Vanagon diesel to Golf 4-cyl gas conversion
By Tom Gray
I took out the diesel engine (and put it in my uncle's '81 rabbit) and put in
a 1.8L gas engine out of an '85 Golf (with 200k miles on it). I bolted the
fuel pump & filter just behind the gas tank underneath the sliding door. I
put the air cleaner and mass sensor on the right side, where the battery used to
be (I had to lower the battery shelf). The battery went under the rear seat.
I had a lot of trouble with the injection hoses - I was too cheap to buy
custom made ones at first, I tried to make some out of rubber hose and brake
line. Big mistake - the soft rubber 'pulsed' and made the van shudder and
backfire. I spent $80 for a custom made set and fixed all the trouble.
Oh, another problem - I remembered to put in the pilot bearing for the input
shaft to the transmission. However, the end of the crankshaft on the gas
engine wasn't bored quite as deep as the diesel. The engine ran fine for 500
miles then started shaking, etc. I found metal shavings in the oil, and the
motor seemed to bind when I turned it by hand. I took the oil pan off and
found that the crankshaft was pushed all the way toward the 'front' of the
engine (which faces towards the back of the van). I zipped the end of the
input shaft and haven't had any trouble since.
It's not as pretty as I would like it yet. The coolant expansion tank is tied up with
nylon zip ties, I haven't welded up the hole in the left side firewall.
I also had problems with the wiring. The diagram in my manual was wrong. I ended up going to
the dealer and looking at theirs. It was simple after that - my electric problem was that the
wiring for 'cold start' injector was wrong - the diagram showed timer elements that didn't exist. I wound up
wiring it directly to the starter (so that the cold start injector functions while the starter
is cranking) and the 'thermo time switch'. Works just fine now.
I can go 70 on the highway (normally do around 65), but the engine really
hums because of the low gear ratio. I had a muffler system built at Midas
(about $150). I'm getting 20+ (plus very little, maybe 21) MPG.
I'm taking the family north toward Indianapolis this weekend in the camper. Here's a picture of the
van 'in action' at either a TN or KY campground.
Tom Gray
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Tom Carrington
a 1.8L gas engine out of an '85 Golf (with 200k miles on it). I bolted the
fuel pump & filter just behind the gas tank underneath the sliding door. I
put the air cleaner and mass sensor on the right side, where the battery used to
be (I had to lower the battery shelf). The battery went under the rear seat. 
I had a lot of trouble with the injection hoses - I was too cheap to buy
custom made ones at first, I tried to make some out of rubber hose and brake
line. Big mistake - the soft rubber 'pulsed' and made the van shudder and
backfire. I spent $80 for a custom made set and fixed all the trouble.
It's not as pretty as I would like it yet. The coolant expansion tank is tied up with
nylon zip ties, I haven't welded up the hole in the left side firewall.
I can go 70 on the highway (normally do around 65), but the engine really
hums because of the low gear ratio. I had a muffler system built at Midas
(about $150). I'm getting 20+ (plus very little, maybe 21) MPG.
I'm taking the family north toward Indianapolis this weekend in the camper. Here's a picture of the
van 'in action' at either a TN or KY campground.