AEG Crankshaft Trigger Wheel for Impulse/Engine Speed Sensor Question

[atoson]

I recently purchased an AEG VW US Formula 3 standard race prepared short block. This short block was built by Bertils Racing Engines. BRE was the original spec engine builder for the US F3 series. This is one of the spare leftover short blocks left. The block has been modified from stock. The block used for this engine is a new style Beetle block with an integral water pump. This short block is intended to be used with a 8 valve SOHC VW head.

Question:
I've been having a code 16706/P0322/000802 - Engine Speed Sensor (G28): No Signal. Upon looking inside the sensor hole, I couldn't find the trigger wheel only the counter weigh for the shaft of rod #4. I don't want to tear the engine apart just to place a trigger wheel on the crankshaft. Are there any places selling external trigger wheels? Race prep engines comes with all sort of surprises, the thermostat cavity had a bigger bore and the thermostat would fall in (non thermo application race setup).

[Anony00GT]

What year/model is the car? What is the original configuration? Has anything else been modified, or just the block swapped over?

Does the engine run?

[atoson]

It's for a 2000 NB, the engine is a no start condition. Since it doesn't see a sensor wheel, the sensor is basically useless. Are there any applications having a sensor wheel externally located on the front main pulleyor anywhere in that area. I hate to take this appart since I just finished swapping the block with a reman head. I wasn't sure if I mistook the oil pump gear for a sensor wheel while it was still in it's short block stage of the build. The block came assembled from the seller and just added the rest of the engine parts.

Thanks for the reply!

[ps2375]

All of the stand-alone systems can/will use a toothed wheel and most of those companies sell some sort of external wheel, and they all mostly need some sort of fabrication to mount them and the sensor. whether they will work with the stock ECU, maybe. I would think they would, but you never know. And there is the matter of getting it timed correctly.

Other than possibly a higher CR and being VERY well balanced, What would be the advantage you are looking at for this block?

Adding a toothed wheel to the crank will require removal of crank, providing the holes for mounting it still exist.

[atoson]

Looks like I'll end up tearing the bottom end of the block from this lack of foresight. Thanks for the input!

[atoson]

Other than possibly a higher CR and being VERY well balanced, What would be the advantage you are looking at for this block?

It was and still is a good deal when I bought it besides being almost bullet proof.

List of modifications:
-Brand new VW 2 liter AE series block with piston jets
-block align honed with ARP main studs
-ARP main studs
-block honed with ARP head studs and torque plate
-brand new Wiseco 82.5mm mm forged pistons with side skirt friction coating, Pistons were milled 0.040 inch in the middle to accommodate valve relief
-light piston pins
-pistons weight matched
-piston rings gaps filed to spec listed below
-brand new stock VW connecting rods weight matched on the small end, big end, and total weight
-connecting rods checked for straightness
-brand new stock VW rods fitted with ARP rod bolts
-brand new stock VW crankshaft balanced
-brand new German main and rod bearings
-brand new stock 2.0 liter oil pump
-brand new stock VW timing belt
-all ARP hardware torqued to spec using ARP Ultra Torque Moly Lubricant

Specifications:
-82.5mm bore
-92.8mm stroke
-1mm steel piston rings(both 1st and 2nd compression rings)
-piston to bore clearance: 0.004 inch
-piston ring clearance: top-0.014 inch, second-0.014 inch, oil- 0.008+ inch
-piston set to zero deck height
-12.5:1 compression with standard volume combustion chamber and standard thickness headgasket
-main bearing to crankshaft clearance: 0.002 inch
-rod bearing to crankshaft clearance: 0.002 inch
-rod bolts tested using torque and stretch methods to ensure accuracy
-rod bolt final tightening done using the stretch method to ARP specification

This is the same type of engine sold on a forum. Only difference is the connecting rods. click the link to view information:
The complete engine


Here are some picts of it.

[ps2375]

It was and still is a good deal when I bought it besides being almost bullet proof.

I don't know of any NA 2.0's that aren't "almost bullet proof".

[ps2375]

Other than possibly a higher CR and being VERY well balanced, What would be the advantage you are looking at for this block?

Still want this question answered...

No pics of the crank?

And, what are you doing for a thermostat?

[atoson]

With the thermostat I cut a sheet of brass into a circle or a ring as wide as the opening and wide enough so the it would act as a shoulder for the thermostat, it's fixed and wasn't hard to fabricate using a metal circle cutter.