the 2 litre bottom end conversion

I discovered the bottom end on my 1.8 dx is worn out ( needs new shells, pistons and re-bore) so ive done a bit of research and decided to stick a 2e block in and mate it to my original head which i will have gas flowed and ported. the trouble is i am struggling to find a 2e block, plenty of agg blocks but no 2e. Abybody got any suggestions as to where i might find one or anybody got one? Obviously i am looking for one with low mileage with minimal wear (if that is not asking too much!)
Any leads much appreciated

cheers

martin

any reasons for wanting a 2e? I've just finished my 2.0 using an ADY from a passat. alot of 2e's went into mk3 GTi's so may have been abit abused… also if your using a 2.0 the head needs to be for hydro tappets, which alot of early mk1 heads are not.
(the oil gallerys are different i believe).

Thanks for your reply mate

it was my understanding the 2e was the best option as it was used in early passats (so not abused with any luck) and the 2e dizzy is the one to use? Wasnt keen on the agg as the crank sensor hole plugged might have looked a little messy?

Im pretty sure the 2e was in most the Gti's but either way if you find a good mileage engine, As the engine is more or less bare when you start It's a good idea to change the rings and bearings etc as its just to easy not too and gives you that bit more peice-of-mind.. how far you go is up to you.
the dizzy you use is your old one with the vac advanced bit connected as you need this and you change the gear from the 2e onto your old one as the original is smaller and doesnt fit… basically knock a pin out and it slides off…
As for sensor plugs obviously up to you.. i just the cut the wires off of mine and sprayed over them.. this engine will never look that tidy uner the bonnet so didnt bother me. also didnt bother blanking the breather just left the cap on that was already there and ran abit of pipe up to air…
As I say I finished mine only a month ago so its still fresh in my head.. if you need any advise when you start im happy to help, as others helped me.

Its a good, simple, fun engine, nothing amazing but keeps up with most things on the road and eats hills for breakfast with the extra torque!!

Hi mate

Sorry for late reply - busy few days

I'm really on the hunt for one of these but nothing seems to be available locally apart from at a crazy price!

I'll be sure to tapping you up for some advice once I have the bottom end in my possesion - thanks for the offer
I think I am going to send the cylcinder head off for gas flowing/ new guides etc so that I can hit the ground running once I find something

thanks

Martin

2e, ady and agg were all used in passat, vento, mk3 gti, cabrio, various seats etc. which code fitted is down to the age of the car, not model

2e is early, agg/ady came out later on. makes no difference which block you pick since you're going k-jet, it would only be an advantage to use a 2e block if you had digifant management like say mk2 golf. the reason is the 2e dizzy has 4 trigger windows and works with digi, the agg/ady has only 1 and wont (these use crank sensor for main spark control, dizzy only for cam detection)

since you're going k-jet non of the above dizzys are any use you need to use your old dizzy with 2.0 gear swapped on and a TSR adaptor ring so any of the above codes will be fine. if you can find an audi 3a that will work too, its short block like the dx

Morning John,
Thanks for popping in with some invaluable knowledge
I've purchased an agg bottom end (inc dizzy) for a mere £75. It looks in really good condition.
I'll run down my proposal & please tell me if I've got things muddled /wrong - sorry if this is stating the obvious!
I am going to strip down, clean block & paint, clean the sump out & fit a new gasket
Purchase the Tsr blanking plate & dizzy ring.- about £60
Switch dizzy running gear to my original inc tsr ring adaptor
Mount WUR ( a 16v one if possible) onto blanking plate
I have a brand new oil pump for my dx - is this the same as the agg? Can I use this?
I was going to put new piston rings in the agg for good measure but the vw dismantler I bought the engine from questioned why I would bother…apparently these engines are very strong & seldom smoke…
I will then have my cylinder head refaced,pressure tested, new valve guides, valve seat cut, valves faced & ported and polished
3 further questions - use the mk3 metal headgasket? & secondly use the mk3 agg cambelt kit?
I'm going to use a 4-2-1 stainless manifold. I've heard I may have problems with clearance? what sort of adaptor do I need & does anybody make these? TSR etc…
I'll be using a polished and ported 2.2 Audi throttle body & I will have my inlet done to match

What sort of power should I expect from this setup?
thanks

MArtin

i wouldnt use the blanking plate, instead plumb in the block breather to the head breather pipe with a T piece. the 2.0 can breathe a bit too heavy for just the rocker cover breather alone.

the oil pump on the 2.0 is different (better) than the dx unfortunatly

yeah i wouldnt bother rebuilding the bottom end, they're pretty much bomb proof

you can use the early mk3 fibre oer late metal gasket, up to you. vw thought the fibre one was good enough for the 2e and 9a and its not like these engines are known for HG failure!

you use the mk3 cam belt, mk1/2/early mk3 fixed  tensioner (you cant really get the mk3 8v self-tensioner any more anyway) belts depend on the anxileries you use, ideally use the mk3 bits but if its later one with the self-tensioner wheel this will hit the chassis leg. i recommend you swap to early mk3 spring loaded alternator + bracket

4 branch manifolds might not clear due to the block being taller, this depends on the make of the exhaust so see if anyone else on here has the same one with a tally block. adaptor wise nothign required it just bolts on, and shoudl come with the right end on it to fit the std mk1 gti exhaust

power wise something like 120-130ish id expect, possibly more. hard to say really!

Arrh thanks John.

So the mk1 water pump & oil filter housing are ok or do these need to be mk3 also?

Where do I put the WUR if I use the breather hose?

I will use an early mk3 alternator as I am yet to purchase one of those

Thanks for all the advice, owe you :redfaced:

mk1 waterpump is the same, the oil filter housing isnt unless the dx was a very late model. look at the top bolt you'll see the difference!

wur is a tricky one, try to fit it somewhere it can get good engine heat, maybe to the side of the head near the front?

Hi chaps.

I'm getting there now - I've got the 2.0 litre stripped and I'm replacing rings just as a matter of course. The crank seals needed doing & I got a bit carried away!

I've pulled the oil pump out and compared it to the replacement I bought for my dx & I can see no difference at all apart from the plastic impellers that attach to them - is this correct or are the internals different?
I can confirm the water pumps are identical & I have rebuilt one now so that's all ready for rebuild - thanks John

I did think I could use the tsr blanking plate & mount the wur to this then the other hole to the left hand side of the block (the one you blank off with a core plug) I could mount an oil breather cone filter? any thoughts?

Lastly can someone confirm I can use my 1.8 mechanical head on the 2.0 litre block. I can t see a reason why either head won't work or am I being thick?

thanks

Martin

look closer and you'll notice the casting where the gears are is deeper on the 2.0 pump, i.e. more capacity

the blanking plate method will work but as i say the 2.0 blocks can breathe a bit too heavy for just the breather on the rocker cover, your call!

if its a 1.8 head it'll swap straight on

It's been a while, but I was wondering how you got on with your conversion, Drapoon?

I've ordered about 50% of the parts I need to do this to my Cabby, but am struggling to find some good examples of where the block breather (AGG in my case) is plumbed into the head breather and the subsequent location to mount the WUR.. I'd rather use the knowledge out there than try and bodge something up myself in 6 weeks time!

It would also be good to understand various experiences with exhaust clearance. I've managed to source a ported head, 270 cam, throttle body etc, so would rather use a 4-2-1 manifold to maximise my return. Has anyone  got any recommendations?

I did this conversion a few years back, the whole lot including the block, £20, and paying a small engineering firm £25 to press in new valve guides and lap in the valves came to about £100, at the time a 2 litre conversion from a tuning company was around £2000.

You can make your own blanking plate for the breather on the block and the WUR will fit there, see photo.

I did away with the Mk1 oil cooler and used the one from the Passat that gave up the block, the hoses are all VW items that you can get from the likes of Eurocarparts, I got mine from a 1.8 Mk2 I think it was that was on the scrap yard at the time I got the block.

Probably the trickiest part is swopping the distributor pinions, the roll pins are tight. I asked about it at the time saying I could not move  the pin and the reply was hit it harder, it will go in the end I can assure you.

Somewhere I have seen advertised a 4-2-1 manifold designed to use with this conversion but I would be careful with the ported haed and 270 cam, you can spend a lot of money and end up with a car that won't idle smoothly, is deafeningly noisy, drinks petrol and all for a little extra power at the top. end.

Is an oil cooler even needed on these? I've been toying with the idea of doing away with it completely, I've done the same on my E30 with no ill affects, due to modern oils being that much better than back in the 70/80s when these were designed.

IS the dizzy ring gear a DIY swap then?

i ran my 1.8 gti without one for a while and it was fine, the watercooled item does 2 jobs it helps keep the oil cool but it also helps the engine get to temp a bit quicker

Any Pics of your Mixed Engines availeble? All here use 1.8 Head and 2.0 Basement?


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