Long ago, I once promised something...
If desired, we can also publish this as a professional article.
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This article is (still) incomplete and should be expanded with the knowledge of forum participants.
The article should only include the basic versions of the 827 and the most important development stages, and not treat each engine individually. I will not be discussing variants such as the five-cylinder, V8, W12, and even the V6 here. These engines were most often developed through clever modifications of the existing 827 part rack.
The EA 827 (EA = Development Order) originated in the late 1960s at Audi in Ingolstadt, under the leadership of Franz Hauck, head of engine development at Audi.
The goal was a 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine with a five-valve KW (Kammwalzenkolben), overhead camshaft with a quiet, low-maintenance ZV (Ventilsteuerung) system, hemispherical valves, and parallel-acting valves. An intermediate shaft drives the distributor. The engine was designed for longitudinal installation, based on the Audi 80. After some modifications, the engine displacement increased to 1.5 liters with 70 horsepower.
In the Audi 80, the 827 engine was initially available as a 1.3 liter and a 1.5 liter engine, and it began its successful run in 1972. In 1973, the engine was also introduced in the Passat. The bore of the original engine was still significantly smaller than what would be possible later, measuring 76.5mm.
VW CEO Leiding ordered the engine to be mounted transversely and to be installed experimentally in the Golf/Scirocco currently under development. Therefore, the 827 also made its way to the golf course, where it is now an indispensable part of the game.
In 1975, the engine block was significantly modified for the first time. An increase in displacement to 1.6 liters was made possible by a block with a bore of 79.5 mm. This required the water channels, which the original 827 had between the cylinders, to be replaced. When the Golf GTI with the 110 hp injection engine appeared in 1976/77, a new innovation could again be observed on the 827. The "Heron" cylinder head of the GTI engine with the mechanical K-Jetronic injection system. The Heron cylinder head is a completely flat cylinder head that directs the combustion chambers into a cylinder bore.
In 1980, the 1.6-liter 75PS engine was replaced by a 1.5-liter 70PS short-stroke engine. This should improve running smoothness.
With the introduction of the 1.8-liter GTI engine in 1982, the Heron cylinder head was discontinued and the bore of the 827 was increased to 81mm.
The housing of the 827 had to be slightly widened to accommodate the KW with a bore of 86.4mm when used with the 1.8-liter engine.
On this engine, a 16V head was later installed on a Golf 2. With this, the maximum power increased to 139 hp.
However, this wasn't the end for the 827. With the introduction of the Passat series 35, the 827 received another larger bore of 83mm! This increased the displacement to 2.0 liters. This engine initially represented the maximum achievable. The cylinder liners had a distance of just 3mm! This design was only possible through new materials and casting processes. Experts doubted that the 2-liter engine would ever run stably, as the cylinder bore of 5 mm was significantly too small according to the experiences of the time.
In 1992, the 1.6-liter engine was bored from 79.5mm to 81mm, which allowed for a shorter KW (Koni-Werke) to be used, giving the engine improved running smoothness while maintaining the same power output (we've seen this before).
--- So, now I have a problem: I currently don't have precise data on when, where, and which engines were equipped with turbochargers, 5V heads, etc.
I eventually switched to diesel 
Here, the article will be added as an afterthought.
Now I've completely forgotten something....
Of course, the 827 also comes with a diesel engine, and that has been the case since 1976.
How did this happen? This path was long and arduous. For a long time, VW saw no need for a passenger car diesel (the first passenger car diesel came from Mercedes in 1936 – VW hadn't even thought about it yet).
It all started with the Beetle! In 1952, the Porsche company received the commission to develop a diesel version of the Beetle. The result apparently did not convince anyone. In fact, it was said to be a disaster. Until the oil crisis in 1972, no one at VW wanted to hear anything about diesel passenger cars. It wasn't until the late 1970s, under the leadership of Ernst Fiala, that people started thinking about a diesel passenger car again. In late 1973, the first VW diesel engine was tested and immediately produced 40 horsepower. This was a 1.5-liter 827 engine with a 76.5mm bore and a cylinder head, hastily adapted for the 827 engine, as VW did not yet have its own diesel cylinder head.
The reason for the shift in focus in the Dieseldebatte was the strict US emission regulations of 1973, which were easily met by diesel engines. However, these limits could only be met with a regulated catalytic converter in gasoline engines in the future. This converter would likely absorb the cost difference between diesel and gasoline engines. Furthermore, it was assumed that the catalyst would result in a 10% increase in fuel consumption.
It wasn't until late 1974 that the diesel experiment became a real project. The goal was to develop a 1.5-liter engine with 45 horsepower, which was already more than the competition could achieve at the time. When the series production started in 1976, the diesel engine already produced 50 horsepower. Even early attempts with exhaust gas turbochargers already revealed engines producing around 70 horsepower.
The first diesel Golf had a 1.5-liter engine with 50 horsepower and weighed only 805 kg, with a top speed of 140 km/h. Its acceleration from 0 to 100 was around 20 seconds! Fuel consumption of around 5 liters was possible. This also meant that Golf set a higher benchmark for its competitors in terms of specific performance here.
The engine was already increased to 1.6 liters in 1979 and now produced 54 horsepower. This engine was almost unchanged installed in all vehicles of the group until the early 1990s. In 1981, the turbocharged diesel engine was introduced. The hole remains at 76.5mm for a long time.
In 1986, the 1.6-liter engine is increased to 1.7 liters by expanding the bore from 79.5 to 1.7. The development of a 1.9-liter WK engine was the next step. However, to achieve a displacement of 1.9 liters, it was not enough to simply bore the engine; the block also had to be enlarged. Since the outer dimensions of the 827 were not to be changed, the block had to increase in height by 15mm, which allowed for a longer stroke.
From here, the step to the direct injection system was no longer far.
However, this development phase should take a total of 14 years. Both at Audi in Neckarsulm and at Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, work was being done on direct diesel injection. Without the active support of Bosch, it is likely that even more time would have been required. The required 800 bar injection pressure was far from straightforward to integrate into a car engine at that time (approximately 400 bar for the WK engine).
However, the honor of being the first TDI engine belonged to the five-cylinder, which was based on the 827. It was the 1T from 1989 (2.5l with 120hp – already with an 81mm bore!). It wasn't until 1992 that the 827 also became a DI engine. From the beginning, the engine impressed with a torque and driving pleasure that were unprecedented for a diesel. Again, VW set the benchmark for its competitors. An 110-PS-version completed the model range.
An SDI engine with 68 horsepower without turbocharging was introduced as the smallest engine option and replaced the good old 54 horsepower engine. Various SDI variants with 1.9 liters and 1.7 liters, however, play a more subordinate role in the shadow of the stronger TDIs.
Stricter exhaust emission limits led VW to experiment with the well-known but complex pump-injector principle. This was intended to achieve injection pressures of 2000 bar and further increase the performance of DI (direct injection) engines. As early as 1984, the company Elsbett had built a plant-oil engine similar to a PD engine and had made positive experiences in long-term tests.
However, the first 115PS PD engine was a disaster for VW. The timing belt drive, combined with the PD principle and the resulting stresses, reached its limits and caused unpleasant headlines. It was subsequently improved. Therefore, the 110PS VP engine, which was actually intended to replace the 115PS PD engine, was produced for a while longer. With the arrival of the 115PS PD engine, the intermediate shaft disappeared from the 827 engine housings. The vacuum pump for the brake booster was relocated to the end of the crankshaft.
This change also affects the VP engines that are still in development.
Due to more stable materials and modified turbos, the PD TDI engine's power output increased to 130 and 150 hp. The 100 hp PD engine was intended to replace the 90 hp VP engine. By the end of 2001, this 100PS PD engine was then brought into compliance with the D4 emission standard (equivalent to EU4 in terms of emissions) with only minor modifications and further developed PD elements.
In the spring of 2002, the last VP TDI engines disappeared from the lists. Currently, the VP TDI is still being sold in the US
, but only at SEAT and Skoda .
The next revolution is the 2.0-liter 16V PD TDI. The engine bay expansion was achieved by increasing the block's depth to 81mm (as has been the case with gasoline engines since 1982).
The SDI has also been renovated with the new engine. The displacement is now 2.0 liters (81mm bore * 95.5mm stroke) and it has been converted to a PD engine. This means that another VP diesel engine is disappearing from the VW engine range.
Curiosities of 827:
In the late 1970s, VW built an 827 engine for the Chrysler Corporation, which was experiencing significant financial difficulties at the time and was unable to develop its own engines. This engine had a displacement of 1.7 liters. A larger crankshaft with a 84.5mm stroke provided increased displacement due to the 79.5mm bore.
The engine was used in the Chrysler / Talbot Horizon.
Apparently, some engines were allegedly found on this route to England and can be found in various constructions there.
... will be completed and expanded ...
Inserted Changes in Green
© 2004 Bertil Kraft
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