If you’ve been following along with the project you’ll know the gearbox developed a catastrophic problem. So a good excuse to attempt an Octavia RS 6 speed conversion (same process with VW MK4 GTI Golf).
When I say catastrophic problem I mean a problem that made the car undriveable due to expensive noises. At the time of writing the car is still in one piece. I am waiting for parts before sending the car to the shop/garage to do the work.
Why a shop? Because I’ll put a decent downpipe on the car while the box is off and I don’t have a TIG to do the downpipe myself.
Nitty Gritty
So what did Part 1 of the Octavia RS 6 Speed swap entail?
Getting a vehicle speed signal (VSS) from the ABS module instead of the speed sensor on the diff. Why? Because the 02S gearbox does not have a hole in the casing to use the speed sensor on the diff. I could make a custom speed sensor to read the bolts on the driveshaft but getting speed from the ABS is supposed to be the easier path.
This is the video that started the 6 Speed swap journey. Subscribe to his channel, watch his videos, they are pure gold
That video shows everything you need to do.
And to make it even easier, I’ve included the pieces of code below for reference.
I followed his instructions exactly and using a cable from Aliexpress it seems to have gone without a hitch. I won’t know until the car is moving again, I guess it’s possible the speed is not accurate but at the moment I need to get the new box in to find out.
Subscribe – 6 Speed Swap Octavia RS Series
Subscribe to the YouTube channel for updates on the rest of the swap and the rest of the project.
Code I used
KW1281Test is the software, download and unzip to a directory. TDI Forums have a ton of info.
It runs from Command Prompt. Google if you need help on this.
This may or may not be compatible with your cluster. Google if you are unsure.
Check video linked above for step by step guide.
Commands
cd\ - to get to the home directory
>cd your/directory - the folder sub folder where kw1281test is located
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basics
kw1281test com2 10400 CONTaddress Command args - com2 or whatever port the cable is connected, baud rate 9600/10400, address of module 1=ecu 17=cluster etc, command see list when 1281 opened, what u want to do
up down arrow keys go through previous sent commands
kw1281test help - outputs commands
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get value
kw1281test com2 10400 17 readEeprom $0065 - get the current value, 17 = cluster, readeeprom = what to do, $0065 = what value to read
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change value
kw1281test com2 10400 17 writeeeprom $0065 $81
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check new value
kw1281test com2 10400 17 readeeprom $0065
see if value now reads $81
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exit out of program
exit
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