Brett's '97 TJ VW 1.9L TDi Swap

We don’t talk about those little guys 🤣

Id personally not be comfortable towing that kind of weight behind a short wheelbase TJ.

I’d consider doing an OM606 (can make some POWER) or OM642( can fit into a tight spot, 450 ft.lb with a tune) swap into a 4 door jk frame if I were in your position that’s if you really wanted to keep it in the wrangler lineup, just nix every electronic component that comes from Jeep. But chrysler had electrical problems there too.

Jeep did make the 07-08 grand Cherokee in the Mercedes om642 3.0 CDI which if you have the real transfer case and locking axles can handle itself okay. tow rating up above 7000lbs

I’ve also looked at the early-mid 2000’s tundras as potential swap platforms, I’m a big fan of those trucks and their style but it’s all about what you want to get out of it in the end. I love IFS for mild off-roading and forest service roads, but I just wanted a road trippable TJ to putz around in and get to awesome spots.

So many options nowadays and the brand new gasoline engines are getting awesome efficiency IMO it doesn’t always make sense to move to a diesel unless you are throwing it into an older vehicle.

Thanks for reading!
I've got a YJ and I'm gonna extend it with somewhere around 5ft flat bed (I'm gonna hold very similar dimensions to a Tacoma/gladiator). I'm gonna use as much 3/4 ton as I can fit into it. I want something around 450ft lbs or more, but I tend to like more displacement for a bit more response on the low end. I've got a bunch more research to do and my wife has got me looking at the Gladiator with an eco diesel, but that's a big project too to get it unscrewed up by the not so good idea agency. The Gladiator would require me to either figure out a custom cooling solution and cross my fingers and spend a lot of money on tuning and deletes and gauges and experimentation.
 
I've got a YJ and I'm gonna extend it with somewhere around 5ft flat bed (I'm gonna hold very similar dimensions to a Tacoma/gladiator). I'm gonna use as much 3/4 ton as I can fit into it. I want something around 450ft lbs or more, but I tend to like more displacement for a bit more response on the low end. I've got a bunch more research to do and my wife has got me looking at the Gladiator with an eco diesel, but that's a big project too to get it unscrewed up by the not so good idea agency. The Gladiator would require me to either figure out a custom cooling solution and cross my fingers and spend a lot of money on tuning and deletes and gauges and experimentation.
Wow! gotcha, I haven't seen any of your posts either but if that's what your going for with the YJ it will become what jeep should have done with the gladiator to begin with. I can't really think of any commonly swapped diesel engines that have a displacement between the 3.0 - 6.0L ish range.

I hate to be that guy but you've considered a cammed/boosted 5.3 Vortec right? It wont have the lowend that you are looking for, but gearing can always fix that haha.
 
Wow! gotcha, I haven't seen any of your posts either but if that's what your going for with the YJ it will become what jeep should have done with the gladiator to begin with. I can't really think of any commonly swapped diesel engines that have a displacement between the 3.0 - 6.0L ish range.

I hate to be that guy but you've considered a cammed/boosted 5.3 Vortec right? It wont have the lowend that you are looking for, but gearing can always fix that haha.
The only reason I don't go that route is because it's so easy to just buy a Chevy 1/2 ton and they're setup 90+% better than I can do.

Well I'm thinking of just going 4BT that's 3.9L or 4.5L, but there's some 3.9/4.5 ISBs that I'm interested in too. Cummins has a ISF 3.8, but it's kind of impossible to get too. I think there's some others, but can't remember at the moment.

There was talk of a R2.8 stroker kit. The R2.8 is typically 360 ft lbs across the world (detuned for the US market to 300 ft lbs), with a slightly beefier bottom end and going to 3.2L it would probably be in that range, but unless there's a 3.2 crate engine for near the same price, it's just too much money for what it is to make sense, plus the ISF 3.8 is geared timing and just relatively a beast except for a couple stupid parts that can fail and really cause havoc.

There's a small chance the Cummins V8 5L could be arranged for install, but I'd have to make some calls at the very least and I'm a no body unlike Dirt every day.

I did think about a compound turbo TDI, but I worry about it lasting and it sucks breaking down when towing.

I'm a bit crazy I want a specific diesel Jeep for almost every task. I want a super light, no top one, My heavier R2.8 one with rack, ready to do some car camping and I want one that edges on being a 3/4 ton in a compact size.
 
The only reason I don't go that route is because it's so easy to just buy a Chevy 1/2 ton and they're setup 90+% better than I can do.
Ha! But then you don't get to add another project to your stable!
Well I'm thinking of just going 4BT that's 3.9L or 4.5L, but there's some 3.9/4.5 ISBs that I'm interested in too. Cummins has a ISF 3.8, but it's kind of impossible to get too. I think there's some others, but can't remember at the moment.
Duh, I didn't realize the 4bt was that high of displacement. I don't know anything about those engines or the ISF 3.8 other than the second I read about their weight I stopped considering them for my use. Sounds like it would work for your 3/4 ton build, however

There's a small chance the Cummins V8 5L could be arranged for install, but I'd have to make some calls at the very least and I'm a no body unlike Dirt every day.
That's the one that came in the short lived nissan titan right? I was so surprised when I pulled up next to one at a light that had a cummins badge.

I did think about a compound turbo TDI, but I worry about it lasting and it sucks breaking down when towing.

I'm a bit crazy I want a specific diesel Jeep for almost every task. I want a super light, no top one, My heavier R2.8 one with rack, ready to do some car camping and I want one that edges on being a 3/4 ton in a compact size.
if you are talking the 1.9 TDI I'd be scared about that too on my ALH block. I'm planning on never really going about a stage 2 or 3 tune with mine. I know that the +04 1.9 TDI (BEW engine code I think) blocks have a little larger bearing diameters and the bottom end can handle a bit more torque. Still don't think it's enough for what you'd need though.

I'd avoid the crap out of the toureg v10 3.0L haven't heard anything other than horror stories on those, but I doubt that was up for consideration.

I'd still look hard at the p-pump swapped OM606. Iron block I6 configuration on a full mechanical setup, fairly bulletproof and available, can dump loads of power down w/ a big turbo. If i ever got a tundra to swap that's what would be going in it.
 
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I tend to be a believer of 10% over OEM is probably safe enough and reliable enough in most cases. Diesel is kind of weird because the government wants them less efficient, because they make too many NOx and SOx at those levels. So that's where the idea of sending corrosives and other bad stuff back into the intake to take up space for more O2 and fuel.

And their testing is based on damage to a rat in exercise with much higher doses than are possible unless you shut your garage door and let your vehicle run while you were on the treadmill in the garage. In those cases, with repeat exposure you will see lung damage. I assume this is common practice in California, so it was enacted in the state and manufacturers must have products that meet 50 state emissions. The EPA loved the idea as well, because they have trouble figuring out how to get more CO2 into the atmosphere and more trashed vehicles in the garbage, so it was win win. Use more fuel to do the same work and damage engines, so you sell more of both. Of course they also get more taxes that way.
 
I tend to be a believer of 10% over OEM is probably safe enough and reliable enough in most cases. Diesel is kind of weird because the government wants them less efficient, because they make too many NOx and SOx at those levels. So that's where the idea of sending corrosives and other bad stuff back into the intake to take up space for more O2 and fuel.

And their testing is based on damage to a rat in exercise with much higher doses than are possible unless you shut your garage door and let your vehicle run while you were on the treadmill in the garage. In those cases, with repeat exposure you will see lung damage. I assume this is common practice in California, so it was enacted in the state and manufacturers must have products that meet 50 state emissions. The EPA loved the idea as well, because they have trouble figuring out how to get more CO2 into the atmosphere and more trashed vehicles in the garbage, so it was win win. Use more fuel to do the same work and damage engines, so you sell more of both. Of course they also get more taxes that way.
The craziest thing to me is that I can throw in an engine which will have almost 3 times the fuel efficiency of the original motor, but the legal process to actually get this thing approved even in arizona of all places is a total headache. Our emissions standards should be based on per mile not instantaneous readings.
 
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The craziest thing to me is that I can throw in an engine which will have almost 3 times the fuel efficiency of the original motor, but the legal process to actually get this thing approved even in arizona of all places is a total headache. Our emissions standards should be based on per mile not instantaneous readings.
It's absolutely brain dead bureaucracy. And the "science" for this stuff is junk science (religion) that's more political than anything. Most don't understand that much about air quality either and they're blaming stuff on vehicles, especially diesels that just aren't there in air quality tests.

In California, which posts air quality stuff probably about like Victoria Secret putting out catalogs and from some of the data I read, diesel emissions is like under 5%. Open gasoline is like 8% or something gasoline emissions are pretty high like 20ish, but household aerosols are like just as high as gasoline. Oh and wood burning is very high on the lists and it's the main issue in Europe, US wildfire season, China, etc.

It's a tricky subject though, because if you go to the extreme like Europe, diesel might be noticeable. When I was in India, which has a BUNCH of diesel, the air quality wasn't that bad though I don't have data to support that it's just subjective and I was in a city built hundreds of years ago for thousands of people and it was occupied by millions. Air quality was just not an issue compared to so many other issues and if anything was bad in the air it was probably from smoke.

Diesel is going to be about 40% more efficient if everything is pretty close. In some cases you'll double your efficiency or more in certain applications. I think besides group think and those that are going into this "science" ie religion diesel is a major competitor to EV, mostly due to the range and the torque. EV one day may be able to win logistically, but we've got WAY longer for that time. Personally I think we're crazy to be supplementing rich people's cars, but they didn't ask me. From my perspective I say let the rich play and let Europe and the rest of the world figure out what works and then implement the system that works.

I think EV will have to end up being a model where individual cars turn somewhat into a train car on interstates, which will likely take a very long time to figure out an effective solution. In the meantime they're something that could be solved with public transportation that very well could be EV. And then on the farm we'll be able to implement them once we have developed small scale nuclear power plants, which will obviously be figured out in less than a decade.....Oh and btw, we only control about 10% of what's occurring across the world oh and yeah your 4 mpg car is totally fine compared to a 50 mpg car (that's CO2 too).
 
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I had some fun putzing around arizona, made a couple road trips to some various states, but the 2.5L is a DOG, thank the jeep gods it is atleast geared with 4.10s.

I got some new tires and finished almost finished welding up my bumper kit (almost means i'll actually finish it some other time, LOL). Drove it out to California to visit my parents. Open top for 8 hours in a the 2.5 is an experience.
View attachment 237565

I actually don't have a ton of pictures of this time, because i was having so much fun driving it. I made a trip to nevada, utah, and northern arizona, but by the time I returned, it was getting pretty hot in Arizona, and with no A/C it meant I had to take a break. I had a ton of trouble starting it in the high altitude of Flagstaff. At this point, I pretty much put the TJ on leave until it cooled off and I could get to STAGE 2 DUH DUH DUHHHHHHH.


View attachment 237564
Looks to me like a ROTM - pic !
 
Definitely gonna be checking in here more often. Been doing a bit of research lately and I think a TDI swap has overcome my desire to do a Vortec 5.3 swap. Mostly because of the issues I've heard of trying to keep them cool in a Jeep and also that they just take a long time to get everything sorted out, with not much of a improvement on fuel that I've heard of. With the TDI my only big concerns are the daily drivability with a manuel trans and 4.56 gears and how it would work out in the sand since probably 60% of my time offroad is in sand. I do like that its actually a lighter engine then the 4.0 but still don't know how that would work out in sand with a low revving manual vehicle.
 
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Definitely gonna be checking in here more often. Been doing a bit of research lately and I think a TDI swap has overcome my desire to do a Vortec 5.3 swap. Mostly because of the issues I've heard of trying to keep them cool in a Jeep and also that they just take a long time to get everything sorted out, with not much of a improvement on fuel that I've heard of. With the TDI my only big concerns are the daily drivability with a manuel trans and 4.56 gears and how it would work out in the sand since probably 60% of my time offroad is in sand. I do like that its actually a lighter engine then the 4.0 but still don't know how that would work out in sand with a low revving manual vehicle.

for me it was absolutely about fuel economy improvement and having a decently bullet proof build.

I have a the 5.3 vortec in my Tahoe and I love the engine too. I know the guys on that off-road recovery channel had the same reasoning as you being in the sand it’s better to have some horsepower under the pedal than instant torque.
Can’t wait to see this thing in action. I’m not far from you in Florence.
Thanks chris! Hopefully not too long off now, just need to wait another month or two for it to start cooling down then just finalizing everything out.
 
for me it was absolutely about fuel economy improvement and having a decently bullet proof build.

I have a the 5.3 vortec in my Tahoe and I love the engine too. I know the guys on that off-road recovery channel had the same reasoning as you being in the sand it’s better to have some horsepower under the pedal than instant torque.

Thanks chris! Hopefully not too long off now, just need to wait another month or two for it to start cooling down then just finalizing everything out.
Yeah I had the 5.3 in a 14 Silverado and its definitely a great engine, but again trying to retain reliability is a big thing for me which can be a bit of a issue with some swaps. Tried to do a bit of virtual driving this evening watching some YT video of 1.9 swapped wranglers and I really think it'd be just fine in the sand. Its lighter then the 4.0 and probably has comparable hp numbers to the 4.0. I haven't really had any big issues with the 4.0 in the sand so I think it would work out great. Its mostly just beach driving with some dunes but the sand can get pretty soft. Nothin aired down 12.5s cant handle.
 
Just got caught up on most of the thread! Looks GREAT! Way faster than my 3 year long build now. I'm going to check out your wiring harness video tonight! If I can strip mine back and make it work with my setup that would be HUGE!

Also how to you make motor mounts for the ALH in your TJ?

Thanks
Grant
 
Just got caught up on most of the thread! Looks GREAT! Way faster than my 3 year long build now. I'm going to check out your wiring harness video tonight! If I can strip mine back and make it work with my setup that would be HUGE!

Also how to you make motor mounts for the ALH in your TJ?

Thanks
Grant
3 years is a nice pace yourself build. Nothing to worry about there. Plus no build is ever truly complete, I think.
 
True but I've yet to go on a trail that wasn't on my own property either :cry:
Same for me too. I'm mostly resigned to just working on the farm, but also stuff keeps popping up I have to work on. That's another issue with having old stuff and fixing it up. I should have just gotten something to kick around in and then strip this thing to the frame and build it up correctly, rather than keep backing up. That being said, I got into my swap pretty quick, but I have to take it down every now and then for addressing stuff that just comes with a vehicle's age. Unfortunately sometimes I need it and repairs always seem to drag on longer than I anticipate.

I keep coming into the questions of buy new vs build. Buy new is getting even pricier and I know it's old man of me, but new stuff is just breaking the rules for simplicity at a minimum.
 
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Just got caught up on most of the thread! Looks GREAT! Way faster than my 3 year long build now. I'm going to check out your wiring harness video tonight! If I can strip mine back and make it work with my setup that would be HUGE!

Also how to you make motor mounts for the ALH in your TJ?

Thanks
Grant
Nice glad you saw the thread, it’s only going quick because I had a few weeks off in March to get about 8 hours of work in each day. Plus a whole lot of planning and parts ordering in the previous months!

I tried to make the wiring harness video as comprehensive as possible, there are a few other videos on YouTube about the harness, but they are slightly disorganized. I hope if anyone reading needs help on it at any point they will reach out, I’d be glad to talk about the harness. I do not think the harness was challenging at all, but I understand the desire of many to not want to deal with DIYing it.

Ive discussed in another thread about making an Arduino CAN bus reader that will interface with the Jeep stock gauge cluster, ill get on that eventually but I’ll need to get it driving first.

For the engine truss, I started by basically bolting up the engine/trans/tcase and putting on the rear trans mount to the skid plate ( all this post body lift install) then using my engine hoist to hold the front of the engine in place. This locate the engine longitudinally or front and back, then i shifted the drivetrain assembly towards passenger side an inch or two, whatever the factory offset is.

I welded two brackets to the frame, and made a sturdy steel crossmember that is bolted to the frame brackets with two gusseted flat “landing pads”.

These landing pads are spaced wide enough that it won't allow a large amount of torsional movement on the engine under load, basically as wide as possible on the new crossmember.

The hydraulic engine mounts/dampers both then bolt to the removable crossmember, those dampers then bolt to a simple A shaped truss which in turn bolts directly to the factory VW pendulum mount bracket only.

0A46968D-4D1B-4E54-9188-EFA2C6167C0D.jpeg


This picture hopefully shows you what it all looked like before I started gusseting up the mount components

Some day I will replace the A truss/VW bracket with an all steel single piece truss, but I trust this configuration will hold for now. This took me about two or three days to fab up, which compared to the typical side mount engine mounts was much easier to set up and fabricate. many have been successful both ways however. Cotybuilt sells the truss type engine mount and tdconversions sells side type engine mount brackets.

I also did some back of the napkin calculations on the extra stress on the bell housing from mounting in this configuration, I don’t know what I did with those calculations but the extra amount of stress did not seem significant , time will tell though on testing.
 
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Do you have any idea what rpm you'll be running at highway speed in 5th yet?
 
Do you have any idea what rpm you'll be running at highway speed in 5th yet?
I'm making a couple assumptions, that he's gonna run 33s, 4.10 ratio. I think he said he's got the ax-15 so that will be around 2300 Rpms at 70. That should be good for the TDI since they tend to get their torque closer to 2k rpm.