Diesel Sami?

[gonecheenin]

I have a 1.6l NA VW Jetta, and although it runs great & pulls 46-48mpg, the car itself is a pc of crap with 210,000-ish miles on it.


I want to DD a Jeep, that way I have to insure & maintain only one vehicle which can be my daily transportation, winter wheeler, & summer topless cruiser. However, I can't afford to drive to work a vehicle that only gets 15-18 mpg (any money you spend to get to work equals a pay cut IMHO)


Sooooooo, I got to thinking - what about a soft top Sami? I don't know what fuel mileage a Sami gets, but I can't imagine its more than 25-28-ish mpg which just won't be enough.

However, I found this kit & since I already got the donor car maybe this is the way to go with a spring over, possibly Toy axles, 4-ish:1 t-case gears, & 31's on aluminum wheels (for light weight)?

http://www.acmeadapters.com/faq.php


Pro's - con's, Sami opinions?

How much mpg will I lose from adding power steering?
Will the VW motor pull better or about the same as the 1.3? (I know either or both won't be doing any tire speed hill climbs )

[trailerrails]

My pants are fitting a bit tighter now.



I saw in diesel power mag where someone got one of those motors to put out 350 HP and 500 FT/lb Tq. If it is not enough power stock, just bump it up.

But if you are going for fuel mileage, I would not change the axles and keep the tires small. Think 'Go Kart". LOL

I have a rust free California Civic that would love to get that engine and tranny.

[Cheeks]

the only problem I forsee is IF you start bumping power everything around it is going to fall apart. You probably will have to do upgraded axles etc which adds to the weight and decreases mpg

[JeepGeneral]

Ralphdogg built a TDI Sami with a VW motor and an intercooler from an Eagle Talon TSi. He made his own adapter kit. He still runs stock Sami axles and 34s without much breakage, but he has TC gears and lets it crawl over everything.

For a DD, with smaller tires, I think you would be OK. He may have a build thread somewhere, I'm not sure.

[DMG]

Ralphs diesel Sami seems to work great.

[Wrecker]

I have a friend trying to sell off a few Sami. His son drove the one for a while and 2 are parts Sami's. He wants to sell as a package. He has them on C list every so often. He might be a little high. If you are interested let me know and I can get you in contact.

[Wrecker]

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/1415289422.html

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/1393607437.html

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/1393601360.html

Thats his ads for them. I know he should make add for all of them since he wants to get rid of the legal one first.

[gonecheenin]

Ralphdogg built a TDI Sami with a VW motor and an intercooler from an Eagle Talon TSi. He made his own adapter kit. He still runs stock Sami axles and 34s without much breakage, but he has TC gears and lets it crawl over everything.

For a DD, with smaller tires, I think you would be OK. He may have a build thread somewhere, I'm not sure.

Interesting. but I read that the TDI engine makes more power at the expense of about 10 MPG which is not what I'm going for.

If I can get enough power to pull hills with 31's while getting 35-40 mpg I'd be thrilled. My Jetta runs great clean up to 5th gear on a hill, then it lacks some power. But a down shift to fourth usually gives me plenty of power to maintain speed on said hill - and I understand that ram air, a couple pump mods, & a larger diameter exhaust (stock man outlet is about 2.5", but stock piping is about 1 7/8"! ) makes a pretty noticable difference in the old 1.6NA VW diesels.

And if I couldn't take the lack of power, I could always add a turbo kit with some used TDI parts for about $500 from what I've seen online. Though my 1.6NA does not have the piston cooling jets that the stock 1.6TD's had, they say all you need to do to compensate for that is to run low boost numbers, or run some sort of intercooling & aux engine oil cooling.

My pants are fitting a bit tighter now.

LOL

But if you are going for fuel mileage, I would not change the axles and keep the tires small. Think 'Go Kart". LOL

My thoughts exactly, and since a stock Sami on 235's works well. I figure sprung over & locked on 31's with stock axles & some crawler t-case gears (which could prove an issue to make work since all the t-case gear kits I've found reduce the high range also, leaving me with having to install higher rear end gears to get my cruise RPM back up where I need it for max mpg)
this thing should be nice to drive, get as much fuel economy as possible without leaving it a roller skate, would be very reliable AND still be able to easily run any trails I'd consider doing in something I plan to drive to work monday morning!

I have a rust free California Civic that would love to get that engine and tranny.

If I end up with an extra one someday, i'll keep ya' in mind!

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/1415289422.html



Thats his ads for them. I know he should make add for all of them since he wants to get rid of the legal one first.

That green one is nice, but I can't justify buying something like that when I'm gonna junk the engine! I'd love to find that green one with a blown up engine though, thats almost exactly what I got in mind for stance & setup!

[RalphDogg]

the engine i have in mine is a 1.6 TD, the TDI is 1.9 which i guess is the one that uses more fuel. i have no idea what type of fuel mileage mine got but it had to have been more than the stock 1.3 suzuki. i honestly wouldn't put the NA diesel engine in, it seems like more work for not much more power.

[gonecheenin]

i honestly wouldn't put the NA diesel engine in, it seems like more work for not much more power.

Like I said though Ralph, I'm not considering doing it for power (though more would be nice) I'm mainly concerned with mpg. And from what I understand I can turbo the 1.6NA later if so desired. Plus I read that ram air, a larger exhaust, & a couple pump mods would actually push the NA above the stock 1.3's output while still making max mpg.

[RedRaider]

Yoou can always run a duel fuel setup using free used veggie oil. That will really max your miles per dollar

[gonecheenin]

Yoou can always run a duel fuel setup using free used veggie oil. That will really max your miles per dollar

Considered doing that with my F-250 a while back, but not only isn't used veggie oil actually free if you do it right (so it won't hurt the injection system), but the government is catching on to that trend & making used oil so much harder to get now (fining resteraunts for not disposing of it correctly) that friends of mine who use to run it are now planting fields of sunflowers & building press's to extract the oil.

[toocheaptosmoke]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1s2jqhqMEc

[PatF10]

Cheap Fuel Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GUV3dUovqM

[RalphDogg]

let me know if you have any questions. i know it's a pretty straight forward swap but i am sure i could help with something.

[JeepSteeler]

IMHO, your main MPG enemy is going to be the aero of the Sami. Your Jetta slips through the air I bet at a much lower coefficient of drag than any breadbox Sami will. I'm not an engineer but I'm guessing that lifting it will only worsen the aero characteristics, so you would have to make a trade off decision there.

Good luck, interesting project.....

[gonecheenin]

Ralph, You still have yours?
If so, any chance I could check it out?

Is it the Eco-diesel?

you running stock boost?

IMHO, your main MPG enemy is going to be the aero of the Sami. Your Jetta slips through the air I bet at a much lower coefficient of drag than any breadbox Sami will. I'm not an engineer but I'm guessing that lifting it will only worsen the aero characteristics, so you would have to make a trade off decision there......

Which is why I think the 1.6NA engine gets such better mpg - it only goes so fast no matter how hard you push on said throttle

Where with the turbo, you have the ability to burn more fuel & most almost always do. But if you aern't in a hurry all the time, then the turbo shouldn't burn anymore fuel then the NA would.


I run mostly slow roads to work these days too, which should help the affects of said aerodynamics.

[JeepSteeler]

A good engine/boost management system could be something to consider if you do end up with the snail strapped to it. Then you could dial in your performance from the cockpit to a certain degree. If you want to go for max mpg, then lower the boost. If you want to get some speed, dial it up. Probably go with a rising rate fuel pressure regulator to help avoid detonation and aid in saving fuel when you don't have your foot in it.

do everything you can to minimize drag. A hard top would probably be better than a soft top in this instance. Run some tires that are suited for higher psi. Use wheel covers that are flush with the outside of the tire. Heck, use some speed tape on the body seams! lol....

[gonecheenin]

Probably go with a rising rate fuel pressure regulator to help avoid detonation

Umm, a diesel runs on detonation!!!

[joe_and_jeep]

My Samurai when it runs... which isn't too often anymore gets about 30mpg with the 31s and 6.5 t-case gears and stock axles.

[JeepSteeler]

Umm, a diesel runs on detonation!!!

Oh sh*t. You got me there, totally went into petrol mode there for a second.

Just put a big rice burner wing on the back then, as we all know that solves all performance related issues.

[gonecheenin]

Just put a big rice burner wing on the back then, as we all know that solves all performance related issues.

Aerodynamic tricks of the trade? LOL

[JeepSteeler]

Yep, I saw it on The Fast and The Furious so it must be true.

[dan58]

Cheenin, you need one of these: 4BT CJ.

If you want to save some coin on driving, get a motorcycle and a corolla for rainy days. The underpowered sami is just a brick in the wind like a SWB Jeep, regardless of how slow you are going.

[gonecheenin]

I wish I could find a 4BT to put in my YJ (Found one in a CJ on craigslist, but like an idiot I didn't buy it.) 30-35mpg would be sweet & very acceptable for mileage since I could save money only having one street vehicle!

Can't ride a motorcycle & my 1.6NA Jetta gets twice the fuel mileage a Corrolla could every dream of getting!

Cheenin, you need one of these: 4BT CJ.

If you want to save some coin on driving, get a motorcycle and a corolla for rainy days. The underpowered sami is just a brick in the wind like a SWB Jeep, regardless of how slow you are going.