I'm still working on the wiring harness. I figure if I get one junction connector a day done, I'm happy. At the rate we are going with this swap, it should be running and driving by the end of February.
The wiring is complete. As you can see in the pic, there is about 3x the amount of wiring in this swap vs a typical 3800 swap. I plan to clean this up a bit more before the console is fitted. I moved the transmission module towards the passenger side to fit the Volkswagen junction plugs. All wiring colors remained stock this way future diagnosis an be done with the stock Volkswagen diagrams. I made some notes on the C203 and C500 to VW interfaces so there won't be any confusion. The only part of the wiring that was modified was the fan control module. I felt that since the a/c system in the VW wasn't CAN based, I could use the Fiero's a/c relay and a single fan control sensor and relay. The VW B+ relay, Glow relay and PNP relay are still retained in our swap.
The next step is to fit the VW instrument cluster into the Fiero's cluster box. We eliminated the rally gauges as they are no longer needed. We also have to make a bracket for the shifter cable and mount the intercooler. We are still on track for having it run by the end of this month.
The power steering pump was sitting in the back of my mind this entire time. I wound up going with the delete setup as Burning Oil did on his setup. It allowed for more clearance with the wiring harness and it shouldn't have any adverse effects. We have a slow day at the shop today, so we plan to really make some good progress today.
The stock Fiero shift cable fit with very little mods. I had to drill out the center of the plastic to allow for the larger ball from the TDI to fit. Other than that, a little bit of honing out the bracket and it fit right in and works perfect.
Here is Ryan using the plasma cutter to fabricate the new battery tray. We mounted it as a bolt in unit (just like the VW) on top of the transmission. I powdercoated it high gloss black and it seems to give the engine bay a nice look. Everything has its place. I'll post up pics of the finished product later today.
I also shampooed the interior carpets and seats and installed them. I also pulled out the heater core and cleaned the ducts and gave that an antibacterial cleaning.
We filled the cooling system with the G12 VW coolant and tested it for leaks.
Today's plan is to test the computer system and if that goes well, we will get some diesel and start priming the system. The only things really left to do are install the intercooler, headliner, mount the cluster, and perform an alignment. Then we can start logging some miles on it.
No prob, Ian....I'm sure I'll be out to a MINI meet one day this Spring.
I just established communications with the Vag-Com to the engine and trans modules and cluster and all is looking good so far. Time to go buy some fuel.
Initial startup video. We still have to hook up the intercooler and play with the tuning a bit, but this should give you an idea of where we are headed.
Initial startup video. We still have to hook up the intercooler and play with the tuning a bit, but this should give you an idea of where we are headed.
Dave
OOO There are going to be some pissed off Prius owners when they see that video
Thanks....it is a little loud and smokey due to the intercooler not being hooked up. I'm sure it will be a little quieter with the deckild on and piping hooked up. Michael, that is your old muffler setup from your car on this one.
Thanks....it is a little loud and smokey due to the intercooler not being hooked up. I'm sure it will be a little quieter with the deckild on and piping hooked up. Michael, that is your old muffler setup from your car on this one.
Dave
Did you have a holy man do an exorcism on the part before you used it? Oh and it's going into a RED car too...
We should be receiving the coupler to install the intercooler today. I also have to do some work on the circuit board of the instrument cluster to get it to work better in the Fiero. I will be taking more videos once the car is road worthy. The black smoke tamed down quite a bit. That was probably the fluid we put in the filter to prime the system. Normally, we prime the German diesels with brake fluid or transmission fluid when we change the fuel filter.
We should be receiving the coupler to install the intercooler today. I also have to do some work on the circuit board of the instrument cluster to get it to work better in the Fiero. I will be taking more videos once the car is road worthy. The black smoke tamed down quite a bit. That was probably the fluid we put in the filter to prime the system. Normally, we prime the German diesels with brake fluid or transmission fluid when we change the fuel filter.
Dave
Awesome work so far! Just curious, why do you prime with brake/trans fluid? Also, is the engine stock right now?
Awesome work so far! Just curious, why do you prime with brake/trans fluid? Also, is the engine stock right now?
I started working on German diesels about 14 years ago and the old guy that taught me the tricks of the now classic German cars said that the brake fluid will clean the injectors. We would always use brake fluid, or transmission fluid for its detergent properties and then pour a can of diesel purge in the tank.
The engine is stock other than EGR delete, cat delete, and a pcm tune which will allow a better fuel economy and more pep. The transmission settings will be set for economy at first, but whoever buys it can decide where I set that transmission shift points to. Other than that, I set the start of injection timing towards the high side, but that is normally where I like to put it.
Just pushing the car around the shop prior to it running, it feels like there is no drive train installed. I really want to get the car weighed once it is road worthy.
Dave
[This message has been edited by bmwguru (edited 02-24-2013).]
I started working on German diesels about 14 years ago and the old guy that taught me the tricks of the now classic German cars said that the brake fluid will clean the injectors. We would always use brake fluid, or transmission fluid for its detergent properties and then pour a can of diesel purge in the tank.
The engine is stock other than EGR delete, cat delete, and a pcm tune which will allow a better fuel economy and more pep. The transmission settings will be set for economy at first, but whoever buys it can decide where I set that transmission shift points to. Other than that, I set the start of injection timing towards the high side, but that is normally where I like to put it.
Just pushing the car around the shop prior to it running, it feels like there is no drive train installed. I really want to get the car weighed once it is road worthy.
Dave
Oh I gotcha. I thought I was overlooking something for a second since I've just primed mine with diesel. Good call on the EGR delete. A good tune and a set of nozzles will really wake up that motor.
Not much to post. The shop has been busy. I traced a battery drain the car was having and fixed that. We are working on the boost pipe this week, but every time we try to work on it another german car rolls in wanting to spend big money Dave
I know how that is... after 307K miles I finally need to replace the clutch in my TDI. Still grabs fine, but the throwout bearing is starting to rattle (noise at idle when stopped; goes away when pedal is pressed). Just replaced the LF wheel bearing last weekend. And still have a list of tasks to do... Joy...
[This message has been edited by Ian F (edited 03-06-2013).]
Not much to post. The shop has been busy. I traced a battery drain the car was having and fixed that. We are working on the boost pipe this week, but every time we try to work on it another german car rolls in wanting to spend big money Dave
I guess that's better than another Fiero rolling in wanting to spend "cheap as possible" money
I love reading threads like this. I just read it for the first time, and its spread out over 3 years. WHY is it not in the construction zone?! Great build.
Yeah, we had to put the swap on hold while we worked on a few paying swaps. Once we knew that our schedule was clear, we went 100% towards getting this one wrapped up. The instrument cluster should be done by next week. I think you guys will find what did to be cool. We took the Jetta cluster apart and set it inside the Fiero's white cluster holder. Right now, I'm trying to find a way to make the fuel gauge work....I misread the info last year and the resistance value of the Jetta sender works in the opposite of the Fiero. I was planning on using a microcontroller and a digital potentiometer, but I found it will probably be easier to just use the Jetta sender in the Fiero tank. There isn't a pump in the tank as it is on the engine, so all I really need in there is the sender and the fuel feed and return lines. I can trim the gauge calibration with the laptop if need be. Last week, I cut myself very badly, so I haven't really been able to work at my normal speed. I should be back on track after this weekend. Dave
I replaced the dew wipes yesterday and lubed the window tracks. The interior is 90% installed and I'll post up pics of the cluster once it is finalized.
I replaced the dew wipes yesterday and lubed the window tracks. The interior is 90% installed and I'll post up pics of the cluster once it is finalized.
