Talking Heads

[Dan3A4]

Can anyone help with info on heads for a 1.9tdi (AFN) 110BHP A4, i have just bought said car, a 1996 model, the engine had a knocking noise coming from the head which i have confirmed to be a cam/bucket problem. Therefore, i need to replace the head. The engine code starts AFN but can i fit other heads from VW's etc and a range of BHP. I have the opertunity to buy a 130 BHP head from a 2002 A4, will this fit? Also does anyone know a guide price for a replacement head?

Have to say i am very impressed with the forum so far, very well put together. Thanks in advance for any help, Cheers Dan.

[Crasher]

The 130 head is a PD head and yours is a VEP head so they are totally different. I am just doing one on a 90PS Golf 4 which uses nearly the same head as an AFN (yours will have a three bolt cam cover as opposed to a seven bolt cover) and it came from a company recommend by another forum user “passat>sport” and that is AW Engineering. I have never used them before but as my usual source had no stock I thought I would give them a try. The new head was described as being Mahle but was actually Karl Schmidt so no problem there and came fully built up. The only problems I have had were that the injector retainer pressure points weren’t fitted but they are easy to remove form the old head and the worst bit was the cooling pipe from the back of the head wasn’t fitted or supplied, which was a problem. I tried heating the old head up but it would not come out so I had to cut the old head open using a disc cutter to get the pipe out and then press it into the new head. The pipe isn’t available as a spare and I think this is a serious omission that could land someone in the poo if they damaged the pipe removing it.

[Dan3A4]

Yep you are right, mine does have the three nut cam cover. Sods law though, can't find an AFN head at the moment. Hope the Golf is up and running soon!! I will try AW Engineering on Monday. WHat roughly should i be looking to pay? I am more used to dealing with older/classic car parts than this.

[Crasher]

I think I paid about £400, I wasn't that bothered as I needed it as soon as possible. I hope to have it running Monday morning but when fitting it yesterday, one of the head bolts stripped out the polygon location during the fourth torque application (the second of the 90 degree turns) and now I have to get the bolt back out and fit another. This is the third time this has happened to me recently (using a Snap On tool so no problem there) but only the fourth time in 25 years. The common factor all three times has been head bolts from GSF.