The History of the VW 1.8 Turbo Engine
The VW / Audi 1.8 turbo engine and its variants have been around for a long time and in fact the design dates back to Volkswagen’s first water-cooled, 4-cylinder engine, introduced in the 1970s. Fortunately every 4 cylinder VW / Audi engine produced since then has shared the same bellhousing bolt pattern. This means that our Ford Type 9 and Borg Warner T5 bellhousings will theoretically fit all of these engines.
The first water-cooled engine used in VW vehicles was the EA827 engine, which came in various displacements ranging from 1.5 to 1.8 litre. This engine had an iron block and an alumimium head. The engine had an 88mm bore spacing and a 20 degree right-based inclination. Our bellhousings place the engine in a 0 degree vertical position.
The 1.8T engine was introduced in the mid-1990s as part of Volkswagen Group’s efforts to offer a more powerful and efficient engine option for their compact and mid-size vehicles. The engine featured 20 valves, a turbocharger and an intercooler, which helped improve power output and efficiency compared to naturally aspirated engines. The bore is 81.0mm and the stroke 86.4mm with a displacement of 1781cc. The early versions used an external water pump driven by an intermediate shaft (058 block) with the later versions had a block inserted water pump with no intermediat shaft (06A block).
A four-cylinder engine with three inlet and two exhaust valves driven off two camshafts, the VAG 1.8 20V turbo first appeared in 150PS form in the Audi A6 then VW Passat B5 and Audi B5 A4, the iconix Mk1 Audi TT then eventually the 240PS unit that powered the Mk1 Audi TT quattro Sport. The forged crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons ensure that this engine can be tuned to very high engine power. We have customers who have tuned their engines to be between 300 and 350bhp on stock internals though we cannot verify these figures.
List of all known cars using the 1.8 turbo engine
- Volkswagen Polo Mk4 GTI (9N3) (2006 – 2009) Power (PS): 150, 180
- Volkswagen Golf Mk4 Power (PS): 150, 180
- Volkswagen Bora Power (PS): 150, 180
- Volkswagen Passat B5/B5.5 Power (PS): 150, 163, 180
- New Beetle Power (PS): 150, 170
- Seat Ibiza Power (PS): 150, 156, 18
- Seat Cordoba Power (PS): 156
- Seat Leon Mk1 Power (PS): 180, 210, 225
- Seat Toledo Power (PS): 180
- Seat Exeo Power (PS): 150
- Skoda Octavia Mk1 Power (PS): 150, 180
- Skoda Superb Mk1 Power (PS): 150, 163
- Audi A3 (Mk1/8L) Power (PS): 150, 180, 210, 225
- Audi TT (8N) Power (PS): 150, 180, 190, 225, 240
- Audi A4 (B5/B6) Power (PS): 150, 163, 180, 190
- Audi A6 Power (PS): 150
Horsepower (BHP) and torque figures for some of the higher performance variants of the VW / Audi 1.8 Turbo Engine. Figures are not definitive.
- Audi S3 (8L) – BAM Engine:
- BHP: Around 210 horsepower
- Torque: Approximately 207 lb-ft (280 Nm)
- Audi S3 (8P) – BHZ Engine:
- BHP: Approximately 261 horsepower
- Torque: Around 258 lb-ft (350 Nm)
- Audi TT (8N) – APX Engine:
- BHP: Around 225 horsepower
- Torque: Approximately 207 lb-ft (280 Nm)
- Audi TT (8N) – AMK Engine:
- BHP: Approximately 237 horsepower
- Torque: Around 236 lb-ft (320 Nm)
- Audi TT (8N) – AJQ Engine:
- BHP: Approximately 180-190 horsepower
- Torque: Varies depending on specific model and tuning
- Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mk4) – AUM Engine:
- BHP: Around 180-190 horsepower
- Torque: Varies depending on specific model and tuning
The bellhousings below allow the VW / Audi 4 cylinder engine to be mated to a Rear Wheel Drive Gearbox.
VW / Audi 1.8 Litre to Ford Type 9 Bellhousing
VW / Audi 1.8 Litre to Borg Warner T5 Bellhousing
If using an engine that has been mounted longitudinally, for instance in the Volkswagen Passat or Audi A4 this engine should have a spigot bearing in the end of the crankshaft. Due to the shorter length of the input shaft in the Front Wheel Drive gearbox any transversely mounted engine will need our spigot bearing which utilises needle roller bearings and is a press fit in the end of the crankshaft. The Type 9 gearbox and the UK specification Sierra Cosworth Borg Warner T5 (Tremec) gearbox have the correct 15mm spigot diameter. For other variants of the T5 please refer to our T5 information page.
The starter required is the Audi A4 1.8 turbo variant although other longitudinally mounted engines may use the same starter motor.
The bellhousings are hydraulically actuated and use the Slave Cylinder for VW / Audi to Ford Type 9 or Borg Warner T5 Gearbox, which connects via an adaptor (included) directly to the bellhousing rear inner face. If using the Ford Type 9 or Borg Warner T5 the nose will need to be cut down to allow the slave cylinder to slide over but this will not affect the integral oil seal as long as you cut above the seal. The primary purpose of the nose is to allow the cable release bearing to slide up and down and so it is no longer needed with hydraulic actuation.
Suitable for use with the VW / Audi Lightweight Steel Flywheel
We sell complete bellhousing kits for both the Ford Type 9 and the Borg Warner T5. These are listed below.
VW / Audi 1.8 Litre to Borg Warner T5 Bellhousing Kit
VW / Audi 1.8 Litre to Borg Warner T5 Bellhousing Uprated Clutch Kit
VW / Audi 1.8 Litre to Borg Warner T5 Competition Bellhousing Kit
VW / Audi 1.8 Litre to Ford Type 9 Bellhousing Kit
VW / Audi 1.8 Litre to Ford Type 9 Competition Bellhousing Kit
