Club 80-90 Forums

ive found a j reg audi in my local scrapyard it has a v6 engine in it code AAH . i would like to put it in my campervan what i need to no is how do i do this, what parts do i need of the audi do i would i be better off fitting the audi gearbox into my campervan .Any help would be greatly appreciated many thanks andy

Anything’s possible but the overall cost of the conversion and the gear box being a major problem, the fact that you will struggle to average over 18 mpg, which at current fuel prices is no joke, this may not be ideal
you would be so much better off with a reliable TDI conversion and get 45/50 mpg if you’re not a diesel fan you should give the flat 4 Subaru 16v serious consideration, cheap donor cars lots of info on line a choice of conversion companies for a DIY or a drive in and out service and ultra reliable

I'm sure others better qualified than I (Silverbullet ... ?) will be along shortly but I do know via the Brickyard that Tim Shettle is working on an adapter plate to allow use of a flipped A4 gearbox, I'd hope Tim is making his plate compatible with the petrol i5/v6 bolt pattern as well as the i4. It'd definitely be a bit of a project to do it this way. The 'easy' option would presumably be to use a T3 gearbox and South African bell and engine mounts. The linky (with porn) is:

http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/charg ... 62757.html

E D I T: I remembered that a couple of chaps on BY also have done the Audi V6 a while back:

http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/28-v6 ... 46043.html

If you do go this route and need a fresh clutch, I have a surplus new 240mm pressure plate and friction plate with T3 splines that you might find useful.

Just spotted this Andy!

Hmmm,...maybe a 12v 2.4 would be OK on a T3 transaxle, Aidan did say that he'd guarantee one of his rebuilds for 300Nm but maybe that's because he has an idea of how and what I drive. Adaptor plates are out there, mostly in the US but the Germans do them too I think.

SA bellhousing is the way to do it properly but they are getting very expensive and exports are tricky; you need an expediting agent to get the paperwork right.

The Audi V6 motors are fairly low because they are 90 degree, but you'll still have to fit a 3 or 4" raised engine hatch to clear the cam covers and inlet manifold I think, so there goes your engine cover cushion or raise the bed up. Your cupboards will also need modification I would think.
Wiring: does the Audi have an immobilizer? Yes so loads of wiring work, you'll need the whole vehicle loom and keys, It's a lot of work.

See the thread by "carpmaster" on his Volvo B230 engine swap for an idea of what can go wrong with a taller than standard engine conversion (apologies to Tom, just an example)

Inverted transaxles? No thanks. It's not proper automotive engineering IMHO. No offence, Tim!

If it's cheap and easy* torque that you want, then go Subaru.

*relatively, it's well proven so less headaches than other conversions. You'll still need deep pockets though.

why cant i use the v6 gearbox it would cut down on the cost i can get the engine and gearbox for 160 pound plus the scrapyard will take it out for me. how many mpg dose a 2.2 subaru do to the gallon

Because you can't "flip" the diff in those Audi transaxles. Just not possible. Remember you're taking an engine that lives in front of it's transmission and turning it around so the engine will now be behind the transmission. You don't want 5 reverse gears and one forward, do you?

Mileage depends how you drive it. A lowered tin-top cruising at 60-65 will return close to 30 mpg. That's as good as it gets for a petrol bus. Heavy campers and high-tops return a lot less. You'd have to ask around.

deeeeeer its got common senses wrote all over it lol tanks for your advice

ive done a bit of checking a pre 94 audi v6 dose not have an immobilizer.will i still need the key .if i cant get the key cant i jusy get a new barrel and key or is it a eletronic key that talk to the engine so to speak. i take iam still going to need the wireing loom do i need the whole car wireing loom or is it just the wireing loom from the engine to the ecu and the 2 sensors to the ecu .will i need the starter motor as well thanks andy

Bump!

Although the audi V6 conversion has been done by quite a few people - Ive seen 5, it is going to involve alot of working out youself. You are going to have to teach youself alot about the the systems that you are dealing with.
Donor - best to have a running vehicle, then you know it works before you start and have all the bits - sell or scrap whats left when your finished.
Immobiliser , there is an aerial/induction ring around the ignition switch that reads the chip in the key - a simple solution is to tape the key to the induction ring, locate it anywhere you want , keep your T25 key and switch , when you turn the ignition the chip in the old key is still read. I'm sure there must be more sophisticated solutions as well.
Gearbox Whats been said already, South african bell housing, or adaptor plate (best with diesel bell housing) or a porsche gearbox , there were 2 like this a vanfest.
Wiring wiring diagrams! work out what you do and dont need , identify & label everything (you cannot remember it all at once). Then you can strip the loom and remove what you dont need, Workout how your T25 systems are going to connect up to the audi engine.

Talk to people who have done the conversion for ideas and tips, but you will need to understand what you are doing.

If you are daunted by this why not go for a more common conversion such as TDi or Subaru where you can buy most of the stuff "off the shelf" and there is a much bigger pool of knowledge

Finally , good luck, its always nice to see some one doing something different

thanks for the advice richard; picking bits and peices up here and there ; i to was at vanfest and saw 2 v6 conversions . both looked real neat and tidy i think this is when my brian started ticking .but i had a big shopping list of things to buy so i never realy took time to ask any question and look deeper into a v6 conversion am going to few shows this year so if i see any one with this conversion be sure am going to pin them down and ask all the right questions . many thanks andy

I have done a V6 conversion except I used a V6 24v 2.9i Cosworth engine.

It really depends on your skills and technical ability to problem solve if you are doing something that not many others have done.

There is a list of things to sort out.

Engine connection to gearbox.
Clutch assembly
Starter motor

Mounting the engine and gearbox in the vehicle

Cooling system

Fuel system

Wiring.

Each one of these points has a set of sub points that need to be finalised.

The easiest part for me was getting the engine on the T25 gearbox as that was a simple conversion plate from KEP in the USA, I also bought a light weight flywheel, competition cluctch and high torque starter fritted to porshe kianne (or something like that).

The hardest part was taking a 9 brain wiring harness which took 2 people to lift in a cardboard box 3ft sq by 18inch tall down to a simple harness which just needed a positve negative and switched supply.

Good luck and enjoy the conversion if you decide to do it.

I did a full blog on my conversion if you look for Dickspanners crewcab you should find it.

Dickspanner