9n3 Polo 1.6 to APK swap wishlist

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IronG
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Registered for: 11 years 1 month
Car Make: VW, BMW, Nissan and Landrover
Car Model: Citi, E46, Champ, Discovery
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9n3 Polo 1.6 to APK swap wishlist

Post by IronG »

Hi all,
I have a friend with a 2003 1.6 BAH Polo.

The engine is very much finished (moeg).

I'm thinking the best would be to swap the engine out with a 2.0 8v APK engine.

We will be using a decoded Polocup ECU.

Will the current cableshift gearbox fit the engine fine (straight fit)?

From my knowledge this should be a straight forward swap with no modifications to mountings of the gearbox and engine.

Should also be able to use the current goodies on the existing engine (Alternator, exhaust manifold, etc, etc.)

It's been a while since I've tinkered and I have done 4x Citigolfs (2x ADY, 1x 2.0 20Vt and an ABF) and a Jetta 3 (ADY).

This will be the 1st Polo.

Thanks in advance! :hug:
2005 Citi 1.4i (2.0ADY sleeper going 20v)
2001 E46 320D BMW
2002 Nissan Champ 149kw vvl
2004 Honda VFR Vtec
2003 BMW 650 Dakar
IronG
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Posts: 56
Registered for: 11 years 1 month
Car Make: VW, BMW, Nissan and Landrover
Car Model: Citi, E46, Champ, Discovery
Location: Cape Town

Re: 9n3 Polo 1.6 to APK swap wishlist

Post by IronG »

Phoned around a bit and it seems that the gearbox will fit the engine.
That's not the problem.
The engine mountings will need to be changed, which in turn will create a lot of other problems.
The biggest problem seems to be management.

As it makes use of a coil pack and not a distributor, there is no effective shortcut here.

The coil packs also differ from 1 - 4 points, so the wiring is different in the loom (Something along that line).

So if you have a 9n Polo 1.6, your options are limited to A: Redo the engine or B: Replace it with the same BAH engine.

Just because the Cable Shift gearbox bolts onto it, it doesn't mean that there won't be other challenges heading your way.
2005 Citi 1.4i (2.0ADY sleeper going 20v)
2001 E46 320D BMW
2002 Nissan Champ 149kw vvl
2004 Honda VFR Vtec
2003 BMW 650 Dakar
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ThoriMoMo
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Car Make: VW
Car Model: Polo 1.8 20v NA 9n3
Location: Pretoria West

Re: 9n3 Polo 1.6 to APK swap wishlist

Post by ThoriMoMo »

Look up the engine mounts for the 2.0l apk since we already had 2.0l apk 9n3 Polos sold here. Depending on the engine side mount, you might need to change the mount connecting piece on the engine itself to match the apk mount that fit on the car (I'm sure VW didn't chop up the cars and modify them heavily just to have the apk fit, it should be a straight swap in).

Wiring is what's gonna get you unfortunately, on my own Polo 9n3 swap (I went with the 1.8 20v non turbo AGN and a six speed box, didn't have to change mounts anywhere but using 1.8T GTI mounts besides the mount connecting piece on the engine which is on the GTI engines), I went for dicktator 60-2, I still have the original ecu for the 1.8 which I do plan on using at some point in the future. Your original harness might differ from the apk one, it's gonna be a schlep to sort out I believe.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

Current:
'05 VW Polo 9n3 1.8 20v NA Swap, 6 Speed box, Dicktator 60-2.

Former:
'15 Tata Bolt 1.2T (They see me rolling :roll: ),
'07 Volvo V50 D5 Geartronic (Lost its head :sad: ),
'02 Volvo S40 2.0T Manual (Sold),
'07 Nissan Qashqai 2.0 NTec (Sold).

You won't know if you don't try...
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missioner
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Car Model: '87 MK1 Golf Citi

Re: 9n3 Polo 1.6 to APK swap wishlist

Post by missioner »

It may be possible to splice the harnesses together.

My bigger concern would be the ECU and how it mates to the car. Polo up ECU"s were recorded to run nearly stand alone as race cars are lacking in much of the usual creature comforts.

I would investigate whether a 2.0l map can be flashed to your current computer.

As for the advice regarding the mounting, I agree. 9N/3's came with the 2.0l factory fitted here in S.A. I think the fitment of the engine is an easy problem.

One other issue that's often overlooked is the clutch. The 1.6 clutch will be wholly inadequate to join the engine and the gearbox together, power transmission wise. You will have to source the correct one to suit both your engine and gearbox. I suspect that an SMF kit suitable to a Polo 1.9 TDi will be the best way to go.
'87 Golf 1 Olde Skewl OEM+
Rourke
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Re: 9n3 Polo 1.6 to APK swap wishlist

Post by Rourke »

When using coil packs can a aftermarket ecu work? dictator ect?

Is there a way on using dictator with 60-2 and a electronic dizzy with boggi cords on a Coil pack engine?

if there is cant they just go aftermarket ecu instead of trying to make the harness work?

if not wont a harness and ecu from a audi/golf that that engine came from work? with a remap etc?

i am not sure on the limitations of the coilpack ?

just enquiring to understand

cheers
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ThoriMoMo
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Car Make: VW
Car Model: Polo 1.8 20v NA 9n3
Location: Pretoria West

Re: 9n3 Polo 1.6 to APK swap wishlist

Post by ThoriMoMo »

I believe the coilpack on the apk should be the same as with the 1.4 BLM, 1.6 that has been swapped out. My 1.8 uses the same coilpack as these engines, dicktator documentation has all the info you need to wire up the coilpack. If the intention is to go aftermarket ecu then the dicktator 60-2 would be a good way to go.

If the intention is to keep it "stock", original harness and original ecu should work but it would need yo communicate with the car's bcm and dashboard/lockset. I'm not sure how the Polocup ecu would work in this situation because some pins might not correspond with the ones of the original harness, that would need research and expertise in wiring up and modifying ECUs

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

Current:
'05 VW Polo 9n3 1.8 20v NA Swap, 6 Speed box, Dicktator 60-2.

Former:
'15 Tata Bolt 1.2T (They see me rolling :roll: ),
'07 Volvo V50 D5 Geartronic (Lost its head :sad: ),
'02 Volvo S40 2.0T Manual (Sold),
'07 Nissan Qashqai 2.0 NTec (Sold).

You won't know if you don't try...
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