[Vwdiesel] Porsche 944 TDI

[Greg Johnson]

I wrote a month or so ago and asked if any of you were aware of any Porsche
944 TDI conversions.   I heard back from a few of you.  Thanks for your
responses and ideas.   Apparently, several folks have considered it, but
we've not found anyone who's actually done it, so we decided to more forward
and perform due diligence.  We've purchased manuals for the TDI and for the
944 and are trying to get sense of what may be necessary.   I also took on
the task of researching TDI's (mostly by reading TDI forums and particularly
those on Fred's).  I wanted to share some of my thoughts, mainly to
determine if we're on the right track.

1.9 ALH TDI

ALH engines used in mid-1999 through 2003 Golf and Jetta TDI and 1998-2003
New Beetle TDI.  The issue with these engines is Manifold Carbon and Soot.
The carbon has to be cleaned out and it's not an easy task.  Once that's
done. the problem can apparently be
eliminated with http://www.dieselgeek.com/servlet/Detail?no=299  and
http://www.dieselgeek.com/servlet/Detail?no=413.  We should also
consider bypass kit:  http://www.dieselgeek.com/servlet/Detail?no=462.

1.9 TDI – Pump Duse

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=225918

The PD has oiling and cam failure problems.  The engine used skinny cam
lobes to make room for the injector rocker lobes and it's a weak design.
 Some of the posters indicated that the aftermarket should have reasonably
priced parts available to fix this issue and the job
is fairly easy so labor costs will be low.   One mechanic indicated:

"There will be significant circulating metal left in the engine, despite the
best of efforts to clean things. Steps I took were removal of oil from low
lying areas of the head, oil cooler replacement, and oil pan cleaning.
Passages in the block and crankshaft are bound to have metal in them, so I
again urge owners of these cars to install the Dieselgeek By-Pass filter
either as a preventative measure or to clean things up afterward."

There can also be problems with this engine from not using the VW 505.01
spec with the high wear additive.

Passat 2.0 litre BHW TDI

Some of the Passat engines have had balance shaft chain drive failures
around 100k miles, and since the balance shaft module drives the oil pump
this is generally not a good thing. VW has just issued a TSB to convert the
chain drive a newer gear drive system, but it is not a recall and is done on
the owner's dime (around 30,000 dimes)  If the engine makes a  "can full of
marbles" sound from the crankshaft pulley area one should steer clear.  The
other item - if the oil used has not the VW 505.01 spec with the high wear
additive,  the cam and followers could be worn out by 100k or so.

General Thoughts

It would appear to me that the 1.9 ALH TDI (2003 and before) may be the best
bet.   Additionally, from a fuel perspective, they may be more friendly
towards BioD.  What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance for your collective wisdom!

Greg J