Good progress today. Engine, trans, evap system and engine harness are out of the recipient. The diesel fuel tank is installed. Balance shaft module on the donor engine is deleted, replaced with an ALH oil pump, crank sprocket, tensioner and chain with a 1.8T oil pickup tube. Oil feed hole to the balance shaft module plugged and an ALH windage tray installed. Replaced the crank seal, timing belt, tensioner, roller and water pump while I was in there. Cam looks good for now. Next order of business is the trans. Now that I have the 1.8T gearbox on the floor I can begin swapping in the V6 3rd and 4th gearsets and the "inverted 3rd" 5th gear. Beer now, tomorrow is another day...
Cool, nice progress on the swap so farr. Especially like your plan for making a tall 5th. One thing that interests me is your choice to delete the balance shaft. Is it because it would get in the way of something you are doing to the engine internals, or just because you are going for big power and want to delete the rotating friction of the shaft? Or do the PD's have balance shaft concerns? Either way this is shaping up to be a pretty fun Passat. Can't wait to see how the B platform's handling characteristics merge with the drivetrain's newfound output. Good luck!
what are the tell tale signs that a balance shaft is failing on your engine?