Engine Repair/Rebuild: Find Help Now!

Hello TDI drivers!

First of all, a big compliment to the creators and helpful members of this community! It seems like there's a lot of accumulated expertise gathered here!

I also joined the 'club' a quarter of a year ago by buying a 1994 Audi 80 Avant 1.9 TDI automatic (1Z). Nice car!

Until yesterday, when the engine exploded at 140 km/h! Specifically: A hole, approximately 5x5 cm in size, in the engine casing above the starter magnet switch - a clear view of the crankshaft!

Since I can hardly afford to go to a friendly specialist and say 'please help me...', here are my questions:

'The engine has 220,000 km on it, but it was completely rebuilt 40,000 km ago (due to a burned piston; according to the previous owner, everything was replaced except the engine block - so pistons, valves, crankshaft, etc.; unfortunately, the warranty has expired). Would it make sense to transfer all those rebuilt parts into a new engine block, or would it be better to install a completely remanufactured engine?'

2) The car is now located in Essen, in the beautiful Ruhr area. Is there anyone in the community, or nearby, who can reasonably repair the engine, or install a different engine? Or can anyone recommend someone?

3) Does anyone happen to have a suitable engine for sale from a car that was involved in an accident?

4) Can I also use a Z1 from other models (e.g., Golf 3, if it was used there)?

5) Are other engines also easily compatible, especially with the automatic transmission?

I would appreciate it if I could receive some helpful answers, recommendations, or even a good contact.

Thanks in advance. Hoping to be a TDI driver again soon.

Jörch ([email protected])

Hello!

I don't think you should really replace the internal components of the engine, because of things like piston clearance and valve seats, etc. And, frankly, your engine casing is beyond repair.

For my part, I would try two things.

Buy used ATMs (ideally with a warranty) --> you can find them, for example, at www.mairitsch.de or by emailing [email protected] or calling 0231-213042. They offer a 1-year warranty on larger parts.
I brought all my things with me.
Maybe you can talk to him and see if he'll give you a discount on the new one if you leave the starter, alternator, turbo, and other parts with him.

Or you could sell the parts that are still good from your engine and use the money to finance your new one.

I hope this is just one of many opinions you can choose from to find the best one.

Hi,

About nine months ago, I bought a used 1Z engine (6 years old, 115,000 km) from a scrapyard with a 14-day warranty for 2000 DM, plus a 500 DM deposit for the old engine. I also paid 550 DM on eBay for the fuel injection pump and 150 DM for the injectors. I didn't go any further than that, but if the rest is okay, you might still be able to get a good price for the cylinder head and valves... In my case, the cylinder head was completely ruined due to a water pump failure (the head was warped by 3-4 tenths and there were scratches in the cylinder).
The installation at a VW workshop cost an additional 2100 DM (labor + completion + materials), bringing the total to approximately 3800 DM.
An ATM machine would have cost 6-7 thousand euros plus installation.
The machine has been running smoothly until today .

Regards,

Eike.

'I also had an engine failure, the pistons were burned out. I bought a used one from the VW scene for €2500, but it was an AFN model and came with all the parts. It might be worth it for you to convert to an AFN as well (it would be the same amount of work).'
You can actually do the conversion yourself, especially if you have a friend who's a mechanic and can help you out.

Regards,
Sneezy.

The AFN engine has a different engine control unit, so you'll probably need a wiring harness as well, since it also needs to control the VTG turbocharger. Since this engine was never available in the Audi 80, this will likely be quite difficult. I think it would be more cost-effective to stick with the 1Z engine (the AHU engine also fits), as it's compatible with all models (Golf, Vento, Passat, Audi 80, A4, A6, Skoda Octavia, Seat Toledo...).

Best regards,

Hannes.

I don't think you need a different wiring harness for that. I converted my Golf 3 from a 1Z to an AFN engine. You just need to swap the engine control unit, and the engine will run (you still need to deactivate the immobilizer).
'It should also work on the Audi. The only difference is the electrical pneumatic converter, which functions and is controlled differently, but the cables and connectors are the same.'

Best regards,
The Golfman.

However, the Golf III had the AFN engine, so it will probably be easier to do the conversion in a Golf III than in a B4. I also don't think that the engine control unit (ECU) from the Golf III will fit in the B4; it seems to have a different connector than the Golf. The TDI engine was available in the B4 from 1992, but not in the Golf until 1994, so there were quite a few changes in between.

Best regards,

Hannes.

Hi everyone,

Especially, the automatic transmission likely adds another layer of complexity, as the engine and transmission communicate with each other. At the very least, a different coding of the engine control unit is required, but it might also necessitate a certain level of compatibility between the two.

Best regards,

Jan.

Hey everyone - it's me again.

Thank you very much for all the contributions to my little problem. Of course, I don't want to keep you in the dark about how the story unfolded:

The previous owner offered to personally speak with someone at the company that had rebuilt the engine, as he knew someone there. However, they claimed they were no longer responsible for anything because the warranty had expired three-quarters of a year ago. They also wouldn't offer any kind of goodwill discount.

On the contrary: With €2,200 for a completely overhauled engine without installation, the company from Duisburg was actually one of the most expensive! I could have gotten a completely overhauled 1Z engine with installation for €1,800!

Ich habe mich dann aber entschlossen, für 1500€ (komplett mit Einbau) einen Motor aus einem Unfallwagen mit 129tkm einbauen zu lassen. GeSaid and done.

When picking up the car, the speedometer wasn't working, the engine barely had any power, and the automatic transmission was also behaving unusually. On the highway (on the way home), the transmission suddenly started shifting into neutral at 130 km/h, the car jerked, and it stalled, leaving me stranded on the highway.

The next day, the (non-specialized) workshop picked up the car, took measurements, and on Monday, informed me that the problem was due to a fault in the wiring harness, where one of the previous owners had messed around with cable clips (which are used to attach a new wire to an existing one without cutting the cable), but they said they had fixed it! It remains questionable what the previous owner might have done – could a tuning box have been connected there, perhaps?

On the way back home, the automatic transmission stopped shifting into the 4th gear, so I drove to the VAG dealer near my house in 3rd gear.

He has now (for a good price, as always) revealed to me that they couldn't find any faults with the wiring harness, but that the problem lies with the multi-function switch on the transmission. After replacing it, the transmission is now working perfectly (for the past 300 km, at least).

The typical (initial) outcome was that the workshop technician would show me the latest diagnostic report, which indicated the error.

'00575 017 Intake manifold pressure, control difference, intermittent fault.'

marked, with the words 'passes along'.

'That doesn't mean anything, that's not important, the car is fine now' !?!

Because it was early in the morning, and I had to go to work, I unfortunately didn't have time to immediately confront him .

I then wanted to test drive it for a few days, which I have now done. And I wouldn't have oily fingers if the car wasn't already running in limp mode again, but I'll report on that in a separate post about the 'wastegate solenoid/lack of power at high RPMs,' etc. Those who are interested can take a look...

First of all, thank you to everyone who is interested!

Jörch.