Ive realised that my digifant mk2 is slow, and that im never realistically going to get over 130bhp out of it without going down porting/polishing/carbs/tbs or whatever... i dont think its worth it.. ive been thinking about a conversion to 16v, and after doing a few searches iv come to the conclusion that beacuse im starting with a Digifant 8v, that an ABF conversion will be the easiest... please correct me if im wrong.. now i need to know what exactly is involved, and exactly what parts are needed.. not asking for much eh? lol! a list of what i need will be ideal. ABF engine + gearbox with engine loom what else? looking to take a week of work and do it on my driveway with the help of a few other mechanicly minded mates. cheers! and info much appreciated.
Its a lot easier if you have a 90spec car (hazard switch on top of stalks) I know Garnetteyes on this forum is currently doing this conversion to a jetta so he will be able to point you in the right direction as he has tried to keep things as simple as possible
you can get 130bhp without spending shedloads you know! given that most 8v's i've seen on the rollers put down well over 120 bhp wihtout any mods all you really need to do is track down a second hand camshaft, ecu chip (the odd one works but most don't!) and you should be there!.......theoretically anyway! my old one managed 122.6 bhp with nothing more than a free flow air filter in a drilled airbox and a decent exhaust.
hmmm, but i like the idea of an instant 150bhp from a standard engine.. then again id love the rawness of a decent 8v.. mine feels quick, but but i know its not that powerfull.. my original plan was a 272 cam, manifold and exhaust + panel filter. im sure that would make it pretty damn nippy too.
those mods should see 140bhp+ had an abf before my 2.0 8v mk2 and absolutely loved it.........only trouble being the fun factor was a little far around the needles and very addictive ! now loving my tsr 8v(160bhp) for response and drivability in every gear but she tops out at 115-120mph (down to gearing really) but gets up there fairly keenly for short twisty track work then the 8v licks it long high speed tracks then abf you need horses for courses really fella hope this helps a little
Rolling road day i went to recently two standard 8v's with 1000miles difference between them made 102bhp and 106bhp
yea if an 8v is getting 120 standar on the rollers then there over reading ive had a few 8vs and i had mine rrd at 110 that was the fastest one me and severall other people that have had a lot of golfs have driven standard so makes you think youve been over read by 10 bhp.. doesnt sound too good to me lol
Cheers mate, im swaying more to the idea of just staying 8v... top speeds dont bother me tbh im more into acceleration.
If you put a standard ABF in there, you'll be faster than a fast road spec 2.0 8v. No question. You'd have to build a race engine to be quicker with an 8v, and spend about 2-3 grand. A standard 8v, with remapped management, no cat, and a decent exhaust, will make 160+ bhp, and you have the advantage that it's mostly on standard bits, so should be reliable and economical.
Think he must do yeah. decisions decisions... that reply has swayed me the other way now Mike. lol thanks. So guys, back to the original topic, what do i need to carry out the conversion? ABF engine itself obviously What exhaust system/manifold will i need? What wiring needs doing? What can i keep from my existing 8v digifant setup? thanks again.
1. yep the abf engine helps a lot 2. Several options! Use MK2 16v manifold/dp, plus whatever 16v system you fancy. OEM manifold flows well and it'll bolt straight on and no clearance issues. Once fitted figure out your lambda spot get it drilled and mounted. Other OEM option is 16v manifold, G60 downpipe and cat bypass, fits right up to 16v zaust and lambda hole already there. I belive an ABF downpipe and G60 cat bypass would work, might even be able to use ABF cat bypass? Possibly Corrado 9a parts will fit better... 4 branch is another option but most dont fit so well with the tallblock, mounts can be modified or tunnel hammered to get it in. 3. a fair bit, keep the lighting loom but you'll need to tweak the engine loom as the plug ends differ. Also I always keep the MK2 coil->tci & loom as it more rel;iable than the MK3 setup, plus then your rev counter works without hassles 4. All the running gear can be retained, new clutch + old flywheel and bolt gearbox right up
Cheers John. So.. Engine (abf) 16v manifold + downpipe (abf and KR manifolds same?) Engine loom So all the standard 8v running gear is fine.. what else do i need for the engine itself? everything? what about radiator, airbox, power steering? coil, etc. what about fuel lines and pumps what do i need for the wiring side, the abf engine loom ecu etc do i just take all the mk2 out and replace with the wiring from abf.. i read that i dont need the lighting wires which are part of the mk3 loom, only the engine ones. sorry for all questions but i just want to get everything covered as its my daily drive and ill only have a week to do it! thanks
KR, 9a and abf manifolds all same main issue is getting a lambda in the downpipe, my mate got a lamda flange welded into his 4 branch after the ABF was all fitted and on the road, the ABF will run without but its not ideal. Keep all the ABF anxileries, the MK2 PAS lines will bolt right up. If you dont have PAS and want it this would be a good time! Fuel lines & pumps will work fine with the abf, as will the old radiator, as i say just need KR top flange and thermostat housing, so the 8v rad pipes will fit Airbox a SEAT ABF one is ideal, but a MK2 diesel or MK2/SEAT SPI one will also work. Trouble with non-abf one is there is nowhere for air temp sensor to go, but you can just stuff it inside the hole on the front of the airbox, works fine As long as you get the complete engine loom thats all you need, just need the VAG-COM stuff from inside the car but that can be pinched from any MK3. Oh and if its a post 95 engine you need the ECU, key and imobilisor control box from the donor car, these are all coded together. There is a transponder ring around the ign lock, but this can be got from any post 95 MK3. Coil, either use the MK3 one and modify it to work with MK2 rev counter by opening it up and soldewring the rev counter wire to the HT terminal, or use my prefered method which is to keep the MK2 coil & TCI, chop the MK3 coil plug off and fit the TCI -> coil loom in its place. You need to retain the 2 MK2 wires from fusebox to coil (black and red/black) and splice the wire from pin 6 of the TCI unit to the red/green wire to the MK3 coil plug. The TCI->coil part from your old 8v loom will work just fine I'll soon be converting my abf on k-jet to run on the ABF managment, I'll try to document it as best I can
Thanks John.. is there anything you dont know!? appreciate it. Im going to use this thread as a reference for when i do it, so any kind of info from anyone will all help, will be so much easier with all the information i need in here. so please feel free to add anything else i might need to know. abf with ancilleries seat abf airbox 16v manifold/exhaust KR top flange and thermostat housing feel free to add to my list aswell! thanks.
may as well chuck in a new thermostat & seal while you're there, new ecu temp sensor is definitly recommended too, plus crank sensor. belts, cap, arm, leads and sparkies go without saying, rocker cover gasket a good idea while engine is out, new vac lines.
Dude, Most of this was covered in this post. http://www.clubgti.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=133418 The second car was an 8v that was converted to an ABF motor from a Seat. Read that first then ask the remainder of questions not covered by the pictures.
