How do you know if it was a Diesel?

[GRN_VAGN]

Just wondering how do you tell if a Mk1 has been converted from diesel to petrol?
Besides the engine obviously

[Jarred]

Just wondering how do you tell if a Mk1 has been converted from diesel to petrol?
Besides the engine obviously

diesels have under bonnet matting, and a clock in place of a tacho, both of which are easy to remove/swap/ad. also the badges

The diesel timing advance cold start thingy would be a bit harder to add in. It's on the bottom left of the steering colum, just under the dash. could be used later as a choke for a petrol.

I believe we only got diesels late 78, 79 and 80. Check for alot of oil and grime under teh car (seriously) diesels seem to be alot filthier than the petrols! Diesels have bigger fuel lines, but this might be harder to see visually, or non comparitively.

Diesels also didn't have any emissions stuff! like the carbon canister in the raintray on the left. Diesels didn't even have a bracket there. (although, a petrol could of had it's bracket removed)

there would also be some differences with the wiring, a diesel that's been converted to a petrol would have had some 'loom' added for the coil & etc. Diesel have a glow plug relay, but I'm not sure if the fuse box's are different.

tha'ts all I can think of atm.

[GRN_VAGN]

Well i got a Tacho
No under bonnet matting
No carbon canister or mounts in left of rain tray either.

Just wanting to know cause ive read Petrol Golfs have a Resistor built into the loom for the coil.
And diesels dont.

Dan

[Peter Jones]

The give away in your car is the two 8mm studs protruding from the driver side shock tower. This is where the diesel fuel filter mounts. Only the diesel cars had these studs. I can just make one out in this picture.

You should also have quite large fuel lines as Jarred points out. Your fuel tank will have large diameter outlets too.

[Jarred]

Spot on there Pete!

( I knew I missed something)

(EDIT: I tried to find a pic from my old build but nothing, I'm sure you'll be able to see them no worries though)

[Oneofthegreats]

The RH strut tower studs were to hold the diesel fuel filter from memory.

All diesels I can remember came out with plastic bumper bars

You should also have a relay on your fusebox which has "massive" wires coming of it.
This was for the glow plugs. This wiring also proceeds into the engine bay where a normal ignition coil would mount, but instead is a big fuse from memory.


Diesel's also had a different fuel tank which was also the same as the K-Jet equipped cars.

The easiest way to identify them is a top mount fuel sender unit which is accessed from under the rear seat. They also have a 1/2" fuel pipe outlet

All the carb'd versions had a side mount sender in the tanks which is accessed from the RHS just near the trailing arm.


They had a glow plug pull/choke on the LH side of the steering column which is a bracket sandwiched between the steering column & steering column mount. Most people just swing off the bracket till it breaks off, cause they can't remove the sheer/break off bolts, so they're most likely be a tiny metal plate still left in there, or the entire mount.


Another couple of thing's that I'm not really 100% on was if the diesels were the only mk1's fitted with a coolant expansion tank on the LH strut housing.

All the factory petrol cars I've seen had the "in-built" expansion tank & filler on the radiator.

Diesels had a larger rad. fan too. My stock diesel had a larger/longer fan motor than the petrol ones I've had.

Diesels had bigger, fatter start motor's which is the way to go for any conversion with a 020 gearbox.

GLD's also had a thinker front under carpet sound insulation

Alot of the stuff can be converted over easy enough & if your good with electrics & reading wiring diagrams etc,. I'm sure you can work it out as many other VWW members have done the same before.



Not all the petrol cars had the canister mounts in the rain tray either. My stock 77 didn't' have them, as it had EGR valve system straight into the cyl. head from the airbox. But my 76 did have this setup with the pollution tank in the RHF inner wheel arch.

[hiho]

i had a 78 diesel with steel bumpers. It was a one family owned car (grandfather, father and daughter) without the holes in the guards for the plastic bumpers. its the silver one in my avatar actually

[Oneofthegreats]

i had a 78 diesel with steel bumpers. It was a one family owned car (grandfather, father and daughter) without the holes in the guards for the plastic bumpers. its the silver one in my avatar actually

Well there you go!

Everyday is a school day.

Must have been one of the very first diesels or maybe MY79, even though it was in 78.

VW change model years over at Sept. eg. 9/80 is a MY 81 etc.

BMW are identical with there model year change over of Sept.

[Peter Jones]

The RH strut tower studs were to hold the diesel fuel filter from memory.

Yep, I've unbolted a few of those now.

You should also have a relay on your fusebox which has "massive" wires coming of it.
This was for the glow plugs. This wiring also proceeds into the engine bay where a normal ignition coil would mount, but instead is a big fuse from memory.

Correct again - a bloody big fuse holder which is usually melted and the fuse long gone and replaced by fencing wire.


Good call on the other items too.

Another area of difference was in the front hubs, the diesels all got 17mm ball joints rather than the 15mm units of the petrol cars. They also got 10mm thick solid discs rather than 12mm discs that were on the petrol cars.The GLDs got thicker brake pads to account for the thinner disc.

Diesel hubs are preferred for racing applications due to the bigger ball joint.

GLDS also got the black plastic trim between the tail lights.

GLDS have different front springs and sit very high when you convert to a petrol motor.

A lot of the GLDs got the twin down pipe exhaust although I did find one with a single downpipe recently.

GLDs should of course have a clock in lieu of a tacho and glow plug warning lamps on the dash.

Rear gearbox mount is made from tougher stuff too but there's no way to tell by just looking at it.

Probably some other stuff I've forgotten too

[Oneofthegreats]

haha. Your rattling my brain now pete!

The diesels also had a larger RH engine mount which is preferred for conversions. Its also stiffer as well

Diesel 74.6mm
Petrol 64.4mm (this engine mount is also the same as the gearbox side mount too!)

Forgot all about the hubs too! This is always on my standard issue mod lists for mk's too!

I thought that 79 onwards all had the rear # plate black out?

[Peter Jones]

Not sure about the black out now, haven't seen many 78 onwards petrol golfs.

Another diesel oddity was the wheel widths. Diesel cars got narrower wheels 4.5Jx13 rather than 5Jx13

The GLDs don't have the brackets for the air filter box on the RHS chassis leg either as the diesel air filter sat on top of the motor.

[Golf Loon]

They actually sold diesels here till 82!

The latest one I have ever seen was an 81 though.

Interestingly, all Post mid 80 Mk1s had the big taillights.

All the late 1980 and 81 diesels I have seen have the smalls, which makes me think thay are probably 1979 cars that were sitting around somewhere and merely complianced later.

[Peter Jones]

Yeah, there's some inexplicable stuff in those years, I've got two 79 GLD's only a couple of months apart, the earlier is set up for rear retracting seatbelts.

Diesel clutch cables bend 90° at the firewall.
Diesel accelerator cables have a ball fitting on the end.
and of course diesel gear boxes are tougher

[Oneofthegreats]

and of course diesel gear boxes are tougher

Amen! hahahahaha