95 Passat AAZ tranny swap

[JakeSpeed]

Hi Guys,

I have a 95 Passat TD with an AAZ engine and CHA tranny (Canadian spec).   Just wondering if anyone has swapped out the stock CHA tranny for something with taller gearing.      At 100 km/hr I run about 2600-2700 rpm, and according to gearing calculators I should be able to drop that to about 2150 with a CTN tranny.   I believe CTNs came in Canadian Jetta TDIs, 97-99...   my questions are 1) will it bolt up to the engine and existing clutch, 2) the shifter tower (shaft) looks different - will the CHA assembly swap directly over, and 3) will the speedo cable plug right in once I remove the TDI speed sensor.    I have a line on a CTN for sale but I'd like to know if anyone's done this before without problems.   

A few years back I swapped out the lousy AWY in my 1.6 Golf and installed the much taller ASF - best mod I ever did to the car.    Made a huge difference to highway cruising comfort and fuel economy.

Advice/suggestions appreciated.... thanks!

Jake

95 Passat TD
221K
48 mpg avg with CHA

[burn_your_money]

I've done this exact swap you are talking about and it will all work. We did end up swapping some parts around on the shift tower but that was mainly to get the weighted piece on the CTN.

You might find your RPMs are too low for good fuel economy at 100km/h though

[dieselweasel]

Is there any consensus on what the ideal RPM is for optimum fuel economy for an AAZ or 1.6?