Club 80-90 Forums

Just back from a 600+ mile round trip over the last week under newly installed Tdi power. The driving was a mixture of motorways, A-roads, B-roads on stupid gradients and and pleased to say it ran perfectly, It really has given my bus a new lease of life, and so glad to be back in it after months off the road



There's more pics and details in this blog post:-

http://campervanthings.com/2014/05/23/v ... onversion/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'll also post to this thread with any updates/ issues as they come up.

Good blog post.
Can I ask what this cost you?

keytouch wrote:Good blog post.
Can I ask what this cost you?

Well I got a really good deal because it was partly a continuation of a previous install which hadn't gone quite to plan (oil-burning 1Y), plus he used several parts from his own bus, and it was fitted in around other jobs. Don't hold me to this, but a ballpark for Millers to do an install like this (i.e. using a T25 gearbox) would be around £1.5k + engine + gearbox, depending on what you have to start with (i.e. diesel bell housing, input shaft etc) and what condition existing hoses, wiring etc. are in. Probably best to speak to them for a quote if you are considering it, and be prepared for a wait, as the backlog was growing fast when I finally picked up mine!

different idea for the fly by wire setup, not seen one like that before


for the dipstick, the original 1Z one just needs to be lengthened and then marked when you first fill with oil and it will look just like yours


just one question, where are the hoses going that head towards the battery side by the oil filter?

busbuddy wrote:different idea for the fly by wire setup, not seen one like that before

That was a late change in the install I think, inspired by a new T3 tdi-owning mechanic who started at Millers. I still have the cable routed to the engine bay in case it ever needs reverting. The throttle pedal is nice and light, but you have to get used to not hanging your toes off the top of the pedal.

busbuddy wrote: for the dipstick, the original 1Z one just needs to be lengthened and then marked when you first fill with oil and it will look just like yours

I was a bit spontaneous in ordering mine pre-fettled from the states - I might take it out and frame it

busbuddy wrote: just one question, where are the hoses going that head towards the battery side by the oil filter?

The thin one across the top (running just under the fuel pipe) is attached to the pressure cap on the coolant reservoir and feeds back into the system as per the installation in the golf. It used to feed to the top up tank behind the number plate (now removed). Of the other hoses I can see there, two are attached to the coolant reservoir and the other one heads off under the van towards the front. Are those the ones you meant, or am I misunderstanding?

pedal set up is good idea for rhd's where space is limited under the pedal, mine is lhd so easy to mount under floor



pipes are fine, just my old memory playing tricks, it just didnt add up last night

busbuddy wrote:different idea for the fly by wire setup, not seen one like that before


for the dipstick, the original 1Z one just needs to be lengthened and then marked when you first fill with oil and it will look just like yours


just one question, where are the hoses going that head towards the battery side by the oil filter?

Nice to see pics of how others do things. My pedal setup is very similar to this one but uses a cable tie instead of the rod. Pedal feels normal and at first I was always worried the tie would snap but 5 years and 20000 miles or so it is still OK. I might see if I can make a rod like that to give me confidence the cable tie is not going to snap on the next journey.

Air filter looks similar too - I used to get a lot of resonance though at about 100kmph which used to shake the kitchen furniture. Quieter if I drove faster or at 90kmph so chose the latter. This is with standard CS gearbox but I now have bigger tyres (205/80R14). One thing that helped with the noise was to make sure the air filter did not rest on the floor of that void.

pirate-pete wrote:
Air filter looks similar too - I used to get a lot of resonance though at about 100kmph which used to shake the room with an oven furniture. Quieter if I drove faster or at 90kmph so chose the latter. This is with standard CS gearbox but I now have bigger tyres (205/80R14). One thing that helped with the noise was to make sure the air filter did not rest on the floor of that void.

That's interesting, I get resonance between 65mph (105kmh) and 70mph (112kmh), I hadn't though of the air filter, might prop mine up to see if it makes a difference

OK, now that I have a new fuel tank that doesn't leak, I have the first meaningful mpg calculation:-

(401 miles) per (51.47 litres) =
35.4183572 miles per Imperial gallon

That was mostly fully loaded sat on motorway/ dual carriageway at 60 mph (62 on the speedo). The tank was brimmed and re-brimmed at the same filling station, at the same pump.

I'll update this thread when i've monitored it for a few more months.

those figures tie in nicely with my 1Z conversion

Over the last two tank fills, I've got 37mpg both times, thats a mix of motorway, cruising between 65-75 and the odd blast to get past traffic, town driving and waiting in traffic to get into shows

What gearbox code are you running?, mines an aap, and with bigger tyres I'm pulling 2900rpm @ 70mph from phone app, not dashboard as both speedo and tacho are in accurate, but milometer spot on

bobby-gg wrote:those figures tie in nicely with my 1Z conversion

Over the last two tank fills, I've got 37mpg both times, thats a mix of motorway, cruising between 65-75 and the odd blast to get past traffic, town driving and waiting in traffic to get into shows

What gearbox code are you running?, mines an aap, and with bigger tyres I'm pulling 2900rpm @ 70mph from phone app, not dashboard as both speedo and tacho are in accurate, but milometer spot on

The gearbox case is too corroded to read the code, all I know is it is a petrol 5-speed, maybe a 3H or AAP. I have also yet to calibrate my aftermarket tacho to get an idea of revs, and torque Pro and/or my cheap fleabay bluetooth dongle won't play with my 1995 ECU to get a revs reading that way.

I'm currently on stock wheels/tyres - what tyres are you running?

mines a 1996 Passat silver metal ecu, and use this bluetooth adapter, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221407952758? ... 1497.l2649, next day delivery too and use Touchscan app on my phone, all connects no problem

I'm running 215/75 16 tyres on the back, dropped my rpms by around 500 @ 70mph over stock

bobby-gg wrote:mines a 1996 Passat silver metal ecu, and use this bluetooth adapter, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221407952758? ... 1497.l2649, next day delivery too and use Touchscan app on my phone, all connects no problem

I'm running 215/75 16 tyres on the back, dropped my rpms by around 500 @ 70mph over stock

OK, mines the other one in their range:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-OBD2-ELM3 ... 338cf0b4b3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The protocols it supports seem to be exactly the same. It lights up, but it won't recognise the ECU. I've used it on other cars OK though

I suspect the problem is that pre-1996 seems to be the cut-off for OBD-II, but I might try touchscan in case it works though.

discipleofsketch wrote:I have also yet to calibrate my aftermarket tacho to get an idea of revs

You can make a strobe light accurate to better than 0.5% by connecting a 230V neon indicator lamp to the mains. A tippex mark on the crank pulley will appear stationary at 1500 and 3000 revs exactly. The national grid 50 herz is incredibly accurate.

Here's mine.



You can make it easier to read by putting a diode in series with the neon. Then it flashes half as fast.

colinthefox wrote:

discipleofsketch wrote:I have also yet to calibrate my aftermarket tacho to get an idea of revs

You can make a strobe light accurate to better than 0.5% by connecting a 230V neon indicator lamp to the mains. A tippex mark on the crank pulley will appear stationary at 1500 and 3000 revs exactly. The national grid 50 herz is incredibly accurate.

Here's mine.



You can make it easier to read by putting a diode in series with the neon. Then it flashes half as fast.

Cheers for the tip, I'm getting nowhere with computerised route - and I'm a professional geek!