Building a diesel powered RHD TJ Wrangler (Picture Heavy)

[RustyAutoholicGuy]

Hey TJers,

For a while now I've known that my turbo setup was too close to the steering components in my BEW TDI powered TJ Wrangler. With recommendations from people on where and what turbo and tune combination to get, I decided to upgrade my turbo setup from a GT1749 that was on my swap to a GTD1752vrk that has been custom welded to an exhaust manifold so that the turbo is higher up and further forward in my engine bay of my TJ Wrangler.


Old GT1749 Turbo setup:

New GTD1752vrk setup:

I've actually had this turbo setup for about 6 months now, but with the weather being too hot to work in my shop and the fact that I've been waiting on a few transmission parts to come in, I decided to go ahead and install this new turbo setup that I bought from https://en.powertdi.pl/series-gtd. The turbo I was running, a GT1749, was a first generation series of turbo, where as this GTD1752vrk is a 5th generation of turbo, basically it flows better, spools faster, and gets heat out of the system fast as well, all around it's just a newer version of the turbo I was running but with lastest turbo technology.

The one main difference between this turbo and the one I had been running is that this turbo's center section is water cooled. This turned out to be a blessing because when I went to figure out how to route the water lines into my cooling loop I realized I had a dead head in my original cooling loop setup on my TDI swap. I has pushing both hot and cold coolant into both outlets of my heater core. This actually explains so many issues I was running into with the cooling system that I wasn't able to figure out last year.

So after installing the GTD1752vrk turbo, I spent time redoing all my cooling system lines to make sure that coolant would always be flowing in a loop, which pretty much just involved buy random hoses from various parts stores that had both Y and T hose joiner pieces and using the molded sections of hoses to tidy up the abundance of cooling hoses that I'm now having to run in my engine bay.

So far everything is fitting well, I have the cooling and oil system sorted out, next I'll be working on fabricating a new down pipe and connecting it to my exhaust system as well.

Here is the video if you'd like to watch:

Thanks
Grant

 

[RustyAutoholicGuy]

Hey TJers,

When I went to fabricate the down pipe for my new GTD1752vrk turbo to connect to the rest of my exhaust system on my TDI powered TJ Wrangler, my only other goal was to remove the flex exhaust pipe that I installed years ago with my Kubota V2403 diesel engine, however during this process I realized that my muffler might have been causing some minor issues for years with this swap. Also fair warning I'm a hobbyist welder not a professional welder!

This exhaust project took me way longer than I was anticipating, I thought it might take two days at most but turned into a week long project. When I was removing the flex pipe I realized I never took into consideration my muffler with this swap, or at least I don't think I did years ago. After removing the muffler I realized just how restrictive that muffler was especially on a boosted application where you want heat to escape the exhaust a quickly as possible.

I ended up going out and finding a Mangaflow Universal muffler and a local muffler shop that I ended up installing on my TDI powered TJ Wrangler. It's a straight through design that is also packed with fiberglass and other sound deading material to help keep the exhaust quiet and not drone going down the highway.

If you look at the two pictures I've included, I've put my shop light on the other outlet of both my old muffler and the new Mangaflow muffler so you can visually see how much less restrictive the new Mangaflow muffler is. I can't say for certain this was causing an issue, but with this new setup I have way more flow and heat coming out of this exhaust than my old exhaust setup.

Along with installing the muffler, I decided to redo my entire exhaust system while I was doing everything else. I wanted to get rid of the exhaust clamps that I had used to put together my exhaust years ago. However during this project my welder stopped working and I had to replace with another one which meant while I was doing this project I was learning my new welder at the same time. Again I'm a hobbyist welder and I'll admit I should have used a smaller welding wire than the .035 flux wire I was using but all my welds hold and my exhaust doesn't leak so it's good enough for me. I'm always hesitant to put pictures of my welds online because I know many people can do MUCH much better than me.

After getting everything installed and double checking fluids, I did fire up my BEW TDI with the new GTD1752vrk turbo installed. I was immediately able to tell this exhaust is breathing SO much better than before and the entire engine seems to be happy, though I did have some wiring that I didn't have correct which caused my TDI engine to idle at 1200rpm with the accelerator pedal not responding to inputs, but I've actually already figured that issue out. Overall even though exhaust work took longer than expected I've very happy with the progress and I'm another step closer to getting my TJ Wrangler back on the road again.

Here is the video if you'd like to watch:

Thanks
Grant

 

[Gunnersmate]

I followed some of your vids on Youtube and am currently doing a 4 BT swap what did you finally settle on for an intercooler would appreciate a few pics Thanks GM

 

[RustyAutoholicGuy]

I followed some of your vids on Youtube and am currently doing a 4 BT swap what did you finally settle on for an intercooler would appreciate a few pics Thanks GM

Hey GM,

Here is the intercooler I went with:

https://www.siliconeintakes.com/front-mount-intercooler/top-to-bottom-intercooler-p-208.html
Very heavy construction, well made and I was just able to fit it in my front grill of my TJ with some trimming on the grill on the inside.

I haven't owned a 4BT but if the turbo and intake are on opposite sides of the engine, I would recommend an intercooler where the inlet and outlet are on opposite sides. Also you might want a large diameter for the outlets as well, I went with 2.5 for my application but for a 4bt I could see a 3" boost pipe working as well. Hope this helps!

Thanks
Grant

 

[Gunnersmate]

Hey GM,

Here is the intercooler I went with:

https://www.siliconeintakes.com/front-mount-intercooler/top-to-bottom-intercooler-p-208.html
Very heavy construction, well made and I was just able to fit it in my front grill of my TJ with some trimming on the grill on the inside.

View attachment 471767

View attachment 471768

View attachment 471769

View attachment 471770

I haven't owned a 4BT but if the turbo and intake are on opposite sides of the engine, I would recommend an intercooler where the inlet and outlet are on opposite sides. Also you might want a large diameter for the outlets as well, I went with 2.5 for my application but for a 4bt I could see a 3" boost pipe working as well. Hope this helps!

Thanks
Grant

Thanks

 

[Gunnersmate]

Thanks

how are your EGTs with intercooler

 

[RustyAutoholicGuy]

how are your EGTs with intercooler

I never had a problem with EGTs with that intercooler but I just swapped to a bigger turbo but also a more free flowing exhaust. From what I've been able to tell, I'm running one of the larger intercoolers on this TDI swap, so EGTs shouldn't be an issue. I've got a few more parts coming later this week and maybe early next week before I can get this out on the road to test it.

I swapped in a GTD1752vrk turbo and had a tune custom made for it as well so I'll have to see how it does with my AW4 transmission as well, just realizing how much has changed since I last drove my TJ . . . ah crap I think it's been over a year since I last drove my TJ now that I think about it. I should know how it all works in the next two weeks hopefully if everything goes back together correctly.

Hope that helps!
-Grant

 

[Gunnersmate]

I never had a problem with EGTs with that intercooler but I just swapped to a bigger turbo but also a more free flowing exhaust. From what I've been able to tell, I'm running one of the larger intercoolers on this TDI swap, so EGTs shouldn't be an issue. I've got a few more parts coming later this week and maybe early next week before I can get this out on the road to test it.

I swapped in a GTD1752vrk turbo and had a tune custom made for it as well so I'll have to see how it does with my AW4 transmission as well, just realizing how much has changed since I last drove my TJ . . . ah crap I think it's been over a year since I last drove my TJ now that I think about it. I should know how it all works in the next two weeks hopefully if everything goes back together correctly.

Hope that helps!
-Grant

I have a 4BTA HX super 30 Turbo 130 hp CPL 1839 Cummins ' Tremec 4050 and a NP 205 and the Intercooler and radiator setup seems to be the most technical part of my whole build, probably because I do not know Jack other than the basic principals of the intercooler system

 

[Rickyd]

I have a 4BTA HX super 30 Turbo 130 hp CPL 1839 Cummins ' Tremec 4050 and a NP 205 and the Intercooler and radiator setup seems to be the most technical part of my whole build, probably because I do not know Jack other than the basic principals of the intercooler system

You have the hx30 so 200hp is as easy as injection pump adjustment and an intercooler that flows 350 cfm or better

 

[Gunnersmate]

You have the hx30 so 200hp is as easy as injection pump adjustment and an intercooler that flows 350 cfm or better

Thanks for the Info

 

[Gunnersmate]

You have the hx30 so 200hp is as easy as injection pump adjustment and an intercooler that flows 350 cfm or better

Its the HX Super 30 sorry my bad

 

[RustyAutoholicGuy]

I have a 4BTA HX super 30 Turbo 130 hp CPL 1839 Cummins ' Tremec 4050 and a NP 205 and the Intercooler and radiator setup seems to be the most technical part of my whole build, probably because I do not know Jack other than the basic principals of the intercooler system

I would stuff the largest intercooler possible in the front of your TJ then! I spaced out of radiator to make room for my intercooler and transmission cooler as well, I can get pictures of that tomorrow if that would help though I would also say there are MUCH better ways of mounting it than what I did but it seems to be working so no complaints.

 

[Gunnersmate]

I would stuff the largest intercooler possible in the front of your TJ then! I spaced out of radiator to make room for my intercooler and transmission cooler as well, I can get pictures of that tomorrow if that would help though I would also say there are MUCH better ways of mounting it than what I did but it seems to be working so no complaints.

Yeah I wont the Trans cooler but I will need the AC condenser

 

[RustyAutoholicGuy]

Yeah I wont the Trans cooler but I will need the AC condenser

I'll get pictures of my setup today but I have the intercooler, Ford 6r80 transmission cooler, the AC Condenser and then the Radiator all setup on my TJ grill. I don't know how big the 4BT is, I know it's heavy, but I would think you should have the room to have all 3 items stacked together since you are not needing the transmission cooler.

 

[RustyAutoholicGuy]

Hey TJers,

I'm at the point in my TDI swap where I'm just having to wrap up the little things that aren't really fun or impressive to work on. Getting the cooling lines run from my transmission cooler to my AW4, installing a longer shifter cable that will fit around my Rubicon Transfer Case, installing the CompuShift wiring harness onto my AW4 and connecting it to my Jeep/VW harness along with working on other odds and ends on my swap.

The first thing I tackled was installing the cooling lines from my AW4/A340F hybrid transmission to my Ford 6r80 transmission cooler that I installed when I was running the Ford 6r80. I ended up having to buy some additional parts to get this all setup because the Ford 6r80 has a built in thermostat and one valve in their transmission that the AW4 does not. I installed the one valve on the hot side of the AW4 and routed that line to the bottom of my 6r80 transmission cooler exactly the same way Jeep did it with their XJ Cherokees.

Next I installed a longer shift cable that I bought from JBCustomFab. I needed the longer cable to go around the Rubicon transfer case since it's physically bigger than the NP231 I was running originally in my TJ Wrangler. Installation is really straight forward, the only thing that takes time is the micro adjustments you have to make so that the shifter in the Wrangler matches up with the shifter arm on the side of the AW4 transmission. Other than that, it's a very easy installation.

Finally I got around to installing the correct A340F wiring harness for my CompuShift controller. I wasn't paying attention when I ordered my harness for my CompuShift, even though their website does ask you to validate which harness you need, and I ended up with the A340F designed for cars such as the Toyota Supra and other sedans. I needed the harness for designed for the A340F that came in trucks. I got bare bones of that new harness wired up and installed enough to test fire my TDI engine again. I was able to confirm that the CompuShift was communicating with my TDI ECU and it was able to see the correct gear I was in on my transmission when using the shifter as well.

Here is the video if you'd like to watch:

Thanks
Grant

 

[Wildman]

Nice progress. Can't wait to see this thing on the road again. I hope the AW4 works out the way you are hoping it will.

 

[Rickyd]

Is this transmission toyota at the front for a tdi adapter and aw4 at the rear for the tcase?

 

[Wildman]

Is this transmission toyota at the front for a tdi adapter and aw4 at the rear for the tcase?

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...-tj-wrangler-picture-heavy.15375/post-1243931

 

[RustyAutoholicGuy]

Nice progress. Can't wait to see this thing on the road again. I hope the AW4 works out the way you are hoping it will.

Same here! This has been a LONG journey and I'm looking forward to having it be done.

Is this transmission toyota at the front for a tdi adapter and aw4 at the rear for the tcase?

It's a normal AW4 as far the case of the transmission goes so I used this adapter from TDConversions:

https://tdconversions.com/collections/jeep/products/vw-1-9-2-0l-tdi-to-jeep-4l-adapter-kit-manual
However I swapped in the valve body from a 2007 Toyota Tacoma A340F automatic so I could get rid of the TV cable and it allowed the CompuShift Transmission Controller have more control over the automatic transmission as well.

Hope this helps!

Thanks
Grant

 

[RustyAutoholicGuy]

Hey Tjers,

I finally have a diesel engine and automatic transmission that works in my TJ Wrangler. After all the different combinations I've experimented with over the years, 3 engines, 6 transmissions, 5 adapters, 2 transfer cases, 7 turbos, and a slew of other parts and pieces, I FINALLY have a combination that is working. I can not tell you how great it felt to take my TJ out onto the road and to be able to do highway speeds for the first time ever without having to worry about heat and to have my TJ just drive like a TJ again.

First I had to wrap up getting the wiring installed for the TDI ECU and the CompuShift ECU. While doing that I realized I had rushed installing my Autometer Gauges so I spent time redoing that work as well on my TJ Wrangler. If there is anything I have learned over the past 5 years is that I need to do things the correct way, not the quick way.

I need to give a huge thanks to HGM Electronics who make the CompuShift transmission controller I'm using. This build would have not been possible without their help and support. For reference to anyone who doesn't know. I'm running an AW4 transmission but I'm using the valvebody out of a 2007 Toyota Tacoma A340F in place of the AW4 valvebody. This was suggested by the people at CompuShift so I wouldn't have to figure out a way to connect the TV, Throttle Valve, Cable to control line pressure in the transmission. There are several other benefits to this approach as well, but the removal of the TV cable and allowing the CompuShift to control the line pressure is the main benefit. I ran into a few technical questions with this setup and the people at HGM Electronics were extremely responsive in getting this combination working with my TDI swap.

Onto the test drive. WOW just WOW. First I will say I ran into a few minor issues which is expected on something like this and they were all a result of things I had done. I forgot to cap off/cover one of the CompuShift wires so that it was grounding on my transmission causing the CompuShift to put my AW4 into 4th gear. I then didn't tighten a boost clamp all the way so it blew off and finally, I had to clear out the gunk in my cooling system. The gunk in the cooling system was a two-fold problem, one being I left the heater core exposed to the elements for years and secondly, I hadn't hooked up the coolant loop correctly the first time, so I ended up flushing the system twice before going on my second road test.

The road tests, I'm not sure what I can say other than it was WAY too cold to be driving my TJ with no top or doors in low 50° weather in November. Nothing overheated and both the engine and transmission acted exactly as I thought they should which was an amazing feeling. The BEW TDI engine with an engine tune from TekMekTronics for the GTD1752vrk turbo worked flawlessly and the CompuShift tune for the AW4 also worked flawlessly out of the box. As of this video, I have not touched the transmission at all. I would say the CompuShift is 90% perfect and would easily allow me to drive my TJ Wrangler wherever I want to.

I can say with 100% confidence that my TJ has not run and driven this well since it had the 4.0l engine and 42rle transmission in it from 2018. After my second road test, I started taking my TJ out for quick errands around town, that's how much confidence I have in my engine and transmission combination.

Now for what needs to be done next. Turns out there is quite a list. I have two major transmission leaks I'll need to investigate, though I know what one of them is already. I need to get my HVAC controls and heat working ASAP if I'm going to be driving this TJ at all this winter, also I need to re-install the hardtop and doors which I will be doing next. Lastly, it's all the minor things I haven't bothered to fix. It needs ball joints, tie rod ends, and I still need to figure out the brakes and steering because my power steering pump is still whinning once everything gets hot. But with all that said, it runs and drives and I couldn't be happier.

Here is the video if you'd like to watch:

Thank you for all the years of help and support with all the iterations of this build!
Grant