Vanagon TDI AHU Swap: Problems and Solutions

[@George-bk8id]

Tremendously useful video, thank you for making this. 1z into an '82 Westy over here. The 1z/AHU is the best engine for Vanagon! All VW parts, no aftermarket or custom stuff needed. ALH is a lot more work to swap in, and the newer 2.0 TDI's are more complicated still.

[@dw4956]

Great conversion, i love it. These AHU engines are far better than the modern 2.0 TDI. These original AHU water pumps are a little weak in the bearings but there's a reinforced aftermarket version. I installed one in my caddy a few years ago when the bearing gave up the ghost. I recommend installing it when converting knowing the tension on the serpentine belt is higher than originally intended for the WP.

[@oldgadfly8398]

This is really cool. You are a skilled craftsman and engineer. This is a work of functional art.

[@jtlachappelle]

Shit I wouldn’t go that far. Im just an economist so my mind seeks efficiency, logic, and order, and a half assed mechanic so i can put it all together. Its a good combination i guess

[@oldgadfly8398]

@@jtlachappelle Ha. Seems to work. This is exactly the sort of vehicle the Vanagon needs to be. Plenty of power and efficiency. I have the lame 1.9L Wasserboxer. This sort of engine configuration seems very far away due to the costs-- either in time or $. Great ideas though. Thanks for documenting it.

[@vwaudiwelder]

Thanks for making this video! I am now putting an ALH into my 1966 splitty. I so badly wish I would have a Vanagon instead of my splitty. Years ago I found a white Carat with the gray interior (my favorite) and also an inline 4 with a Kennedy adapter plate. The van was only $700 but I had nowhere to store the thing. After getting permission to store the beast from my friend the following day I returned and sure enough, it was gone. I was absolutely devastated! Then a few years later the splitty, my LISBETH came up and I just jumped at the chance without even thinking. It was totally purchased impulsively to make up for my mistake and missed opportunity earlier. I am now trying to figure out my clutch situation as I have a mk4 ALH bolted to an upside down 012 Audi A4/Passat transmission with a Ultimate Engineering/Tim Shettle adapter plate. Turns out the teeth are on the wrong side of the transverse flywheel so I may try a flywheel from a longitudinal A4 as the teeth will be on the backside and it will also have 6 bolts to secure it to the flywheel. The starter for Quattro Audis sits on the engine side, not the transmission side like your Vangon or transverse VWs. I am unable to use the 30 valve v6 flywheel that was originallly used with the 012 transmission. Again, thanks for this video. I may very well someday obtain a Vanagon but for now it is splitty time!

[@michaelc3693]

This is an awesome video and a true service to the community. I look forward to seeing your others.

[@masterprogrammer8332]

The pictures helped a lot. Mine is a Doka, so that's why we did not have an issue with the pump hitting the lid: it's about 20 cm higher on top of the flatbed. But: these cars are like Lego. The parts can be replaced and bolt on straight, even though there's a 20 year difference between the 2 engines. My exhaust is still pending a stainless steel exhaust because it's currently rusting and ugly.

[@Achilles3588]

Awesome....will be looking for outrageous levels of details as I move ahead with my swap.

[@jtlachappelle]

The devil is in the details. And the swap really isnt a big deal if you have them. Ask any questions you need to on here or on the forum

[@torinhart1993]

Great videos. Helped me put together my 1.9 mtdi swap into my 84 doka.

[@jtlachappelle]

Cool, glad it helped.

just some additional info: the 120A Alternator will hit and the 90A wont, for the glow plugs it is better to use (especially when you live in a colder area) a nr 102 glow plug relay (vw partnr 191911261C) with short pre glow and long (3min) afterglow this was used on early tdi mk3 golfs, your turbo oil return pipe routing is not ideal it can restrict oil flow as there is a low spot in the hose But its a nice install

[@jtlachappelle]

Good to know. I might research that relay, it runs perfectly as is, runs smooth instantly and doesnt need any extra glow at all, but its summer now and it may like the extented glow in the winter. And the new return line is in the works, might put an update on here later.

[@jtlachappelle]

Hey im looking into that glow relay, i like the idea of the after glow, but i cant find much info on it. Do you know the exact specs on the pre and after glow? Im assuming the pre glow is full amperage and the after glow is less amperage...or does it just keep them at full blast for 3 min?

[@colinwalters8118]

Zoltán Zsíros hi

[@EndlessShots]

Thank you so much! We are thinking of either AHU or ALH conversion on our t3, sadly our original 1.6 td engine is producing a lot of white smoke and it's not turbo's fault, so we will have to change the engine. Never have done it before though.

[@georgeheath2132]

I saw this cool van at the beach! The whole van is nicely done. Thanks for the info. Your drone footage got me thinking. Ps Elements premiere will do that after you shoot it.

[@jtlachappelle]

Wait, what beach?

[@cascodrew]

Hey man I just talked to you at Safeway. Thanks for letting me know about your channel and the cool info!!

[@vaporghost5230]

Thanks for sharing your conversion journey you gave some great info.. That filter housing was used on the MK1 diesels just FYI if someone wanted to use that setup on a gas conversion.. Also I was thinking maybe some are doing Gas to Diesel conversions using different conversion kits and don't take that into consideration as to what works and what fits..

[@OntarioMiner]

This video answered many of my swap questions. Cheers Thanks

[@floringhetu4005]

Great job man. Good video. How is the clutch pedal? I've used a tdi flywheel, wbx disc and a vr6 presure plate. The pedal engages too low. Would you know what to do in this situation?

[@funkolog]

with my AAZ i had 4,57 diff and felt the same as you. now I have 4,14 and 0,78 fifth and I am happy. your engine is stronger but lower revs, so you could easily put in 0,74 fifth

[@jtlachappelle]

4.14 huh....not a huge difference, but interesting. My DX 5 speed already has a .77 5th stock, im going to go .70 when i change it, plus as high a R&P as i can get. This motor will pull it, especially if i tune it more aggressively. Right now im at 10psi max boost with no IC, barely scratching the surface. Where’d you get that 4.14?

[@funkolog]

DX.. you have some early type of tranny.. I am surprised that they were already 5 speed in early 80s. Higher R/P plus more than twice hp than 1.6D... lot more torque..I would be afraid.. at least I would buy those oil plates. I bought mine at www.vw-t3-bus-shop.de/en/pinion-crown-gear-for-vw-t3-bus I am czech, we have it close great build btw

[@jtlachappelle]

The DX 5 speed came in my 83 1/2 factory diesel. Its an 094 transmission, basically a 4 speed with an ultra low 1st. Im not worried about the extra torque, the failure prone gears are upgraded, and im waiting for it to start making noise so i can take it in and have everything upgraded, most importantly much higher 4th and 5th gears, possibly the R&P. Tell me more about this 4.14 R&P you have. And whats the highest one youve heard of? I want to gear the shit out of this thing.

[@PostPros]

Sweet conversion video🤙, I agree 100% with you on the deck lid and it being able to shut!!

[@jtlachappelle]

Thanks man

[@68haffy94]

Thank you for a great recap! I'm planning to do this same swap. I apprieciate your tips and info. Cheers!

[@jtlachappelle]

Cool man, good luck, any questions just ask here and ill try to help

[@68haffy94]

Thanks, will do! I'm just in the early stages, still looking for a good AHU.

[@jtlachappelle]

Just get a whole Jetta, youre going to need all the peripherals anyway. Or get a complete running motor from Thomas at Quality German. I believe his come with almost everything youd need.

[@themajers7598]

This video is awsome for me! I just now started to swap the origi al 1.6D engine to a AHU 1.9 TDI. I run into the problem with the clutch disc compatibility. I sould like to use the ABF gearbox, and i just jeyterday realized, the gearbox has a 20mm 24 teeth input shaft. Can you share me the part number for the clutch? Thanks a lot!

[@stridaclone]

I have found that mounting the engine over on it's side, as VW designed it, means an increased oil consumption. This, I think, is caused by the fact that the oil level in the sump when full is only a couple of inches below the centreline of the turbo. When you go round a right hand bend the oil in the sump slops over to the left and blocks the flow from the turbo and the oil in the turbo is forced out into the compressor side. I have fitted an AFN engine with Porsche gearbox in my T3 but fitted it upright. It's not done yet so I can't compare but I am hoping for good things. SC.

[@jtlachappelle]

Beats me. Mine uses very little oil, almost unnoticeable if any at all, over an oil change interval. And this is on a motor that i got used as a longblock with unknown mileage. Never any oil issues ever. Mounting the inline motors upright is the biggest vanagon no no out there because then you have to hack a big ridiculous box into the decklid, and there goes your camper, and your clean build

[@Yggdr4s1l]

Im preparing to do this swap. Thanks for the information.

[@trauMa19921234]

This is a really clean build. I have to replace the engine in my vanagon (T3 european model) It's an JX 1.6TD originally, so I guess the clutch and flywheel is different from a 1.6 N/A vanagon? But thank you for the video, I will definitely come back to this later when I'm in my garage and scratching my head.

[@skylinefever]

I am impressed with all your info.

[@jtlachappelle]

Thanks man hope it helps

[@iheartlazers2]

hey love the tips in the video, do you have a video on the gear ratios mentioned? I'm doing an ALH swap soon and looking for gear advice. Thanks!

[@jtlachappelle]

Cool, thanks. Havent done a gear ratio vid...waiting until i do the next stage, which is upgrading the individual 4th and 5th gears. Right now it has a 4.53 R&P and stock gears, and its still not tall enough

[@pcwizzy460]

Yo, I'm the guy you met at AMPM in Grants Pass, Oregon.

[@jtlachappelle]

Hey, cool man. What do you think of the build

[@pcwizzy460]

@UCYlMOlML1tv36iuB-gNvA8Q It looks great. And it's amazing how you crammed that thing in there, it's almost like a slant engine.

[@jtlachappelle]

I didn’t cram it in there like that VW did...its a factory diesel, the original 1.6 Rabbit motor was in there like that, all i did was bolt the new 1.9 TDI in its place. All the bolts match right up, even the coolant flanges, etc

[@pcwizzy460]

@@jtlachappelle I see, that's pretty amazing.

[@raphlecours1937]

Really good video! Thanks

[@canterburyfour]

I've been wanting to do this swap and as you mentioned there is no good info. Thank you very much for making these videos.

[@onthegowithsonnyandapril2222]

Great videos, thank you for all the information. What part did you use between the turbo and throttle body, I also need a temporary intake pipe till I get the intercooler? We are set to start the project later this month.

[@jtlachappelle]

Throttle body....you mean the intake manifold? Thats a piece of coolant hose if I remember right. Meant it to be temporary while i was designing an intercooler setup but the whole thing has worked so well that i havent touched it

[@JohnSmith-oj3uu]

where did you place the ECU? Was it on the right side rear area in the back behind the tail light? If so any water issues?

[@jtlachappelle]

No ECU….this is an MTDI

[@zephyrviss9577]

Where does the hose from the top of the waste gate go to?

[@jtlachappelle]

The little 1/8” hose im assuming….that goes to the boost aneroid on the injection pump, and also to the boost gauge

[@zephyrviss9577]

@@jtlachappelle mine has a hose on the bottom of the wastegate going to the boost aneroid, but on the top of the wastegate there’s another nipple sticking out

[@JohnnysVolkswagenT3]

hi. can you tell me how you wired the temperature sensor. at this engine you have an sensor with 4 wires, and the old coolant flange has 2 sensors with 2 wires each of them. thanks

[@jtlachappelle]

I used the original coolant flange off the 1.6na

[@jtlachappelle]

I used the original coolant flange off the 1.6na

[@torinhart1993]

I am doing the same swap into my vw doka. Where did you get the clutch assembly and what is the belt size for new water pump

[@jtlachappelle]

The belt is a 6K410. The clutch you get wherever you want....youll have to watch this vid again and see what i say about which parts you need

[@EndlessShots]

What about using original t3 diesel pump? One of my friends says that it works just fine, but it's hard to believe, that owm pump would work fine.. Secondly, what about using t3 flywheel, tdi pressure plate and petrol clutch disk? Because tdi flywheel needs to be grinded 9mm and balanced to be able to take oild pan off without taking off flywheel. I wonder could you just use original t3 flywheel and make it work.

[@travisterrell3730]

What did you do with the AHU prior to install, did you replace components, head, gasket, water pump, etc?

[@travisterrell3730]

hahah nevermind found the video! thanks

[@J.F.K.O]

Hey nice vid. a quick question. you have the throttle cable on top of the pump, but what is the other cable on the pump? i have the leaver on my pump but i have never dared to move it with the engine on. mine has a preasure controlled cold start advance system. so my only guess is that its for raising rpm when its cold.

[@jtlachappelle]

Nope. Thats the fuel cutoff lever

[@richardkubisch2588]

Great video! This one and all the others too that belong to this Vanagon diesel swap project. Any new ideas to share now that you're 6+ months out? Just wondering what you would do different and if you are still happy overall with all that you accomplished here? As a side note, it would be great to meet up sometime so that I can see first hand all the fine work you did to this rig! Again, great work!

[@jtlachappelle]

Thanks man. There have been a couple of tiny little things that came up but its been totally sweet overall. Ill do a 6 month update vid pretty soon. I wouldnt do anything differently except for id gear up the transmission WAY more...i have gobs of power and its still way undergeared with the 4:57 R&P. Im going to put an intercooler on it and increase 4th and 5th by a buttload and it will fly down the freeway. Anyone whos in the Puget Sound area who wants to take a look just hit me up here

[@overlandteahouse1273]

I'd love to meet up and see your swap in person. I'm working outside of Shelton and am looking at this swap down the road. I did a ej22 a year or so ago but am still dreaming of the TDI then I found out about the mTDI and thought of nothing more perfect. Wondering if the gearing would be OK if one, like me, was looking for mostly low end torque for my syncro.

[@richardkubisch2588]

I live in Auburn WA myself and am a Syncro owner too....maybe setting up a meet and greet party for all interested parties who want to see this fantastic mTDI setup up close would be great! Make some new friends, share stories, and our host would only (hopefully!) do one show-and-tell so not to take up too much of his time. Just throwing the idea out there.

[@jtlachappelle]

Sounds cool to me. Theres another guy in olympia whos doing an mtdi build, sold him my old 1.6 and weve been talking ever since, id bet hed come too. Just set it up somehow, i dont need much notice, my only thing is that its not raining. For the lower gearing question...all i know is that it sucks to have buttloads of power and be maxed out on the freeway at 65. Thats where i am now, and i wouldnt recommend it. As cool as it sounds to have a low geared syncro to crawl around the dirt, youre going to hate life when it comes time to get in that thing and go to Moab. Or even Portland for that matter. The whole purpose of these things, to me, is to have a bitchen rock star tour machine, to get out and cover serious ground and do serious shit all over the country, and 60mph just doesnt cut it...

[@overlandteahouse1273]

I would really be up for all of us getting together to meet up what area are you in? and how do we connect so we don't have to share specific info. on the WWWeb?

[@dawilee1]

Awesome 👏, maybe make a playlist ?

[@ryanpoetzl7142]

Did you regear you trans yourself? .. Did you use your stock diesel trans? I have a gas 1.9 that I'm converting so I'm going to have to address the gearing... I would like to try to regear it myself but I have yet to find a novice such as myself that can give me much input.. any guidance would be great.

[@volcomyouth37]

For the Serpentine Belt, can you provide the size you used in this application. And thank you for documenting the process.

[@jtlachappelle]

Yeah the belt i have on there is a 6K410...check and see if that shows up or crosses, if not theres another number on there that i couldnt quite see, i could try and get it for you

[@volcomyouth37]

Thanks! Appreciate the response and the time you took to create these videos.

[@DanielAlves1]

Thank you! Can you do a video on your mTDI conversion? Did you use a Land Rover pump?

[@jtlachappelle]

You mean a vid just on the pump and fuel system? I thought i mentioned that but maybe not..maybe ill make a separate vid. Its a brand new Bosch pump from a Cummins 4BT, built by Karl at Westyventures in Bend, Oregon

[@jtlachappelle]

m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHvXi6Cjh5uGd8k

[@zackkallgren2427]

How much oil does the ahu take when it's all mounted

[@jtlachappelle]

I used the factory recommendation, i believe it was 4.7 quarts with filter.

[@fuxuper]

Excellent video, I'm just about to try to marry up an AHU to an ABD gearbox with a diesel DY bell housing, do you know if I can use the AHU starter motor

[@jtlachappelle]

My first thought is that you couldnt use the AHU starter on that because the AHU starter is designed for the Jetta transmission, would bolt up differently...but call Thomas at Quality German and see what he says. If not he can sell you what you need

[@fuxuper]

It turns out you need an adapter plate, I sourced one from brickwerks in the UK cheers

[@rangie104]

Hi There, Quick question, what manifold and turbo are you using for this conversion? Thanks

[@jtlachappelle]

AAZ manifold, check it out: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/epbUlI2aislkZ5I And its whatever turbo came stock on the 98 Jetta TDI, K03 i think it is. Heres how I sourced my turbo and other peripherals: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/hp7UlYyEoN6ejqc

[@casperakoma7273]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I definitely subscribe to your channel. I am the 'Next Guy''

[@josezepedaable]

Great video. I'm just getting ready to start a tdi conversion on my 86 westy. Is there any other way to communicate with you?

[@jtlachappelle]

Cool, thanks man. You can send a private message on here somewhere right

[@josezepedaable]

I looked but seems i don't have that option maybe you can email me. I'd like to get some input on what I already have. [e-mail]

[@roseyvaughan498]

where is the best place to buy a TDI desiel

[@jtlachappelle]

What do you mean...a motor? A donor car? A diesel vanagon? Gotta be more specific. What are you trying to do?

[@johngoodbrake7056]

What’s the motor in that what year Jetta 99 tdi?

[@jtlachappelle]

98 Jetta TDI

[@ryanpoetzl7142]

Cant seem to find your video on your transmission mods? Is there one?

[@jtlachappelle]

Hmm, i guess not. I kind of talked about it a bit in other vids, probably wasn’t sure if there was enough to say to make a stand alone vid. Think it’s necessary? I could make a quick one

[@ryanpoetzl7142]

@@jtlachappelle well if you yourself actually opened up your trans and regarded it I think it is deffenetly worth the video. I myself do not want to even mate the trans to the engine unless they are going to be staying that way for the foreseeable future. I want to do everything once... no double handling the trans or ahu

[@ryanpoetzl7142]

*regeared

[@captlarry-3525]

Thanks ! If I retire my 98 tdi bug... I intend to keep the engine for a vanagon project.The 1.6 is a really excellent engine. But oh so slow in a 5000 lb westy. The gobs of torque available from the tdi.. should transform the vanagon.. It is a terrirfically long lived motor , despite the shorter life of the turbo.. and the tendency of the intake to coke up over time. When changing rear end ratios.. don't throw out the baby with the bath water.. because the vanagon is nothing if not a great high clearance dirt road car.. that needs the stump puller low gear at times.. especially in westy trim.

[@suasorulmaz7063]

Ich möchte den Motor meines 2000er luftgekühlten T3 für ein Jahr ersetzen. Mein Auto ist Baujahr 1980 luftgekühlt. Weil sie sagen, dass der 2000-ccm-18-t-Turbomotor passt oder nicht. Übrigens, wie man ein Getriebe einsetzt

[@danieldascalu9239]

Hi, did you used stock diesel engine mounts on both sides?

[@jtlachappelle]

Yep. Stock mounts all around

[@danieldascalu9239]

@@jtlachappelle thank you mate, you're the best. Be blessed!

[@danieldascalu9239]

@@jtlachappelle one more question please. What kind of intake manifold did you used?

[@van_demonium]

what generation vr6 motor was the water pump pulley off of?

[@jtlachappelle]

You didnt watch the vid....its a custom pulley, theres a link in the description

[@van_demonium]

i did watch the vid. you went with the custom one. do you recall what generation the vr6 pulley was tho? i realize you were speaking in reference to, as in you heard some where or read in some place and not that it was the one you went with.

[@jtlachappelle]

Ah. Well, remember, the whole theme of the vid is that we all have to dig and search for this shit because no one properly documents their swaps. The VR6 pulley was no exception...i gave up searching for the goddamned thing, just spent the $75 on the custom one. So, i have no idea which one you need. Sorry man

[@van_demonium]

recently found it. OBD1 vr6 water pump pulley or any year vr6 power steering pulley. still reached out to iabed waiting to hear back from him. likely try the vr pulley just to see if it works when the time comes. im having the most trouble sourcing the aaz manifold. found a couple but they are they whole manifold,turbo,egr set ups.

[@electricamir248]

Check out south bend clutch in Oregon.

[@jtlachappelle]

South bend clutch...why

[@electricamir248]

@@jtlachappelle They make a beautiful clutch kit for vanagon tdi rated to 350 ft-ibs

[@fastinradfordable]

I just put 2+2 together. South bend... In bend .... Fml I’m dumb sometimes

[@dale436]

What year TDI donor cars are desirable for the swap?

[@jtlachappelle]

I want to say its 98 and 99....youre looking for the AHU motor code, so whatever cars came with that motor. Easy. If you go 97 i believe that motor was the 1Z, which is very similar to the AHU but not quite...go do some reading and youll see the AHU is the one you want

[@funkolog]

What you want is AFN. but I dont know if its available in states. AFN is better in every ways. AHU,1Z- 66kW, AFN- 81kW...

[@fastinradfordable]

1z is identical to an ahu

[@erykhilfer7329]

What engine mounts did you use

[@jtlachappelle]

Factory engine mounts. This is an 83 factory diesel

[@erykhilfer7329]

@@jtlachappelle did you have to modify it? Is it at the 50 degree angle.

[@totoelpayasoloco7426]

genial en subtitulos en español ¡¡¡

[@jtlachappelle]

Ps si pero no sabría como hacerlo…ya estan puestos los vids y tendría que quitar y subirlos de nuevo, y perdería todo creo. O no se la verdad

[@zephyrviss9577]

Where’s the oil cooler

[@jtlachappelle]

You mean an external oil cooler? Dont have one. Set everything up right and these things run ultra cool.

[@vidojearsic6746]

Do Nice clean engine ☺️☺️☺️ nice man!!!!

[@tomrajala6559]

The video is great. Do you have a write up on the samba or yahoo group?

[@jtlachappelle]

Nope. 21st century, video all the way. Figured if a picture is worth a thousand words, at 60 frames per second with the amount of video i have on here ive got about a buttloadzillion words going...

[@nickdorian9149]

You rock

[@jtlachappelle]

getyarn.io/yarn-clip/06f260a9-5de0-42eb-8be7-1f42122194c9

[@captlarry-3525]

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STUPID. KEEP THAT IN MIND AND YOU WILL BE LESS SUPRISED.

[@zackkallgren2427]

what did you use for coolant

[@jtlachappelle]

Oreilly’s Universal Coolant, in the gold bottle. Only thing i ever use.