I've kept a log of the days leading up to possibly getting another car. I didn't want to let the cat out of the bag until I knew for sure it was going to happen.
May 28 2013: Hmm, saw a car on eBay, looks interesting. It has the verious things I've been looking for in this type of car. Maybe I'll put a bid in, who knows, I might win it.
May 30 2013: Saw on-line a couple of forums talking about this car. I'm not alone watching this one. Fingers crossed.
June 2 2013: Feel like a kid before christmas, hoping my present will come. Oh, the agony of waiting.
June 4 2013: Alright ! I just just got off the Internet, I won the eBay auction, I'm proud owner of another car. I'm excited.
June 5 2013: Contacted seller, sounds like the car is just what I wanted. Can't wait to see it. Seller is in another state, making plans to pick it up, not sure yet if I'll take my truck & trailer to get it, it should fit inside.
June 9 2013: Decided to fly to sellers location & drive the car back. Put in my vacation plans at work, I need to give them two weeks warning on my request. It's for June 22 to 25th. I need to be back to work for a managers meeting on the 26th.
June 21 2013: My boss finally gave permisson for time off. Well, long story short, I had to cancel the trip, no way I could get tickets last second w/o spending nearly twice as normal rates. I told him that last statement, he replied, he'd been busy with other things. Oh I'm upset.
June 22 2013: I made new plans, going to fly out July 7, I made sure the boss approved this right away. After I pick up the car, will drive to Virgina and take the autotrain back to Florida. I did this once before with another Fiero I bought in 2005.
June 26 2013: Just purchased airplane tickets and tickets for the autotrain. Getting really excited. One thing I like about this new car is it's an automatic, I am so tired of shifting, my last few cars were manual, when I drive a car with automatic, I find it so relaxing can't wait to get this one and start enjoying it.
June 27 2013: Seller sent title, took to Florida DMV to get registered. They wanted the vin number verified, since the car is out of state, they gave me a form to send to seller, and to have him get a police officer to come over and verify the vin. This is the 1st time I've ever heard of this. I faxed the form to seller, he had an officer fill out the paper work, now seller is Fed-exing the form back to me. Glad I didn't wait for the last day.
July 1 2013: Got the paperwork back, went to DMV, now have it registered and have tags.
If you made it this far, I'm sure you all have guessed the car I'm talking about is bmwguru's Fiero TDI swap # 1.
Yep, I'm the one that bought it. I've been talking with Dave for the past few months about this car. I've owned a few diesels in the past, a VW Rabbit & a Jetta. I absolutely loved those cars, putting many hundreds of thousands of miles on them.
I've always thought this combination would be a great match, good performance and great mileage. Proud to own this creation by the wizzard bmwguru !
I'll be documenting the performance of the car. Dave has been doing great work on this car and has added some modifications that I've requested.
Here's the detail's of the car from the seller.
What you are bidding on here is a mid engine turbo diesel Fiero built by ASE Certified Advanced Master technicians that only work on German cars and Fieros (as our hobby, see hausofguru.com ).
We started with a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta TDI and a 1988 Pontiac Fiero Formula and blended them together into the ultimate 55+ mile per gallon commuter car. It uses the Volkswagen drive train including transmission and instrument cluster. The diagnostic capabilities and wiring are retained, so that a Volkswagen mechanic can easily work on this car. Here are some features:
New drilled and slotted brake rotors and brake pads front and rear Powder coated calipers and new rear brake calipers Stainless braided brake hoses Brand new KYB front shocks Rodney Dickman 88 front 1" lowering ball joints Brand new custom “TDI Fiero” axles C6 Corvette exhaust tips, with high-flow custom exhaust Brand new Timing belt, waterpump & thermostat. New fuel filter Optima Red Top battery Brand new starter Brand new Garrett turbocharger Brand new glow plugs New belt tensioner, idler pulley & belt Transmission just serviced Brand factory VW engine mounts K&N air filter Rodney Dickman deck-lid strut Ice cold just serviced Air Conditioning New Fiero heater core NO RUST on entire car Fiero logo spare tire cover Clean factory 88 rims, tires with 10/32 tread Brand new inner and outer Dew wipes VW Jetta Instrument cluster fitted into fiero dash. Mileage programmed to match the fiero for registration purposes. 100k on drivetrain. New wiper arms and blades All bulbs in working order inside and out Fresh alignment Modified rear trunk and carpet POR 15’ed engine bay The paint is great for a 1988 car, but not show quality. This is a one of a kind car.
[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 02-03-2018).]
Man, does this scenario sound familiar! Too bad I won't be able to pick you up at the airport! Congratulations, I'm glad someone on here got it, that way we can keep tabs on where it is. -Jason
I really want to get a good video before it leaves, but it has been raining every day for the past long while now.....it has been making me want to throw a kitten at a baby....or pack up and move to the desert. Dave
Man, does this scenario sound familiar! Too bad I won't be able to pick you up at the airport! Congratulations, I'm glad someone on here got it, that way we can keep tabs on where it is. -Jason
Hey Jason, Yeah your right, was thinking the same thing. Thanks again for your help in buying my other Formula. Doesn't feel that long ago, was it really 8 years ago ? https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...060206-1-052636.html
bwwguru is going to meet me at a local small Trenton airport.
Congrats on the purchase!! A one of a kind creation for sure!
Thanks, Yes your right, there can only be one 1st.
quote
Originally posted by 85LAMB:
Congratulations on your new ride
check your PM
Thanks, PM answered.
quote
Originally posted by bmwguru:
This week, we had to add cruise control as per the new owner. It took me a few weeks to figure out how to do that as there isn't a thottle body on a diesel. You can take the intake manifold off and still run the engine on a diesel. Anyway, I wound up using a Jetta cruise stalk and wired it in, but the tricky part was getting the brake switch signals to read correctly. The first attempt lead to engine codes and a flashing glow plug light, but after going through the cruise testing procedure, I got the system to work as if it were still in the Jetta. Dave
This was a huge task I asked for, I was afraid couldn't be done. After searching many VW & diesel forums, I saw where many people tried & failed at adding cruise to TDI that was transplanted into a non VW. I was confident in bmwguru's abilites to figure out a way to get it done. When the TDI community realizes someone has figured out how to overcome this hurdle, Dave will be inundated with requests for information on how he mastered this.
The past few weeks as bmwguru was working on this, I received calls he was still trying, but couldn't get it yet. Yesterday when Dave called me, I held my breath waiting for the final yes / no answer, Dave announced, "you now have a working cruise control", I was so happy. What great news. Thank you Dave.
I don't know how many of you use your own cruise control, but I use mine every day, can't stand driving a car without one. Since adding one to a car I had back in 1974, I've had one in each car. I remember ordering a 79 Capri w/ 4 sp, asked for cruise, the dealer said no, that's only for automatics, turned out, this was the first year Ford offered it with a manual. Of course, it's common place nowadays. All they had to do was add a 2nd brake switch to the clutch pedal, took them a long time to figure that out.
quote
Originally posted by Formula88:
I'm happy you got the TDI, but remember, you have to DRIVE this one! Wait, it's red. You can drive the red ones, right?
Oh you guy ... lol, Yes, I've beeen enjoying the current Red Formula, although as I said eariler, am getting tired of shifting, the short 15 minute commute to work, I'm going through the gears 8 to 10 times depending on how many lights I catch on red.
It's knid of like the cruise control thing, the less I need to do while driving, the better. Then I can text & surf more on the phone, - no, wait, that's been outlawed in these here parts !
Congrats on the new Fiero. I will be looking forward to seeing this one someday soon. We really need to set up a cruise sometime. Enjoy the new ride Have a Nice Day Gary
Congrats on the new Fiero. I will be looking forward to seeing this one someday soon. We really need to set up a cruise sometime. Enjoy the new ride Have a Nice Day Gary
Thanks Gary. 10-4 on the cruise, it's been awhile.
I'm leaving in the morning, flight leaves at 10:45 AM , gets to NJ at 1:25PM
I'll be catching the Autotrain in VA, Monday afternoon at 4 PM , it gets back to Sanford FL Tuesday morning around 9:30 AM
Flew in to Trenton this morning, Dave's wife picked me up at the airport. Met Dave at the shop. Went over the things I'd needed to know about the swap. Thanked Dave for creating the car I've been wanting for some time now.
Here's Dave putting my tag on.
Driving it is interestion, don't have a way to explain yet, as I'm still trying to get a feel for it so I can put it into words.
I've been driving it over some really bad roads, some of the bumps on the interstates are really ruff. The engine runs good, as Dave said before, it is quiteter than the V6 at cruising speeds. From a stop, when accelerating, can tell something is different.
I drove it over to my sisters & brother-in-laws house in Rockville MD, spending the night with them. Will drive over to the Autotrain tomarrow afternoon. Will add some video's later.
[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 09-05-2013).]
Dave said the inital puff of smoke is normal. I can say on normal acceleration I've seen no smoke. Wondering what drivers behine me are experiencing as I pull away from traffic lights. Not noticing anyone moving to another lane. Seems to be running very clean. Dave did say he set it up more towards fuel mileage than performance. I will say the engine pulls with alot of power, haven't nailed it.
The fuel mileage so far on the trip was over 50 mpg, which I'm very happy with. Better than my motorcycle !
I've been driving it daily, looks like the next update on mileage won't be for a few weeks, 500 miles to a tank does look possible.
I'm seeing double !
[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 08-05-2017).]
Very cool. Have you experimented with the Amsoil Cetane that I gave you?
Dave
Yes, used 2 oz last fill up, will use 4 oz next to see if any change.
Your response reminded me, I found a local Automotive shop that was very interested in seeing this car when I stopped by to check them out.
One of their first comment was "Very Cool".
Actually it was pretty funny, I stopped by to see if they had a bolt for the engine cover, the guy asked do you have an example of what you need ?
Told him sure, I have it in the car. He asked, oh, do you have the bracket ? Told him, no, I've got the engine in the car.
He walked out to the car with me, started to look inside the interior for some reason, as I opened the rear trunk, he walked over and said "Oh, you have it in the car !!"
Then came the "Very cool" He called over some of the other techs, and the other comments were, "What a great idea", and "Holy crap - look at that !"
Went on to say, it looked like a clean install, saw the engine mounts, asked if the air worked and how did it drove, they were impressed.
[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 08-05-2017).]
The space coast gang anticipate seeing it at Daytona in March.
Hmm, lets see, Daytona is 226 miles from here, going to use about 4.1 gallons, I think that might be possible.
Like any Fiero, I do have a list of projects to get done before it could be concidered show ready.
Replacement nose, side windows, (going to see if my PPG supplier still has some), headliner, rear struts, sunroof hardware, Mrmikes leathers, Swap the radio, new paint job. It currently has a 10' paint job, which looks good in photo's.
Still getting to know the car, have been driving it daily. Swapped out the radio with the stock one I removed from other formula years ago. Sounds good.
Replaced the hardware on the sunroof glass, was missing the in & outside gaskets. Now it doesn't leak during the frequent afternoon thunder showers.
Still charting the fuel mileage, Only filled once since bringing it home. Enjoying the automatiac, as my right shoulder has been hurting due to an old injury, seems to flare up now & then durning the rainy season.
Here's a short video of the Jetta gauges at night, I like the blue w/ red pointers.
[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 08-05-2017).]
Due to the intence sun here in Florida, I made a sunshield out of some 1/4" plastic sheets I had laying around. Had to made it in two sections, as the stock was only so wide. I put some thin weather stripping down on the body of the sunroof to take care of any noise the plastic made w/out it.
It does the trick, with the glass in place , You can not see the white.
[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 08-05-2017).]
Does this cut down on some of the wind noise as well? I have a sheet of coroplast (corrugated plastic) that is about 5X8 FEET, plenty to make a sunshade from. Amazing what you can find during an election year.
Does this cut down on some of the wind noise as well? I have a sheet of coroplast (corrugated plastic) that is about 5X8 FEET, plenty to make a sunshade from. Amazing what you can find during an election year.
Can't say it does help with wind noise, as my sunroof was fairly quite to start with. It does help with the inside temp, I could feel a big differance in the cooling ability of the A/C. Next sunny day, feel how hot the inside glass is with your hand. I do have the factory sunroof pad, but it's not in the best shape, this was a short term fix until I get another one.
On the way home tonight, a kid in a Mazda Miata convertible was taunting me to run him, he nailed it from about 40 mph, I nailed the TDI Fiero.
Result ?
I blew him away !!! I couldn't believe it, when I nailed it, I could feel the front suspension raise up, the car just got up & hauled butt !!
At the next light he asked what I had in there, when I told him a TDI, his jaw dropped, and said What ? It was kind of funny. It was the first time I nailed it.
I don't usuallly race on the street, but it just had to be done this time !
3 months and counting since I picked up the TDI Fiero. Have been enjoy it and driving it every day. The performance is very good. Had a local shop reprogram the transmission into "touring economy mode"
That makes it shifts into higher gears sooner when your driving in a "normal" manner, which suits me fine. If I drive it harder, the transmisson will wind out as needed. It had been in adaptive mode, which according to the TDI forums, generally blamed for some erratic behavior and may not live up to the marketing literature. Coding to economy or sport modes disables the adaptive programming.
It is interesting watching people when I start it, you can tell they are trying to figure out why is sounds different, and while refueling, I'm sure some are thinking I'm using the wrong pump when filling. I just love driving it.
I am so glad that the swap is working well for you! I can't wait to do get mine done...mine is going to be with a 5 speed. Please keep posting, because I like to follow your updates and see if there are any issues or challenges after the swap.
I let the kids out to play together for a few hours. I had the day off, I drove both of them today.
The V6 Formula has been enjoying a 4 month rest, started right up, drove it around town. The A/C still cold as ever, took a few shifts before I got used to shifting again. The leather seats reminded me how soft and inviting they were. I can't stand the cloth seats of the TDI Fiero. As soon as I got back to the house, I called MrMikes, talked to him about the new seats I want for the TDI Fiero. I will put in my order in soon. I also visited the paint shop, need to line up the painting soon, before I install the seats.
[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 08-05-2017).]
Update: Had a little setback, the diesel injection pump had a very small leak , I set up an appointment at a local garage that specializes in diesel engines, to change the gasket that was causing the leak.
Skip to the 1 min mark, you can see the leak start at that point.
While waiting for the day of the appointment, I noticed the battery warning light had come on. I hooked it up to my computer & discovered the alternator was not charging anymore. I looked on-line, found this failure usually caused by the voltage regular magnets wearing out. They are located inside the rear on the alternator. The magnets new, are about 1 inch in length, the pair ride on the internal shaft, when worn, they can be as short as 1/4 inch.
Cost wise, the labor to pull alternator out, remove the voltage regulator, the cost of new & install new regulator, then reinstall in the car, then hope that was the only problem vs having them install a whole new alternator was close to the same. I opted for a new alternator.
I found out later, when the shop installed the first alternator, they found it was defective, they ordered a second one, installed it, it also was defective. The third unit turned out to be good, it was 120 amp vs the 90 amp stock unit. As a result, I now find the electric windows operate much faster that before. The shop replaced all the gaskets on the pump, they said it would be better to do all now, instead of only the leaking one. They did it at no extra cost, I didn't expect that, glad they did it.
I took the car for a drive on Sunday, the performance of the engine & trans seemed a bit different, while driving with cruise on at 45 mph, over a slight incline, the trans now downshifts to get over the rise, it never did that before. On the hwy, it does not down shift on a slight rise. They may have reprogramed the trans to performance mode.
Took a short video while on the drive. I checked the mpg after the 88 mile trip, it got 55.7 mpg.
[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 12-11-2024).]
Adapt the throttle by using basic settings group 060 on your VAG-COM. That should fix the new odd issues since the battery was disconnected. That should be done every time that the battery is disconnected. Dave
Adapt the throttle by using basic settings group 060 on your VAG-COM. That should fix the new odd issues since the battery was disconnected. That should be done every time that the battery is disconnected. Dave
Thanks for the info, checked timming when up to temperature, was above the mid line, but not over the top line. Runs great.
Also, I fixed the link to the above video showing the leak, wasn't working yesterday.
