Guide to 2.7 V6 TDI 3.0 V6 24v TDI BiTDi tuning and performance parts

"VAG V6 diesel EA897 Tuning"

This article discusses the best mods and upgrades for the VW Audi Group 3.0 TDi engine but most of these principles still apply to the 2.7.

This is a 6 cylinder diesel engine in V configuration. They were released around 2005 and have been revised over the years as emissions regs and market conditions required.

The 2.7 V6 TDI 3.0 V6 24v TDI BiTDi  are solid engines and offer phenomenal amounts of torque and pretty good fuel economy.

The EA897 2.7 is essentially the 3.0 with a reduced stroke. The EA897 is a six-cylinder diesel engine and was made from 2007 to 2016.

Few could see the point of owning a petrol when a diesel engine can move a car this well and still offer good fuel economy. It has been extensively revised over the years.

We examine EA897 tuning and report on the greatest modifications for your 2.7 V6 TDI 3.0 V6 24v TDI & BiTDi . VAG EA897s great bases for a tuning project and with the right motorsport mods you can substantially enhance your driving enjoyment.

History, Power & Specs of the EA897 Engine

We've tried to include production years and engine codes to help identify your unit. If we've missed anything else PLEASE let us know and we can add it.

The EA897 remained in production from 2007 to 2016 and was offered as a mono-turbo as well as a bi-turbo.

Mono-turbo Variant

The GT 2260 turbocharger from Honeywell Turbo Technologies was used in the 3.0 TDI engine's 245hp variant, while the GT 2256 is used in the 201hp model. The 2.7 models have the GTB1756VK and before that the models have a KKK BV43

Bi-Turbo Variant

A bi-turbo variant of the EA897 with 308hp power was introduced in 2011.

This version had new pistons, which lowered the compression ratio to 16.0: 1. Additionally, stronger oil and coolant pumps were used due to the engine's increased cooling and lubrication needs.

The LMM (Air Mass Metering) is better on the Biturbo than the single turbo variants.

2.7 V6 TDI CR 120-140kW

  • 161 bhp  
    Audi A4 (BSG: 11/05-06/08, CAM: 11/07-05/08, CGK: 06/08->)
    Audi A5 (CAM: 09/07-05/08, CGK: 05/08->)
    Audi A6 (BSG: 01/05-10/08, CAN: 10/08->)
  • 177 bhp@3,300-4,250 rpm; 280 lbft@1,400-3,300 rpm
    Audi A4 (BPP: 01/06-03/09)
    Audi A6 (BPP: 11/04-10/08)
  • 188 bhp  
    Audi A4 (CAM: 11/07-05/08, CGK: 06/08->)
    Audi A5 (CAM: 07/07-05/08, CGK: 05/08->)
    Audi A6 (CAN: 10/08->)

3.0 V6 24v TDI CR 150–195 kW

  • 201 bhp@3,500 rpm ; 332 lbft@1,400 rpm
    Audi B7 A4-tuning.php">A4 (BKN: 11/04-03/09)
  • 208 bhp
    Audi Q7 (BUN: 03/06-11/07)
    Volkswagen Touareg (BUN: 04/06-11/07, CAS: 11/07->)
  • 215 bhp@3,250-4,750 rpm ; 369 lbft@1,250-3,000 rpm
    Audi A6-tuning.php">A6#C7, Audi A7 (2014+)
  • 221 bhp@4,200 rpm ; 369 lbft@2,000 rpm –
    Audi C6 A6 (BMK: 04/04-05/06)
    Volkswagen Phaeton (BMK: 05/04-05/07)
    Volkswagen Touareg (BKS: 11/04-05/08, CATA: 02/09->),TDI 225-6 (BSP: 02/06->)
  • 221 bhp@4,500 rpm ; 406 lbft@1,500 rpm – 2,500 rpm
    Volkswagen Amarok (DDXC: 10/16->) DDXC  DDXE
  • 229 bhp@4,000 rpm ; 369 lbft@1,750 rpm, 332 lbft between 1,400-3,250 rpm
    Audi B7 A4 (ASB: 01/06-03/09)
    Audi C6 A6 (ASB: 05/06-10/08)
    Audi D3 A8 (ASB: 01/04->)
    Audi Q7 (BUG: 03/06-05/08)
    Volkswagen Phaeton (CARA: 06/07-11/08)
  • 236 bhp@4,000 rpm ; 369 lbft@1,500–3,000 rpm
    Audi B7 A4 (CAP: 11/07-05/08)
    Audi B8 A4 (CCW: 04/08-7/11, CCL: 11/09-7/11>
    Audi Q5 (CCW: 11/08->)
    Audi Q7 (CASA: 11/07-05/10, CCMA: 11/08->) CVMD CUEA CRTE  CRTC CVZA
    Porsche Cayenne (2009->),
    Audi A5 (CAP: 06/07-05/08, CCW: 03/08->) CSWB
    Audi C6 A6 (CDY: 10/08->)
    Volkswagen Phaeton (CARA: 03/07-06/07, CEXA: 06/08-05/10)
    Volkswagen Touareg (CASA/CASB/CASC: 11/07-)
  • 241 bhp@4,000-4,500 rpm; 406 lbft@1,450-3,250 rpm
    Audi A4#B8, Audi A5 (2011+)
    Audi A6#C7, Audi A7 (2010-2014)  CZVF   CZVD CZVC CRTD CRTE CZVB CZVA
    Volkswagen Touareg (2011+)
  • 268 bhp@3,500-4,250 rpm; 428 lbft@1,250-3,250 rpm
    Audi A6#C7, Audi A7 (2014+)

3.0 V6 24v BiTDI CR 230 kW

  • 308 bhp@3,900 - 4,500 rpm; 479 lbft@1,450 - 2,800 rpm, Audi A6, Audi A7, Audi SQ5 TDI (CVUA: pre-2014)
  • 315 bhp@3,900 - 4,500 rpm; 479 lbft@1,450 - 2,800 rpm, Audi A6, Audi A7 (CVUB: 06/2014->)
  • 322 bhp@4,000 - 4,500 rpm; 479 lbft@1,450 - 2,800 rpm, Audi A6, Audi A7 (CVUC: 06/2016->)
  • 345 bhp@3,850 - 4,500 rpm; 516 lbft@2,500 - 3,100 rpm, Audi S6, Audi S7 (CVU: 05/2019->)

Best 2.7 V6 TDI 3.0 V6 24v TDI BiTDi tuning mods

Here are some of the best mods for the vehicles that have the VW Audi Group 3.0 TDi engine.

Just because a modifications is popular with EA897 owners it doesn't mean you should fit it, instead we'll ultimate modifications that will give your EA897 the biggest power gain return for your cash.

The camshaft profile plays a big part in the engines power output so camshaft upgrades make quite a large difference. The intake & exhaust durations will alter depending on the chosen camshaft profile, so large engines power gains are on offer for camshaft upgrades.

Darkside Developments offer a reground camshaft which is essentially a drop in cam upgrade with 252/262 degree profiles which gives a good bump in torque and power through the entire rev range. Upgraded springs are strongly recommended.

Fast road camshafts usually push up the bhp and torque through the rev range, you could sacrifice a little low down torque but the higher rpm power will be lifted.

Motorsport and race camshafts, push up the higher rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

On a daily driver you need to match your bhp range to your usage of the car.

You will never find a Competition camshaft is a pleasure to live with when driving in heavy traffic. The low end idle will be very lumpy and irregular, so something you would notice on a track when you drive in the upper third of the rpm band, but on roads this is a serious issue and we've heard from lots of drivers lamenting their decision to add an extreme competition cam profile to their engine.

Different EA897 engines respond better to different camshaft durations than others.

Swapping heads and cranks seems to be a popular and relatively easy way to bump up your cylinder capacity.

The ECU mapping (via a chip tune) and fuel pump and injectors also will say much on the bhp gains you'll hit.

Extending exhaust or intake durations can alter the bhp band and on most engines the exhaust and intake durations do not need to match, although most cams and tuners use matched pairs there are some advantages to extending the intake or exhaust durations.

Please watch our video which covers the basic principles of tuning your EA897 Engine. Be sure to keep up with our latest YouTube content and subscribe.

Best Engine Mods for your car

  1. Engine Tunes - engine tuning/remapping provides the most advantage in terms of cost savings,  aftermarket ECUs, and piggyback ECUs are all alternatives.
  2. Fuel Upgrades - Injectors and fuel pump are important parts of the fuel delivery system and need to be upgraded if your 3.0 or 2.7TDi is pulling in more air.
  3. Intake and Exhaust - Note that on their own these mods will NOT ADD POWER in most cases, but they can help enhance power after other mods by removing the restriction.
  4. Upgrades to turbochargers and superchargers - forced induction is the most efficient approach to increase air supply, allowing you to burn more fuel and make more power. It is one of the most costly upgrades but provides the best gains.
  5. Head work - The goals of porting and flowing the head are to get air flowing into the engine while removing flow restrictions and turbulence.

Typical stage 1 mods often include: Intake manifolds, Fast road camshaft, Sports exhaust header/manifold, drilled & smoothed airbox, Panel air filters, Remaps/piggy back ECU.

Typical stage 2 mods often include: Ported and polished head, Fast road cam, high flow fuel injectors, induction kit, fuel pump upgrades, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust.

Typical stage 3 mods often include: Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Competition cam, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Twin charging conversions, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves).

The EA897 engines make great tuning projects and we're happy to report there are plenty of mods and performance parts around.

Remapping - One Of The Most Cost Effective EA897 Upgrades

This is probably one of the easiest and most effective ways of radically increasing the power output of your vehicle with the VW 3.0 TDi engine.

Several companies offer their services in this regard so let’s take a look at a few of them.

We strongly recommend you choose a specialist mapper in your area with experience of these fantastic engines for the best results.

TVS Engineering

TVS Engineering offers chip tuning with three different stages to choose from which are labelled as

  • Stage 1 increases the power by 13hp and torque by 50Nm;
  • Stage 2 increases the power by 58hp and torque by 95Nm;
  • Stage 2+ increases the power by 78hp and torque by 120Nm.

PTRONIC

Performance Chip from PTRONIC is yet another example of a quick way to increase the power of the VW Touareg 3.0 TDi (204hp variant) by 61hp and 118Nm.

These are impressive gains and the effort required for getting these increments is also quite less.

MyChiptuningfiles

For Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 TDi 225hp, MyChiptuningfiles offers its services in two stages which are:

  • Stage 1 increases the power by 55hp and torque by 80Nm;
  • Stage 2 increases the power by 65hp and torque by 100Nm.

A tune/remap via chip should help to establish the full potential of all the mods you've fitted to your EA897 and is best performed after the mods have been added so they can be optimized fully.

(In some cases as we find here the the factory ECU has Tprot so flashing via the OBD port is not an option, so other than the chip tune, an aftermarket ECU is another route to take, and many of these will outperform factory ECU's but make sure it has knock protection and that you get it setup properly.)

It will usually give you around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles, but you mileage will vary depending on the mods you've done and the condition of your engine.

Air Intake Mods & Upgrades on the EA897

Pulling air into each cylinder is vital to any car tuning job the key here is to remove a restriction, as this will limit the power you can make.

On stock engines, and even tuned ones you shouldn't expect more than 5% of a power gain at the top end, and in some cases low end power can suffer a little. The stock airbox and paper filter actually flows really well on these.

On most 3.0 TDi applications the turbo will spool up more quickly when the intake is upgraded.

Focus on feeding cold air into the engine, as most open filter induction kits will draw in warmer engine bay air which carries less oxygen and power will be down.

Performance Air Filters

One of the easiest and simplest upgrades you can do to your vehicle with the VW Audi Group 3.0 TDi engine is replacing the stock air filter with a performance air filter.

These air filters are made to be less restrictive, which means that more air is allowed to enter the engine, increasing the rate of combustion.

In the real world we find that most of the factory filters and airboxes flow pretty well, even with power upgrades so don't expect any significant gains from intake upgrades on your EA897.

Cotton gauze makes a good filtration medium, giving good airflow but still offering decent levels of filtration.

Some examples of performance air filters that can be fitted to vehicles with the VW Audi Group 3.0 TDi engines include:

  • Torxe™ Engine Air Filter;
  • K&N® 33 Series Panel Red Air Filter;
  • aFe® Magnum Flow® Pro Dry S Panel Gray Air Filter;
  • AEM Intakes® DryFlow® Panel Red Air Filter.

Air Intakes

While air intakes are among the most popular performance modifications on a majority of cars, the advantages they have over a stock car are quite limited.

This is primarily because a stock vehicle typically has very little air intake restriction.

However, as other performance mods are performed on a car, the chances of restrictions increase and this is when air intake becomes vital.

Some examples of air intake upgrade options available for vehicles with the VW Audi Group 3.0 TDi engine include but are not limited to:

  • Darkside 3.0 TDI V6 VW Touareg Single Snorkel Intake Kit;
  • LEYO VW Amarok 3.0 V6 Cold Air Intake System.

Intake manifold carry the air during the suck phase from the filter and allow it to be fed into the engine cylinders with fuel for the squish phase.

The size of bore and shape and flow rate of the Intake manifold can make a noticeable change to fuel atomisation and engine efficiency on the 2.7 V6 TDI 3.0 V6 24v TDI BiTDi

I usually find intakes are in desperate need of aftermarket tuning parts, although some OEM provide well optimised intake.

Increasing the EA897 valve size, doing a bit of EA897 port enlargement and head flowing will also raise performance, this will raise potential for raising the performance increase on other parts.

2.7 V6 TDI 3.0 V6 24v TDI BiTDi (EA897) Turbo upgrades

The more air to get into an engine, the more fuel it can burn and uprating the induction with a turbocharger upgrade makes massive power gains.

Turbo Upgrades

For car lovers who want some serious power figures, getting a turbocharger is the best and most optimal way of increasing the power output.

The 2.7 engines came with a smaller turbo, the GTB1756VK or the earlier ones were equipped with a  KKK BV43, these spool up nicely on the 2.7 whereas some of the other turbo upgrades can create more low end lag..

When it comes to turbo upgrades for this engine, you have the following options available:

Please let us know how you've got on with your turbo upgrades, there are many options out there but we don't have experience with many of these on the EA897.

From Turbo Systems

Audi / Volkswagen 3.0 TDI (2012 - 2014) upgrade turbocharger from Turbo Systems.

This turbo is available in two stages i.e. Stage 2 and Stage 3 which take the vehicle from the stock performance to 400hp and 420hp respectively.

It is an expensive upgrade but the performance boost justifies the high price tag of the turbocharger.

From Falcon Turbos

VW AUDI 3.0 TDI Upgrade turbocharger STAGE2 is capable of taking the vehicle up to the 360hp mark.

From GOTTUNED

3.0 TDI owners after a low priced budget turbo option might buy the BV50 Hybrid Billet Turbo which can potentially increase the power to up to the 300hp mark, but it is worth investing more money on something like Garrett on these engines for better long term reliability.

However, for getting this type of performance, you will need other mods such as fueling, exhaust and remapping.

From Racehub

3.0 TDI (2007-2012) upgrade turbocharger from Racehub is also available in Stage 2 and Stage 3 which can take the power figures up to the 390hp and 430hp marks.

For the Newer 3.0 TDi egnines

Garrett GTD2263VZ

Flows enough to reach around 350hp and spools up nicely

GTD2060VZ

Slightly lower power output than the GTD2264VZ but spools up more quickly, and in our opinion is better suited to a daily driven car, or one that is used for towing.

There are reliable limits for every engine, with some being very over engineered and some only able to handle stock power

It is important to find these limitations and upgrade to higher quality components to handle the power.

We've seen guys spending a lots of money on turbocharger upgrades on the EA897 only to watch the engine literally blow up on it's first outing after it's been enthusiastically driven.

Bigger capacity turbo units tend to experience low end lag, and smaller turbo units spool up much more quickly but do not have the peak rpm torque gains.

We have had good feedback about the following turbocharger upgrades, so suggest you investigate these options first.

  • Garrett GTD2263VZ
  • GTB2260VK VW CR240

In the last 10 years the choice of turbochargers is always developing and we commonly find variable vane turbochargers, permitting the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end torque.

Twin scroll turbochargers divert the exhaust gases into 2 channels and direct these at differently profiled vanes in the turbocharger. They also boost the scavenging effect of the engine.

Stronger head bolts make sense when increasing the power on the EA897 blocks.

It is not unusual that there is a restriction in the air flow sensor (AFM/MAF/MAP) on these engines when considerably more air is being sucked into the engine.

We see 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor was restricting torque at a much lower level.

Intercooler Upgrades

An intercooler is one of the highly sought-after performance mods that is installed by enthusiasts around the world.

Particularly when people have fitted larger turbochargers on their vehicles, they generally accompany them with front-mounted intercoolers and rightly so because the stock intercoolers cannot meet the requirements of these performance parts.

It is important to note that an intercooler does not increase a vehicle’s power rather it allows the engine to perform optimally for an elongated time.

Before installing an intercooler, it's critical to consider your vehicle and its requirements. If not, the intercooler may start experiencing heat soak, which essentially means that it gets hot and loses its ability to deliver cold, dense air laden with oxygen to the engine.

Some examples of options that you have regarding intercooler upgrades for your vehicle with the VW 3.0 TDi engine are the following:

  • AIRTEC MOTORSPORT INTERCOOLER UPGRADE FOR AUDI A4/A5 2.7 & 3.0 TDI;
  • Darkside Front Mount Intercooler Kit for VW Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI 7L.

Fuelling

Don't dismiss the need improve the fuelling when you are increasing the torque - it makes the car more thirsty.  We would recommend you to over specify your flow rate on the injectors.

When you increase the amount of air that is supplied to a car’s engine, you also need to increase the amount of fuel that is available to the engine for increasing the combustion rate.

The stock fuel system is no longer capable of handling the requirements of the upgraded vehicles and thus you need better fueling parts such as fuel injectors and fuel pumps.

The first brick in your road will be the CP4 fuel pump, the biturbos have much better fuel delivery than the single turbo units.

Here are a few good examples of the options that you have in this regard.

  • Darkside Developments Piezo Injector Upgrade for Later 3.0 TDI CR Engines;
  • Darkside Developments CP3 Fuel Pump Upgrade for 3.0 Common Rail Engines.

It is worth noting that these injectors are available in Stage 1 and Stage 2. By replacing the stock pump with the CP3 Fuel Pump, you can increase the power to around 400bhp.

By using the Stage 1 injectors with the CP3 pump, the power figures can be taken to 475bhp whereas by using the Stage 2 injectors with the upgraded CP3 pump, the power can be taken to around 500bhp.

The accepted safe increase is to add another 20% when buying an injector, this takes into account injector deterioration and allows some spare capacity should the engine need more fuel.

Quite a few VAG Group engines share injectors with the EA897 engines and some of these offer better performance, notable on the higher powered engine specs.

Audi A4 / Avant

  • CGKB CAMB -163ps
  • CGKA CAMA -190ps
  • BKN -204ps
  • CCWB -211ps
  • ASB -232ps
  • CCWA CCLA -239ps
  • CAPA -240ps

Audi A4 / S4 / Avant / quattro

  • CGKB CAMB -163ps
  • CGKA CAMA -190ps
  • BKN -204ps
  • CCWB -211ps
  • ASB -232ps
  • CCWA CCLA -239ps
  • CAPA -240ps

Audi A4 / S4 Cabriolet / quattro

  • BKN -204ps
  • ASB -232ps

Audi A4 allroad quattro

  • CCWA -239ps

Audi A5 / S5 Cabriolet

  • CGKB -163ps
  • CGKA -190ps
  • CCWA -239ps

Audi A5 / S5 Coupe Sport

  • CGKB CAMB -163ps
  • CGKA CAMA -190ps
  • CCWB -211ps
  • CCWA -239ps
  • CAPA -240ps

Audi A6 / Avant

  • CAND CANB -163ps
  • CANC CANA -190ps
  • CDYB BNG -211ps
  • BMK -224ps
  • ASB -232ps
  • CDYA -239ps

Audi A6 / S6 / Avant / quattro

  • CAND CANB -163ps
  • CANC CANA -190ps
  • CDYB BNG -211ps
  • BMK -224ps
  • ASB -232ps
  • CDYA -239ps

Audi A6 allroad quattro

  • CAND -163ps
  • CANC -190ps
  • CDYB BNG -211ps
  • ASB -232ps
  • CDYC CDYA -239ps

Audi A6L

  • CANA -190ps

Audi A8

  • BNG -211ps
  • ASB -232ps
  • BMC -320ps
  • BVN -326ps
  • CDSB -351ps
  • CTEC -385ps

Audi A8 / S8 quattro

  • BNG -211ps
  • ASB -232ps
  • BMC -320ps
  • BVN -326ps
  • CDSB -351ps
  • CTEC -385ps

Audi Q5

  • CCWB -211ps
  • CCWA -239ps

Audi Q7

  • CASB BUN -211ps
  • CATA -224ps
  • BUG -232ps
  • CCMA -239ps
  • CASA -240ps
  • BTR -326ps

VW Touareg

  • CASD -204ps
  • CASB -211ps
  • BUN -211ps
  • CATA -224ps
  • BKS -225ps
  • CASC -239ps
  • CASA -240ps
  • CKDA -340ps

2.7 V6 TDI 3.0 V6 24v TDI BiTDi EA897 Exhaust

You may need to replace your exhaust if your current exhaust is creating a flow problem.

On most factory exhausts you'll find the flow rate is still ok even on modest power gains, but when you start pushing up the power levels you will need to get a better flowing exhaust.

Sports exhausts can usually air flow from the engine but avoid an exhaust that is too big or you might just stuff your flow rate and make things worse.

Another performance upgrade that is often installed by vehicle enthusiasts is related to car exhaust.

Some people upgrade their exhaust systems to get more aggressive exhaust notes, while others do it for more useful purposes.

The factory-installed exhaust system is capable of meeting the demands of the vehicle as-is, but when the vehicle has undergone significant modifications, the likelihood of experiencing exhaust system restrictions grows significantly.

At this point, switching out the stock exhaust system for an upgraded one is crucial.

Here are some of the common examples of exhaust systems available for vehicles with VW 3.0 TDi engines:

  • Black Widow® Neighborhater™ Stainless Steel Oval Gray Exhaust Muffler;
  • Blox Racing® Street Series Stainless Steel Round Silver Exhaust Muffler with Turndown Tip;
  • MagnaFlow® XL Series Stainless Steel Oval Satin Gray Exhaust Muffler;
  • MBRP® XP Series™ 409 SS Round Exhaust Muffler;
  • Borla® Stainless Steel Round Gray Exhaust Muffler.

Catalyst Upgrades

Common exhaust restrictions are in the emissions filters installed, so adding a freer flowing race alternative such as a sports catalyst and higher flowing DPF pretty much removes this restriction, thanks to it's larger size and surface area.

They will effectively raise the performance to levels you would expect without having a catalyst or DPF installed, but keeps the car road legal.

The added bonus is that most aftermarket DPF's and Cats are better made and designed and will last longer and perform more effectively.

In some regions it is not legal to swap catalysts and DPF's if the stock one is still functioning, and in most areas it is illegal to remove a pollution control system from a vehicle used on the road.

Comparing a sports cat with a decat, or catless exhaust gives very similar power gains, so there is little to be gained by making the car illegal and removing the catalyst.

Weak spots Issues & problem areas on the 2.7 V6 TDI 3.0 V6 24v TDI BiTDi

The EA897 engines are generally reliable and solid units, as long as you follow the manufacturers service schedules, and use a good quality oil to ensure longevity. Few problems should happen as long as they are regularly serviced and maintained.

We have broken off an article covering the 3.0 TDI problems here.

Carbon build up in the head, particularly around the valves which will sap power or create flat spots, this is a larger issue on direct injection engines but should be looked out for on all engines. We have tips on removing carbon build up.

High-Pressure Fuel Pump Failure

Premature failure of the high-pressure fuel pump can occasionally result in problems with the fuel system and even potential engine damage.

Fuel Injector Failure

This can be due to several reasons which are:

Carbon Build-up

The fuel injector can become clogged by any type of deposit because it is essentially made to deliver fuel to the location where it is needed.

Fuel circulation becomes challenging once the carbon deposit gets in the way. So, if fuel cannot move freely, the injector gets damaged.

Broken Or Dry Rubber Seals

The fuel injector may not function properly if the rubber seals, which are supposed to be wet, are damaged or dry.

Internal Cracks In The Injectors

A fuel injector that has an external or internal crack faces great danger as fuel can leak through these cracks and this can stop the fuel from reaching engine components.

Glow Plugs

The VW 3.0 TDi engines are likely to have glow plug issues, just like other diesel engines, which can make it challenging to start the car in cold weather.

Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)

The DPF on the EA897 engine helps lower emissions, but it occasionally gets clogged or fails, affecting engine performance and necessitating costly repairs.

Timing Chain Tensioner

Some of our members have had issues with flat spots or glitches after applying mods and upgrades or tuning, this is not usually related to this engines design, so instead see our article on diagnosing flat spots and problems after tuning which should help you get the bottom of this issue.

Regular oil changes are vital on the EA897, especially when tuned and will help extend the life and reliability of the engine.

If you would like to know more, or just get some friendly advice on Tuning your VAG engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss EA897 tuning options in more detail with our EA897 owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased VAG tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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