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Pros and cons of a mechanical set up?

5K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  Cuban11182 
#1 ·
Sorry guys not familiar with the TDI. I have a 2001 beetle as a donor car for the motor computer etc., But I also found a company that sells 1.9 and 2.0 rebuilt but in a mechanical set up witch I kind of like the idea of not have electronics fail in the mountains. Does anyone have any tips and tricks to the the most reliable HP/Torque, can these put turned up like an old Dodge 12v?
 
#3 ·

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#5 ·
I was intrigued by the Mahindra Roxor and one thing lead to another and I'm building a daily driver from the ground up and putting it in a 71 Bronco half cab leaving all original gears, 3.54 three on the tree ect...from what I have read it's very attainable to produce the same results out of this ALH as a 70;s 302 motor witch was 141 HP and 242 lb/ft and that is what my 73 Bronco had and it got along well in the mountains when needed
 
#9 ·
I too would vote to use the electronics. There are good write-ups on standing alone the ALH engine and getting it to run is fairly easy. I am running one in a '02 Ford Ranger with injectors, turbo and a Malone 4 tune. The truck is a kick to drive.

All the gauges work, cruise and A/C and the install looks factory.

2000 RPM at 60 mph and it gets 33 mpg.
 
#10 ·
Both types have their merits. I have an eTDI fully built ALH motor in my CJ7. I have all the nice things that come with it: 11mm pump, big VNT GTD1756 turbo, and even cruise control that's controlled by the ECU. I have AC (not controlled by the ECU) defrost and heat. I get about 34 mpg, but I do push it a little bit. Being it's a CJ7 I can take the doors and top off, and even run with the windshield folded forward. Anyone that knows anything about old CJs is the tend to leak water inside. If I go offroading and have to cross some water, that's also an issue. You get water into that pedal and it'll limp @ 2000 rpms and that's that. You get water in the ECU. Nothing.

That said, I'm building a 12mm ALH/PD150 hybrid motor currently. It'll have 280 injectors and a Holset HE200WG. In theory it'll provide more fuel than the 11mm pump in the eTDI. Those injectors, turbo, and pump can make more power than the ALH I have in my CJ7, without the electronics. These are the same pump heads and flow the same fuel. It just takes mechanical aptitude to tune them (in addition to some hard parts, IE gov springs, etc). It just has to be tuned, the same way that your ECU should be tuned. The difference is that instead of using WinOLS and KESS/MPPS to tune then datalog with VCDS and flash the ECU (after your do the IMMO delete with VAG Commander) you get you a screw driver and make some adjustments. Additionally, you should use a pulse adapter to time to pump properly as well. From my understanding, 12 degrees BTDC is a great starting point.

So now, I take my CJ7 and go off-road and I can drive through whatever I want, without concern for sensitive electronics. My battery is dead, and I can't crank the starter? I need 12v to turn on the fuel solenoid and bump start it. With either a Land Rover 300 TDI pump (with a 11mm eTDI cam plate and gov shimmed so it'll rev over 5K rpms) or the 12mm mil spec (which revs over 4100 rpms stock) pumps that I have, I'll make more than enough power to make me scared to romp on it. Hell, she's pretty scary now in third gear and I floor it. I'll boost to 30 psi with a quickness and it's tuned down as well.

The first two pics are with the Land Rover 300 TDI pump. The last one is the 12mm mil spec pump. This is the video of the CJ.

In the end you do what you want to do. You want to make the highest power ALH in existence, you need to do compounds and it's probably best to run an eTDI. You want to make a fun vehicle that goes offroad without the need for spare sensors, pedals, ecus, etc, and you understand how these things are adjusted, then maybe mTDI is the ticket. Both have their pros and cons. There are many that talk smack about one or the other without fully understanding how they both work, and having ridden in or worked on either. I can say that I did everything on my CJ, so I have a greater understanding of how it all works over someone that purchased their wiring from someone. I did pay someone to do my tuning for me, but have all the software to make adjustments, and have a greater understanding of how the eTDI works as well.

Different strokes for different folks. This has been my two cents, and that's all it might be worth to some.
 

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