BXE 1.9 TDI engine failure

**Outofthewoods** · 22-08-2021,07:49 AM

Sorry to bump the thread but seems the most relevant one to post on without starting something new.

I've just experienced failure of a BXE engine first hand on my 2009 golf estate. I've only had the car a couple of months, granted it has high miles of 140k but full service history, and now I really wish I'd done more homework on engine codes but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I experienced a loud tapping / banging noise from the engine after about 70 miles of motorway driving.
I pulled off at the nearest town to save being stuck at the roadside.
RAC failed to recover the vehicle within 24 hours so I asked a local garage to check it over and they came back with suspected cam shaft wear/ bearings gone. I don't think the block cracked though.

I've finally got the car back and now looking for replacement engines, so far have found three engines with the following codes for sale fairly local to me and wondering if anyone can advise if any is a direct swap for bxe or if any are more suited?

AVQ, BKC or BXF

I'm looking at the modest price of £150 for the avq and possibly the same on bkc. Unsure on age or milage yet on any of them.

Any advice appreciated! Cheers

**Jon44w** · 22-08-2021,11:00 AM

If it’s camshaft wear you won’t need a new engine. Just replace the camshaft and buckets. Don’t spend money on a misdiagnosis though to be told you’ll need an engine after the cams been replaced. Banging is not consistent with worn cam lobes. That’s more of a chuffing noise.

On a separate note the only time I’ve seen crank failure where it hasn’t put a hole in the block is on a 09 golf estate. I hope this isn’t your issue.

If it transpires you do need a new engine definitely don’t use AVQ as I think it’s too old and requires a load of modifications such as different cam pulley wheel and crank sensor hole cutting in the block or something.

BXF is as bad as the BXE as it’s the same engine only the ecu has dropped the bhp to 90 or so I think.

BKC is a stronger but older engine than the BXE and probably your best bet if you can get a good one without high miles and oil leaks.

**Crasher** · 22-08-2021,02:29 PM

Fit a new cam and lifters, better the engine you know than the one you don’t; there are many kits on the market but make sure the one you buy has a billet steel cam. It is a warranty stipulation of all cam suppliers that the injector rockers are replaced, these were only available genuine for daft money but now they are available from BGA. As Jon says, replacing the con rod bearings and bolts at this mileage is a very wise move.

**Outofthewoods** · 23-08-2021,11:32 AM

Cheers for the advice Jon and Crasher, so it may not need a 'new' block and could just be rebuilt.

I think my best bet is get the car down to the local and see if they can inspect it fully to make sure there's no further damage than what I've been told.

Had I known about the bxe issues I would've definitely taken the preventative measures previously described to try and avoid this happening, hopefully it can be saved as there's little else wrong with the car.

I'll update hopefully in a few weeks when it's sorted!

**rmills55** · 14-09-2021,02:51 PM

As recommended I've finally had mine done today, a local garage my boss uses said they'd do it, they weren't to bad, i haven't had a good look through them yet, several black marks inside and outside, and this one has a chip in it on inside, they showed me this one specifically and said it was good I had them changed!

Unsure how to post a photo of them

**triplesec** · 09-02-2022,10:04 PM

Originally Posted by Crasher

Fit a new cam and lifters, better the engine you know than the one you don’t; there are many kits on the market but make sure the one you buy has a billet steel cam. It is a warranty stipulation of all cam suppliers that the injector rockers are replaced, these were only available genuine for daft money but now they are available from BGA. As Jon says, replacing the con rod bearings and bolts at this mileage is a very wise move.

Hi! So, since these are engine parts I'm not very familiar with, and a car has so many bearings.. these bearing that everybody is saying you really need to replace for longevity: is it the conrod bearings (and shells) that need replacing? Are there any other names for them, to help communicating with garage, esp if travelling? (someone said big end earlier).
And, how much time does is usually take to change them (to know how much labour to expect!)

Background: I've just been passed on a 57 Touran from family, and it's been well looked after and driven. in 127k it's had new clutch kit, new timing belt, water pump etc, so I don't want this to kill what otherwise ought to be a long-lasting engine. not going above 80mph really, because Touran aero, and it gets a bit rough if you try.

Thanks heaps!

**DMitch16** · 09-02-2022,10:57 PM

Triplesec: The connecting rod (con rod) bearings are the shell type and there are not any other bearings in that area that you would need to worry about as such. The main bearings that encompass the crank (also shell type but bigger) do not normally fail on a BXE if regular oil services are carried out but some just renew all of the shell bearings in one go as it would be cost effective to refresh the whole bottom end. It is often the conrod bearings that fail on the BXE, with the classic "throwing a leg" out of the engine block (literally ejecting a connecting rod out of the engine casing or gearbox bell housing following a seizure) but some BXE have no issues whatsoever so this would be a recommended preventative measure for longevity as you have been advised.
Crasher is an experienced person in the trade so is someone who you should take advice from seriously. He would also know the "book" time for the job.

**Crasher** · 10-02-2022,05:36 PM

When doing an oil change it takes about four hours to change the bearings and these are relatively inexpensive at about £30 aftermarket and the genuine bolts are £46.85