Description
The Volkswagen/Audi 2.0T FSI engine has a weak point: Its counter-rotating balance shafts wear out prematurely. If your friends went through this, you already know the shafts are stupid expensive to repair, up to $1,800. USP Motorsports has an alternative to cut the cost of eventual shaft and oil pump replacement.
The USP FSI-to-1.8T oil pump conversion kit eliminates the problem parts and replaces the oil pump with an affordable, durable, bigger unit that will save weight and improve performance. The kit costs a fraction of what a balance shaft replacement does and it sure is cheaper than a 1.8T engine swap.
What is an oil pump? Quite simply, it’s the single most important mechanical component in making sure every crucial moving part of your engine is properly lubricated, no matter how hard you drive. Getting oil to your engine’s moving parts reduces friction to an all-but-harmless level. There’s always some friction, which is why engines wear out – eventually. But without proper oil flow from a quality oil pump, your engine is toast before you know it – very expensive toast.
Replacing oil pump components by going from the FSI to a 1.8T type adds durability, and it reduces the cost to replace an oil pump. It uses a larger oil pump designed for the older 1.8T, which has no balance shafts. Your 2.0T FSI will work perfectly with the more effective 1.8T pump after you remove the balance shafts, which are part of your engine’s original oil pump assembly. USP recommends installation by experienced mechanics.
One other effect of this oil pump replacement is that your oil pan will now hold about six quarts of oil, instead of five. That encourages oil life and improves lubrication.
The kit contains:
- Oil pump
- Oil pickup tube and O-ring
- Oil pump chain
- Oil pump tensioner
- Oil pump bolts
- Oil pan baffle
- Crankshaft gear
- Chain tensioner
- Helicoil tap
- Helicoil
- Crank sprocket
- Mounting bolts
This kit will work with any car equipped with an FSI engine, including some GTI, GLI, Passat, and Golf R models.
Among the tools you’ll need are basic hand tools, ratchets with metric sockets, metric Allen key sockets, Torx sockets and a torque wrench. You’ll also need a three-jaw puller, a way to lift the vehicle (lift is preferred), an M7 tap, and a 21/64-inch drill bit. Check out the oil pump chain tensioner drill guide kit. This includes the required drill bit, tap, and a crafty template for drilling a required hole. Of course, you’ll want to replace the oil. Might as well do the oil filter, too.