upgrade kr engine or replace with something else?

[daavid44 0]

Hi, Ive been rersearching ways to ether modify my kr engine or replace completely and was hoping i could get some advice with some straight folward answers.

The situation is that i have a kr engine that the big ends have given up on and needs the crank regrinding. the head is good as it has just been skimmed and new valves ground in with new tappets. I could fix this engine but would like to take this opertunity to get more power in my car. so far i have came up with a few posibilities but each with questions:

 

swap the bottom end for a 9a. (or 6a with the oil and sump change) - is this as simple as it sounds or does the loom or feul system have to be altered?

 

swap the bottom end for an abf - i'm guessing this will be easier to find but proplems with the extra hight are an issue. could this be solved simply with bonnet lifters?

 

complete swap for an abf - would i need all the fuel system and loom ect from the donor car?

 

20vt - just a thought when i'm weighing up my options but i assume this would be expensive and the most diffiult?

 

I know this is a lot of questions to be asking and is probably anwered on other threads but the more i research the more complicated they all seem! any help would be hugely appreciatedn as i'm not sure which route to take. many thanks in advance, dave

[Erny 0]

K-jet management I the most basic to use and tuneable setup, my favourite by far.

 

Kr head isn't a straight bolt onto a abf bottom end, if you go 2.0l via the abf route just source a abf block head and cams and use all your kr ancillarys bolted on, you will have to bolt your crank pulley on as abfs run different belts, abfs on kr management seem to be the better option for torque and power when all parts are stock, the only down side to this is your sump will be closer to the floor and you may have to cut your rear engine mount down alittle for clearence below the bonnet, I can't confirm this as iv never fitted an abf in a corrado before, if I was to hav anoter valver mk2 or corrado ied go abf on k-jet personally.

 

Fitting a 9a or 6a bottom end or complete engine is a peice of piss, if you know how to swing a spanner, same again use all your parts,

 

fr all valver related info go to club gti an geek it up in the 16v section

 

1.8t strikes me as a realy good engine for corrados, just alittle pricey

 

fitting a vr6 is pretty simple too, again you do need to be relativly competant. Corrado front ends are pretty much identical to mk2 ones so mk2vr6.com has all the info needed. But a donor car helps alot.

[daavid44 0]

thanks for the advice. i thought an abf bottom end would fit straght onto my 1.8 head but that rules out that option. a complete abf block and head sounds like a good route to go then but i will look into the other options and have a good hunt about on the websites. thanks again for some clear answers!

[antinkariba 0]

I fitted an ABF to replace my KR. I run the ABF on KJet and it all runs sweet as a nut.

 

Never had any issues with the fitting of it either. All I had to do was remove one of the sound proofing panels on the bonnet as it was sticking in the throttle body.

 

Power wise I can complain. Makes me smile every time I drive it.

[daavid44 0]

ABF sounds like the way to go :) Do you have the early style bonnet or the late style with the bonnet bulge? Do you need the inlet manifold from the ABF or do you use the kr? thanks for the help!

[Erny 0]

If you use full abf managment then u will need the abf manifold, personally ied stay k-jet it's all In place

[daavid44 0]

sounds like a pretty wasy swap then with tho only hurdle possibly being the engine clerance with the bonnet. Should get round that though! :)

[antinkariba 0]

If you use full abf managment then u will need the abf manifold, personally ied stay k-jet it's all In place

 

I agree. I have an 89 Rado, and an early style bonnet and have had no issues with clearance.

 

I stayed KJet all the way - and used the existing manifolds, both inlet and exhaust. As well as that I kept the dizzy, gearbox, all the existing sensors and water pump. I used an ABF flywheel too.

 

Everything seemed to just fir together. I had to get a hall sensor, all i did was tie up the cable (I never cut it so that I can use it if I ever go ABF management)

[daavid44 0]

Thanks for all the advice. Just went a wee road trip today and picked up an abf engine and stripped it to the bare block and head. Got this week off work so hopefully i will get most of it done. :)

[krnau 0]

Thanks for all the advice. Just went a wee road trip today and picked up an abf engine and stripped it to the bare block and head. Got this week off work so hopefully i will get most of it done. :)

any progress? :norty: :norty:

[daavid44 0]

sorry, not been on in a while. Yes thanks it took me a good few days to do the coversion as i cleaned/ painted all the parts before putting them on. also cleaned up the engine bay, had front subframe out cleaned and painted, polybushed the complete front end painted the roll bar before putting the abf in. I will try and post some build pics if i can find them :)

[daavid44 0]

climatronic wiring-Golf from May 01.pdfabf.jpg[/attachment:24ky9eu5]2.8l 24v Climatronic system.pdfabf 2.jpg[/attachment:24ky9eu5]corrado.jpg[/attachment:24ky9eu5]

[krnau 0]

not a fan of colour coded engines, but nice work. did you feel much power difference?

 

congrats!

[daavid44 0]

thanks m8. well i hadnt had the car that long with the kr in it but the k jet and ignition timing must have been way out. Even with the abf it topped out at 80mph! Got it all set up now and it has a good bit of power in it now. Just took it off the road for the winter and have plans to re do the brake lines ect. possibly thinking about getting a lightened flywheel and the head gas flowed/polished. :) anyone know how much i should expect it to cost to het the head done?

[davidwort 0]

good headwork on the 16v isn't cheap, there was a chap on Club GTI doing them for around 3-400 quid but with a full rebuild of the head, possibly some new valves/guides and 16 hydraulic lifters it can stack up.

IMO it's worth doing properly so flowing/polishing etc without removing guides and not replacing the lifters etc wouldn't give you the best results

[daavid44 0]

yeah. Its something i think i'll look into coz i've took the car off the road for the winter and the engine will be coming out anyway. didnt relise new vavles and guides made so much differance. As you say it will all add up but at least i have 16 brand new lifters that were intended for the kr i replaced. :) any ideas on what gains this kind of work will get you? +10/20 bhp?