Friday, June 24, 2011

95 Eurovan EVC TDI conversion

Looking down the conversion line can be dauting--one 95 EVC conv. underway, one on deck and a 5-cyl Syncro waiting in the wings.


We've been super busy as of late trying to get caught up and get back on schedule, so postings have been scarce.  Finally today I have a little time to post about our latest conversion which is nearly complete: A 95 Eurovan T4 EVC with an auto to manual trans conversion as well.

Here are some pics of the build up and install:

 T4 4-cyl dipstick hole at back of block.



 Viewed from underneath before tube installation.



Dipstick tube installed with lower dipstick tube support bracket bolted down.
 Upper support bracket for dipstick tube, showing alignment.


Pics of engine build on stand:
 T4 4-cyl oil pump and oil pan baffle.
 T4 4-cyl oil pan.
Completed AHU engine built for T4 installation, new K03 turbo perched in its position, ready for action.








Front shot of completed AHU T4 engine.













Engine/trans mating:


 
 Rebuilt AHU TDI engine mated to rebuilt/regeared 02B transmission.











Engine installation:
 Engine/trans on custom tall dolly for EV installation.
 Dolly being rolled into position under van.
 Fine adjustments are necessary to install the eng/trans this way.  There is literally 1-3mm of clearance on either side of the eng/trans.
 Engine in final position, van is lowered down onto engine.
 Engine is bolted to EV frame ears and then lifted off.
AHU TDI engine installed in a 95 EVC.  Now it's a matter of hooking up all the various eng systems and making final electrical connections.












***All pics and conversion work done by Grease Works and TDI Powered.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

1995 Eurovan Camper TDI 5-spd For Sale

This is a one owner west-coast, rust-free/accident free 95 EVC that we purchased this past winter as a spec project and we are finally getting around to lining up a buyer to expedite the completion of the project.  The original owner was a small town doctor here in Oregon who used this van very lovingly during his time with it.  Van is registered in Oregon and will be titled as a diesel and registrable in all 50-states.

As part of this sale the following upgrades, basic service and preventative maintenance are being performed ($3k+ value):
  • new 15" tires on VW alloy rims (16" wheel/tire package $750 extra)
  • new 8' Fiamma awning
  • new OE VW mudflaps front/rear
  • new upper/lwr ball joints
  • CV joint service
  • Bilstein shocks front/rear
  • lift kit and level
  • all camper equipment serviced and operational
  • poptop seals replaced
Engine/transmission options:

Package #1: 
Used low-mileage (75k miles) euro-spec 4-cyl AFN 1.9l TDI engine w/ new VNT-17 turbo, and stage IV tune & injectors (150hp, 320ft/lbs torque), new eng seals, timing belt, water pump, T-stat, etc; re-built/re-geared 5-spd trans. with comparable EWB gearing (4.23 R&P, found behind the 150hp T4s in Europe).  30-35 MPG average in this EVC.
$29,500

Package #2:  Used low-mileage (120k miles) euro-spec 5-cyl TDI engine with stock injectors/tune, new eng seals, timing belt, water pump, T-stat, etc; used 02G 5-spd transmission with stock gearing.  ~25-30 MPG estimate in this EVC.
$33,500  (please note this engine/trans option may not be available as we have one customer possibly selecting this engine for his conversion and he has first dibs)

Package #3:  Completely rebuilt 4-cyl AHU 1.9l TDI engine w/ new K03/K04 hyrbrid turbo and stage IV tune & injectors (140hp, 300ft/lbs torque), new eng seals, timing belt, water pump, T-stat, etc; re-built/re-geared 5-spd trans. with comparable EWB gearing (4.23 R&P, found behind the 150hp T4s in Europe).   30-35 MPG average in this EVC.
$35,000  (please note this option will take an additional 2-4 wks to complete as we need to build and engine up for it)


Serious inquiries only! Please contact me directly if you are interested: justin at greaseworks dot com


Please note: These pics are of the van as it currently sits.  The work outlined above has yet to be completed, and will be commenced once we have a committed buyer, an agreed upon engine/trans package and a 50% deposit on the order.






IP input shaft seal removal tool

Monday, June 6, 2011

1990 Vanagon Carat TDI stage IV conversion--on the road and completed

We aren't superstitious by nature but we never ever put on our TDI badges until it's time to hit the road.
For some reason we've been languishing a bit on this conversion.  But suffice it to say we've turned out the nicest Vanagon conversion we've done to date and just today got it out on the road for its maiden voyage.  I can already tell this lil van is gonna be a powerhouse, but for now we go easy and let that tight new engine break-in without undue stress.

Here are some progress pics:
 Engine bay with red silicone coolant hoses and blue silicone boost hoses.  Professional install means no errant wires on this drive-by-wire machine.  How many wires do you spy?  ;-)
 Scan Gauge II, working tach, and EGT gauge mounted sleeper style on A-pillar.
 High flow muffler, flex pipe and L side engine block.
 View from underneath with foot/leg for scale.



 Shop owner and Van owner happy to finally be sitting around the completed TDI engine bay together.




When we put on our badges it's official: This van is now TDI powered.

Front TDI badge.













Rear disc brake conversion finale:
This is a very sweet mod that has got me eyeballing my EV hindquarters in a new way.  As soon as I have the time and wherewithal I will be doing a similar upgrade on my rig.

 L side rear disc brake final.
 Rear view L side.
 Rear view R side.
Rear view wide angle.














***All pics and conversion work done by Grease Works and TDI Powered.

EV mods/upgrades continued

Finally had a chance to finish up a few loose ends, just as the weather is starting to hint at a trial of summer for a change.


Fiamma awning final install:


 Redmond Oregon sunset.  Clearwater Native Nursery.
The Bees-knees:  rebuilt/re-geared trans for my van:
This our homemade US edition of the EWB trans built by German Transaxle to our spec starting with a CCW 02B core, and a 4.23 R&P, 3rd (1.36)and 4th (0.97) from an 02A trans and a 0.717 5th from a euro spec TDI.  The only thing missing is a limited slip diff!!


 By-pass oil filter test fit and finalinstall on 93 TDI EV:
For those unfamiliar with this concept, a by-pass oil filter is run in addition and parallel to the stock full-flow engine oil filter.  It functions as a separate oil filter supplied independently from the full-flow filter and its sole function is to filter the oil to levels not possible with the stock oil filter (< 2 microns).  Since all of the oil in the engine must go through the full-flow filter before it is delivered to critical engine components (bearings, cam, pistons, turbo, etc.), it cannot filter to such fine levels due to the resulting restrictive flow.  The by-pass filter is fed via a high pressure oil feed and the filtered oil (now low pressure) is returned to the engine, usually dripped back into the valve cover.   The dieselgeek.com BEW by-pass filter kit and my 93 TDI EV were the test platform for the following install:

Dieselgeek.com custom oil by-pass filter bracket and filter housing.
 This experiment started at the suggestion of a customer.  Researching by-pass oil filter setups for TDIs revealed that custom install kits for the AHU is widely unsupported.  Our solution: retro a later BEW TDI by-pass oil filter kit to fit our needs on an AHU installed an EV.
 Installed on AHU engine, side view.
 Return oil line from by-pass filter to provided filler cap.
 It's a tight fit, but the only thing that needs modding from the dieselgeek BEW kit is the return line.  It needs to be about 4' instead of <2'.  Easy solution: We bought the same tubing in bulk qty from our hose/tubing supplier.
Tough lighting conditions--Sorry!












Oil filters viewed from the front of the van, stock full flow on L, by-pass on R.