# Has no one done an ABA swap in a non-CE2 car?



## RowBoatsVdubs (Mar 18, 2008)

Title says it all. Searching and searching and every thread i've found says to re-wire my whole car to CE2 rather than just splicing what is probably no more than 10 wires into my US/CE1 (whatever it is) harness.


Trying to do this swap soon and wiring is the only thing that's holding my plans up. :banghead:


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## cabrio2.0 (Aug 11, 2009)

what fuel management, what year car?


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## SkootySkoo (Aug 8, 2004)

piggyback method, read through this thread


http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...2.0-swap-2.0-into-A1-2.0-into-MK1-info-thread


or this if its obd 2 maybe....

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...quot-harness-on-sale-now!!&highlight=nls+plug


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## RowBoatsVdubs (Mar 18, 2008)

cabrio2.0 said:


> what fuel management, what year car?


Car is 88 GTI 1.8 16v, Future engine is 97 ABA obd2





SkootySkoo said:


> piggyback method, read through this thread
> 
> 
> http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...2.0-swap-2.0-into-A1-2.0-into-MK1-info-thread


Are you saying my 88 GTI wiring is the same as US built mk1?


Thanks for the links, btw


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## SkootySkoo (Aug 8, 2004)

RowBoatsVdubs said:


> Car is 88 GTI 1.8 16v, Future engine is 97 ABA obd2
> 
> 
> 
> ...



What Im saying is this is a good guide to what wires are what for a CE-2 swap as that is what the thread is about. Your car would be CE-1 if I remember correctly.

Now open up and say ahhhhh.....

http://www.a2resource.com/electrical/systems.html

spoonfed to the rescue....i kid i kid, im bored at work and this killed a few minutes


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## RowBoatsVdubs (Mar 18, 2008)

yeah I've been on there, I think i'm going to just borrow some bentleys and figure out what all is needed to be connected and go from there. the piggy back idea intrigues me though because i have a CE2 box but not the rest of the wires for the full swap... yet?


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## austin neuschafer (Apr 26, 2002)

we have done a couple without changing to ce2. I also for a while had my rocco 16v using aba engine management on the 16v motor


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## nothing-leaves-stock (Mar 1, 2005)

we make a aba obd2 custom harness to drop in a mk1 or mk2 for this swap on factory car harness ce1 or ce2 or mk1 randoms.

NO NEED to swap to CE2 or piggy back anything. thats the hacked up way. ours you do NOT cut or remove anything. just add our harness and go. easy, simple and if you ever want to go back to the factory engine...its all ther for you, untouched

http://nothingleavesstock.com/online-store/#ecwid:category=2903030&mode=product&product=14166958


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## skateboards and mk2s (May 17, 2006)

OP did you ever do this? 

Anyone help. I have everything going except the injectors are not firing. Cars runs and idles on starting fluid.


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## austin neuschafer (Apr 26, 2002)

thats either wiring or ecu, those are sequntial meaning all injectors have a separate driver but share a common positive and cycled ground IIRC. fuel pump building pressure?? fuel pressure regulator issue?? maybe a issue at teh sub harness at eng block?


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## skateboards and mk2s (May 17, 2006)

austin neuschafer said:


> thats either wiring or ecu, those are sequntial meaning all injectors have a separate driver but share a common positive and cycled ground IIRC. fuel pump building pressure?? fuel pressure regulator issue?? maybe a issue at teh sub harness at eng block?



Ok thanks. Dumb question maybe but could a bad rotor cause the hall to spark but not trigger the ecu to fire injectors? Does the ecu fire injectors off the rotor or off the crank position sensor? Im going to trace all the wires from the main engine harness to ensure continuity.


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## austin neuschafer (Apr 26, 2002)

if your priming it with fuel your crank sensor is good. if crank sensor fails no fuel or fire. the rotor is for your fire aka ignition


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## skateboards and mk2s (May 17, 2006)

ok thanks. I am going to throw a new cap and rotor at it while going through all the grounds. Thinking maybe if there is a bad ground somewhere it might be causing the ECU to not send the ground signal to fire the injectors.


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## skateboards and mk2s (May 17, 2006)

All sensors seem to test out good so I was going through the ecu pin by pin and tracing everything.

I found pin 54 labeled ECU power was not hooked up. 

I'm confused though because when I tested the ECU it was getting 12v with the key on?

Does it need constant as well as switched?

If so would pin 54 go to constant power?


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## PrimerGTI (Apr 14, 2011)

skateboards and mk2s;
If so would pin 54 go to constant power?[/QUOTE said:


> I believe 54 is ecu memory.


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## skateboards and mk2s (May 17, 2006)

Mine is going now. Anyone trying this its pretty straight forward but tedious. There is not alot of stuff to hook up but if you get something wrong it can be hellish trying to sort it out. Not at alot of info anywhere on the US wired cars. I lost faith a few times for sure chasing a few connections that had not seated correctly. Double check everything before you power up the first time as it does not take much to fry the ECU.


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## Turbo3 (Sep 15, 2005)

nothing-leaves-stock said:


> we make a aba obd2 custom harness to drop in a mk1 or mk2 for this swap on factory car harness ce1 or ce2 or mk1 randoms.
> 
> NO NEED to swap to CE2 or piggy back anything. thats the hacked up way. ours you do NOT cut or remove anything. just add our harness and go. easy, simple and if you ever want to go back to the factory engine...its all ther for you, untouched
> 
> http://nothingleavesstock.com/online-store/#ecwid:category=2903030&mode=product&product=14166958


 You should make one for a vr6.


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## nothing-leaves-stock (Mar 1, 2005)

Turbo3 said:


> You should make one for a vr6.


 we do. obd2 v6 to mk1 or mk2. plug-n-play 

both aba and VR6 obd2....


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## nbvwfan (Aug 15, 2007)

nothing-leaves-stock said:


> we do. obd2 v6 to mk1 or mk2. plug-n-play
> 
> both aba and VR6 obd2....


 This is one of the times when I would say "buy to build" the wheel has been invented..


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## nothing-leaves-stock (Mar 1, 2005)

just makes things easier for those that can't wire too well. 
i personally am not great at wiring, dave my head tech IS....so i came up with the idea and he built it.


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## Turbo3 (Sep 15, 2005)

nothing-leaves-stock said:


> we do. obd2 v6 to mk1 or mk2. plug-n-play
> 
> both aba and VR6 obd2....


 To a ce1 car? Oh I need this!! 



nbvwfan said:


> This is one of the times when I would say "buy to build" the wheel has been invented..





nothing-leaves-stock said:


> *just makes things easier*for those that can't wire too well.
> i personally am not great at wiring, dave my head tech IS....so i came up with the idea and he built it.


 And I love making things easier. After wiring one before, I'll take anything to make my swap easier.


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## nothing-leaves-stock (Mar 1, 2005)

yes, leave the stock car harness in the car. 
plug our harness in 
power,ground 
start car


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## austin neuschafer (Apr 26, 2002)

to the OP?? is this rowboat off tn euros?? we have done a couple on non ce2 swaps, they are not at all impossible and we got all of ours right the 1st time. but I have a degree in electronics which helps I guess. they are not near as simple as a ce2 swap however. just takes a little more time.


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## vdubb03 (Apr 4, 2010)

nothing-leaves-stock said:


> yes, leave the stock car harness in the car.
> plug our harness in
> power,ground
> start car


Okay so how much is this? your site only shows an OBD2 harness and it isn't in stock, all i have left for my build is figure out wiring then drop motor in


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## InlinePerformance (Oct 25, 2008)

I can help with the harness problem  Check out mybig TDC_Shop Or dm 


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## InlinePerformance (Oct 25, 2008)

Check out like one post down!


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