickup tube is integral with the oil pump housing on the vanagon,
>>so it seems unlikely that this would be easy. 

    I haven't tryed this, but I would think with the oil squirters and a
later hydraulic
lifter head that you would need the larger capacity pump.

>>...In Germany people are already swapping
>>in TDI engines (90 and 110 hp). ... TDI engines become availible
>>in the boneyards. 

    I was considering this but was deterred by a $3500 price tag for a 
junkyard TDI motor.   When you add misc. fabrication and likely a 
different transaxle gearing to match the power, you could spend $5000
on this kind of a project.  Used gas motor are much more plentiful and you
could probably buy 4 of them complete for the price of one TDI motor.
Keeping this in mind, I would still prefer a TDI motor.

Brent