Cylinder head swap

DIRTYMOFO

Active member
Joined
Oct 3, 2006
Location
MARYLAND
TDI
mTDi in rabbit truck (r.i.p.), 2005 passat wagon tdi, bmw 335d
I got a 2005 passat with a BHW, well the alternator belt popped and somehow worked its way into the timing cover and now the engine sounds like it has bent valves. So the question I have is what head will fit my BHW block. A BEW or BRM? Or neither will work?
 

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
The BEW has split valve ports, BRM i've heard is the same head. A BHW head will also work of course.
 

Greasemunkey

Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2018
Location
Maine
TDI
02 Jetta 5-speed, 02 Jetta Auto
I lost a timing belt on my ALH but was able to fix it with one valve and two lifters. Well, plus gaskets and bolts etc but that comes with a head swap too.
 

DIRTYMOFO

Active member
Joined
Oct 3, 2006
Location
MARYLAND
TDI
mTDi in rabbit truck (r.i.p.), 2005 passat wagon tdi, bmw 335d
i pulled the valve cover and i see pieces of lifters and looks like valve seals laying in the head.
 

Franko6

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2005
Location
Sw Missouri
TDI
Jetta, 99, Silver`
Whoops...

I see that I missed the previous post and the fact you had blown out lifters. Lifter bores can be repaired. A picture would help.

The BRM and the BHW cylinder heads are exactly the same. The blocks are different and the head gasket is different (1.9 is 79.5mm piston/ 2.0 is an 81mm piston).Maybe you can get a used head, but maybe it needs more work than the one you have. We usually can fix the one you have and make it better than new.

Figuring out if lifters are damaged and valves bent is not as easy as just pulling the valve cover. That usually won't tell you anything, but if you pull the camshaft out, then you can see if the cam followers are dished, dented, bulged or cracked. We have a very concise 'how to' for removing the cam and then you can plainly see if lifters are damaged. If the lifters are NOT damaged, your valves are good.

Other than that, even if the valves aren't bent, give the BRM about 150,000-180,000 miles, the cam is worn out. We also fix that issue.
 
Last edited:

DIRTYMOFO

Active member
Joined
Oct 3, 2006
Location
MARYLAND
TDI
mTDi in rabbit truck (r.i.p.), 2005 passat wagon tdi, bmw 335d
ok Franko6, i will pull the head today, and let you know what I find.
 

maxmoo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Location
Lakefield, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2000 golf, 2001 golf, 2000 beetle, 2003 wagon, 2004 golf, 2004 jetta, all diesels
My appologies to the OP for going off topic but thought someone on here might know the answer to this.....

"Does anybody know if the "ATD" head is identical to a "BEW" head?

I have a nos ATD head, complete with cam and injectors, and was wondering if it will bolt on to a BEW without any issues.

Is everything identical?"
 

Franko6

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2005
Location
Sw Missouri
TDI
Jetta, 99, Silver`
As near as I can tell, the ATD, AXR, BEW, BMT engines are the same basic unit. The one stand out feature of the BEW that will make it different than most other PD motors is the valves are recessed, when the BHW, BRM as examples, have valves that project.
 
Top