VW Golf Mk2 Owners Club

Engine - Easiest swap into 1.6 CL?

March 30, 2021, 02:17:58 PM

Hi all,

I've recently aquired a 1990 CL with a 1.6 Carb engine. The engine is in pieces and will take quite a bit of time to rebuild. My question is, are any of the other MK2 engines plug and play? Could I upgrade to a GTI engine or will I have issues with ECU and fuel injection etc?

Thanks

Re: Engine - Easiest swap into 1.6 CL?

Reply #1 – March 30, 2021, 04:27:02 PM

Hi Matt,

The only real plug and play upgrade will be a 1.8 carb unit.
The GTI motor will need the fuel pumps/lines/ecu/loom to get to work.

You can get a fair bit more pep out of the carb engines by getting a Weber carb/ four branch and a GTI cam if you end up rebuilding it.

Failing that, your best bet would be to get a completely rotten/smashed up GTI and swap the whole lot across.

Re: Engine - Easiest swap into 1.6 CL?

Reply #2 – March 30, 2021, 06:17:37 PM

Thanks for your reply. I’m guessing swapping out the fuel pump, lines, ecu and loom is relatively straightforward?

If not, it may be a chance to look at a 1.8t?

My aim though at this stage is to get the car running as quickly as possible without spending too much time or money, then I can focus on future upgrades etc

Re: Engine - Easiest swap into 1.6 CL?

Reply #3 – March 31, 2021, 07:53:36 AM

It's relatively straightforward to swap, but if you want to 1.8t it, you'll still need a fuel injected fueling setup to make it work.
So if you want it on the road quickly, get the carby motor back in, then plan your attack on a conversion when you have time.