Which dmf 126 or 181

[cevans]

I would just use whichever one that corresponds to the part # on the factory flywheel that is being replaced, personally. That takes all of the guesswork out of the interchangeability question.

There isn't an interchangeability question: the DMF126 works for all North American TDIs. Matching the P/N on the factory flywheel can be a challenge since most people need their vehicle back on the road and don't have the oppurtunity of pulling the flywheel, looking up the part number and then trying to find it. If you've ever tried that you'd notice that a LOT of the OEM part numbers on the vehicle do not match up with the replacement part. (I referenced 2006 Jettas which have a P/N on the radiator that does not exist, for example). Running a VIN is a hit-or-miss operation, too, as lots of dealers won't do that for you for free and aftermarket databases often don't have vehicle-level data.

This is why we go the extra step. Our team here isn't content with "just look it up" because not only is that the root cause of lots of stores selling gasoline parts for diesels, but there is additional complexity that you can only discover when you physically work on the cars and know them inside and out. When peoeple call us they expect and deserve the best possible data and the parts with the highest possible confidence, which is why we spent so much time on the flywheel question.

 

[BleachedBora]

I just got off the line with a customer about this as well. I had a customer in California a couple months ago insist on a DMF181 and it ended up being a nightmare. Suffice it to say for North American TDI DSG's the DMF126 works on everything. It's actually an upgrade for the BRM as its rated for 140kw applications (188hp), whereas the DMF092 is rated for 101kw (135hp). You won't find that rating published anywhere. Being direct with LuK I was able to get that info straight from the engineers that designed the flywheel.

Consequently we now use the DMF126 in all TDI applications:
2009-2014 Audi A3 TDI
2010-2014 VW Golf TDI
2009-2015 VW Sportwagen TDI
2009-2015 VW Jetta TDI
2012-2015 VW Beetle TDI
2012-2016 VW Passat TDI
2004-2006 VW New Beetle TDI (BEW)
2005.5-2006 VW Jetta TDI (BRM)

-BB

 

[turbobrick240]

I wonder why it was a nightmare if they are 100% interchangeable. It seems that most of the 2L commonrails for this market came from the factory with DMF181 (129 tooth) after 2010, except the Jetta- which made the switch after 2012. Not sure where the JSW fits in that timeline. So it seems to me that VW superseded the 126 with the 181. The 126 may be entirely interchangeable, but it seems inaccurate to say it is better or more correct than the factory flywheel(when the factory flywheel is a DMF181).

 

[Tuheeden]

Ok. I now can CONFIRM the the DMF126 with 132 teeth works properly on my 2014 JSW that I removed a 129 tooth flywheel (DMF181). Starter is working properly and no other vibration or noise.
Now I need to get some real miles on it but I am happy to report that it IS compatible!

 

[jwentland46290]

Ok found this post after finally replacing my dmf in my 11 jsw dsg. I installed the 181.. it's what the shop I was at at the time ordered for me. Few hundred miles in and taking of for Colorado in a couple days.. no issues whatsoever yet. In my mind if there's thought the 181 is for auto start and stop applications, it would make sense to me it would be more robust possibly?

 

[lemoncurd]

it put a 126 in my JSW TDI, been atleast 60k miles and no issues so far

rolled the odo to 216k the otherday

the specific PN:
03L105266DC

 

[jwentland46290]

It seems they must be interchangeable.. which is good to know at least.i bought my jsw at 66k.. dmf got noisy around 130. Just finally was able to change at 202k

 

[Tuheeden]

Ok found this post after finally replacing my dmf in my 11 jsw dsg. I installed the 181.. it's what the shop I was at at the time ordered for me. Few hundred miles in and taking of for Colorado in a couple days.. no issues whatsoever yet. In my mind if there's thought the 181 is for auto start and stop applications, it would make sense to me it would be more robust possibly?

It has to do with the number of teeth. I have both on hand and they look identical but usually the 181 is more expensive so I just use the 126 for everything.

 

[mattgray_92]

IDPARTS replied with the same confirmation. I think for the sake of CONFIRMING this, I will install the DMF126 even though my flywheel on my JSW has 129 and I will report back.

Just for grins, here is the reply from IDPARTS:
Thanks for reaching out. I'm in charge of all fitment and listing information. You've done your research so I'll join you down the rabbit hole to give you all the information we have:

Years ago we found that VW listed *two* flywheels for the common rail TDIs. They were the same diameter, so we set out to find out what was different about them. We took a collection of cars and matched the VINs to the flywheels to see what the difference was. Importantly, different vehicles from the same year/model/transmission configuration will show in the VW database as using different flywheels, even though all the other equipment is identical.

We contacted LUK and found out about the different number of teeth. The only function of the teeth on the flywheel is to interface with the sprocket on the starter, so we researched the starter versions. Again, regardless of what flywheel was noted in the VW database, they all used the same exact starter with the same number of teeth. This meant that, to VW, the same starter could be used for both the 129 and the 132 tooth flywheel. Over the full circumference adding three teeth makes a miniscule difference in the tooth spacing, so this makes sense.

If the flywheels were physically identical other than the tooth count, and the tooth count didn't matter to the starter, what was the reason for the two flywheels? We researched further...

After further digging we discovered ONE very important difference - the DMF181 flywheel is specified for vehicles equipped with Auto Start/Stop, while the DMF 126 is NOT specified for vehicles with start/stop...this was especially interesting because no manual transmission TDIs were ever equipped with start stop, so the 181 *sort of* isn't correct.

Since we've seen this with other parts, our working assumption is that VW put whatever flywheel they had available in inventory at the plant at that time in. Since the 181 would work, if they ran out of 126s then they would put in 181s. We've also seen literally *HUNDREDS* of places where VW parts listing by VIN is incorrect - just ask anyone with a 2006 Jetta!

We also took into account failure rate and, anecdotally, it seemed that the vehicles with the 181 flywheels were failing sooner than the 126 vehicles. We concluded that, since no TDIs had start stop, the 126 flywheel was the *more correct* version, and if when we went to install a new flywheel in one of our cars here, we opted for the 126 flywheel.

All in all we recommend the 126 OVER the 181, regardless of what the VIN states, so that is why we stock and sell the 126 for all TDI applications. We've sold this version for over a decade without one instance of fitment or performance problem, so we're 100% confident that you'll have the same experience and I'd recommend you install the 126.

Sorry for being so wordy and I hope this addresses your concerns and gives you a little window into how we do things. We don't just 'sell parts' - we own these cars, work on them, and know what works and what are the best possible options for repair.

Thank you for finding out all this information! I just replaced my DMF in my 2012 Audi A3. Ended up ordering 2 DMF126 (One company said they would have it at my house by last Thursday, but then after purchasing it they said it wasn't going to be delivered until Tuesday ) Had to pay a **** load of extra money to get one shipped 2 day air so i could put it in. Good thing I did. Mine was about to explode. Literally had to notch the center bolt holes out in order to reach the bolts holding it on. My brother has a 2013 VW Passat TDI that he is going to use the DMF126 which arrived later than expected so I won't lose out on any money.

http://imgur.com/a/05hpkUN

 

[McGuirk]

Thank you for finding out all this information! I just replaced my DMF in my 2012 Audi A3. Ended up ordering 2 DMF126 (One company said they would have it at my house by last Thursday, but then after purchasing it they said it wasn't going to be delivered until Tuesday ) Had to pay a **** load of extra money to get one shipped 2 day air so i could put it in. Good thing I did. Mine was about to explode. Literally had to notch the center bolt holes out in order to reach the bolts holding it on. My brother has a 2013 VW Passat TDI that he is going to use the DMF126 which arrived later than expected so I won't lose out on any money.

http://imgur.com/a/05hpkUN

Curious. How many miles did you get out of your A3 before the DMF had to be changed? Did you drop your subframe? Did you replace the clutches as well?
My A3 is at 154000 and sometimes clanks a bit during downshifting when braking to a stop. Other than that it makes no noise.

 

[mattgray_92]

Curious. How many miles did you get out of your A3 before the DMF had to be changed? Did you drop your subframe? Did you replace the clutches as well?
My A3 is at 154000 and sometimes clanks a bit during downshifting when braking to a stop. Other than that it makes no noise.

My A3 has 124,000 miles on it. It started making noise at about 120,000 but i just had a free weekend to change it. My 2009 VW Jetta TDI went out about the same mileage.

I did not drop the subframe. I can send you a link from AllData on how to change it without dropping the subframe. It is a pain in the ass, but you do not have to get the car aligned after if you don't drop the subframe. If you want me to send them over to you, reply with you email and i will attach the instructions along with torque specs. The job takes about 8 hours to do if you have all the correct equipment. Could probably get it done faster but i always triple check myself on things. You will need a 2 post lift preferably. I did the Jetta on a drive on lift and it was a pain in the ass. Also will need an engine hoist (the one that goes across the frame under the hood), a transmission jack, and a set of triple square's.

I did not replace the clutches. I have no problem with the transmission at all. It does have a tune on it, but it shifts smooth and everything seemed fine so i left it alone.

But here is a thought. You will know when the DMF is going bad. Start the vehicle and listen for almost a knocking sound. If it has a knocking sound at idle, rev it up to around 1200 rpm and if the sound goes away then you most definitely have a failing DMF.

I had the same clunking issue after changing the DMF on my Jetta. Ended up being a CV Axle. It would clunk when downshifting and coming to a stop.

I would double check into the DMF before jumping the gun and changing it. Also i would not get CV Axles from Rock Auto. They were the cheapest and after only a month one of them had a leaking outer boot, so i had to change it again. Save your time and spend the money on a good CV Axle.

If you decide to change the CV Axle, i would highly suggest getting new bolts as well. ID Parts sells them for pretty cheap, and its worth changing them so you don't have any problems in the future!

 

[McGuirk]

My A3 has 124,000 miles on it. It started making noise at about 120,000 but i just had a free weekend to change it. My 2009 VW Jetta TDI went out about the same mileage.

I did not drop the subframe. I can send you a link from AllData on how to change it without dropping the subframe. It is a pain in the ass, but you do not have to get the car aligned after if you don't drop the subframe. If you want me to send them over to you, reply with you email and i will attach the instructions along with torque specs. The job takes about 8 hours to do if you have all the correct equipment. Could probably get it done faster but i always triple check myself on things. You will need a 2 post lift preferably. I did the Jetta on a drive on lift and it was a pain in the ass. Also will need an engine hoist (the one that goes across the frame under the hood), a transmission jack, and a set of triple square's.

I did not replace the clutches. I have no problem with the transmission at all. It does have a tune on it, but it shifts smooth and everything seemed fine so i left it alone.

But here is a thought. You will know when the DMF is going bad. Start the vehicle and listen for almost a knocking sound. If it has a knocking sound at idle, rev it up to around 1200 rpm and if the sound goes away then you most definitely have a failing DMF.

I had the same clunking issue after changing the DMF on my Jetta. Ended up being a CV Axle. It would clunk when downshifting and coming to a stop.

I would double check into the DMF before jumping the gun and changing it. Also i would not get CV Axles from Rock Auto. They were the cheapest and after only a month one of them had a leaking outer boot, so i had to change it again. Save your time and spend the money on a good CV Axle.

If you decide to change the CV Axle, i would highly suggest getting new bolts as well. ID Parts sells them for pretty cheap, and its worth changing them so you don't have any problems in the future!

Mine is definitely quiet at idle. No rattles or strange noises. Been religiously maintained and has been tuned as well. Didn't think about the noise being the axles but now that you mention it. I did just change out the passenger axle due to hitting a huge pot hole. Took out my rim, tire, and Axle. Haven't touched the driver side. When it comes time for the DMF I will probably drop the sub frame. Just had it down a few weeks ago to upgrade my sway bar bushings and change the transition mount bushing in the subframe. It was really easy and I needed an alignment anyway because I bought new tires. Appreciate the input. Good to hear about other A3 owners experiences.

 

[mattgray_92]

Mine is definitely quiet at idle. No rattles or strange noises. Been religiously maintained and has been tuned as well. Didn't think about the noise being the axles but now that you mention it. I did just change out the passenger axle due to hitting a huge pot hole. Took out my rim, tire, and Axle. Haven't touched the driver side. When it comes time for the DMF I will probably drop the sub frame. Just had it down a few weeks ago to upgrade my sway bar bushings and change the transition mount bushing in the subframe. It was really easy and I needed an alignment anyway because I bought new tires. Appreciate the input. Good to hear about other A3 owners experiences.

It sucks there is no way to test the damn axles without replacing it. But the way you described it, it sounds just like my Jetta. It drove me nuts for months trying to figure out what it was, but finally after changing the axles the noise went away. It always sounded like the drivers side but if you sat in the passenger seat and let someone else drive it sounded like it was on that side smh.
Did you buy a premium grade axle when that happened? I learned the hard way to just fork out the money and get the premium grade products lol

 

[McGuirk]

It sucks there is no way to test the damn axles without replacing it. But the way you described it, it sounds just like my Jetta. It drove me nuts for months trying to figure out what it was, but finally after changing the axles the noise went away. It always sounded like the drivers side but if you sat in the passenger seat and let someone else drive it sounded like it was on that side smh.
Did you buy a premium grade axle when that happened? I learned the hard way to just fork out the money and get the premium grade products lol

My friend has an A3 TDI that he bought for parts. It has 120k on it so I took it off that. Factory Audi Axle. I only took the passenger but now you have me thinking I should also grab the driver.

 

[mattgray_92]

My friend has an A3 TDI that he bought for parts. It has 120k on it so I took it off that. Factory Audi Axle. I only took the passenger but now you have me thinking I should also grab the driver.

If your friends parts car still has the drivers side axle I would at least take it off and put it on yours and see if the noise goes away. Definitely worth a shot. Shouldn’t take that long to change it out either. Let me know if you change it and the noise goes away!