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- VW AUDI Forum - The #1 Volkswagen (VW) Group Forum - Volkswagen (VW) - Audi - Seat - Skoda - Bentley - Bugatti - Lamborghini - Porsche - Scania - MAN - Ducatti - VW Audi Forum - - www.vwaudiforum.co.uk - www.vwaudiforum.co.uk - The amount of electronic components in vehicles is constantly growing, and it is estimated that they account for around 30% of all materials in a vehicle. HELLA supports you in meeting the challenge of moving from traditional maintenance to a service-oriented high-tech operation. Our electronics experts have therefore compiled some important information regarding vehicle electronics. The following are the total amount donated by top contributors to each state ballot measure that is pending Secretary of State verification or are still circulating for signatures. These lists reflect contributions as reported by Primarily Formed Committees. Prop #Circulating TitleTop Aggregated Support - $128,853,797* Oppose - $44,439,801 27Allows Online and Mobile Sports Wagering Outside Tribal Lands. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.Support - $169,111,799 Oppose: $245,811,236* 28Provides Additional Funding for Arts and Music Education in Public Schools. Initiative Statute.Support - $10,714,83029Requires On-Site Licensed Medical Professional at Kidney Dialysis Clinics and Establishes Other State Requirements. Initiative Statute.Oppose - $86,357,62930Provides Funding for Programs to Reduce Air Pollution and Prevent Wildfires by Increasing Tax on Personal Income Over $2 Million. Initiative Statute.Support - $50,262,671 Oppose - $16,421,416 31Referendum On 2020 Law That Would Prohibit the Retail Sale of Certain Flavored Tobacco Products.Support - $47,529,179Oppose - $23,255,396 Total from top contributors: $708,668,020 OfficeCandidate Aggregated Total from top contributors: $6,777,587 As a hotbed of ideas with Swabian roots and a conscientious global player, we only research, develop and manufacture in Germany, even today. And we have been raising the bar in terms of quality and service for 60 years. Our solutions are largely based on our own recipes, which we permanently test and adapt to the latest technical circumstances. Continuous quality inspections – from raw material deliveries, to production, right through to shipment – ensure maximum peace of mind. The VAG group 2.0 Diesel engines (2.0 TDi) are very popular and have had many revisions and updates over the years. We shall map out the differences between the engine codes and generations and identify potential faults and issues with them. We will also look at the tuning upgrades and mods around for the 2.0 TDi which will help you make more power, and get more from your engine. We cover the 3 main generations of the 2.0TDi in this tuning guide. This video covers 2.0TDi Tuning Mods in a fair bit of detail. (More videos will follow so be sure to subscribe) All modern engines have weak spots, by pointing these out we hope to prepare the buyer to spot potential issues early on many of which I experienced first hand, thankfully in friends cars though. I am not trying to make out that these engines are particularly unreliable or full of issues - I recently bought one (a BKD) after doing my research carefully and was very pleased with it. You should note that generally newer engines have had the faults engineered out completely. If you want a quick beginner's guide to tuning diesels please see my new video tutorial. I will be providing a more specific video for the 2.0TDi generations (EA188 EA189 and EA288) in the future, so please subscribe to our channel to avoid missing out. Engine Codes and Specs for the 2.0TDi (140 & 170 bhp version)EA188 PD (R4 Tdi)Pre 2008 engines are PD EA 188 (Pumpe Düse) based and given a BKD, BKP (Mainly in the Passat) or BMM, BMN, BMR and BRD engine code. My BKD proved quite reliable even after a remap. Audi A6 was fitted with the BVG BNA BRF BLB BRE & A4 BVF(120) BVG (121) BNA(136) BRF (136) BLB BRE (all Bosch 140 without DPF).
The VAG group 2.0 TDI engines have a lot to offer and if you know what to spot are reliable and have lots of tuning potential. EA189 revisionAfter 2008 CR (common rail) engines came in and had CBAB and CBBB engine codes. The common rail engines are superior to the PD engines although there were a few minor teething problems on early engines. All were Euro 5 rated so came with DPF. These 2008 engines were also implicated in the 2015 VAG group emissions scandal where the software would detect test conditions and reduce the emissions.
From 2010 EA189 engine codes below, all used eight-nozzle output piezo fuel injectors; Bosch EDC 17 ECU and were fitted with a water cooled EGR system and DPF.
The pre 2010 110bhp and 120bhp engines will generally need an uprated fuel pump and injectors to cope with power gains above 160bhp and we would recommend you get stronger head bolts. (There were either a Bosch or Siemens fuel pump used on these engines, the former flows better.) The 110s can be mapped to 140 fairly easily but beyond this, you need to swap out the turbo, improve fuel delivery and use stronger head bolts. The 140s can be mapped to around 170/180 happily and in my opinion, are better than a stock 170 in terms of low end pull, but the 170s allow higher power gains so make a better base to work from. The Sachs racing clutch has been used plenty but the engine idle is in our opinion very compromised, but we still think you'll be better off with a dual mass flywheel that is slightly lighter instead of going for a lighter single mass flywheel. EA288 revision (2015-)From 2015 we see the EA288 engine released as the VW group move on from the emissions scandal the 110 and 150 bhp models have smaller turbos, and you can replace the turbo and remap quite easily. They retain the BOSCH EDC17 C64 ECU and are more economical than the EA189 but it is too early to see any patterns of faults. This design allows a range of EGR systems to be added to suit different market regulations. The valve train system integrated valve drive module was used on the EA288.
The OEM fuel pumps on the CR engines are generally good for around 240bhp, upgrade them and the injectors if you go beyond this or risk the dreaded limp home mode. Some 110bhp engines will need fuel pump and injector upgrades before this sort of power can be realised. On the EA288 engines we note that the Bi-turbo variants use the same fuel pump and injectors. The Bi Turbos run them at a higher pressure rather than bigger injectors at the same pressure as the single turbo so there is quite a bit of leeway and headroom on these units. Turbo upgrades for the EA288 and power range/target...
Best Engine Mods for a 2.0 TDi engine
Please watch my Video on "beginners' guide to TDi Tuning" for an overview of tuning mods. Faults and problems on the 2.0 TDI engines.We've actually pulled these into a new page so we can go into more detail about these issues as this page was getting really long. So read our article 2.0TDI problems. The early Siemens piezo injectors on the 170 had a fault, and would just fail to cause the engine to cut out. Most of these have been recalled or replaced now so it shouldn't be an issue anymore. There are plenty of reports of DPF issues requiring a dealer regen. If you drive it hot, go on long journeys and use high-quality fuel you should have no problem at all. However, if you do lots of short journeys then you are best advised to remove the DPF* or choose a non DPF model. (*removal of the DPF is not legal in some countries.) There are also reports of a faulty fan controller where fan doesn't switch off, eventually draining the battery and potentially burning out the fan. The 2.0 engines have a lumpy idle which is something you generally have to live with. However a faulty DMF, Injector failures or issues with the EGR flow rate can also cause a very lumpy idle or misfire. BKP engines in particular have an issue with the oil pump drive gears which were subject to a recall and there are reports of turbo failures on these engines. Most longitudinal PD engines have the balance shaft module. Those engines suffer from two problems, the chain tensioner that breaks and causing the balance shaft module to stop working including the oil pump. The second problem is in the module itself, how it drives the oil pump, this is done by a small hexagon that also breaks because of the wear. VAG has tried to solve both issues, by replacing the chain by gears, that seems to be a working solution. They also upgraded the size of the hexagon so it should be stronger and it is, it’s now failing after more mileage. Still a very problematic issue that needs to be addressed. When failing the oil pressure drops immediately and the engine breaks beyond repair. Often you'll get a dash warning light just after the engine seizes! Which is not all that helpful. The last issue, the hexagon, is still present in newer CR engines, but this time not just in the Passat, A4/A6 and Superb. The only engine we are aware of that doesn’t use the balance shaft module is the 110HP 2.0 TDI(CBDC). Luckily enough there is a solution, for the PD and CR engines. It is replacing the balance shaft module for a chain driven oil pump as seen in other TDI engines. The 140hp 2.0 8v PD TDI (BMM) for example has that oil pump and it has been flawless. EA288 engines have been revised and we have not (yet) been made aware of a recurrence of this issue. Cylinder head cracking on early EA188 units.There is a reference number to the right of the cylinder head underneath the fuel lines 03G 103 351 B or 03G 103 308 B. Look carefully at the letter at the end of this. If you have A you are virtually guaranteed to suffer a cracked cylinder head. The B is a little stronger but a few of these have still cracked. C is the one to go for and there are very few if any reports of cylinder heads cracking. Keep a close eye on engines with the A or B codes, particularly if there are any faults or issues arising. This does not appear to be an issue with the EA288 units. DMFs are fairly weak and will frequently fail. If yours should go we would suggest getting a high torque flywheel from but keep to a dual mass flywheel the single mass ones will cause too many vibrations. Tuning modsThere are a few major differences between the 140 and 170 engines. The main differences are the turbo and injectors. In fact a 140 engine can be upgraded to 170bhp with a remap (in our opinion it is a better choice than buying a 170!) but 170-180 is the upper limit of the 140's turbo. If you stayed on the standard 140 injectors but fitted a larger capacity turbo you should still be ok to around 200-220bhp before you need to increase the injectors. The 110 engines are generally fitted with small turbos, lower pressure injectors, and an inferior quality fuel pump but the components fitted varied considerably on model year and from manufacturer to manufacturer so check these carefully before planning your upgrade. Best mods for your 2.0 TDi
2.0TDi Tuning StagesTypical stage 1 mods often include: Sports exhaust, Panel air filter, Lighter flywheel, Remap, Intercooler Upgrades Typical stage 2 mods often include: high flow fuel injector, fuel pump upgrades, Power/Sport clutch, Ported and polished head, Fast road cam. Typical stage 3 mods often include: Engine balancing, Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), Competition cam, Upgrading forced induction (turbo). Let's look at remapping a 2.0TDiA remap modifies the computer settings to increase the engine's power. In its simplest form, it raises the "safety" restrictions, forces more fuel/air into the engine, and changes the turbo spool up speeds to maximize power improvements. Many tuners will increase the fuel rail pressure and injector timing to improve mid-range power and acceleration while keeping peak pressure within the original limitations. In terms of fueling, they alter the injection time, which is critical in diesel engines. All common rail systems have two injection phases, a pilot phase to start the fire and a principal phase to provide the bulk of the power. The pilot phase eliminates the distinctive DI diesel rattling and bang. While CR (common rail) diesels react well to remapping, I believe many automakers detuned their diesel engines to create a place for petrol versions the earlier PD engines also give good gains when remapped but the CR engines offer much more control and usually make better mid to top end power. Remaps for the 2.0 TDI engines: The 140 can be lifted to 170 on a software upgrade alone but to go beyond this you will need to look at the turbo. A remapped 140 is less laggy and makes the car feel much more compared to a 170 due to the smaller turbo, but the turbos can fail if not properly serviced and maintained when pushed this hard. It's clear that the headline power figures are only half the story and you should take into account the general feel of the engine and torque band. A remap on the 170 bhp engines can comfortably attain 210-225 bhp. Again going higher than this will require a turbo upgrade or hybrid turbo. Remember that larger turbos are generally laggier, so you'll have less low down torque. If you spec the right turbo upgrade you shouldn't have this issue. Diesel gained a lot of R&D funding in the early part of the 21st century (say the first 5-6 years), but petrol engines hardly improved. Now diesel engines are cleaner than gasolene engines, and make more power and still deliver better fuel economy, they really have come a long way. Ignore Peak Power Claims from remapping companiesPlease ignore peak power when comparing maps, since tuners are known to manufacture a power blip or spike to draw attention. Instead, focus on the total torque curve. More power at the bottom ends the turbo and causes traction difficulties, whereas more power at the top end stresses the turbo and other components. Look at the dyno graph below and work out which map is better for you? The red plot indicates an increase in power, boasting a headline figure of 200hp, but power is down everywhere else, while the green trace shows a constant gain in power across the RPM range. It also displays peak power at 4000rpm, which is fantastic for an engine that redlines at 7000rpm, providing you a fair distribution of additional power where you need it most. On a map, we want to see a steady and progressively smooth torque rise over the rpm range, with few dips and troughs. In the absence of dyno printouts, you must question whether the map has ever been tested or analyzed. 2.0 TDi turbo upgradesThe superb BORGWARNER BV40 VNT was used on the 2.0 TDi upto around 2003 and hybrid upgrades are many and plentiful. The later 2010 2.0 TDI140 and 170hp's used different turbos to the Borgwarner BV43 so dropping in the newer (Garrett GTC14V) 170 turbo will give you some headroom in your diesel A3 Tuning project. These turbos are pretty solid and reliable and most problem reports are due to improper mapping or driver neglect, rather than any fault inherent in the turbo design. Taking a 140 beyond 170 bhp will always require a larger turbo, TorqueCars suggest the GTB2056VK is definitely less laggy than the GTB2260VK due to its smaller compressors, but it can still flow to around the 260-275 bhp. Used turbos from the 170bhp engine are a good, cheap, viable upgrade option if you are looking at the 200bhp mark. Your second option is to go with a hybrid turbo. A hybrid turbo is a drop-in replacement for the OEM turbo but the internals have been tweaked to meet your power needs. By modifying the geometry of the exhaust side impeller you may cause the turbo to spool up more rapidly, providing a longer power band or greater top end power. It is normally a tradeoff since you are often unable to receive all of these perks and will need to select the greatest solution to suit. Also, modifications to the intake compressor's profile may have a substantial influence on how much air can be pushed into the engine. There are two kinds of bearings used in turbos.Thrust bearings and ball bearings. Most OEM turbos employ thrust bearings since these are cheaper to make but when a lot of additional power is pushed through them they might start to fail and you have oil leaks and early turbo wear. The later EA288 engines are best with a GTD2872VRK 340-400bhp, a GTB2260VK 300bhp, the GTB1756BK 220bhp, a VNT17-22 Hybrid 210bhp or the GT1749VB 200bhp turbo upgrades. Choose depending on where you want the power and how far you want to push the engine powerband. Big Turbo upgrades optionsBig turbos often have a lot of low-end lag. Small turbos start up faster, but they won't be able to make as much power at high RPMs. Thankfully the range of turbos is continuously increasing and we regularly see variable vane turbos, where the vane shape is adjusted according to speed to minimize lag and boost top end torque. Twin scroll turbos split the exhaust gases into two channels and direct them towards differentially slanted vanes in the turbocharger. They also boost the scavenging effect of the engine. Results of Tuning a 2.0 TDi On Quarter Mile RunsWe are assuming a 1400kgs kerb weight, & Manual transmission Base powerQuarterMileTuned toKerb Weight Quarter Mile109hp18.59140hp1400kg17.51140hp17.15175hp1400kg15.96150hp16.77225hp1400kg14.71170hp16.10255hp1400kg14.13640hp1400kg10.98 Impressive gains can be achieved on the 2.0TDi tuning project with revised maps, turbos, fuelling upgrades and forged internals. Bear in mind you'll hit traction issues around 225hp on FWD cars, so the 4 wheel drive variants put the power down more effectively. 10 second quarter mile times are possible but not practical for the 2.0 TDi needing around 640hp to shift a 1400kg car along the drag strip in under 11 seconds. Camshaft improvements and modsCam timing adjustments are quite easy to perform on most of these engines as the Cams are fitted with vernier pulleys. Moving the cam from advance to retard slightly will alter the peak power zone of the car but each engine is different and will have a sweet spot. Only play with this if you know what you're doing. If you tweak it too far the car may fail to start when cold so just back off a little from the setting you've selected. The top of the cam cover just unclips giving you access to the cam pulleys. ALWAYS MARK THE ORIGINAL POSITION CAREFULLY SO YOU CAN PUT IT BACK TO HOW IT WAS IF YOU'RE NOT HAPPY WITH THE OUTCOME. Advancing or retarding the cam will push the power band down or up the 2.0 TDi RPM range so you can set the car up to match your preferred driving style. The Bosch ECU's are pretty protective of the engine so mistakes in cam timing selection are not usually going to have dramatic consequences. There are some decent camshaft upgrades around now, the primary reason to fit these is to move the power band to where you want it, so on a remap you might want less bottom end as you'll get loads of wheelspin and trade it off for better top end power. The longer valve durations may increase the horsepower band through most of the rev range. You could just use the vernier pulley (or fit one if your model doesn't have one) as mentioned earlier to move the cam & valve timing as an alternative to a fast road cam, and it will move your power band up or down, but TorqueCars encourage you to only make very small adjustments to the cam positions. Mass Airflow sensor problemsIt is frequent that there is a limitation in the air flow sensor (MAF) on the 2.0 TDi when loads of air is being sucked into the engine as is the case with large power hikes. In comparison to the OEM air sensor, which drained performance at a much lower level, we observe 4 bar air sensors dealing with substantial power improvements. Changing the air flow sensor will require some tweaks to the ECU otherwise it will not know how to interpret the wider range of readings it is getting and will likely go into limp home mode or suffer from flat spots. Fuelling upgradesWhen you raise the torque you will need to pay attention to the fuel system. More power from your engine takes more diesel which must match the airflow to a certain extent. It is crucial to over define your flow rate on the injectors and give a little spare capacity. The recommended safe increase is to add an additional 20 percent when purchasing an injector, which takes into consideration injector degradation and offers you some extra capacity should the engine demand more fuel. Are Exhaust Upgrades Worth Doing?You only need to modify your exhaust if the present exhaust is generating a restriction in the flow. The standard exhaust fitted to every VAG group 2.0TDi flows more than well enough for even a 40% power hike! So there is no need to replace the exhaust and the sound from a larger bore TDi exhaust is not pleasant (in my opinion). On most factory exhausts you'll find your flow rate is still good even on minor power increases, however, when you start pushing up the power levels you will need to buy a stronger flowing exhaust. But if your exhaust pipe is too huge, ie: it's above 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a considerable part of the flow rate and end up losing power and torque. Usual exhaust limits may be found as restrictions in the flow through the filters fitted (cats and dpfs), thus installing a freer flowing sports alternative can assist prevent this restriction. It is not legal in most areas to remove these from your car completely and in some regions it is illegal to modify them for a sports alternative. What Benefits Do You Get from Differential UpgradesNot strictly an engine mod, but when power goes to around 190hp you'll start to hit traction problems and issues so at this point TorqueCars recommendation is to go with a differential upgrade. The best arrangement thus is to apportion the power distribution supplying a maximum of 75 percent to a wheel at any one moment. This is where the torque detecting diffs come in. Clever diff installations include the semi locking diff which only locks up in the case of a wheel spinning supplying power to both wheels giving much better traction in a wet corner. Torque actuated diffs (which employ a clutch) and torsion diffs are 2 more prominent differential types available. Does a diff make much difference? In a competitive scenario when you are pushing the peak amount of available power it might make a major difference to your lap timings. The advantage might mean a vehicle with 120bhp achieving better timings than one with 170bhp. You will notice that in corners the vehicle will pull better and be more predictable and stable. Modern diffs can also adjust the amount of power transmitted to the rear wheels (on the quattro and all 4 setup) allowing for excellent cornering abilities and tremendous traction 2.0 TDi EGR RemovalRemoving the EGR will not make a noticeable performance difference. At full (WOT) throttle it does not open and it helps reduce fuel consumption and throttle response at low RPM speeds and lessens the work the engine has to do in overcoming the cylinder vacuum. It can, however, make tick over a little lumpy and has been blamed for carbon build-up in the 2.0TDi engine but if you use a good quality fuel and cleaner (like BG244) you should not really have an issue. 250bhp is a sensible limit for most drivers looking for a daily driver. The engines are quite strong though and you'll find that around the 350 bhp mark is the safe maximum power a standard block can handle, a lot depends on the driving style and maintenance though. Power delivery and traction over 220bhp can be an issue as well so it would be worth investing in a good LSD and sports tires. You will need to uprate the injectors around the 250bhp mark but this varies depending on which injectors you have fitted as standard to your car. Most drivers report that the clutch begins to slip around the 420-430Nm mark and there is a torque limiter placed on the DSG gearbox. Are Solid flywheels any good on the 2.0 TDI?Solid flywheels are not a great option on the 2.0TDi - it really does need a DMF to smooth out the lumps. People who have fitted lighter solid flywheels have often regretted their choice. Read our guide to DMF vs solid flywheel conversions for more information on this. Intercooler improvements on the 2.0 TDiWe recommend you look at fitting a better intercooler, the stock one is quite small and suffers from heat soak when a lot of high rpm driving is done. Turbos have issues with the cold intake charge being near to the hot exhaust temperatures and compression of air which adds a lot of extra heat. It's a commonly held fact that cooler air holds more oxygen. Why is cooler air so beneficial? The more oxygen you have, the more diesel you can burn, increasing the car's power output. What does an intercooler do?An intercooler is a radiator that cools the intake air charge before it enters the 2.0 TDi engine. Install an intercooler in front of the radiator to take advantage of the cold air. Many factory mounted intercoolers on the 2.0TDi are located to the side around the wheel wells. Most of the heat is removed by an intercooler placed after the air intake filter and as close as possible to the turbo or supercharger where the heat is added. Front mounted intercoolers lie in front of the radiator and hence provide better air cooling than top mounted intercoolers or those mounted to one side typically in a wheel well! An effective intercooler design may release around 5-10% power and withstand heat soak for longer! The gains are larger if you've done more mods, as the heat it has to deal with will be much higher. All turbocharged engines, even a diesel like the 2.0 TDi will benefit from an intercooler, and stock intercoolers may be improved by relocation or fitting the one from the S or RS versions of the car. PLEASE HELP US COMPLETE THIS PAGE, If we've missed out on some details or you have some tips to pass on please use the comments section below to let us know. For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss options in more detail with our owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased VW, SEAT, Skoda Audi tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification. Please help us improve these tips by sending us your feedback in the comments box below. We love to hear what our visitors have got up to and which mods work best for them on each model of car. We use your comments and feedback to improve the accuracy of these tuning guides which get regular updates and revisions. Please Check out my YouTube channel, we're regularly adding new content... Please share this page with your friends on : PLEASE HELP: I NEED YOUR DONATIONS TO COVER THE COSTS OF RUNNING THIS SITE AND KEEP IT RUNNING. 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