[vweater2001]

Okay so I’m looking to replace the engine as I had a catastrophic failure last week. Was driving on highway and two exits away from home car just shut off as I was driving at 70mph. Gave me a check engine light and EPC light too. Long story short my mechanic said my timing belt was new still but thinks something happened where it could have been low on oil and now head needs to be replaced as valves bent and what not. I know EPC light from what I’ve read has to do with throttle body and or gas peddle, or speed sensor...car tries to crank but doesn’t fire up at all. My question is my engine is an FSI so would a TSI engine just bolt up to my 6speed or would I need something else? So rather than guess I want to replace engine with a low mile one, let me know guys and thanks in advance.

 

[vweater2001]

Also would I need a TSI computer when changing from FSI or would everything just plug and play. Need to know ASAP as my mechanic is waiting on me to finish up my car!! Thanks guys!!

 

[voxmagna]

I don't know about the mechanical compatibility but I'm sure you will need the matching ECU unless you go to a chip tuner and they reflash your FSI ECU as a TSI and delete the immobiliser function? The reason it won't work is half of the immobiliser code is in the ECU and the other matching half is in the dashboard Immo. module and keyfob. Don't expect the TSI engine transplant to start right away if you fit the TSI ECU and don't think about anything else.

A good ECU chip tuner with the right software tools (Alientech?) can sort these things out with a custom ECU reflash as long as you never go near the Stealer for a future service. If you have to have either ECU reflashed as custom, consider a Stage 1 tune at the same time. But if you can, I'd suggest getting the TSI ECU, the dashboard Immobilizer module that is compatible with it and a matching key fob?

 

[vweater2001]

Sounds like way too much to try and piece together. Guess I’ll stick with getting an FSI engine to just bolt up. Thanks for the reply, enjoy rest of the weekend!!

 

[voxmagna]

O.K. If you have the time, can get to a chip tuner and don't need the car, the electronics is doable and there could be some additional adaptation required with diagnostics. To go through that work I'd want some gain which would be the Stage 1 chip tune on an attractive low mileage clean engine, but check either engine is strong and others have done it (Golf forums?) without an engine catastrophy.

 

[paul_c]

Its probably cheaper and easier to replace the head.

There is a low oil quantity light/warning message - did that not work either?

 

[vweater2001]

Its probably cheaper and easier to replace the head.

There is a low oil quantity light/warning message - did that not work either?

No low oil came on before hand. Was driving on highway and engine just shut off and wouldn’t crank over. Took it to my mechanic I had for years and he said bent valves, bad front belt belt and pulley among a few other things. When it rains it pours.

 

[voxmagna]

paul_c suggested replacing the cyl. head which is where I would start. Garages these days don't often teardown engines, preferring to advise replacement or engine swap with all the hook up issues that might bring. Much depends on how much experience you have and how much work you want to do yourself. Often but not always a grenaded engine will bend valves and if you are lucky, leave some dings in the pistons but not necessarily holes or breaking the lower end rods and bearings. Once a valve(s) is bent there is no more compression on that cylinder and the engine may stop itself if the knock sensor kicks in?

Worst case you want to do an engine remove and transplant but I would start removing the cyl. heads to assess the damage because there's nothing to lose and you might get lucky. Bent valves and broken camshafts don't look pretty but the bottom end might have escaped? At the same time you should drop the sump, remove the oil filter and check for metal swarf around the oil pickup strainer.

If you can't do this work yourself then I think you will struggle with what you might think is just a drop in engine replacement or adaptation. Paying a garage for all the labor work changes the equation because they would rather not take the risk of more labor to remove cyl. heads and investigate. When I look at V.W. new fatory parts I see the top and bottom engine halves listed separately and this must be what they use for a grenaded engine under warranty. But we can't afford their prices on an older car.