Afternoon.

 

I'm after a bit of tech advice on an ECU swap - if anyone can help, please?

 

I have a 98' MK4 Golf GT tdi that I've been running for the past 5 yrs.  It started life as a 110, but I had new chips written for it and it's now somewhere round the 145/150 mark.  For info, at the time it couldn't be remapped (am told because it has the none PD, old 'thumper' motor), so instead the ECU was removed, sent away, and new chips were written and installed.

 

The Golf is soon to be retired for good however, and I'm now running a 99' MK1 Octavia tdi with the same none PD thumper motor - which I think are ace.  I was told before putting the Octavia on the road, that because the engines in both cars are 'the same', that the ECU can be taken off the Golf and fitted to the Skoda.  Straight forward enough job then, and thus giving the Skoda some more desperately needed power.

 

However..... I've just been looking at the engine specs/codes in the service books for both cars, and the Golf has a AHF engine code, but the Octavia has the AGR engine code! 

 

Does anyone out there know if this means the ECU's can't be swapped over?  Is it just a case of the Golf motor being slightly different spec to the Skoda, but the electrics and fuel system mapping could be the same....?  Or does the different engine code just mean the Golf is/was a 110 bhp, and the Skoda is the 90 bhp version...?

 

Any help would be appreciated please.  Thanks in advance!

 

 

My understanding is that you can't swap between engine codes.

Thanks for the reply. 

 

When I get a minute I'm going to check the part numbers on the ECU's and see if they're the same. They could well be... 

 

The other thing I'm thinking, is that maybe the chips in the ECU can be swapped over...? So taking the upgraded chips out (that I had put in) of the Golf, and fitted into the Skoda ECU. I'm just thinking out loud here. 

 

Could be wrong, but the engineer in me suspects that even though there's a difference in engine codes, and maybe ECU part numbers, there's got to be some similarities with other components etc. 

 

Does anyone one else in here have any ideas...?

1 hour ago, PFSC said:

Thanks for the reply. 

 

When I get a minute I'm going to check the part numbers on the ECU's and see if they're the same. They could well be... 

 

The other thing I'm thinking, is that maybe the chips in the ECU can be swapped over...? So taking the upgraded chips out (that I had put in) of the Golf, and fitted into the Skoda ECU. I'm just thinking out loud here. 

 

Could be wrong, but the engineer in me suspects that even though there's a difference in engine codes, and maybe ECU part numbers, there's got to be some similarities with other components etc. 

 

Does anyone one else in here have any ideas...?

When you had the ECU sent away did you have the immobiliser deleted? Otherwise even if it would physically work on that engine it wont start as the ECU immobiliser has to match the chip in the key and the  clocks.

In all honesty, I don't know. What I can tell you though, is that while the Golf ECU was away having the new chips done, another ECU off another Mk4 Golf was fitted to the car so I could still use it. That was for a good week or so... I was there while it was being swapped over, and it was just a case of the wiper arms and scuttle panel being removed so the ECU's could be swapped over. There was no mention, or diagnostic work, to do with immobiliser/transponder etc. 

If the temp ecu was of "theirs" ie the company doing the swap, they probably had immobiliser disabled so they can pass it around as needed..