having had engine failure ive just had crank ground the balance shaft was just unbolted is there a certain position it has to go back and how do i no its in the right position i have a 56plate supurb 140bhp bss engine and yes i no i should have scrapped it

There is a special VAG holding tool to position the balancer assembly correctly when the crank is locked at TDC with the crankshaft holding tool which is used for cambelt renewal.

The gear on the primary balancer shaft has a slotted hub/wheel arrangement like the one on the camshaft to allow precise rotational adjustment. The intermediate gear must be renewed whenever the assembly is dismantled. New intermediate gears are coated and pushed tightly into mesh on assembly. The coating wears off rapidly in use to leave the correct backlash setting. The mesh of the intermediate gear is therefore also adjustable as you will have noticed.

If you get any of this wrong or re-use parts the engine will not run correctly long term. If the mesh or balancer position is wrong the engine will run like a cheap washing machine.

You're mad to spend any money on it. Fit a 1.9.

rotodiesel.

There is a special VAG holding tool to position the balancer assembly correctly when the crank is locked at TDC with the crankshaft holding tool which is used for cambelt renewal.

The gear on the primary balancer shaft has a slotted hub/wheel arrangement like the one on the camshaft to allow precise rotational adjustment. The intermediate gear must be renewed whenever the assembly is dismantled. New intermediate gears are coated and pushed tightly into mesh on assembly. The coating wears off rapidly in use to leave the correct backlash setting. The mesh of the intermediate gear is therefore also adjustable as you will have noticed.

If you get any of this wrong or re-use parts the engine will not run correctly long term. If the mesh or balancer position is wrong the engine will run like a cheap washing machine.

You're mad to spend any money on it. Fit a 1.9.

rotodiesel.

fanks mate i was told by skoda that i could not fit a 1.9

...or fit the crank and oil pump from a 1.9 to the 2.0 engine. It can be done apparently!

...or fit the crank and oil pump from a 1.9 to the 2.0 engine. It can be done apparently!

Is this true? Could you provide some sort of proof?

I can't provide any proof and I'm afraid I can't now even find the link to the person who claims to have done it successfully!

If I remember correctly he was an independent VAG mechanic who owned a Passat 2.0 TDi, had a burned out Golf 1.9 TDi sat in his yard, and decided to have a go at swapping the 1.9 crank from the Golf engine for the one in his 2.0 Passat. It worked perfectly, or so he said. Another possibly easier alternative was apparently to fit the crank and oil pump from a Golf/Octavia 2.0 BKD engine which doesn't have a balance shaft to the 2.0 Passat engine, thus ditching the balance shaft from the Passat.