# Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY



## MK2DUMPED (Jun 8, 2006)

I know there are quite a few posts about this swap on the TEX but i figured i would give it a shot as well.
As my head gasket decided to **** the bed after 420,000kms i figured it was time for something new. 
ENTER: 2.0L ABA X-flow
I got the motor,ECU, and harness with all the accessories for $500
I went out and purchased a MK2 Poly kit which is totally OPTIONAL. 
So here are a few questions almost everyone asks ( I know I did )
Q: How much will this cost?
A: As much as you are willing to spend........ but realistically no more than $700 
Q: How hard is it to remove the old engine and put the new one in??
A: Well assuming you have some knowledge of how cars work and are half competent with hand tools then there is no reason that this is no more than a 7.5/10 on a skill level.
Q: How long will the Swap take? 
A: So far I have about 4 Hrs into mine and that's just for removal of the old engine and removal of the interior and dash board (NOT REQUIRED)
I would estimate that the whole swap will take approx 15-20 hrs including pressing all new bushings in.

Parts List:
Motor: 1994 OBD1 2.0L ABA (forged bottom end and oil squirters)
Transmission: 4K O2O fully rebuilt with a longer diesel 5th gear
BNIB Sachs clutch kit
Serpentine belt 
air filter
G11 coolant 3L
10w30 mobil 1 synthetic - 4.2L
royal purple synthetic gear oil for transmission
timing belt kit
Mk3 Stuff:
Mk3 Alternator
Mk3 belt tensioner
Mk3 overflow hose and upper rad hose
Mk3 heater hoses
Mk3 spark plug wires and plugs
Mk3 distributor 
Mk3 Air intake hose
Mk3 ISV
All ABA Sensors
Mk3 O2 sensor 
Mk3 MAF sensor
Mk3 Vaccum line for brake booster
ECU
MK3 Coil
MK3 wiring harness
Mk2 Stuff:
Dual exhaust downpipe 
Mk2 Clutch cable
Mk2 Speedometer Cable
Mk2 Throttle Cable
Mk2 Radiator and rad fan
Mk2 battery cables
Mk2 coolant overflow bottle
Mk2 lower rad hose 
Cone air filter
First things first:
The engine removal:
Take the grille out and remove 4 - 10mm bolts securing the top part of the radiator support. Remove headlights. Underneath the headlights there are also 2 - 10mm bolts on either side. After you get those out there is one more 10mm in the middle at the bottom straight down from the hood latch, remove this one too. There are also 2 - 10mm's holding the radiator in remove these and you should be able to lift out the radiator support. At this point i would recommend grabbing a catch pan and taking the lower rad hose off and draining the coolant. After thats done go ahead and drain the engine oil as well. Once thats done remove the upper rad hose from the radiator and unplug the two (2) plugs on the drivers side of the radiator. After that simply pull the radiator straight up. VOILA its removed.
Once you get all the fluids out of the engine the next piece that needs to come out it the front cross member, make sure you support the engine with a jackstand, there are 3 - 17MM bolts that holds the front cross member on the frame rails, remove these. While you are there remove the 17mm bolt that holds the front bumper rebar and bumper skin on. After you take the 3 - 17mm bolts out you will have to remove the front engine mount as well. at this point your Mk2 should have the whole front end off. 
All that work already and it JUST GETS EASIER.
Now head to the inside of the car. 
Remove the lower dash panel under the steering wheel.
Remove the fuse panel from it's perch
Flip the fuse panel over on the reverse you will see a whole bunch of plugs and wires. Don't get stressed out, here are the plugs you need to remove:
One single row White plug here








Three dual row plugs here








One single yellow plug here








One ground plug on the upper kick panel area.
Once its all unplugged, maneuver the plugs towards the firewall. look into the engine bay and you will see this :








This is where the wiring for the engine harness will come through the firewall.

Remove all engine wiring from engine components. Pull the engine harness from the engine bay.

Move on to the axles. An 8mm triple square is your best friend at this point. Use a hammer to tap the triple square into the head of the bolts to ensure enough grip to remove the bolts otherwise you WILL strip them out. If you feel like it you can also take the 30mm nuts off of the axles in the hub assembly. Pull the axles out of the car.
Remove shifter cable
Detach speedo cable
Remove throttle cable 
Detach the shift linkage
Remove the heater hoses at the firewall
Remove the exhaust bolts at the manifold/downpipe connection. Some of you will have a c-clamp setup. Others with dual downpipe (like me) will have to remove the 6 bolts holding the 2 pieces together.
At this point there is only two things holding the engine in:
rear motor mount 
and rear tranny mount
Use an engine hoist to support the engine remove the bolts securing the rear engine and tranny mounts. 
After that is completed the engine should be free.
Like so :
























Once the old engine is out there is alot of stuff you can do 
Detail/shave the engine bay
replace all the control arm bushings 
replace the sway bar bushings
do wheel bearings

All of this aside i chose to just get the engine in with a new clutch and pressure plate.
Here we go :
I picked up my 2.SLO from another forum member 
it was missing a few things here and there but for the most part was complete.
What i needed:
Exhaust studs and nuts
Water neck
exhaust gaskets
downpipe gasket
Clutch and pressure plate
Flywheel bolts
Pressure plate bolts
First thing i did was Clean the engine bay by pressure washing all the grease off of it. I used some heavy duty degreaser as well.
Then the car sat for almost 2 months................OK OK I'M LAZY.
ANYWAYS, So i pulled the car back in the shop, and began to do some quick work on the engine.
















MMMMM YUMMY!!!








Here's a shot of the engine pre-ANY work.








The transmission i will be using that has been fully rebuilt with the 80% bolt kit. 
















Brand new clutch kit 








At this point the old pressure plate had been removed previous to this, so all i had to do was replace the old pressure plate bolts and bolt the shiny new one up







Make sure you buy new pressure plate bolts. Also re-use the washer that comes off.








After you get that all bolted up and torqued down, go ahead and grab the flywheel and the clutch. There is a right and a wrong way to put the clutch between the pressure plate and the Flywheel. Its pretty obvious but make sure you check. Here's what it looks like.








After that i bolted the transmission up to the engine.








I tackled the exhaust next. I took the new exhaust gaskets and exhaust studs and installed those next.








I also used a new gasket on the down pipe to exhaust manifold.
Next was the part that most people think is the worst part of the whole swap.
WIRING..................................
Luckily for me I have been doing 12v wiring for the last 9 yrs, so it wasn't to much of a challenge. 
Here's the wiring harness before:
















And the after shot
















After that was done I put the wiring aside and went to tackle the engine/transmission mounts. 
The rear engine mount is held in by one 19mm bolt. Take that on outta there.








And put the new one in
















Next is the transmission mount, 2 - 15mm bolts hold this one in. Remove those.








And the new one : 









This is as far as i have gotten. I will update this post as soon as i start putting the NEW engine in. If i missed something let me know and ill try to update the thread with it

_Modified by MK2DUMPED at 6:07 PM 3-7-2009_

_Modified by MK2DUMPED at 5:02 PM 3-21-2010_


_Modified by MK2DUMPED at 5:05 PM 3-21-2010_


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## Dubs_Only (Jul 19, 2005)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (MK2DUMPED)*

Great writeup so far, im planning on doing this swap in the future so keep it up. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## MK2DUMPED (Jun 8, 2006)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (Dubs_Only)*

yea if anyone has some questions ill be happy to help out between running my own business and working on the car and keeping my old lady somewhat happy and xmas im gonna go insane


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## manfredwerner (Jan 30, 2007)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (MK2DUMPED)*

Hi there, usefull info, thanks. you know i am very bad with electrical stuff can you please write up what goes where in the fuse box? and what wires are not used?
also i can't figure out what the best sollution for the radiator is while keeping the a/c and the power steering. any advice would be priceless.
thanks.


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## MK2DUMPED (Jun 8, 2006)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (manfredwerner)*

ill be doing the engine reinstall this holiday season so ill have some more for you guys by the new year


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## UGoBug (Dec 4, 2008)

Love the write-up so far! Couple questions, though...I noticed you said you removed the dash and that it is not required. Along that lines, can you still use the mk2 instrument cluster? what kind of wiring issues do I face? also, will a 2.0L fit mount-wise into the MK2 k-member/engine bay without any fabrication? I have the skills, just not the tools...so just wondering. 
I have a 1986 GTI 8v (wrecked recently) that I am thinking about doing this swap, and I want to get all the nitty gritty's first. 
I have done several engine swaps in several other cars (domestic) but this is my first VW swap, and I know how these things go. the little details is always what gets ya.
I found a complete running healthy 2.0l out of a late 92/93 cabrio for a song ($300) and a clean 86 gti donor shell, so basically I am building a car from the good parts off my current pile and figured while I was at it, might as well get a few more ponies, seein as I have to pull and relocate the engine to a new body anyways!
do you think I have much to gain going to the 2.0l or should I just stick with my 1.8l and add some go-fast parts?
thanks for any insight you might provide, and keep up the good work on the posts...well detailed! Happy New Year!!


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## bonesaw (Aug 8, 2004)

*Re: (UGoBug)*

you can use the mk2 cluster. need to wire in tach and then use a MFA cluster to send speed signal to ECU. if you put the 1.8 mounts on the ABA it will go right in. the harness does not plug right in to an 86 thuogh. id say its a pretty decent upgrade. id consider converting to ce2 so everything plugs in although its only a handful of wires to get it running.


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## manfredwerner (Jan 30, 2007)

*Re: (bonesaw)*

what means the plug with mfa? wont i be getting the speedo reading through the speedo cable like before? and the tax needs to be wired from coil primary output to somewhere in ce cluster, right?


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## bonesaw (Aug 8, 2004)

*Re: (manfredwerner)*

- of coil to tach of cluster. the speedo cable will send signal to the cluster but the ecu needs to see speed or there will be a fuel cut. normally a mk3 has an electric sender to cluster and ecu. a mk2 cluster with MFA will output a signal that the ecu can see and still use a speedo cable.


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## UGoBug (Dec 4, 2008)

what does MFA stand for? does that have anything to do with the center digital readout having fuel economy, oil temp, speed, etc. in it? If so, my GTI has that already.
Forgive my ignorance, but I do not know all the acronyms. What is CE2?


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## bonesaw (Aug 8, 2004)

*Re: (UGoBug)*

MFA is exactly that. displays all that extra crap. CE2 is central electric 2. refers to 90-99 cars except cabriolets. the fuse panels are the same and on the fuse panel side everytihng connects the same.


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## MK2DUMPED (Jun 8, 2006)

*Re: (bonesaw)*

Recent update


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## Vanagon Nut (Oct 19, 2007)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (MK2DUMPED)*

Most excellent stuff. Some of it looks quite familiar to me. (put '93/'94 ABA into my Vanagon)
One of these days I'll complete the list I have of parts needed for my swap. Your list looks really useful. Though there is some documentation for the swap I did, (not the most common one) even just an accurate list of parts needed from the donor would have been helpful.
Good on ya for posting your information! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Neil.


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## newkidz16vw (Feb 23, 2008)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (Vanagon Nut)*

Hey man this is a helpful post. I bought my car with the aba swap already done but I had found out that the motor had been blown an was turbo'd. I just recently bought a new motor an was wondering if you know how much it would cost just for the motor to be swapped along with putting in new ecu and wireing harness?
Thanks in advance for any info http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## MK2DUMPED (Jun 8, 2006)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (newkidz16vw)*

depending what the shops in your area charge per hour i would think no more than 7-8 hrs for the whole thing if the shop isnt to familiar with VW's if they are familiar with VW's then 4-6 hrs tops.


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## 91gettaDI (Aug 11, 2008)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (MK2DUMPED)*











_Modified by 91gettaDI at 9:40 AM 3-26-2009_


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## 91gettaDI (Aug 11, 2008)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (91gettaDI)*











_Modified by 91gettaDI at 4:56 PM 3-25-2009_


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## mamey (Jan 28, 2005)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (91gettaDI)*

Doing this hopefully next year... i already have the engine.. but no MKII yet







I will be doing the swap with the dash too. ... keep up the good work.. and keep us updated with the DIY!


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## prokrastanate (Jul 16, 2009)

*Re: Mk2 ABA 2.0L swap DIY (MK2DUMPED)*

You may be the person I'm looking for. I have a Mk2 with an ABA swap out of a 97 Jetta. I didn't swap it myself and I don't know the guy who did. Anyways, I had some ignition issues, fixed those, then a battery issue. So I bought a new battery, hooked it up and the alternator wire started smoking. I immediately pulled the terminal and looked at the wire. They rigged this up pretty good. There is a plug that connects the alternator to the juice jumper on the starter. This plug has three wires out of it. Two are 8-10 gauge red wires and one is a 12-14 gauge blue wire. Whoever swapped this took the two red wires to the plug, frayed their ends, took a long piece of 6 gauge red wire frayed it's end, stuck the three wires together, and soldered them. What a nightmare. I thought I solved the problem by rigging it right with two separate pieces of wire attached to the two red wires out of the plug. I even rewired the blue one because it had seen better days. I hooked it up exactly as it was before. When I hooked the battery back up, it smoked my alternator. I am just curious if you have any insight into my problem. Does it sound like a bad alternator or is something wrong with the wiring?


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## chrispl (Jan 5, 2007)

anyway you can update the pics?


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## vr604 (Feb 19, 2003)

OP- you should have used a GTI 16V rear engine mount, its a better mount. Its similar to the Corrado G60 front mount


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## vair_17 (Aug 25, 2009)

can you tell me what i need to do to the harness to make it that small..mine is ginormous. what wires can i take out?


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## i4turbo (Oct 26, 2006)

Im just in the process of swapping in an ABA into my 89 jetta 

i pulled the old harness, and the new OBD1 aba harness just plugged right in... but there is a few extra wires, were do they go? 

there is a black plug with red/black (low awg wire) and solid red wire (not sure what to do with them) 

and another 4 plugs, 1 green 2wire, black 2wire and 2 single plugs 1 wire each... 

whats what... 

any help would be great... 

I think i should splice the red/black wire to the old harness plug with red/black (went to the fuse box) and the solid red maybe to the battery??? 

THANKS


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## naitsyrkk (Jun 9, 2010)

im currerntly swapping my 92 with a obd2 and my harness has alot of extra wires going to the fuse box theres a bunch of yellow plug.Do you know where they would go?


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## eddier_22664 (Jun 3, 2008)

looking to do aba into corrado thanks for info


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## veedubbtyler (Dec 25, 2010)

any updates?


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## President Lincoln (Jun 27, 2005)

opcorn:


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## first9t! (Jul 13, 2009)

veedubbtyler said:


> any updates?


yes, any? am in the middle of doing the swap as we speak, your writeup so far is the only one that seems to help a little. keep up the work


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## cunningham (Apr 30, 2011)

is this complete? im doing the same swap as we speak, obd2 2.0L in mk2 and im stuck, the fuel pump dont cycle and it doesnt turn over, i need some help on the wiring. and what i can delete from the harness


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## \/\|/ (Jun 27, 2010)

cunningham said:


> is this complete? im doing the same swap as we speak, obd2 2.0L in mk2 and im stuck, the fuel pump dont


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## bretthbmx (Jun 20, 2007)

I was wondering on how you "cleaned" the harness up as I'll be taking on this swap Tuesday. Also I am doing it with a OBD2 motor, ecu, and harness.


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## naitsyrkk (Jun 9, 2010)

i got a 92 with an aba that i did a couple months ago the car ran fine then all of a sudden stopped getting fuel. i replaced the pump and relay but still nothing. Does anyone have any ideas what it could be


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## mk32slow (Jun 23, 2009)

Awesome diy very descriptive and very helpful cznt wait to tackle this build myself


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## 8vpwrhaus (Oct 1, 2011)

im having the same issue and its driving me nuts everything is wired that should be but my fuel pump doesnt prime and i dont have spark ... and i heard that you need the coolant temp plug hooked up to start it is that true?


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## bretthbmx (Jun 20, 2007)

8vpwrhaus said:


> im having the same issue and its driving me nuts everything is wired that should be but my fuel pump doesnt prime and i dont have spark ... and i heard that you need the coolant temp plug hooked up to start it is that true?


I'll look at my wiring later today if it stops raining to tell you the wire that needs hooked up. You have the starter lockout bypassed and all?


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## 8vpwrhaus (Oct 1, 2011)

the starter lockout for the alarm?? im running mostly the mk2 harness do i still have to bypass the lockout and what am i looking for to do that??


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## bretthbmx (Jun 20, 2007)

Well idk then cause I'm running mk3 engine and headlight harness.


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## MistaBee (Feb 23, 2013)

an update here would be lovely...


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## bonesaw (Aug 8, 2004)

MistaBee said:


> an update here would be lovely...


Update on what?


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## first9t! (Jul 13, 2009)

MistaBee said:


> an update here would be lovely...


holly old thread batman.


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## syncrogti (Sep 5, 2005)

Any chance the pictures will come back soon? I am doing this right now and would love to see what is happening here.


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