There is a 98 VW at my yard and I can pick it up for a fair price but I am wondering what too look for. The motor does not have a snapped timing belt which surprised me. My intentions are to buy a used motor and rebuild it with forged rods, ARP head bolts or fresh OEM, new gaskets, ceramic coated pistons, rod bearings, main bearings, ported head, ceramic coated valve buckets (duo what V-dubbers call them; maybe lifters?), and typical other upgrades. I would like to re use pistons if at all possible as I have been told they can handle the abuse. Ultimately I would like to make 350awhp with the capability of 400+ awhp.

My question is what all do I need to watch out for when getting a motor?

There is also a VR6 motor there as well. Can these be bolted in or are they next to impossible to fit? I am sure the VR6 could spool a big turbo pretty easy.... (I am more curious then serious about this idea)

Thanks

 

I'm your guy for junkyard motors. I've bought three of them. I'll write more when I get off work in a few hours. And ill mention the vr6 has been done numerous times. Google it and you'll come up with some pretty decent builds. There are some special parts needed like a tranny spacer, but 034 should have everything

 

heres a link to the thread about me buying a junkyard motor
https://www.audiforums.com/forum/b5-...-build-174351/

the timing belt was good on it, but there wasnt a cam gear which was kind of puzzling. needless to say the pictures explain alot. what you need to watch out for when buying junkyard motors is of course the head. out of the three junkyard motors i've bought (2 1.8t's and an AEG 2.0 for the crank) they have all had issues with the timing which leads me to believe timing issues are the largest reasons they end up in the junkyard another key thing to look for is oil starvation. this isnt as critical because you would probably bore the cylinders out anyways, put i would efinately pull a main cap off and look at the bearing. same with a rod cap. if those two bearings are in decent shape, odds are the rest are ok. if the have scoring on them, it may not be worth buying the motor as you would hve o have the crank reground and run larger bearings. it can be done, but the added cost negates the benefits of buying a junkyard motor in the first place.

of course youll want to take some cam caps off for the same the reason. i have yet to see a used cam in perfect condition. out of the 3 sets of 1.8t cams i have aound, the only set that isnt that bad is in my car. if all journals are decent (mains, rods, cams) you have a decent engine that can be used. as for sludge, dont worry too much. youll buy a new pickup tube anyways, and you can desludge the pan and valvecover when the engine is apart. and if you want an awesome type for sludge removal, get zipstrip. i was scraping sludge out of a valve cover was, and tried different sit i had in he garage to try to dissolve it. i discovered zipstrip literally melts away all but the thickest sludge, which will have to be scraped with a scraper until the zipstrip starts to melt it

keep in mind the most you should pay for a junkyard engine is $200. thats how much ive paid for all of mine. the one in that thread i listed came with a lot of extra **** which i sold, almost profiting off of it. lastly, be mindful of the engines you can use. its easy for me since i have an 06a block. i can use any newer 1.t block including all those in transverse VW applications. im prett sure you engine is an aeb, so try to look for one of those. an atw has the same lock, but the head is a bit different

 

There are 2 seperate AEB's at my yard I am confidant I can get either of them for $150 but the question is why they are there. Neither care has damage to the exterior but both are automatics. I need to figure out why they are there before buying one but I am hoping to get one with reusable pistons, crank, and possibly a head and go through that motor from one end to other. Things like CC the chambers, port the inlet and out on the head (cleanup more then anything), stuff in my new rods, balance piston and rod set out, ceramic coat bearings, and valve lifters, all new OEM gaskets, and upgrade the head bolts ot go with studs.

Am I correct that the pistons can handle 400awhp?

I guess I will have to set aside a day and go strip a head and see what type of condition it is in. The problem I am having is that both motors are still in the cars.

 

the stock aeb pistons can handle anything you throw at them. im not sure anyone has maxed them out because by the time they get to really high hp levels, they go stroker and replace with stroker pistons. but i am certainly aware of multiple 400awhp cars with aeb pistons. most guys with newer engines buy used aeb pistons becasue the wrist pin is 1mm larger than the new ones and because almost all aftermarket rods are 20mm wrist pins. newer stock rods are 19mm pins and i believe only integrated offers 19mm forged rods

 

I knew about the wrist pin difference but was also told that the newer pistons will not handle the same abuse. I know some other oem pistons that have similiar specs and can handle all you can throw at them as well. The ones specifically are the Toyota 2zzge that are 82mm and 20mm wrist pins. I am wondering if they might fit but there is alot of other factors. Most specifically wrist pin offset. Manfactures actually offset the wrist pin to keep motors quiet at startup.

I would only consider this if the replacement blocks are *****.

 

the newer pistons are the same as the old ones, just smaller wrist pins. they are all very high quality forged made by mahle. pistons have never really been a limiting factor with 1.8t's. as far as other engine internals being comptable with our motors, i am only aware of the b16 engine's pistons being useable in a 1.8t, and ive only heard that. im sure you know theres alot more numbers into making pistons than wrist pin size and bore.

if you can buy a junkyard motor for $150, id pick it up no problem as long as some as a couple journals check out fine

 

Thats the bind I am in. The motor is still in the car and I have 2 to choose from. There is a relatively local guy that has a complete 97 A4 Quattro except carpet for $500 that is supposed to have overheated. On one hand this is good deal since I will have all the extra parts but on the other if there is something else major wrong then I have scrap heap that is of little value to me.

I am stuck trying to figure out the best route that is why I am wondering if there is some tell tale signs when the car is still installed.

Oh I am full well aware of the may different aspects of piston. The 2ZZGE have some serious thick crowns and I know of several that have been pushed in the 00 range without narry an issue. I have one hear and if I had another AEB piston I could compare and see how it works or if it would work. They cost around $250 shipped new and with rings I am looking at $300ish so I am not that far away from an aftermarket set cost.

 

as far as pistons go, i got a set of 81.25mm mahle powerpaks for 360$, its what is i my car now. deals on pistons are to be had, but the aeb pistons are probably just as good as my powerpaks. in the end, the best you can do is look over a junk motor best you can, take it apart and hope for the best

 

I know Mahle makes some damn good ****. They have worked exclusively with Cosworth and a number of other manufacturers. They are used in racing groups everywhere. I guess what I am trying to do is build a motor for the absolute least possible without cutting corners. The problem with buying pistons in my book is that once you have the rods and need pistons you are not very far from the cost of a 2.0 setup. If I have to go with pistons then why not go the lil extra and go 2.0?

I guess I am just going to have to check them out as much as I possibly can and go with the best option.

Also do you have a build thread? I noticed remarks about audizine and figured you might have a more active thread there.