Diesel swap

[Bilbo19]

Hi, I'm from France and I have started to swap my 740 D24 wagon with a D5252T 2.5 tdi engine.

I'm basically doing the same thing as this guy did : https://turbobricks.com/index.php?threads/white-940-2-5tdi-wagon.357583/
So nothing new, but it's my first swap and not so easy for me.

For the moment I did a couple of things : find a doubtful engine, shortening the oil pan and pickup tube, engine mounts, etc...
Today is the day the volvo enter the shop for the last time with suffering D24, I will post some pictures of the work in the course of time.

 

[Jack]

I like your shed

 

[doucheNozzle]

That's cool but like Jack said, badass shed

 

[Bilbo19]

Thank you! I built it a few years ago, unfortunately in a property that is not mine, so now I have to leave it in a few months... This project is the last thing I will do in it.
Two years ago, I installed a second-hand lift which is very practical, even if it's really tight!

Anyway, engine is out today :

 

[TouzinFish]

Dream shed.

 

[Bilbo19]

Cleaning up an old diesel engine is a pain...

Do you think a bit of paint is necessary? I admit I don't really have the courage...

 

[v8volvo]

Agreed, very nice work space. Too bad you have to leave, that hoist is a perfect fit in there.

Good looking wagon and it should be a great swap, wish these engines were an option for us here in the US where they were never imported. The 2.5 TDI is about as good as it gets.

Looks like you are already making nice progress with getting the shortened oil pan on there. If it were me, I wouldn't paint anything. It already looks pretty nice and clean. Often, painting an engine that is not completely stripped to bare block ends up not being a good outcome, it will look nice at first but then after a year or two the paint will be flaking, etc. I prefer to just drop it in with factory paint, will look all the more original in there. Also easier to work on in the future if you don't have paint in the threaded holes, on fastener heads, etc. But no doubt it will work out well whichever way you choose to go.

What are you planning to do for the injection pump? Run a mechanical pump conversion? Or are you going to use the TDI's original electronic pump and controls? And what turbo/exhaust manifold and oil filter mount? I would guess the D5252T stuff would be a difficult fit in the RWD chassis but maybe parts from an Audi C4 AEL/AAT/etc version of this engine would work more easily.

 

[Bilbo19]

Hey, thank you very much!

You don't have any 2.5 tdi in the US? Even in VW Transporter T4? Or Crafter LT28 / LT35?
Here in France Audi C4 are not common but a lot of VW van have 2.5tdi (88/102/151hp), and also V70 first generation and 850 (D5252t 140hp)
My daily is a A6 C4, that's why I'm used to this engine...
At the beginning for this project I bought a Audi C4 AEL engine, but talking with petiww it's seems that it will hardly fit the Volvo, because of the shape of the head that doesn't fit the Volvo head cover. And we need a Volvo head cover here because the engine is not inclined as it is in a Audi.
So a friend of mine gave me an old D5252t, partially disassembled, minimum 350000km, but I hope it's in good condition!

For the injection pump, my plan is to use a TDI-M pump (mechanical pump with internals of a TDI pump). As I don't have sufficient diesel knowledge to build it myself, I found a diesel guy in my area who will build it for me.
Today I packed all the stuff I got for him :

Also I will use AEL pump bracket, cause it allows to turn the pump to settle injection timing, lot more practical than the D5252t system with two rollers.

I have 3 original turbos, I will use the one which is in better condition. And I'm using AAT/AET exhaust manifold. A guy in a northern country did it with a D52 manifold but, so it's possible but Audi manifold seems to be easier to use.
For the oil filter mount, I will use D24tic setup, with the original oil cooler radiator.
Finally, I'm happy to have 3 engines at home (AEL, D5252t, and D24) to pick up any part I want to use from any engine!

Thank you for your interest, and I hope what I say in english is understandable, I prefer to use my own brain than other intelligence...

 

[Bilbo19]

Today I had to settle an approximate timing as the engine has no timing belt when I got it.
I will do the definitive timing latter with a dial gauge, and see if the mark on the m90 gearbox will be aligned with the flywheel mark.

Rusty water pump :

And the whole thing approximately timed, with new water pump, oil pump gasket, crankshaft and AAC sealing rings :

I had to re-weld the little pin that maintain the tensioner, it's a frequent cause of timing belt braking in those engines. Took a 6mm drill, it'ill be stronger!

Checked the AAC condition, a bit of rust on the first cam, but only superficial, not bad after standing a few years outside without the vacuum pump to close the head hermetically :

 

[Bilbo19]

A bit of cleaning in the engine bay :

 

[moise]

salut, j'ai deja fais ce swap, le seul conseil que je puisse te donner: reste en pompe elec, c'est mieux consomme moins plus performant et fais pas un bruit de merde

 

[Bilbo19]

Ah mince, merci du conseil mais j'ai déjà ammené ma pompe chez un gars qui fait des pompes mtdi. J'avais envie de faire comme ça pour rester en tout mécanique. Après si ça me va pas je pourrais toujours changer sur le tard.
Ton swap roule toujours? J'avais essayé de te contacter il me semble, si jamais ça te dérange pas, je serais toujours chaud d'échanger à ce sujet, ça reste difficile de trouver des gens qui ont fait ce swap...

 

[Bilbo19]

Measuring and cutting the oil pan, to fit this 6 cylinders D24 pan on the 5 cylinders engine.
Bolt patterns are nearly the same, and you can use the small marks on the side of the pan to take good measurement.

Then I took it to a welding shop because I don't have the tools to weld aluminum. I'm really not satisfied by their work, welds are not so clean, it's not flat and the didn't weld the inside. It will certainly leak...

But I only have to grind two holes and it fits perfectly.
If I have to do it again, I will go to a better shop, and weld it bolted on a naked bloc.

 

[moise]

Ah mince, merci du conseil mais j'ai déjà ammené ma pompe chez un gars qui fait des pompes mtdi. J'avais envie de faire comme ça pour rester en tout mécanique. Après si ça me va pas je pourrais toujours changer sur le tard.
Ton swap roule toujours? J'avais essayé de te contacter il me semble, si jamais ça te dérange pas, je serais toujours chaud d'échanger à ce sujet, ça reste difficile de trouver des gens qui ont fait ce swap...

etonnement je recois pas les notifications, contact moi via fb profil MoiseCorp ou Reivilo si tu veux, ma 240 est partie dans le nord, j'ai entendu qu'elle roulait tjrs.

 

[Bilbo19]

J'ai pas fb ni aucun réseau social...
Et j'arrive même pas à t'envoyer un message privé ici je sais pas pourquoi.
T'es de quel coin toi?

Bon pour l'instant j'ai pas vraiment de galère à part que mon vilo est bloqué suite au remplacement des vis de palier...
Et j'ai toujours pas trouvé d'arbre pour ma M90 mais j'en suis pas encore là.
Je vais partir avec une M90 et volant bi-masse + embrayage de D5252T j'espère que ça fit direct.
Après faudra trouver une solution pour le pont car en 4.10 ça va tirer très court...

Mais si t'as des conseils pratiques sur des trucs ou je pourrais me casser la tête n'hésites pas!

 

[v8volvo]

Hey, thank you very much!

You don't have any 2.5 tdi in the US? Even in VW Transporter T4? Or Crafter LT28 / LT35?
Here in France Audi C4 are not common but a lot of VW van have 2.5tdi (88/102/151hp), and also V70 first generation and 850 (D5252t 140hp)
My daily is a A6 C4, that's why I'm used to this engine...
At the beginning for this project I bought a Audi C4 AEL engine, but talking with petiww it's seems that it will hardly fit the Volvo, because of the shape of the head that doesn't fit the Volvo head cover. And we need a Volvo head cover here because the engine is not inclined as it is in a Audi.
So a friend of mine gave me an old D5252t, partially disassembled, minimum 350000km, but I hope it's in good condition!

For the injection pump, my plan is to use a TDI-M pump (mechanical pump with internals of a TDI pump). As I don't have sufficient diesel knowledge to build it myself, I found a diesel guy in my area who will build it for me.
Today I packed all the stuff I got for him :

Also I will use AEL pump bracket, cause it allows to turn the pump to settle injection timing, lot more practical than the D5252t system with two rollers.

I have 3 original turbos, I will use the one which is in better condition. And I'm using AAT/AET exhaust manifold. A guy in a northern country did it with a D52 manifold but, so it's possible but Audi manifold seems to be easier to use.
For the oil filter mount, I will use D24tic setup, with the original oil cooler radiator.
Finally, I'm happy to have 3 engines at home (AEL, D5252t, and D24) to pick up any part I want to use from any engine!

Thank you for your interest, and I hope what I say in english is understandable, I prefer to use my own brain than other intelligence...

Nice plan, that sounds like it all will work out great. Building the TDI-M pump will certainly make the installation into the Volvo far easier for hooking it directly to the original controls, etc and not having to worry about wiring installation. Good for simplicity, easy tuning, and the TDI-M pumps can perform very well if built properly. I like your recipe for the turbos and oil filter mount too. It's great that you have the three different types of engines to combine parts from.

Your human-intelligence English is great, far better than my French!

I'll have to use some AI translation to understand the French posts though.

No, we never got this 5cyl TDI engine in any models (T4 Transporter, C4 Audi, and Volvo P80 all were only available here with petrol engines and the LT series was never available here at all). It's painful because we know that this is a fantastic engine and is very common over in your part of the world. Some folks have brought them over here for use in swap projects. I have a friend locally who has done two swaps into T4 vans that were originally gas powered. The cars are old enough now to be legal for import too. So there are a few around, but very rare, and no parts support. It's a shame because it's a perfect engine for a RWD Volvo, powerful/efficient/smooth/quiet, and an easy fit in the engine bay.

Your timing work looks nice, never knew about that issue with the tensioner pin, fun to be learning here as you go through this on an engine that we are not familiar with. Agree that the oil pan work doesn't look great, but I bet it will seal up just fine if you don't use a gasket and instead seal it with silicone (like the VW engines often use from the factory). The small gap where the flange is uneven will be filled and stay dry. I think you are right that there is a risk of it also leaking through the weld that was only done on one side, but I think you could use some cold weld epoxy product (JB Weld is the popular one here in the US) on the inside of the pan to fill and seal that, and it would work out no problem. Might not be the most aesthetic solution but it's hidden inside the motor and it will do the job, if you want to use that pan as it is.

Thanks for continuing the updates and photos, look forward to watching this come together. That is a nice clean rust-free chassis and engine bay you are dropping it into!

 

[moise]

je suis du 21

 

[v8volvo]

I don't have Facebook or any social media...
And I can't even send you a private message here, I don't know why.
Where are you from?

Well, for the moment I don't really have any problems apart from the fact that my crankshaft is stuck after replacing the bearing screws...
And I still haven't found a tree for my M90 but I'm not there yet.
I'm going to go with an M90 and dual-mass flywheel + D5252T clutch, I hope it fits straight away.
Afterwards we will have to find a solution for the bridge because in 4.10 it will be very short...

But if you have any practical advice on things I might struggle with, don't hesitate!

Easy enough to find a different axle I would believe. At least here in North America, the gasoline engine manual transmission 740 cars usually had either a 3.54 or 3.31 differential. Either of those would probably work pretty well. And there are aftermarket gear sets you can install that get even taller.

 

[Bilbo19]

Nice plan, that sounds like it all will work out great. Building the TDI-M pump will certainly make the installation into the Volvo far easier for hooking it directly to the original controls, etc and not having to worry about wiring installation. Good for simplicity, easy tuning, and the TDI-M pumps can perform very well if built properly. I like your recipe for the turbos and oil filter mount too. It's great that you have the three different types of engines to combine parts from.

Your human-intelligence English is great, far better than my French!

I'll have to use some AI translation to understand the French posts though.

No, we never got this 5cyl TDI engine in any models (T4 Transporter, C4 Audi, and Volvo P80 all were only available here with petrol engines and the LT series was never available here at all). It's painful because we know that this is a fantastic engine and is very common over in your part of the world. Some folks have brought them over here for use in swap projects. I have a friend locally who has done two swaps into T4 vans that were originally gas powered. The cars are old enough now to be legal for import too. So there are a few around, but very rare, and no parts support. It's a shame because it's a perfect engine for a RWD Volvo, powerful/efficient/smooth/quiet, and an easy fit in the engine bay.

Your timing work looks nice, never knew about that issue with the tensioner pin, fun to be learning here as you go through this on an engine that we are not familiar with. Agree that the oil pan work doesn't look great, but I bet it will seal up just fine if you don't use a gasket and instead seal it with silicone (like the VW engines often use from the factory). The small gap where the flange is uneven will be filled and stay dry. I think you are right that there is a risk of it also leaking through the weld that was only done on one side, but I think you could use some cold weld epoxy product (JB Weld is the popular one here in the US) on the inside of the pan to fill and seal that, and it would work out no problem. Might not be the most aesthetic solution but it's hidden inside the motor and it will do the job, if you want to use that pan as it is.

Thanks for continuing the updates and photos, look forward to watching this come together. That is a nice clean rust-free chassis and engine bay you are dropping it into!

Hey, thank you for showing such interest!

And thanks for the m-Tdi encouragement!! It seems to be a matter which divides ahah.
You seem to have a good knowledge of TDIs engines when it's not even present in you country. I don't know nothing about american V8 engines ahah! I am very interested by cars difference between different parts of the world, and in general, differences between Europe and the US.
Here I think over 90% of the automobile fleet are equipped with 4 cylinders engine under 2.0l, and American vehicles are pretty rare.

Cool to share some tips about AAT / AEL engines with an other side of the world anyway! Tdi guys should have a lot of motivation to use those engines over there with no part avaible!
For the oil pan, you would not use a gasket at all? Only sealant?
I didn't tought about epoxy for the interior but it's a good idea, except if I find someone to weld it.

For the axle ratio, yes I can easily find a 3.31 axle here, I hear they are some rare factory 3.15 axles but never seen it...

Chassis and engine bay are not totaly rust free, but it's not a big deal for a 35 years old car!
I'm actually taking care of that point.


A little hole there on each side, and I have to change the battery compartment :

Tried to get out the floor insulation but it's too hardly stuck with glue so I made a little window so it doesn't burn and I can paint it from the top after weld :

If anyone don't know the scotch technique :

Will finish this tomorow.

 

[petiww]

I'm following this journey, good luck here, too!

Not too bad job on the oil pan. How much is the warpage?
I'd advise you against the 'no oil pan gasket' method. That sets the bellhousing lower threaded holes to the correct position. Also, buy a gasket for a D5252T which has the protrusions near the bellhousing sides. I wrongly bought one for metal oil pans, and it was a fight to button it up.

You can easily leak test it with petrol or something similar from inside, which gets into the pores quite well.