A3 1.8t gearbox swap

[vcosmin]

Hi, i have a friend with a tuned 1.8t Typ 8L 4wd, he wants to swap a 6 speed gearbox from the s3 - same generation. Is this a straight swap ? like 01e gearbox from older Audis ?

[ManiacuV6]

A far as I know the S3 has a 1.8 T engine . The engine block should be the same so the swap an be made. But be careful with the 4wd ECU.

[Sleeper_Avant]

you will need the gear cables, and all ancillaries, i.e flywheel, clutch, starter, hydraulic slave cylinder, clutch pedal and pipework and driveshafts and bellhousing bolts

propshaft fits the same

you must check if speed sensor is driven from transducer on your gearbox or via the ABS as your speedo may not work and ABS/TCS light will come on and systems not work

[Sleeper_Avant]

ME7 ECU may also recognise being ba57ardized and fail, although remapping this out is an option, depending on what hardware you use

[4WheelDrifter]

My MY2000 A3 1.8TqS and S3 use the same 240mm clutch and flywheel. So that's a start.
I have thought about this myself, as the A3 runs out of gears fairly quickly. But I do prefer 5 speed boxes.

[Jelle..]

Isn't the stock gearbox already a 6-speed? My old A3q 1.8t has one.

[4WheelDrifter]

Was it MY2001>?

[prj]

I'll sort the ECU, no problem.

[Sleeper_Avant]

if this lot can be nailed into a mk1/2 golf then im sure it can go in the A3 easy enough!

dont forget the TT for parts too lads

[4WheelDrifter]

Yes. I thought the TT parts are obvious, as an 8L S3 and an 8N TT share the same running gear.
I always search for TT parts and know-how relating to the A3 and S3. It opens up options on the other side of the Atlantic.
I am almost openly admitting that I lurk on TT forums.

I am pretty sure a friend's MY'01 A3qS is a 6 speed. I should know really, seeing as I have worked on it.

The swap shouldn't be too difficult, anyway.

[Jelle..]

Was it MY2001>?

It was a '01 8L.

[kninio]

My MY2000 A3 1.8TqS and S3 use the same 240mm clutch and flywheel. So that's a start.
I have thought about this myself, as the A3 runs out of gears fairly quickly. But I do prefer 5 speed boxes.

why do u prefer the 5 speed one? any one aorted a substitute flywheel for the 240mm dualmass one which fail often

[Sleeper_Avant]

plenty flywheel options available depending on use

there is an off the shelf solid replacement or VR6 is common i belive, still 240mm.

the conversion isnt hard, its gathering all the bits in one place before you start

[4WheelDrifter]

why do u prefer the 5 speed one? any one aorted a substitute flywheel for the 240mm dualmass one which fail often

I have a Spec single mass 6kg flywheel on the A3, with a stock clutch.
The original clutch and flywheel lasted until 250k km, when the release bearing fell apart. Mainly because I tried to tow an S3 with a failed clutch that had its brakes on. The clutch took nearly 10 years of hard launches and abuse until it was replaced.

I also have a Spec single mass flywheel and a Spec uprated clutch in the S3. That blew its 2nd stock clutch to bits on its second run up the strip at <100k km.

I have never weighed the 2 cars, but the S3 feels like a much heavier car than the A3, probably because it does have a lot more stuff on it.
Also the S3 was a low mileage car when bought, probably plenty of city driving. Whereas the A3 was a motorway slag from new. So that would probably make a difference to the clutch failures.

Like with the S2, I prefer the longer gears of the 5 speed. For a start, you can do 0-60 in just 2 gears.
It also shifts much easier/nicer. When the clutch broke I could easily drive the A3 without it.

[kninio]

plenty flywheel options available depending on use

there is an off the shelf solid replacement or VR6 is common i belive, still 240mm.

the conversion isnt hard, its gathering all the bits in one place before you start

tell me 240 mm from which year of vr6 and , which bits i must gather before i start? i boughet car missing engine and i would like to sort it out soon for daily driving help please