1.9 TDI Engine Conversion

[JIGSAW 2015]

Thought I’d share my 1.4 90hp engine conversion 

I purchased a 1.9 ARL engine which had low mileage 78,000 which I tore down and had the crank and Conrods lightened and balanced and bores checked and lightly honed. Reassembled with Ned shell bearings and piston rings , cylinder heads been fully ported and polished with completion valve guides and multi angle seats , GTB 1756vk conversion on one off stainless manifold with EGT sensor , completion mild race camshaft , unrated black hydraulic lifters , smf conversion with uprated clutch wearing a 02m six speed gearbox 

Cupra R brembos brake set up with vented rear discs , rear anti roll bar , monroe reflex dampers all round with weitec -25mm sports springs , seat sport fmic cut down to fit available space , fabia vrs radiator , Audi TT Quattro front hubs which widens the wheel base with adjustable top mounts to make changes to castor and camber angle , one off custom length driveshafts , lower crossmember reinforcement bar. Webasto , Audi TT coolant pump for webasto  telestart   
as you can imagine there’s not much room left in my A2 engine bay and although a very very tight fit everything’s in and has clearance and allowing for engine and gearbox movement. 

To do list & retrofits 

wiring 

sideguard , fis , rear pdc , tow bar , headlamp washers and winter pack heated mirrors and screen washer jets 
front crash bar and fmic mounts 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JIGSAW 2015]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JIGSAW 2015]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A2 HL jense]

Good job!!  Did you weld custom holders for the engine?

[JIGSAW 2015]

Thankyou 

yes I had to make custom engine and gearbox mounts and also made the main engine holder by the camshaft in two pieces so it can be disassembled for cam belt changes , if not the whole engine would need removing , I shall add some more  photos and of the mountings although it was trial and error and many tweaks with a prototype until it fitted satisfactory with clearance all round the engine bay. 

[Nagah]

Well done with the engine coversion!

 

Did you do it for fun or will it see some serious daily mileage?

 

Moderator:

I also merged your picture-posts with your initial placeholders.

 

- Nagah

[JIGSAW 2015]

Thankyou that’s appreciated Nagah. 
 

yes for fun as you put it as im a bit of A2 addict, but imagine she would be my main daily driver and cover the most miles but they all have there own merits and characters and always swapping between my A2s 

 

 

[Nagah]

Great to hear!

That is, because I am not a fan of "trailer queens" and like it when cars get driven.

 

My only car is also an engine swapped A2 and I racked 41.000km (~25.500miles) in roughly two years on it.  

Still love it! 

[JIGSAW 2015]

Nyhahahahhahahaha that tickled me i  like that saying haha trailer queens , 

I have several A2s and they all get used as my daily driver or family and friends borrow as they do from time to time , just retired my fsi well parked her up at mothers for a few months while my 1.2 tdi is stretching her legs again until i finish my  final few tweaks with my intercooler and some wiring then my 1.9s off for weighing and an appointment with VOSA to be checked and then my log book would be updated with her new weight and engine capacity and on to shake down once she's  through her mot 

[JIGSAW 2015]

Few more photos of engine and gearbox mounts and front crash bar   Half welded up for trial figment of the fmic  and bumper figment  , engine build , one off stainless GTB manifold , drive shafts cut down to correct lengths joiner machined over sized so shafts  heated and plug frozen to join then tig routed and fully welded 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bigfella2]

Great work here, keep the updates coming.

How are you intending to do the wiring? Using the 1.9 loom and code in the 1.9 ecu or 1.9 loom and flash the ecu with arl setting to get it running.

[Nagah]

I love that manifold!

[JIGSAW 2015]

Bigfella ,, not much too update  really  just fettling a few teething problems after shakedown and getting ready for her respray. 

i actually used a 2008 fabia 1.9 vrs ecu and engine loom to get her running and recoded the ecu to match my A2 so the immobiliser works as it should , i used an fsi fuel pump relay and wiring  using a golf tdi tank sendor and pickup with fuel pump as the fsi fuel pump is too high a pressure for diesel.

 

Nagah,  Thankyou , was a mission to make but not as complicated as my first set of  boost pipes , soo many angles and bends lol,  0.7mm stainless was wee bit too thin and had couple hairline weld failures during testing and shakedown  and was losing boost so redesigning those with slightly thicker 316 stainless now 

[bigfella2]

Couldn't you have used the 1.4tdi tank pump and wiring, or wouldn't it have been powerful enough for the 1.9?

 

Great project, most interesting engine conversion I have seen for a long time. Keep the updates coming.

[JIGSAW 2015]

A2 1.4 tdi engines only use the tandam pump on the engine to pump fuel , they dont have a fuel pump in the tank , where the 1.9 tdis have both , hence using the fsi wiring and relay , as it primes the pump on opening the drivers door ect and compatible with our A2s wiring , its also why i used the mk2 fabia ecu as has the same glow plug wiring as my original 90 tdi , only hickup ive left is the aircon as not the same as the fabias , so when ac turned on the engine ecu doesnt know at present so does not increase the rpm on tickover,  , ile try to solve that  when i swap the dash out to double din  and do my retrofits wiring as added curtain airbags, cruise , heated seats , rear pdc and webasto , webasto telestart ,bose , heated washer jets , headlight washers screen wash level and DIS , FIS,  Towbar .......

[JIGSAW 2015]

Finally got my boost pipes all cut and tacked together , this time I’ve gone for 2mm ish thickness as the issues I had with the 0.7mm tubing they took an age to get all the angles for route correct then sanding the faces on a wet stone for perfect fit for tig welding together , also gone up a size from 51mm to 54mm id so she can flow more boost and if I ever want to upgrade her for 300+ horses , some go to 57 or 60 mm id but stuck to middle of the road as seemed better for my needs and less restrictive than my previous ones 

[JIGSAW 2015]

Boost pipes finally tig welded , cleaned up with hydrochloric acid and buffed up , pressure tested for leaks at 40psi , milkador m5 hose clamps and silicon joiners throughout, installed and further tested for any leaks and refitted my front bumper with vortex , just my ccv mod using a pro vent 200 left under the bonnet now and new dipstick when it arrives 

 

ta do list left ,, retrofits wiring inside and wet flat all the body panels ready for her respray 

 

 

 

 

 

[JIGSAW 2015]

Few more photos of the front grill  and modified rear number plate surround 

 

 

 

 

[JIGSAW 2015]

Few more photos of progress ?

 

 

 

[Seb Gurkyh]

Well done. Are you planning on visually connecting the two grills in the front or is this the final result?

Either way, that's a lot of effort put into the car.   

 

As I have never seen the two two on one car, may I ask whether you expect any problems with the combination of Votex and tow hitch?

Have you been able to test yet if    a trailer coupling will clear the "bulging" part of the bodykit? What's the cutout like underneath?

Is yours a painted OEM towhook  or a retrofit?

 

Lastly, are those    custom dual exhaust pipes  hiding underneath the rear bumper?

 

 

 

 

[JIGSAW 2015]

Thankyou Seb 

ive some 5 mm thick x 50mm 316 stainless for the top edge and plan run it across the top edge and to shape it in on the sides and curves along the top edge then buff to a chrome like finish. 
 

the oem swan neck  clashed the votex valance so I junked the removable hitch and bracket that it locks into and found a suitable witter bolt on type Swan neck  that fitted perfectly as in drop down from the mounting bolts and the swan neck shape to give plenty of clearance. 
 

I made a full stainless system with 100 cell racing cat and there actually Ducati motorcycle Termignoli cans , free flowing and give a lovely sound , not at all loud but she snarls at ya when she hits full boost hehe.  
 

[JIGSAW 2015]

Single din dash out and retrofits wires brought through firewall and wired up, headlight washers , washer fluid level sensor , alarm air horns , webasto coolant pump, webasto, heated washer jets ,new dis fis cluster installed , mileage corrected and paired to original cars chassis number and ECU and immobiliser. Double din dash reinstalled ?

ive purchased a new double din climate panel with heated seats and will have my single din climate unit for sale as in picture it’s near on perfect condition  , feel free to pm me If anyone’s interested as postage worldwide is no problem at all. 

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by JIGSAW 2015

[JIGSAW 2015]

Added a video of a hill climb on Tickover to show how much torque the 1.9 engine has ?

[JIGSAW 2015]

Latest Progress

well she’s a real handful to say the least , 0 to 60s  amazing and from 60 to 130 mph she’s no slouch and just keeps pulling like a train in any gear to redline, and that’s with her undersized injectors as still not fitted her firads 

Ive Killed my first gearbox ?

So stripped again for a new one and time for upgraded engine and gearbox mountings as found under spirited driving like you’d stole her the engine was moving sideways in the engine bay to much and when cornering sharp bends the weight transfer was moving the engine over and nipping the driveshaft cv joints up so heavier duty bushings and a redesign of the mounts to strengthen things up. 
one good point to mention is not one drop of oil in my boost after over 3000 miles so the ccv mod works flawlessly and well worth fitting to any Tdi. 

[JIGSAW 2015]

Update on my Ccv mod installed on my 1.9conversion

, “crank case ventilation”

After 3 thousand miles I’ve found it to be a great upgrade and not one drop of oil is getting sucked into my engine through the boost pipes which are still spotlessly clean so now I can recommend it to all Tdi owners and not just for heavily modified engines.

As you can see from my pictures the pro vent has separated a small quantity of oil over the last few thousand miles keeping all my boost pipes and intercooler free of the normal oil mist we gets on our Tdi ‘s and well worth the cost and effort to fit imho

 

parts used 

universal pro vent 200 , latest type with pressure valve 

2 meters 19mm id SAEJ20R3 hose 

I used various constant tension spring clips I had from various A2s I’ve parted out but jubilee clips would be just as good

cost was ~£16 for the provent ,

                        £6.22 for the hose 

so a very cheap instal with great benifits as no longer have any oil vapour entering my inlet tract , boost hoses or intercooler 

 

 

 

[JIGSAW 2015]

Latest upgrades

FIS CONTROL 

UPRATED AND STRONGER ENGINE AND GEARBOX MOUNTS 

 

I used an old A2 axle for parts as the mounting bush holder and washer set up seemed the perfect answer to my movement issue , on extreme sharp cornering and roundabouts I found the original A2 gearbox  mount was not up to the job and the whole engine was moving sideways too much causing further issues to cv joints and contact between engine and gearbox to chassis rails. Hence my upgrade , 

 

after reading a post hear on the forum I decided to purchase and instal the fis control as like all the functions available and must say I’m really impressed so far ?

[bigfella2]

Great progress, unfortunate about the gearbox. Any updates?

[JIGSAW 2015]

No real updates as just been driving her to her limits and beyond trying to brake stuff, installed race injectors and she turned into this  scary monster and a real handful to drive in damp weather as just spins her wheels and launches herself all over the road and a right handful to control , new suspension and atb arrived just waiting on a clutch now so I can strip and rebuild a gearbox and hopefully be on her final shake down very soon.  Teaser video in the damp before I fitted her upgraded injectors 

Edited December 17, 2020 by JIGSAW 2015

[Nagah]

Uh, sweet, a LSD! This helps a lot because the front of the A2 is quickly overwhelmed with torque.

Wanted to have one myself, however money was scarce as we rebuild my gearbox. What a shame!

[JIGSAW 2015]

vor 1 Stunde schrieb Nagah:

Uh, sweet, a LSD! This helps a lot because the front of the A2 is quickly overwhelmed with torque.

Wanted to have one myself, however money was scarce as we rebuild my gearbox. What a shame!

I decided on the atb after I killed my first gearbox although traction is fine in the dry it’s in the rain where it shows most and now with 100 more horses it’s definitely needed as uncontrollable when you plant the throttle to the floor , in the dry she’s a right beast and 0 to 60 cough cough 100 is scary quick , just got rebuild a gearbox now , I’ve two and having tough choices at moment as one I’ve been using pulls to 150mph in sixth just off redline and I liked the gear ratios , the other one I have is fhm and working on gear charts it’s around 185mph on the redline ?? 

Edited December 18, 2020 by JIGSAW 2015

[JIGSAW 2015]

Time for another update as been so busy in life lately not much has happened until the last few weeks when Beastie started getting her new round of upgrades, newer generation GTD turbo , downsized my 323mm brembos to 288mm willwoods and new heavily uprated clutch to handle all her new horses as be around the 400bhp mark for now ?

 

ive also started collecting parts for conversion number 2 and another PD150 engine and gearbox sourced along with a mountain of parts to build another for a good friend so eventually there’s going be another Jigsawed A2 terrorising the planet ??

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JIGSAW 2015]

Time for my latest update as been so busy lately I’ve not had a chance too, I’ve assembled a huge amount of new parts and awaiting my engine block and pistons to come back from the machine shop before further progress can be made but at least everything is ready now for the final push atb has been installed, not by me but a mate took it to work so she got pampered in the Mercedes F1 factory ? at least I know it’s more than spot on, even made good progress with my new turbo manifold as got a mammoth GTD turbo to go on her although getting the 3inch down pipe through between the firewall and steering racks going be a mission , thinking even the firewalls going need a tweaking with a blow torch and rubber mallet to give clearance for the turbo as huge compared with my gtb I previously had on.  

[JIGSAW 2015]

[JIGSAW 2015]

I’ve also had another batch of one off custom flywheels made so the 02m six speed gearbox can be fitted to the 1.4tdi these are custom made weighted and machined out of balance to perfectly match the AMF flywheel  so six happy owners are going be upgrading to six speed soon a couple also went for uprated clutch plates too as be pushing big horses with upgraded turbos and wearing gtd1449s fully built with billet wheels and ceramic cartridges and perfect upgrade for the 1.4 Tdi 

   

 

 

 

 

[JIGSAW 2015]

And my final update is for more downforce as found my beastie got very light 130mph upwards and rather twitchy in side winds when at full chat 150mph so with her longer ratio gearbox going in and three stage noz to help higher gears and terminal speed around 180mph I’ve been working on a side project to add more downforce , I’ve used a genuine votex kit as the basis and used a 2017 Merc AMG spoiler and grafted the both together , I’ve spent months fine tuning and making the spoiler and now finally finished and have made a mould from this so I can go into production of these at some point in the future but still have plans to enlarge the votex boot spoiler to fit the larger fsi spoiler and add extra aero foils to the votex sills to aid in more downforce along with a modified rear splitter to add to the votex rear valance. So far I’m so so happy with the outcome of my front spoiler and can’t wait to find time to get the rest of the spoilers made so my beastie keeps her feet on the ground at high speeds.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JIGSAW 2015]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nagah]

Nice craftsmanship here. Keep on going, always happy and interested to see your progress. 

[dannyriviera]

Nice job, i am curious how this will look on your car!

[butscher66]

hallo, baue grade ein audi a2 um. auf 1.9tdi asz mit 6 gang. der a2 hat keine Krafstoffpumpe, der seat ibiza schon. muss ich eine im a2 nachrüsten? 

[Nagah]

This is the English language section.

Please ask in English.

[JIGSAW 2015]

34 minutes ago, butscher66 said:

hallo, baue grade ein audi a2 um. auf 1.9tdi asz mit 6 gang. der a2 hat keine Krafstoffpumpe, der seat ibiza schon. muss ich eine im a2 nachrüsten? 

I used the tank canister float assembly and wiring , fuel pump relay from an Audi A2 1.6 fsi , i then swapped the fuel pump out of the assembly to a diesel one from a Fabia vrs as the pump fuel pressure is different from petrol to diesels ,  by using the fsi relay and wiring it’s fully compatible and can be wired in the same as the fsi using the original wiring diagrams for pin outs of the relay and where each wire needs to be connected.  so when the drivers door opens the pump primes , fuel gauge is as original so no issues with incompatibility and incorrect fuel gauge readings  , hope that helps but feel free to ask for any help if needed , obviously much easier for me if you ask in English but google translate is no problem 

regards Gary 

Edited July 28, 2021 by JIGSAW 2015

[JIGSAW 2015]

Teaser shot of the new spoiler , still needs fettling before final bonding onto the front bumper 

[butscher66]

Thanks for the quick responses. The Seat Ibiza pump doesn't fit right?

[butscher66]

[JIGSAW 2015]

Sorry but I’m not sure , it’s a tough call as such , problem being is all cars and models fuel tanks differ in size and shape  so I’ve no way in knowing if one from another car manufacturer even though still vag and from the vag parts bins would have different dimensions, without having both assembly’s in hand to measure the depth of how far it goes into the tank it’s impossible to say , hence why I went the fsi route as knew it’s fully compatible with my diesel model , but saying that a 32L tank fuel level sender unit differs from a 42L tank as the wiring changed and the sender unit for fuel level reads backwards if you fit the wrong one from an early model to a late one or vice versa   

[butscher66]

 

OK. will expand the tank sender tomorrow.

[JIGSAW 2015]

1 minute ago, butscher66 said:

Looks like your getting on well there , I’m in envy of all you left hand drive owners doing the conversion as so much easier with all the brake master cylinder and steering rack the other side as causes headaches on uk right hand drive cars when it comes to turbos and getting engine position spot on. Good luck getting her completed but will warn you the last 5% to finishing always takes 95% of the time. Look forward to seing her finished and another 1.9 on the roads 👌👌

 

[butscher66]

yes I imagined it to be easier. otherwise build golf 2 to 1.8t. will report more.

 

[fendent]

OMG... some serious upgrades on the way. I wonder who will be the first to upgrade the transmission to 4WD. I know Audi has at least one car in their vaults.

My dreams of having 2 RS2 from different mothers (I mean base chassis model) would be unique globally.

[JIGSAW 2015]

vor 13 Stunden schrieb fendent:

OMG... some serious upgrades on the way. I wonder who will be the first to upgrade the transmission to 4WD. I know Audi has at least one car in their vaults.

My dreams of having 2 RS2 from different mothers (I mean base chassis model) would be unique globally.

I’ve actually tried to Quattro an A2 but afraid got stopped in my tracks due to the major structural changes needed for the rear prop output shaft and chassis sections that are in the way , without major redesign and reinforcement for the sections needing chopping out   for the prop shaft it would seriously weaken the body shell hence why I stopped and went a different route with twin Kawasaki ZZR1200 bike engines one up front and plans for another in the back for twin engined four wheel drive , I had a escort RS turbo limited slip differential converted to chain drive and mated to the back of the bike engine and front engine in the front of one my breakers a few yrs back but progress halted due to family , life and other projects  🤪

 

Edited July 28, 2021 by JIGSAW 2015