Volkswagen ABU engine
Content
In the early 90s, the EA111 engine line was replenished with a new power unit.
Description
The Volkswagen ABU engine was produced from 1992 to 1994. It is a gasoline in-line four-cylinder aspirated engine with a volume of 1,6 liters, a capacity of 75 hp. with and a torque of 126 Nm.
Installed on cars:
- Volkswagen Golf III /1H/ (1992-1994);
- Vento I /1H2/ (1992-1994);
- Seat Cordoba I /6K/ (1993-1994);
- Disaster II /6K/ (1993-1994).
The cylinder block is cast iron, not lined. The sleeves are bored out in the body of the block.
Timing belt drive. Feature - there is no tension mechanism. Tension adjustment is done with a pump.
Chain oil pump drive.
Aluminum pistons with three rings. Two upper compression, lower oil scraper. Lower compression ring cast iron, upper steel. Piston fingers of floating type, secured against displacement by retaining rings.
The pistons have deep recesses, thanks to which they do not meet with the valves in the event of a timing belt break. But this is theoretical. Really - their bend occurs.
Closed cooling system with two-stage electric fan.
Mono-Motronic fuel system (manufactured by Bosch).
Combined type lubrication system. The manufacturer recommends changing the oil after 15 thousand km, but in our operating conditions it is desirable to carry out this operation twice as often.
Technical specifications
| Manufacturer | concern Volkswagen Group |
| Release year | 1992 |
| Volume, cm³ | 1598 |
| Power, hp from | 75 |
| Torque, Nm | 126 |
| Compression ratio | 9.3 |
| Cylinder block | cast iron |
| Number of cylinders | 4 |
| Cylinder head | aluminum |
| Fuel injection order | 1-3-4-2 |
| Cylinder diameter, mm | 76.5 |
| The piston stroke, mm | 86.9 |
| Timing drive | belt |
| Number of valves per cylinder | 2 (SOHC) |
| Turbocharging | no |
| Hydraulic compensators | Yes |
| Camshaft adjuster | no |
| Lubrication system capacity, l | 4 |
| Applied oil | 5W-40 |
| Oil consumption (calculated), l / 1000 km | to 1,0 |
| Fuel system | single injection |
| Fuel | gasoline AI-92 |
| Environmental standards | Euro 1 |
| Resource, outside. km | n/a* |
| Location | transverse |
| Tuning (potential), l. With | 150** |
* according to reviews, with timely maintenance, it takes care of 400-800 thousand km, ** an unreduced resource is not defined.
Reliability, weaknesses, maintainability
Reliability
The vast majority of motorists characterize ABU as reliable. This is confirmed by their statements when discussing the aggregate.
For example, KonsulBY from Minsk writes: “... a normal engine. I have not climbed there at all for so many years (since 2016). Except for the lid gasket everything is original...».
Shares the experience of operating alekss from Moscow: “... I read one thread on the forum about a jammed generator and the question was whether I would get home on one battery. So, at ABU, the pump runs on a toothed belt and she doesn’t care what’s going on with the generator and its belts».
Many, along with reliability, emphasize the high efficiency of the motor. One of the motorists about ABU expressed himself briefly, but succinctly - one might say, "does not use" fuel. I have been driving more than 5 km every day for 100 years. The car refuses to break!
To improve the reliability of the engine, it is necessary to service it in a timely and high-quality manner. And of course, use it correctly. Not like La Costa (Canada): "... By dynamics. When I sat down for the first time, it seemed to me that the car was leaving, but I stayed. In short, ofigel that 1.6 can tear like that. Now either I'm used to it, or I'm definitely used to it ...».
As a conclusion about the reliability of the engine, one can cite the advice of the car owner Karma from Kyiv: “... do not delay and do not save on oil changes and ABU maintenance - then it will still ride great and for a long time. And how will you tighten it ... Well, I tightened it, and in the end it was cheaper for me to replace everything under the hood than to do a major overhaul ...". As they say, comments are superfluous.
Weak spots
According to numerous reviews of motorists, the weakest points are seals under the valve cover, crankshaft and camshaft. Oil leakage is eliminated by replacing the cover gasket and seals.
Electricians cause a lot of trouble. The most common were failures in the ignition system, the failure of the coolant temperature sensor and in the wiring.
Floating engine speed. Here, the main source of this problem is the throttle position potentiometer.
The mono-injection system also often fails in its work.
With the timely detection and elimination of the malfunctions that have arisen, the listed weaknesses are not critical and do not create big problems for the car owner.
Maintainability
The good maintainability of the ABU is due to two factors - the cast-iron cylinder block and the simple design of the unit itself.
The market for repair parts is provided, but car owners focus on their high cost. This is due to the fact that the engine was produced for a long time and not for a long time.
There are also opposing views on this topic. So, on one of the forums, the author claims that there are a lot of spare parts, they are all cheap. Moreover, some can be used from VAZ engines. (Specifics not given).
When repairing the motor, one has to deal with additional operations to remove the associated nodes. For example, to remove the oil pan, you have to disconnect the flywheel.
Causes dissatisfaction with the replacement of spark plugs. First, to get to them, you need to dismantle the bar with high-voltage wires. Secondly, candle wells are not suitable in size for cleaning them from accumulated dirt. It is inconvenient, but there is no other way out - this is the design of the engine.
Boring of the cylinder block to the required repair size of the piston allows you to make a complete overhaul of the internal combustion engine.
Before starting restoration work, you need to consider the option of acquiring a contract engine. Perhaps it will become the most acceptable and cheapest.
The cost of contract engines depends on their mileage and completeness with attachments. The price starts from 10 thousand rubles, but you can find cheaper.
In general, the Volkswagen ABU engine is considered a simple, durable and reliable unit with its careful operation and timely maintenance.
