Ranger Biodiesel Swap - First Start (Video Post)

 The first start and run of my Volkswagen 1.6NA swapped 1999 Ford Ranger. The process required several hours of bleeding air from the fuel lines and purging old diesel residue from the system, and now it runs perfectly! It's been approximately 20-25 years since this engine ran, and it was eager to clear out the cobwebs.

Ranger Biodiesel Swap - Spare Engine

I purchased a spare 1.6NA engine on Facebook Marketplace for parts, but ultimately saved a lot less than I thought I would. Unfortunately, it had been left out in the rain on a wooden pallet, and was completely full of water. I salvaged the cylinder head, intake, exhaust, vacuum pump, and lower timing cover, and scrapped the seized block.

The real prize was this lower timing belt cover, which is surprisingly hard to find and was missing from my engine. I shaved some ribs off the front to improve clearance with the alternator belt, painted the front of the engine block, and reinstalled all the parts.

Ranger Biodiesel Swap - Alternator Adapters

 To simplify wiring, I decided to mount the original Ford alternator on the VW engine. There's no tensioner pulley for the serpentine v-belt, so I fabricated a hinged adapter and tensioning rod.

The first version of the hinged adapter was made from billet aluminum. 

Next, I turned an aluminum v-belt pulley on my lathe, to match to profile of the original VW pulleys.

Finally, I bent a steel bracket that curves around the outside of the alternator and bolts to the engine block. With an 8mm socket cap bolt and fender washers, I made a tensioner that pulls the belt tight, rather than pushes.

After installing the engine, I discovered that the alternator was hitting the steering u-joint and needed to be rotated higher. The aluminum hinge was at its limit of travel, so I made a replacement out of steel that allowed better clearance.

Ranger Biodiesel Swap - Throttle Cable Adapter

Now that the engine is solidly located and installed, it's time to work through the smaller details. For the sake of simplicity and spare parts, I wanted to adapt the original throttle cable to the VW injection pump. 

The VW cable sleeve was round and the Ford sleeve is rectangular, so I carefully filed the retainer bracket until the Ford cable fit. The next step was the adapter between the cable end and the lever on the fuel injection pump.

My first attempt was a simple block, but I realized that the cable end would slightly rotate in the retaining hole, causing friction and wear.

I designed a second adapter, with a guide slot hand-filed with a partial radius. This radius will support the braided cable itself as the lever moves through its circular motion, without causing the cable end to move. This results in a smooth and repeatable throttle action.

 

Ranger Biodiesel Swap - Thermostat And Radiator Hoses

With the engine more-or-less in its final position, the next steps are wiring and plumbing the various accessories. I started with the cooling system.

Using some rough measurements, I searched through the molded coolant hoses on the back shelves at my local auto parts store, to find the right combinations of inner diameters, curves, and lengths. The hoses attached to the radiator have a 1.5" inner diameter, whereas the hoses attached to the engine have a 1.25" inner diameter. Therefore, it was necessary to use single-piece stepped hose adapters, which I found on Amazon made from billet aluminum. The lower adapter also has a threaded port machined into the side, which I used for the heater core return hose (originally 1/8 NPT, bored out to 1/4 NPT). The final parts list consisted of:

Lower Hose

- Dayco 70989 Hose

- Dayco 71852 Hose

- ICT Billet Radiator Hose Barb Coupler with 1/8" NPT Port 1-1/4" to 1-1/2"

Upper Hose

- Continental 62968 Hose

- Continental 61782 Hose

- ICT Billet Radiator Hose Barb Coupler 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" 

 

Ranger Biodiesel Swap - VW 1.6NA Engine Refresh

I debated which engine to select as a donor, and settled on the iconic Volkswagen inline-4 cylinder. There are multiple options for displacement, natural- or forced-induction, electronic or mechanical, unit or common-rail, so I spent months researching and browsing Facebook Marketplace. 

One day, I stumbled across a 1.6L NA barn-find engine from an early 80's Rabbit. The price was right (super cheap!) and it was mostly complete, so I drove to Lancaster PA to retrieve it.

The 1.6L NA engine was only rated at 55hp, and was considered SLOW even when new. This particular one was also in less than ideal condition (as you'll see), and may not run well enough to be the final donor engine for this project. Despite that, these do have a reputation for reliability and fuel economy, so it was worth the risk.

However, one major advantage of the VW 4 cylinder diesel, is that the bolt patterns and block dimensions are nearly interchangeable across 30 years of production, so fabricated adapters will be reusable. Any engine mounting brackets, flywheel adapters, or bellhousing adapters that fit a 1.6L NA will also fit a 1.9L Turbo engine. Worst case scenario, this 1.6Lwill work perfectly as a mock-up engine.

Barn-Fresh and ready to rebuild.

Quick trip to the carwash for some quality time with a high-pressure wand.

Unfortunately, a mouse had built a nest inside the cylinder #1 combustion chamber, so it was necessary to pull the head and perform a quick top-end refresh. I scraped the carbon off all 4 piston domes, cleaned the bores of all debris and corrosion, and relubricated everything to soak the rings.

I also discovered stress cracks between the intake and exhaust valves on all 4 cylinders, which is apparently a common and ignorable design flaw with these engines. I decided to grind out majority of the cracks, and polish the remaining affected material to prevent localized overheating.

Finally, I retapped all of the external threaded lugs, scraped off the loose paint and rust, degreased the block, and repainted with a fresh coat of "Detroit Diesel Green"

The top end was treated to a fresh set of gaskets and seals, a new timing belt and tensioner kit, and the intake from a later-model engine.