Bummer about the pump. Does it have to be replaced or can you just replace the seals?
I'm a pro at getting in a hurry and hooking stuff up wrong.
I'm a pro at getting in a hurry and hooking stuff up wrong.
BEW TDI Diesel Swap RHD TJ Wrangler Build (Picture Heavy)
- Thread starter RustyAutoholicGuy
- Start date
OP
There is a seal kit but I wasn't able to get it here from a reputable source for a while (ie not cheap knock off kit), it's back ordered, so I'm going to keep the pump but just replace with with a Hella/Peirsburg Tandem Pump and rebuild my original one when I can get the seals in.
OP
Hey TJers,
Well it seems in my rush to get my BEW running, I'm having to troubleshoot and repair additional issues I caused. Always check to see which way you connect the fuel lines to the tandem pump, this is becoming a more costly lesson than anticipated.
I got my replacement tandem pump in and decided to also install the water neck housing on the back of the block as well since I had the tandem pump removed. This time I triple checked that I connected all the lines in the right direction as well as verifying the fuel flow direction coming from my fuel tank.
It was also suggested to me that I swap to an earlier style water separator and fuel filter from a VW diesel. I actually had used the earlier style filter on my Kubota swap and still have a few new filters so I swapped that out as well.
After getting everything reinstalled, I tried once again to get my BEW TDI started with no success. It would catch for a moment, idle up to around 1000rpm and then immediately stall.
I then proceed to get a VCDS-Lite license so I could verify a few things on the ECU and check the error codes on the ECU as well. I found 3 codes. 1st was a cam position sensor issue, which I've already gotten the replacement for though I haven't installed it yet. The next 2 codes were an electrical malfunction on injectors #2 and #3.
I'm going to be calling various companies this week to see about getting my injectors rebuilt. I have another set of stock injectors from my first TDI which had a BEW but they have been sitting on a shelf for almost 7 years now and I don't want to create more issues by trying to run those injectors in my engine.
While not the news I was hoping for, it's progress none the less, and I'll keep wrenching and working on my build as I get everything sorted out.
Here is the video if you'd like to watch:
Let me know what you think
-Grant
Well it seems in my rush to get my BEW running, I'm having to troubleshoot and repair additional issues I caused. Always check to see which way you connect the fuel lines to the tandem pump, this is becoming a more costly lesson than anticipated.
I got my replacement tandem pump in and decided to also install the water neck housing on the back of the block as well since I had the tandem pump removed. This time I triple checked that I connected all the lines in the right direction as well as verifying the fuel flow direction coming from my fuel tank.
It was also suggested to me that I swap to an earlier style water separator and fuel filter from a VW diesel. I actually had used the earlier style filter on my Kubota swap and still have a few new filters so I swapped that out as well.
After getting everything reinstalled, I tried once again to get my BEW TDI started with no success. It would catch for a moment, idle up to around 1000rpm and then immediately stall.
I then proceed to get a VCDS-Lite license so I could verify a few things on the ECU and check the error codes on the ECU as well. I found 3 codes. 1st was a cam position sensor issue, which I've already gotten the replacement for though I haven't installed it yet. The next 2 codes were an electrical malfunction on injectors #2 and #3.
I'm going to be calling various companies this week to see about getting my injectors rebuilt. I have another set of stock injectors from my first TDI which had a BEW but they have been sitting on a shelf for almost 7 years now and I don't want to create more issues by trying to run those injectors in my engine.
While not the news I was hoping for, it's progress none the less, and I'll keep wrenching and working on my build as I get everything sorted out.
Here is the video if you'd like to watch:
Let me know what you think
-Grant
Last edited:
OP
Hey TJers,
This is going to be a long post. After weeks now of trying to get my BEW TDI to start and stay running in my TJ Wrangler, I finally figured out all the issues I was having. Two were my own fault however the last issue was a wiring issue in the harness that I bought from Fast Forward.
In last update, I had replaced my tandem pump that I messed up and had bought a copy of VCDS-Light so I could check a few things on the my BEW TDI ECU. Specially I wanted to see the fault codes and if the immobilizer had been disabled on my ECU, which it had been.
I was still getting a few fault codes however, one was about the N75 valve and the other for was the camshaft position sensor. At the time I didn't have the N75 plugged in but I had the camshaft position plugged into the harness. So to me the issue was a bad sensor, so I ordered a replacement and waited for it arrive.
Once the new sensor arrived, I replaced it but also noticed that I hadn't seated the injector harness plug into the head correctly, it was tilted slightly. That one was on me. However even after replacing the camshaft position sensor and getting the plug in the head seated corrected, I still couldn't get the engine to start though the BEW TDI was sounding better.
At this point I reached out to a few different people online and I have to give a shout out to David Shoemaker. After several long conversations, he was able to help me figure out that the issue with my no start was the engine didn't know what position the camshaft was in, even though I had replaced the sensor.
At this point David told me to start checking my wiring harness I got from Fast Forward. I pulled the wiring harness out of my TJ and with the wiring diagram that was supplied with the harness, I was able to figure out that one pin for the N75 value and one pin for the camshaft position sensor were reversed in the plug that connects to the TDI ECU. This should have been caught during the bench test when this harness was built.
After taking apart the 60-pin ECU plug and installing the pins into the correct locations, I was finally able to get my BEW TDI to start and stay running. I just want to again thank everyone that helped me figure out this issue with the wiring harness, especially David. At this point I'm just grateful to finally be moving forward with my project and hopefully will have it done in the next few weeks.
Here is the video if you'd like to watch:
Thanks
Grant
This is going to be a long post. After weeks now of trying to get my BEW TDI to start and stay running in my TJ Wrangler, I finally figured out all the issues I was having. Two were my own fault however the last issue was a wiring issue in the harness that I bought from Fast Forward.
In last update, I had replaced my tandem pump that I messed up and had bought a copy of VCDS-Light so I could check a few things on the my BEW TDI ECU. Specially I wanted to see the fault codes and if the immobilizer had been disabled on my ECU, which it had been.
I was still getting a few fault codes however, one was about the N75 valve and the other for was the camshaft position sensor. At the time I didn't have the N75 plugged in but I had the camshaft position plugged into the harness. So to me the issue was a bad sensor, so I ordered a replacement and waited for it arrive.
Once the new sensor arrived, I replaced it but also noticed that I hadn't seated the injector harness plug into the head correctly, it was tilted slightly. That one was on me. However even after replacing the camshaft position sensor and getting the plug in the head seated corrected, I still couldn't get the engine to start though the BEW TDI was sounding better.
At this point I reached out to a few different people online and I have to give a shout out to David Shoemaker. After several long conversations, he was able to help me figure out that the issue with my no start was the engine didn't know what position the camshaft was in, even though I had replaced the sensor.
At this point David told me to start checking my wiring harness I got from Fast Forward. I pulled the wiring harness out of my TJ and with the wiring diagram that was supplied with the harness, I was able to figure out that one pin for the N75 value and one pin for the camshaft position sensor were reversed in the plug that connects to the TDI ECU. This should have been caught during the bench test when this harness was built.
After taking apart the 60-pin ECU plug and installing the pins into the correct locations, I was finally able to get my BEW TDI to start and stay running. I just want to again thank everyone that helped me figure out this issue with the wiring harness, especially David. At this point I'm just grateful to finally be moving forward with my project and hopefully will have it done in the next few weeks.
Here is the video if you'd like to watch:
Thanks
Grant
Last edited:
WAHOOOOOO......
Damn that must have felt soooooo good to finally hearing it running correctly. Bummer about the wiring harness. I know how frustrating that can be.
Damn that must have felt soooooo good to finally hearing it running correctly. Bummer about the wiring harness. I know how frustrating that can be.
OP
It really was great to hear it start and stay running. Now that I've engine running, I'm realizing how much work I still have left.
- Vacuum Lines (Turbo and HVAC system)
- Fabricate High Pressure Power Steering Lines (For Hydroboost Brakes and Power Steering)
- Figure out cooling lines (For TDI engine and Heater Core)
- Update Wiring between the TDI ECU and Quick6 TCU
- Fabricate Exhaust System
- Figure out Air Intake System
- Figure out Power Steering Reservoir
- Install new Digital Cluster
- Reinstall Dashboard
- Install Fox 2.0 Shocks
And I'm sure I'm missing some thing as well, all this stuff takes time.
I don't even want to start on my LIST of things to still do to my Jeep. But you're getting closer and have a running vehicle which is a MAJOR hurdle.
Grant,
It's great to hear an honest and fact based review of a product. We're all cheering with you buddy!
Rich
It's great to hear an honest and fact based review of a product. We're all cheering with you buddy!
Rich
OP
A running vehicle does feel like I'm miles ahead of where I was last week, and I'm dreading the list I have isn't even close to all the things I still need to do before I can call this good enough to get it inspected. You'll get there as well, I keep trying to get up to date on your build, but I swear every time I go back to it, it's another 20 pages longer
What a great feeling......wahoo!
It really was, and honestly I think I felt relieve more than anything. In so many ways the Kubota was easy compared to the TDI, does it have fuel, air and compression, okay it's running. The TDI has SOOO many more systems that have to all work together for it to run, I was worried I was out of my depth on the entire thing.
Grant,
It's great to hear an honest and fact based review of a product. We're all cheering with you buddy!
Rich
Rich thank you for this reply as well. I realized while I'm not the biggest channel in the world and I don't have the most exciting build thread on this site either, I wanted people who might try to build something similar to me know where I stand with the products I purchased.
I can't tell you how many times I redid my outro going over the harness. I wanted everything to be based on facts. I usually do much more timelapse as well but I realized for this video, having the content slowed down where I explained everything I did in detail along with showing pictures that highlighted the pins I was working with would paint a clear picture of what I had both purchased and what issues I was trying to solve.
There are often too many times people who only complain about a product without saying anything about it's good qualities as well. Sometimes there aren't any but most times there is good with the bad. I really do like this harness, but I didn't want to hide my displeasure with it either. I figured an honest discussion was the best approach so thank you for response to the review and thank you for the continued support in getting this TJ Wrangler project done as well.
My hope is to meet so many people on this forum on the trails sometime soon once I have this TJ back up and running.
Thanks
Grant
OP
Hey TJers,
Started working on figuring out how I'm going to run all the coolant lines on my BEW TDI in my Right Hand Drive TJ Wrangler. As with everything on this swap, it was more complicated than I thought it would be and I'm having to wait on parts again, but at least I know how to make it work . . . I think.
The TDI is an interesting engine when you turn it 90° with this swap. I found using the following hoses made the job much easier for me:
Lower Radiator Hose:
Dayco 72135
Dayco 71591
Upper Radiator Hose:
Dayco 72135
Dayco E72496
The interesting thing with this setup is you end up having to cut both Dayco 72135 hoses but it then makes routing everything much easier. As for Dayco E72496, I initially bought it for the plastic adapter on the hose but then ended up using other sections of the hose to make everything work.
That takes care of all the primary cooling, when it came to do the secondary cooling I had bought a slew of smaller hoses with different bends in them for routing coolant to my oil filter and heater core on my firewall. I ended up using some silicone flexable hoses at my heater core so I wouldn't have to worry about the heater core getting damaged with the TDI's vibrations while running.
At this point I'm waiting on 1.25" joiners/couplers to get here for both the upper and lower radiator hoses as well as a 90° adapter for the oil pressure switch so it will clear the lower radiator hose that wraps around the back of my AC Compressor. Still I'm making progress with my swap and should have the coolant system finished sometime next week!
Here is the video if you'd like to watch:
Thanks
Grant
Started working on figuring out how I'm going to run all the coolant lines on my BEW TDI in my Right Hand Drive TJ Wrangler. As with everything on this swap, it was more complicated than I thought it would be and I'm having to wait on parts again, but at least I know how to make it work . . . I think.
The TDI is an interesting engine when you turn it 90° with this swap. I found using the following hoses made the job much easier for me:
Lower Radiator Hose:
Dayco 72135
Dayco 71591
Upper Radiator Hose:
Dayco 72135
Dayco E72496
The interesting thing with this setup is you end up having to cut both Dayco 72135 hoses but it then makes routing everything much easier. As for Dayco E72496, I initially bought it for the plastic adapter on the hose but then ended up using other sections of the hose to make everything work.
That takes care of all the primary cooling, when it came to do the secondary cooling I had bought a slew of smaller hoses with different bends in them for routing coolant to my oil filter and heater core on my firewall. I ended up using some silicone flexable hoses at my heater core so I wouldn't have to worry about the heater core getting damaged with the TDI's vibrations while running.
At this point I'm waiting on 1.25" joiners/couplers to get here for both the upper and lower radiator hoses as well as a 90° adapter for the oil pressure switch so it will clear the lower radiator hose that wraps around the back of my AC Compressor. Still I'm making progress with my swap and should have the coolant system finished sometime next week!
Here is the video if you'd like to watch:
Thanks
Grant
OP
Hey TJers,
I got this custom power steering reservoir installed and made new high pressure lines to go from my VW TDI power steering pump to my Hydroboost Brake Booster and then to my Power Steering box as well on my BEW TDI Wrangler.
When I originally installed the Kubota V2403, I made the switch to a Hydroboost setup which helped my brakes clamping power immensely. However I was using the stock Jeep power steering pump which had an integrated reservoir. The VW power steering pump uses a remote reservoir.
Because of this I started looking into other power steering reservoir I could use and found this larger capacity reservoir with an integrated filter on eBay. Seeing as my power steering is supplying pressure both for my brakes and my steering, going to a larger reservoir that is filtered as well seemed like a great idea.
I used some steel angle iron and flat strips I had laying around my shop to make a mounting bracket for the reservoir and attached it to my fender. Everything on this TDI is getting tight very quickly with all the lines that are needed for the engine, so finding a good spot to mount the reservoir where I could remove the filter and fill cap was a bit tricky.
Lastly I made a new high pressure line that now runs from my power steering pump along my frame rail, up the firewall and into my Hydroboost Brake Booster. I also moved the high pressure line that goes to my Power Steering box as well, originally it went along the frame rail however that would put it close to the turbo, so now it's routed underneath the Hydroboost Brake Booster and goes along the top of the fender and then down into the power steering box to avoid heat from the turbo and exhaust.
Here is the video if you want to watch:
Thanks
Grant
I got this custom power steering reservoir installed and made new high pressure lines to go from my VW TDI power steering pump to my Hydroboost Brake Booster and then to my Power Steering box as well on my BEW TDI Wrangler.
When I originally installed the Kubota V2403, I made the switch to a Hydroboost setup which helped my brakes clamping power immensely. However I was using the stock Jeep power steering pump which had an integrated reservoir. The VW power steering pump uses a remote reservoir.
Because of this I started looking into other power steering reservoir I could use and found this larger capacity reservoir with an integrated filter on eBay. Seeing as my power steering is supplying pressure both for my brakes and my steering, going to a larger reservoir that is filtered as well seemed like a great idea.
I used some steel angle iron and flat strips I had laying around my shop to make a mounting bracket for the reservoir and attached it to my fender. Everything on this TDI is getting tight very quickly with all the lines that are needed for the engine, so finding a good spot to mount the reservoir where I could remove the filter and fill cap was a bit tricky.
Lastly I made a new high pressure line that now runs from my power steering pump along my frame rail, up the firewall and into my Hydroboost Brake Booster. I also moved the high pressure line that goes to my Power Steering box as well, originally it went along the frame rail however that would put it close to the turbo, so now it's routed underneath the Hydroboost Brake Booster and goes along the top of the fender and then down into the power steering box to avoid heat from the turbo and exhaust.
Here is the video if you want to watch:
Thanks
Grant
OP
Hey Tjers,
After a few mishaps I switched my focus to getting the interior reassembled in my diesel swap TJ Wrangler. I decided to add sound deadening under my carpet and move where my TCU was mounted while reinstalling the dashboard and wiring as well.
So I'll start with the failures. I lost 3 days of footage because of a corrupted SD card, admittedly I'd been using the same SD card since 2018, which I should have replaced it years ago.
The next failure was the turbo on my BEW. I'm still not sure what was the cause the failure but I've locked up the turbo on my BEW TDI. I need to pull the turbo and inspect it to see what caused the failure. I have checked the oil supply line from the engine and it's supplying a good flow of oil to the turbo. I need to check the drain next to make sure there isn't a blockage.
Fortunately I have another turbo already coming, a Garrett GTC1446vz, from Finland. For what I'm looking to achieve with my build I think that turbo will work well, it's not going to have huge power gains but I should have a nice broad torque and boost curve at low RPM which is what I'm wanting for my build.
After that I turned my focus to the interior of my TJ. I've had the materials to sound deaden the interior for a while and decided to go ahead and install that. Cleaning the metal of my tub took longer than expected, about 3 hours to get the metal clean. After that I went about installing the sheets of sound deadening. This ended up taking 2 days and exhausted my forearms and shoulders.
Once I got the sound deadening installed, I then went about reinstalling the rest of the interior, so the carpet, dashboard and the front seats. In doing so I decided to move my Quick6 TCU to where my factory stereo use to be. I decided to move the Quick6 for two reasons. First I got my Quick6 upgraded to the Gen2 model which has an OLED screen with more information displayed and second so I wouldn't have to look at my floorboard while driving to see all the new information that was available on the display.
I had actually shortened the Quick6 TCU harness in the video that I lost, to clean up the interior, but now I was having to add extensions back to the harness so I would have enough length to reach the slot where the factory stereo use to be. Currently I'm waiting on a few more parts to come in before I can finish my interior on my TJ. The Wrangler is coming along nicely, and once I get my replacement turbo, I can hopefully get this project wrapped up and on the road sooner rather than later.
Here is the video if you want to watch:
Thanks
Grant
After a few mishaps I switched my focus to getting the interior reassembled in my diesel swap TJ Wrangler. I decided to add sound deadening under my carpet and move where my TCU was mounted while reinstalling the dashboard and wiring as well.
So I'll start with the failures. I lost 3 days of footage because of a corrupted SD card, admittedly I'd been using the same SD card since 2018, which I should have replaced it years ago.
The next failure was the turbo on my BEW. I'm still not sure what was the cause the failure but I've locked up the turbo on my BEW TDI. I need to pull the turbo and inspect it to see what caused the failure. I have checked the oil supply line from the engine and it's supplying a good flow of oil to the turbo. I need to check the drain next to make sure there isn't a blockage.
Fortunately I have another turbo already coming, a Garrett GTC1446vz, from Finland. For what I'm looking to achieve with my build I think that turbo will work well, it's not going to have huge power gains but I should have a nice broad torque and boost curve at low RPM which is what I'm wanting for my build.
After that I turned my focus to the interior of my TJ. I've had the materials to sound deaden the interior for a while and decided to go ahead and install that. Cleaning the metal of my tub took longer than expected, about 3 hours to get the metal clean. After that I went about installing the sheets of sound deadening. This ended up taking 2 days and exhausted my forearms and shoulders.
Once I got the sound deadening installed, I then went about reinstalling the rest of the interior, so the carpet, dashboard and the front seats. In doing so I decided to move my Quick6 TCU to where my factory stereo use to be. I decided to move the Quick6 for two reasons. First I got my Quick6 upgraded to the Gen2 model which has an OLED screen with more information displayed and second so I wouldn't have to look at my floorboard while driving to see all the new information that was available on the display.
I had actually shortened the Quick6 TCU harness in the video that I lost, to clean up the interior, but now I was having to add extensions back to the harness so I would have enough length to reach the slot where the factory stereo use to be. Currently I'm waiting on a few more parts to come in before I can finish my interior on my TJ. The Wrangler is coming along nicely, and once I get my replacement turbo, I can hopefully get this project wrapped up and on the road sooner rather than later.
Here is the video if you want to watch:
Thanks
Grant
OP
Hey Tjers,
I found the cause of the turbo failure on my BEW TDI swapped TJ Wrangler. After ordering a replacement turbo, I continued work on assembling everything else. I got the battery cables shorted with new connectors crimped on the ends along with getting all the accessories reinstalled as well.
What caused my turbo to fail was a lack of oil flow back to the block. Turns out I pinched the oil return line at some point during the either the removal of the engine from the Beetle donor vehicle or during installation.
I had ordered another turbo a while back, a used GTC1446v and spent the better part of a week trying to get it to bolt to my setup, but I kept running into fitment issues with my steering braking components. If my TJ was Left Hand Drive all of this would have cleared so much easier.
For a replacement turbo I looked at several options. I first was just going to run the GTC1446v before I realized I had fitment issues. I then bought the parts to try running a gas 8v manifold that has a T3 flange on the exhaust manifold but I was able to come up with a mounting solution that didn't hit either my fender, steering or braking components.
I reached out to Doomsday Diesel who was super helpful and we looked into a few different turbo setups as well that he could supply and again my Right Hand Drive proved to be a challenge again.
Ultimately I decided to get a slightly upgraded turbo of what I had been running which was the Passat BHW turbo. I ordered a GT1752v with a right angle housing for the boost outlet from the compressor housing from Xman Turbos which should be getting here in the next few days. This will bolt up to my setup without interfering with any of the steering or braking components. I also got a custom oil return kit ordered as well so I can make my own oil return line for the GT1752v once it arrives as well.
Once I had that figured out I went about re-installing the accessories on my engine and finishing up the installing of my power steering system. After that I installed a new Optima battery and modified my positive and negative power cables to fit my swap.
Lastly I went back to mounting my USShift Quick6 controller and spent some time tinkering with the tune on my laptop to get the manualmatic shifting working with my Lokar shifter.
At this point I'm waiting on the turbo and oil return line kit to arrive. Once those parts gets here, it won't take that much work before I can take my TJ Wrangler out for it's first test drive. Just in time for summer!
Here's the video if you want to watch:
Thanks
Grant
I found the cause of the turbo failure on my BEW TDI swapped TJ Wrangler. After ordering a replacement turbo, I continued work on assembling everything else. I got the battery cables shorted with new connectors crimped on the ends along with getting all the accessories reinstalled as well.
What caused my turbo to fail was a lack of oil flow back to the block. Turns out I pinched the oil return line at some point during the either the removal of the engine from the Beetle donor vehicle or during installation.
I had ordered another turbo a while back, a used GTC1446v and spent the better part of a week trying to get it to bolt to my setup, but I kept running into fitment issues with my steering braking components. If my TJ was Left Hand Drive all of this would have cleared so much easier.
For a replacement turbo I looked at several options. I first was just going to run the GTC1446v before I realized I had fitment issues. I then bought the parts to try running a gas 8v manifold that has a T3 flange on the exhaust manifold but I was able to come up with a mounting solution that didn't hit either my fender, steering or braking components.
I reached out to Doomsday Diesel who was super helpful and we looked into a few different turbo setups as well that he could supply and again my Right Hand Drive proved to be a challenge again.
Ultimately I decided to get a slightly upgraded turbo of what I had been running which was the Passat BHW turbo. I ordered a GT1752v with a right angle housing for the boost outlet from the compressor housing from Xman Turbos which should be getting here in the next few days. This will bolt up to my setup without interfering with any of the steering or braking components. I also got a custom oil return kit ordered as well so I can make my own oil return line for the GT1752v once it arrives as well.
Once I had that figured out I went about re-installing the accessories on my engine and finishing up the installing of my power steering system. After that I installed a new Optima battery and modified my positive and negative power cables to fit my swap.
Lastly I went back to mounting my USShift Quick6 controller and spent some time tinkering with the tune on my laptop to get the manualmatic shifting working with my Lokar shifter.
At this point I'm waiting on the turbo and oil return line kit to arrive. Once those parts gets here, it won't take that much work before I can take my TJ Wrangler out for it's first test drive. Just in time for summer!
Here's the video if you want to watch:
Thanks
Grant
OP
Hey TJers,
A while back I decided I wanted to go with a hard top for my diesel swap TJ Wrangler project instead of a soft top. After looking around for a few options for hard tops, I ended up ordering BullDawg's Highlander series Hard Top with a Pioneer Platform system integrated into it.
I went with the BullDawg Hard Top for a few reasons. First it had the dynamic weight capacity I was looking to add to my rig. The goal with my diesel build on my TJ is to have a daily driver that could also be a weekend wheeler and overland rig as well. With a dynamic weight capacity of 600lbs from the integrated Pioneer Rack Platform, it gives me all the weight I need for a roof top tent or gear I might want to bring me when I go wheeling.
I also went with this because I can easily and quickly remove the Pioneer Platform which makes my TJ look like it just has the roof rack attachments like my Jeep Liberty or Jeep Commander has. I really debating going with a Garvin or Gobi roof rack system but I wanted something that would be easy to remove from my TJ so it would look stockish when I wasn't taking it out for a wheeling trip.
The second reason I went with the BullDawg Hard Top was the Discovery pop-up rear windows. I ordered these thinking it would be a neat future, it's turning out to be my favorite feature on my TJ now really fast. I think it's a missed opportunity from Jeep that they didn't incorporate that window into their factory Hard Tops.
The third reason I went with the BullDawg was the colors. I was able to get the Hard Top with a Spice exterior color and what they call an Orange Burst interior color. The fall colors are my favorite range of colors with Orange being my favorite. What I wasn't expecting what how much having a dark interior headliner would help my eyes. I have a light sensitive issue and the darker headliner made a surprising difference on how it affected my eyes.
I'm really happy with my purchase and I did also get a matching set of hard uppers for my half doors as well which I haven't installed yet as I'm still trying to finish building my TJ at the moment. In terms of cost, I don't remember the exact dollar amount, but with the all the options and the hard uppers as well, this entire setup cost me the around the same amount of my money as I bought my TJ for back in 2017, around $5500 bucks.
Here is the video if you want to watch:
Let me know what you think!
Thanks
Grant
A while back I decided I wanted to go with a hard top for my diesel swap TJ Wrangler project instead of a soft top. After looking around for a few options for hard tops, I ended up ordering BullDawg's Highlander series Hard Top with a Pioneer Platform system integrated into it.
I went with the BullDawg Hard Top for a few reasons. First it had the dynamic weight capacity I was looking to add to my rig. The goal with my diesel build on my TJ is to have a daily driver that could also be a weekend wheeler and overland rig as well. With a dynamic weight capacity of 600lbs from the integrated Pioneer Rack Platform, it gives me all the weight I need for a roof top tent or gear I might want to bring me when I go wheeling.
I also went with this because I can easily and quickly remove the Pioneer Platform which makes my TJ look like it just has the roof rack attachments like my Jeep Liberty or Jeep Commander has. I really debating going with a Garvin or Gobi roof rack system but I wanted something that would be easy to remove from my TJ so it would look stockish when I wasn't taking it out for a wheeling trip.
The second reason I went with the BullDawg Hard Top was the Discovery pop-up rear windows. I ordered these thinking it would be a neat future, it's turning out to be my favorite feature on my TJ now really fast. I think it's a missed opportunity from Jeep that they didn't incorporate that window into their factory Hard Tops.
The third reason I went with the BullDawg was the colors. I was able to get the Hard Top with a Spice exterior color and what they call an Orange Burst interior color. The fall colors are my favorite range of colors with Orange being my favorite. What I wasn't expecting what how much having a dark interior headliner would help my eyes. I have a light sensitive issue and the darker headliner made a surprising difference on how it affected my eyes.
I'm really happy with my purchase and I did also get a matching set of hard uppers for my half doors as well which I haven't installed yet as I'm still trying to finish building my TJ at the moment. In terms of cost, I don't remember the exact dollar amount, but with the all the options and the hard uppers as well, this entire setup cost me the around the same amount of my money as I bought my TJ for back in 2017, around $5500 bucks.
Here is the video if you want to watch:
Let me know what you think!
Thanks
Grant
WOW that is an amazing top. I can understand why you picked it and I'll bet you'll really enjoy it.
OP
So far I am though just this morning I did hit my head on the discovery pop-up windows as I've gotten use to leaving them open in my shop while I'm still working on it. I've started closing the windows in the interest of keeping my head safe
. If I was just 2" shorter it wouldn't be a problem.Maybe I need a lift a bigger tires now
OP
Hey TJers,
I got my new GT1752v turbo in and installed into my BEW TDI swapped TJ Wrangler. The turbo bolted up and fit perfectly. Once the turbo was in place I went about getting it all plumbed for exhaust, oil, vacuum and intercooler piping. Though in getting the pictures ready for this post I realized I forgot to take pictures of the new turbo before I installed it.
It would have been really nice to run a newer style turbo on my swap but at this point, almost 4 years into this build, I'm just wanting my TJ back on the road and more importantly back on the trails. The GT1752v was quite literally a bolt on, there were no issues getting it installed at all.
Next I turned my attention to making a downpipe for the turbo to connect up to the rest of my exhaust system. I had gotten a flange made from KubotaSwappers so that I could fabricate a downpipe that would connect to the back of my turbo. I was planning on using my plasma cutting table to make one myself but my plasma cutter is not working at the moment.
With the exhaust all figured out, I then went about figuring out how to hook up the oiling system for the turbo. I had ordered a kit so that I could put together my own oil return line from the turbo to the TDI block. However the placement of my motor mounts interfered with the supplied fitting for the turbo. I ended up modifying the original return line by using a ¼ NPT die and attaching a ¼ NPT to 3/8 barb fitting to the turbo which worked perfectly.
Finally I hooked up all my boost piping and the vacuum for the turbo. The TDI fires right up, sounds great, but I have other issues I'm still trying to solve at this point. It's a project though and I'm just happy to still be moving forward with everything.
Here is the video if you want to watch:
Thanks
Grant
I got my new GT1752v turbo in and installed into my BEW TDI swapped TJ Wrangler. The turbo bolted up and fit perfectly. Once the turbo was in place I went about getting it all plumbed for exhaust, oil, vacuum and intercooler piping. Though in getting the pictures ready for this post I realized I forgot to take pictures of the new turbo before I installed it.
It would have been really nice to run a newer style turbo on my swap but at this point, almost 4 years into this build, I'm just wanting my TJ back on the road and more importantly back on the trails. The GT1752v was quite literally a bolt on, there were no issues getting it installed at all.
Next I turned my attention to making a downpipe for the turbo to connect up to the rest of my exhaust system. I had gotten a flange made from KubotaSwappers so that I could fabricate a downpipe that would connect to the back of my turbo. I was planning on using my plasma cutting table to make one myself but my plasma cutter is not working at the moment.
With the exhaust all figured out, I then went about figuring out how to hook up the oiling system for the turbo. I had ordered a kit so that I could put together my own oil return line from the turbo to the TDI block. However the placement of my motor mounts interfered with the supplied fitting for the turbo. I ended up modifying the original return line by using a ¼ NPT die and attaching a ¼ NPT to 3/8 barb fitting to the turbo which worked perfectly.
Finally I hooked up all my boost piping and the vacuum for the turbo. The TDI fires right up, sounds great, but I have other issues I'm still trying to solve at this point. It's a project though and I'm just happy to still be moving forward with everything.
Here is the video if you want to watch:
Thanks
Grant
OP
Hey TJers,
After finding a power steering pump that worked with hydroboost braking and steering system, I was finally able to do some road testing of my BEW TDI powered TJ Wrangler. I still have a few other issues that I need to address but it's great to get some seat time in my build. Also probably my first post without pictures. I ended up going through so many parts and pumps I stopped taking pictures
Here is the video if you want to watch it:
The power steering pump ended up taking me a little over 3 weeks to figure out. I haven't been able to find out much information on the VW power steering pumps and ended up trying a bunch of different pumps, pulleys and serpentine belts to get everything working. What I did learn is that the stock VW power steering pump on a BEW TDI is 100bar pump or 1450psi. I know my hydroboost setup requires between 1300 ~ 1500 psi to work but it also requires 2.5 ~ 3.5 Gallons Per Minute of volume as well.
The stock pump wasn't able to supply the volume I needed even though it had the correct pressure. I ended up getting a power steering pump off of a MK4 Jetta with a 2.8l V6 (VR6?) which is also a 100 Bar pump but has larger GPM though I don't know what the actual amount is. The MK4 Jetta Power Steering Pump was able to provide enough to finally allow the power steering and power brakes to work properly on my TDI swapped TJ Wrangler.
With those two systems now working, I decided to take my TJ Wrangler up and down my street a few times. My first impression was just how fast and how much torque the TDI has, even compared to the Kubota. Though I don't feel that is a completely fair comparisons, I never got the intercooler setup correct on the Kubota and I never had a good torque converter in the Kubota either. The TDI has been great so far and it's a blast to give it some throttle and hear the turbo whistling as I drive my TJ up and down my street.
There are things I need to address, specially I'm going to work on swapping out the Ford 6r80 transmission with another one. I know my current transmission has several faults and I bought another 6r80 with a stock torque converter and lower miles that I'm going to swap into my TJ to see if it fixes the issues I've been having, mainly not shifting automatically and giving me error codes for both the Input Spend Sensor and Output Speed Sensor as well.
For the first time in 4 years I feel like my TJ is almost done and ready to be back on the road.
-Grant
After finding a power steering pump that worked with hydroboost braking and steering system, I was finally able to do some road testing of my BEW TDI powered TJ Wrangler. I still have a few other issues that I need to address but it's great to get some seat time in my build. Also probably my first post without pictures. I ended up going through so many parts and pumps I stopped taking pictures
Here is the video if you want to watch it:
The power steering pump ended up taking me a little over 3 weeks to figure out. I haven't been able to find out much information on the VW power steering pumps and ended up trying a bunch of different pumps, pulleys and serpentine belts to get everything working. What I did learn is that the stock VW power steering pump on a BEW TDI is 100bar pump or 1450psi. I know my hydroboost setup requires between 1300 ~ 1500 psi to work but it also requires 2.5 ~ 3.5 Gallons Per Minute of volume as well.
The stock pump wasn't able to supply the volume I needed even though it had the correct pressure. I ended up getting a power steering pump off of a MK4 Jetta with a 2.8l V6 (VR6?) which is also a 100 Bar pump but has larger GPM though I don't know what the actual amount is. The MK4 Jetta Power Steering Pump was able to provide enough to finally allow the power steering and power brakes to work properly on my TDI swapped TJ Wrangler.
With those two systems now working, I decided to take my TJ Wrangler up and down my street a few times. My first impression was just how fast and how much torque the TDI has, even compared to the Kubota. Though I don't feel that is a completely fair comparisons, I never got the intercooler setup correct on the Kubota and I never had a good torque converter in the Kubota either. The TDI has been great so far and it's a blast to give it some throttle and hear the turbo whistling as I drive my TJ up and down my street.
There are things I need to address, specially I'm going to work on swapping out the Ford 6r80 transmission with another one. I know my current transmission has several faults and I bought another 6r80 with a stock torque converter and lower miles that I'm going to swap into my TJ to see if it fixes the issues I've been having, mainly not shifting automatically and giving me error codes for both the Input Spend Sensor and Output Speed Sensor as well.
For the first time in 4 years I feel like my TJ is almost done and ready to be back on the road.
-Grant
That first successful test drive is a great feeling, eh? After you sort out the trans, do you have any major plans for the perpetual project or just tinker with the fine details and maintenance? Looking back, would you do it all over again?