Jeep Wrangler JK BHW 2.0 TDI Swap

Straypoet

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Jun 17, 2020
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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
Hello everyone, this is my first thread here. I have been lurking for a few years with this project in mind. I finally have my donor car: a 2005 Passat with the BHW. I am in the process of pulling the engine, I should have it out by today or tomorrow.

The engine has 190k miles on it, so it will need some refreshing. I will be removing the balance shaft, likely replacing oil pan, and if needed cam replacement.
I expect to do bottom end bearings, and seals. Not completely sure if I will pull the head right now. I haven't done a compression check yet.

I also need to check the cam, and if it is worn, I will likely just replace the whole new head since they come with a cam and seem to be fairly cheap. $600ish.

I will have questions in addition to documenting my actual build progress. Thank you all in advance for your help.

This engine will go into my 2007 Jeep Jk Wrangler.
The current engine in the Jeep (3.8L v6) has about 200,000 on it, so instead of pulling and refreshing that engine, I am going to join the TDI club.

Background for myself is that I have (in another life) been a mechanic before, but this is the first time in about 15 years I have done a major engine project. I have swapped a few engines into odd places, but again that was a number of years ago. I am quite electrically inclined, so rewiring and stripping the wire harness isn't intimidating.

I am looking forward to the next few months of work.
 

Straypoet

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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
I bought the donor car for $700. I only know that the car was involved in a relatively minor front end collision because the hood and grille have junkyard marks on them, and the headlight assemblies don't match. I don't see any evidence of damage to the engine, though the radiator is still bent from the collision.

The car started up, and sounds ok. no obvious BSM chain noises. The check engine light was on, but I didn't run codes since I figure as long as it is in mechanically good shape, I will be ok.

I will find out more as I tear it down. I am hoping to sell a few parts from the donor car to recoup some of my expenses.
 
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Straypoet

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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
I looked at adapter kits, and haven't decided if I want to make my own adapter plate, or buy a pre-made one. tdconversions.com has a kit that looks pretty nice, but I have to admit that the cost seems a bit high, though I do realize that it isn't extremely high. The flywheel and starter together would cost about $400 if I bought them separately.

What I am not so sure of, is how that 3" flywheel spacer would be in the long-term. I can't help but think that a 45lb weight hanging on an extension off the end of my crankshaft for 200,000 more miles would cause premature wear on bearings and the rear main seal.........

Anyone have long term results for such a long crank extension?

I realize that I would have to move the transmission forward about an inch or two to give me firewall room, but I keep thinking that a 1/2" steel plate would make a better adapter, and not force me to extend the crank so far.

I have made 2 adapters before (many years ago) and I realize it takes a long time to get right.

If I can be confident that the flywheel weight on an extension won't cause issues, then I may go with the tdconversions set.

Still working out the details.
 
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Mozambiquer

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Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
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2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Sounds like a great swap!
One question though... Where can you get a complete head for $600? Most I've seen which are halfway reputable are in the $1500 range. Only one I saw which was $600 was from Hans trash parts which are really junk. (Search prothe or Hans on any of the VW forums.)


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Straypoet

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Jun 17, 2020
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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
Sounds like a great swap!
One question though... Where can you get a complete head for $600? Most I've seen which are halfway reputable are in the $1500 range. Only one I saw which was $600 was from Hans trash parts which are really junk. (Search prothe or Hans on any of the VW forums.)


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Ah ha. I thought that was a surprisingly cheap price. It is advertised as new with a cam. So it isn’t OEM I take it?

Well hopefully I won’t have to replace the head, just seemed that if an OEM cam was $300-400 then a complete head for $600 was a no brainer.
Thanks for putting me wise.
 

Mozambiquer

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2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Ah ha. I thought that was a surprisingly cheap price. It is advertised as new with a cam. So it isn’t OEM I take it?

Well hopefully I won’t have to replace the head, just seemed that if an OEM cam was $300-400 then a complete head for $600 was a no brainer.
Thanks for putting me wise.
Yup, Hans auto parts has ruined more Volkswagens than they care to admit... I made the mistake of getting things from them before, but thankfully never got bit, but a lot of other people have had lots of problems!
As far as a cam... Hopefully you don't need one, but I think Frank06 (Frank's TDI in Lockwood Mo) makes a stage two cam for the bhw. Don't quote me on that, but if the cam goes on my bhw, in probably going to go for a stage two. They supposedly wear a lot better than the OEM ones, plus you got a bit more air going in, which makes more power and efficiency.
Though my car has 225k miles with the original cam and it still looks pretty good.
Using good oil will make all the difference in the world as far as cam life.

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Straypoet

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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
Though my car has 225k miles with the original cam and it still looks pretty good.
Using good oil will make all the difference in the world as far as cam life.
That is encouraging, I had almost not gotten the BHW because of reading that the cams go bad quickly.

I am trying for a 200,000 mile rebuild (intending to get another 200,000 out of this engine once it goes into the jeep)

I like the idea of using a hotter cam, and especially if it lasts longer that would be great. Depending on cost, I may just go with a stock cam and with the use of good synthetic, I would hope to get the 200k out of it.

Thank you for your suggestion on the cam, I will certainly look into that.
 

Straypoet

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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
Yesterday I finally got all the bolts out of the bell-housing, and the engine is loose.

I have all the wiring and hoses disconnected and marked. The engine is ready to come out. When I get off work today, I am planning to pull it out, and get it on the engine stand so I can actually remove the valve cover and oilpan.

I am going to take photos, and I will post them here.
I admit I am quite interested to see what it looks like internally. I don't have any maintenance history on the car, so no idea if they used good oil or not.
I also wonder how the BSM survived the 190,000 miles.... I didn't hear any chain noises, so who knows.... I will find out later today.
 

Straypoet

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Well, I think I lucked out.

Well, I pulled the pan off.
No balance shaft. Looks like I don’t have to do that project.

The cam doesn’t feel worn, nice and smooth, but there is some brassing, which leads me to believe the stem caps are wearing out.
As soon as I can upload a few phots I will post them.
 

Mozambiquer

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2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Well, I pulled the pan off.

No balance shaft. Looks like I don’t have to do that project.



The cam doesn’t feel worn, nice and smooth, but there is some brassing, which leads me to believe the stem caps are wearing out.

As soon as I can upload a few phots I will post them.
That's good about the balance shaft! I'm guessing by the stem caps, you're referring to the lifters? A lot of people change to the ina black nitride lifters. I guess they're supposed to be better.

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evguy1

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Feb 8, 2014
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Erington, BC, Canada
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2000 Jeep Cherokee TDI, 2008 Jeep JKU TDI
Anyone have long term results for such a long crank extension?
Its still running fine in my 08 JKU. The added weight of that flywheel is very nice at low speeds.
All of my adapters use a 2-3" long crank adapter and after 4 years an a couple of hundred adapters I have not heard of any having a problem due to the length of the crank hub. You will really appreciate the 2" thick adapter plate over a 1/2" one when it comes time to install the engine. With the 2" thick adapter you can leave the drive line in the stock location and still have room to replace the tandem pump if it failed which I had to do last year on mine.

I'm also not a fan of plugging and redrilling flywheels with the VW pattern and with that 8 bolt 3.8 flywheel you would end up with Swiss cheese by the time you drilled the 6 TDI holes. I never want to discourage anyone from building their own parts since that's what my first one was. ;>)
 

Straypoet

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Jun 17, 2020
Location
Florida
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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
Its still running fine in my 08 JKU. The added weight of that flywheel is very nice at low speeds.
All of my adapters use a 2-3" long crank adapter and after 4 years an a couple of hundred adapters I have not heard of any having a problem due to the length of the crank hub. You will really appreciate the 2" thick adapter plate over a 1/2" one when it comes time to install the engine. With the 2" thick adapter you can leave the drive line in the stock location and still have room to replace the tandem pump if it failed which I had to do last year on mine.

I'm also not a fan of plugging and redrilling flywheels with the VW pattern and with that 8 bolt 3.8 flywheel you would end up with Swiss cheese by the time you drilled the 6 TDI holes. I never want to discourage anyone from building their own parts since that's what my first one was. ;>)
Thank you for your reply evguy1, I admit it is tempting to just fork the cash over for one of your adapter plate kits, and though I usually build my own stuff, I might just end up doing that. I see why you made the design decision to move the engine forward. Now that I have it out and on the stand, I can see how annoying it would be to have to pull the engine just to replace the tandem pump.
I do like your filter relocation adapters, and will probably end up getting one (or two) of those from you.

I have made a few adapters in the past, but they were pretty simple. I would make them out of 1/2" steel, and just cut the flywheel spacer out of the same material. I haven't had to weld up and re-drill a flywheel, because I have been able to buy the correct flywheel for the engine, and just use a correct spline count clutch disk, but at this point I haven't done the measurements to know whether or not the throw out bearing would be the correct size for the pressure plate on this application. I am still a couple months from actually pulling the engine on my jeep and taking all the detailed measurements to be sure I know what direction to go. thank you for your comments.
 

Straypoet

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Florida
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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
As an update:

I have replaced the stock oil pan with the hybrid aluminum/steel one that I have seen on several other conversions. It seems to be well made, and was cheap! like $40! I don't think I have ever paid less for an oil pan.

I actually ended up buying a second 2005 Passat...... Almost by accident.
I had negotiated for a nice one with receipts for a new cam, and timing belt, and BSM delete.... done at 170k miles, and the guy was selling the car at 210k miles.
But he wouldn't go below $1500, and, so I ended up getting the other car for $600....

Well, he called me and said that reverse went out of the car, and I could come get it for $800. I offered $700, and he took it.

So I have a full second car. I am not going to pull this engine yet. I will go ahead with the plan to re-build the first one, and put it in the Jeep... But I think a second project will follow. Perhaps an RX8... If I don't just keep the engine as a spare.
 
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Straypoet

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2020
Location
Florida
TDI
BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
I'm guessing by the stem caps, you're referring to the lifters? A lot of people change to the black nitride lifters. I guess they're supposed to be better.
Yes, I meant the lifters. It always seems odd to refer to them as 'lifters' when they are on top of the valve stem, and push down... haha
 

Arconis01

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Aug 27, 2020
Location
Alberta
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2004 bew jetta
As an update:

I have replaced the stock oil pan with the hybrid aluminum/steel one that I have seen on several other conversions. It seems to be well made, and was cheap! like $40! I don't think I have ever paid less for an oil pan.

I actually ended up buying a second 2005 Passat...... Almost by accident.
I had negotiated for a nice one with receipts for a new cam, and timing belt, and BSM delete.... done at 170k miles, and the guy was selling the car at 210k miles.
But he wouldn't go below $1500, and, so I ended up getting the other car for $600....

Well, he called me and said that reverse went out of the car, and I could come get it for $800. I offered $700, and he took it.

So I have a full second car. I am not going to pull this engine yet. I will go ahead with the plan to re-build the first one, and put it in the Jeep... But I think a second project will follow. Perhaps an RX8... If I don't just keep the engine as a spare.
Hi stray im doing the same conversion and was wondering what oil pan you went with?
 

Straypoet

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Jun 17, 2020
Location
Florida
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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
Hi stray im doing the same conversion and was wondering what oil pan you went with?
I went with

  • Part Number: 264-715 VWP26A 103313
I bought it on Amazon for $38, and also got an ALH sump pickup. It seems great so-far.
 

Straypoet

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Florida
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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
An update:

I haven't been posting much, but I have been working on the project. I ended up starting to rent a garage (I don't' have one at home) and I have moved the project there. I have built a small test-stand so I can fire up the BHW on the stand for tuning (haven't actually gotten it running yet, as I am still sorting out the wiring harness, and haven't actually dumped the ECM and tried to modify yet), but I am getting there.

I now have a second vehicle, so I pulled the Jeep into the garage, and now have it stripped down to the frame. I will be doing the other parts of the conversion (frame lengthen, custom camper conversion, dual fuel tanks ect., ect.) concurrently with the swap.

I am leaning more and more towards making the adapter plate myself, though I am not ready to commit to that yet.

I plan to have an extremely simple accessory bracket for just a high-amperage alternator. I am going to convert the power steering to an electric pump, and I will be using an overhead (custom) air conditioning system that will run mostly on solar, so I don't need or want the redundant engine-powered AC.

I am also researching deleting the tandem pump. This will give me more firewall clearance, and also hopefully add reliability, (much easier to carry a spare in-line pump than rebuild the tandem pump in the middle of the woods) I have only found one thread: https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php?threads/bhw-tandem-pump-delete.510544/ which discusses this as a possibility. I would be interested if anyone has any further information. especially a source for a suitable high pressure electric diesel pump.
I would also have to add a vacuum pump and a larger accumulator tank so my power brakes, VNT actuator, and exhaust cutouts still will work.
 

Straypoet

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Florida
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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.

Here is a photo of the engine sitting in front of my Jeep (before I pulled the body off the frame), on the little test-stand.

Slow progress, but progress.
 

evguy1

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Feb 8, 2014
Location
Erington, BC, Canada
TDI
2000 Jeep Cherokee TDI, 2008 Jeep JKU TDI
As far as reliability goes I think the stock Tandem pump would be the winner. Start with a new one and it should outlive the Jeep. ;>)
I have installed/sold a LOT, hundreds of electric vacuum pumps in the last 30 years of building electric vehicles and they are the weak link, usually the vacuum switch. I did NOT move the engine forward in the JKU like I had to in other swaps but did use a 2" thick adapter.
 

Straypoet

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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
As far as reliability goes I think the stock Tandem pump would be the winner. Start with a new one and it should outlive the Jeep. ;>)
I have installed/sold a LOT, hundreds of electric vacuum pumps in the last 30 years of building electric vehicles and they are the weak link, usually the vacuum switch. I did NOT move the engine forward in the JKU like I had to in other swaps but did use a 2" thick adapter.
EVguy1, always nice to read one of your replies.

The stock tandem pump does still function fine, and why re-invent the wheel.....so you have a point.

An alternate idea would be to cut an access door in the firewall (I am doing a flat dash anyway), so that if I ever do need to remove the tandem pump, I don't have to pull the engine.

I considered moving the entire drivetrain forward a few inches, but another case of re-inventing the wheel. (though not that huge of an issue since I am having custom driveshafts done anyway.

Thank you for the info on the vacuum pumps as common failure points. I am going to be installing an electric power steering pump out of a volvo, and I considered switching the master cyl from vac assist to hydroboost (and I still might do that) since the PS pump will be mounted right above the steering box, and it would be trivial to plumb in the booster.

That would allow me to switch the exhaust cutout, and also the VNT actuator to electric, thus eliminating my need for a vacuum system at all..



-Ezra
 

evguy1

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2000 Jeep Cherokee TDI, 2008 Jeep JKU TDI
So the other thing that I installed and sold hundreds of were electric power steering pumps. They are awesome for steering but had a few customers try hydroboost and it overloaded the pumps and burned them out. I was using the Toyota MR2 pumps which were pretty stout units.
I would highly recomend the tandem pump for vacuum/brakes and the stock TDI P/S pump or electric if you want the added complexity. The electric PS pumps are typically 3/4hp which works out to about 45 amps at 13 volts so you need 8 gauge wire and a heavy duty solinoid to switch it. You also need a good alternator to keep up. We saw about 12-15 amps continous power and would spike to over 70 amps at hard lock. The stock TDI belt driven pump has proven to be very reliable even when moving 38" tires.
 

Straypoet

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Florida
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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
So the other thing that I installed and sold hundreds of were electric power steering pumps. They are awesome for steering but had a few customers try hydroboost and it overloaded the pumps and burned them out. I was using the Toyota MR2 pumps which were pretty stout units.
I would highly recomend the tandem pump for vacuum/brakes and the stock TDI P/S pump or electric if you want the added complexity. The electric PS pumps are typically 3/4hp which works out to about 45 amps at 13 volts so you need 8 gauge wire and a heavy duty solinoid to switch it. You also need a good alternator to keep up. We saw about 12-15 amps continous power and would spike to over 70 amps at hard lock. The stock TDI belt driven pump has proven to be very reliable even when moving 38" tires.
I considered the MR2 pump, but I am planning on doing the volvo pump.
I am set on doing the EPAS conversion because the other half of this project will require it. (Lets just say that I am planning to make an uncoupled plug in hybrid.) I haven't mentioned that part of the project because it is so different from the TDI side, but I have a 30" by 40" by 12" compartment in between rear frame rails and below the floor of the camper that will be built to house the battery bank, and I will do an e-axle modification on the front axle, driving the front axle either by an electric motor when in EV, or with the transfer-case, when powered by the engine.) I plan to use the inputs from the drive by wire throttle to control either power source. I am not starting that project until the rest of the body is built and it is running well on diesel, but as you can imagine, having done projects like this, I need to have power steering, and AC, and power brakes that are independent of the engine.

The main reason I decided to use the volvo pump over the MR2 pump is because it has an integrated relay, has built in flow regulation, and is brushless.
https://www.therangerstation.com/forums/index.php?threads/volvo-epas-conversion.183274/

You certainly have the experience with this kind of conversion, (both sides of the conversion, the TDI side, and the EV side) so i welcome your input.

-Ezra
 

Straypoet

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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
I now have the engine almost ready for a first test-run. I was able to backup and re-flash both ECMs, and remove the immobilizer (well I think so anyway, I guess I will see this week)

I am also working out the driveline placement, and working on the adaptor plate. I am contemplating moving the transmission crossmember forward 1.5" and with the 1" for the adaptor, that will move the engine forward 2.5, which should allow me to use the stock JK engine mount brackets (with modifications)

We will see.
 

Straypoet

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Florida
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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
Careful running that thing with no flywheel or converter. The violent changes in crank speed can snap a timing belt in a hurry.
A good point that I didn't think of!

I won't start again until the correct flywheel is on it. Thank you for pointing that out!
 

Straypoet

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Florida
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BHW 2.0, soon to be in my Wrangler.
Did you really buy a HPA adapter? :(
I did.
For my project it came down to using the stock Passat starter in the stock TDI location, which would be readily available anywhere in the world. ( important to me)

Also, I don’t need the ability to clock the engine. I want it to be vertical. So the advantages of the two piece adaptor design weren’t useful in my specific case.

Also, since the transmission crossmember mount plate has plenty of room to re-drill a new set of holes, I can move the drivetrain forward an inch and be able to use the stock length front driveshaft even with the 3” of lift.
Which would also give me more firewall clearance if I decide I need it.

You have been quite helpful to me in your replies, so I hope you don’t take it tooooo hard…. 🙂
 

evguy1

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2014
Location
Erington, BC, Canada
TDI
2000 Jeep Cherokee TDI, 2008 Jeep JKU TDI
I sold TDC last year so no problem here, I was just curious. For your use the starter avalabillity is a good reason. Most guys are in the US where the mini starter is readily available and the clocking can be a nice option in some applications. I also mounted my JKU TDI vertical, lots of room in the JK's.
 
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