Mk2 1.8t Engine Conversion

[guythomas123]

HI ALL, I HAVE HAD MY GOLF MK2 GTI 8 VALVE FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS NOW AND IM WATING TO PUT A 1.8 20VALVE ENGINE INTO IT, IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP ME.IM WANTING TO SPEND ABOUT £2000-£2500 INC THE ENGINE ETC PLUS THE LABOUR.I HAVE LOOK ON EBAY AND CAN GET EVERYTHING NEEDED FOR CONVERSION FOR ABOUT £1000.IM IN THE LEEDS AREA PLEASE HELP!!!!THANKS GUY,MY EMAIL IS guy_thomas_7@hotmail.com

[Hex69]

I've got a 20V engine + a passat around it that i'm willing to sell cheaply!

[Crasher]

The Passat engine is the wrong way around, it is a longitudinal not transverse installation. Change the sump, oil pump, inlet manifold, exhaust manifold/turbo/downpipe, clutch/flywheel and some other parts and you could use it but then you still have to go out and find those parts.

You are really going to struggle doing the job for £2.5K unless you do EVERYTHING yourself and use the donor car ECU which will need modifying to remove thee immobiliser.

The easiest engine to use is the 225 TT/A3 unit due to its more compact turbo arrangement but they are harder to find and fetch £1.5 for the bits for a good one.

[guythomas123]

The Passat engine is the wrong way around, it is a longitudinal not transverse installation. Change the sump, oil pump, inlet manifold, exhaust manifold/turbo/downpipe, clutch/flywheel and some other parts and you could use it but then you still have to go out and find those parts.

You are really going to struggle doing the job for £2.5K unless you do EVERYTHING yourself and use the donor car ECU which will need modifying to remove thee immobiliser.

The easiest engine to use is the 225 TT/A3 unit due to its more compact turbo arrangement but they are harder to find and fetch £1.5 for the bits for a good one.

do you know anyone who can do the job and how much do you think i am going to have to pay for it done thanks again guy

[guythomas123]

Do You Know How Much I Will Be Looking At Paying And Can You Help Thanks Guy

[Crasher]

Some people will throw the engine in the car for around £5k, I would be double that for a cheap aftermarket ECU such as Perfect Powers XMS and another £2K on top for a Motec M400. That is before you upgrade the suspension and brakes to cope with 200+ horsepower.

[guythomas123]

please could you tell me what i will need to use form the donnor car thanks again for your help mate

[Crasher]

This is not something that I can cover here; you would need to ask me each question one at a time. Basically you need engine, harness, ECU etc. How you approach the gearbox is up to you, some people blow up the original by using it or adapt the Golf 4 or use a Corrado/Passat 02A unit. The trouble with this conversion is there are dozens of ways of approaching it depending on who is doing it and the budget.

[guythomas123]

if i was to get an engine with the ecu,loom,clocks,keys etc would i still need to upgrade the ecu to dissable the immobilizer or would it work.thanks again for your help

[Crasher]

No, but where will you put the clocks? You can't easily use them in your car to replace the originals-I have seen them stuffed under the seat or even in the glove box but as you may have gathered I hate bodging things and I won't give advice on how to either. I will only help you to do things the correct way. Other people and other sites are available to help you lash things up.

[guythomas123]

did you mean no i will need another ecu or i will be able to use it,do you know any sites etc that i could find a conversion guide for fitting the engine,i have got a freind who is a mechanic but is not a specialist like yourself in vws thanks mate guy

[Crasher]

The best way is to run an aftermarket ECU and there are dozens out there, some as virtual plug and play kits. There is no one resource for this, you will need to ask around, visit various forums, go to shows and buy mags. Then with some knowledge, you and your friend can decide how to approach it. Thee problem with conversions, there are various different ways to do things and everyone has their own way and opinion and they usually consider others peoples ways and opinions wrong-and I am no exception. Step buy step I can help you but one thing that springs to mind that you will encounter early on is the lack of clearance between the master cylinder and the cam belt cover. It is so tight that it is usually necessary to cut a slot in the cover so that the master cylinder can sit inside the cam belt area. I have even seen cases where the pulley clatters on the MC during cornering. What would happen in an accident is anyone’s guess!