VW/Audi 1.0 TSI EA211 Engine Specs, Problems & Reliability

The 1.0 TSI is the smallest engine from the EA211 family. The Volkswagen introduced the engine in 2015 as another step of its downsizing strategy. It is a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder gasoline turbocharged engine planed for the VW Polo Mk6, Golf Mk7, and other cars of the Volkswagen AG in different output versions.

The cylinder block for 1.0l TSI is made from die-cast aluminum alloy and has an open-deck design with rough-cast cylinder liners. The engine has a forged steel crankshaft with small crankshaft bearings (45 mm) and connecting rod bearings (47.1 mm) for vibration and friction reduction. The optimized moving masses of the forged connecting rods and aluminum pistons, the unique vibration damper and the flywheel with drilled holes allowed eliminate a balance shaft, despite the 3-cylinder design.

Like the 1.4 TSI EA211 engine, the 1.0 TSI also features an aluminum cylinder head with the integrated exhaust manifold. The hot exhaust gases allow the engine to warm up quickly. The cylinder head has 4 valves for each cylinder (12 valves total). The valves are actuated via roller rocker arms (fingers). The valvetrain is equipped with hydraulic valve-clearance compensators (lifters/lash adjusters). The engine has double overhead camshafts (intake and exhaust camshafts). The camshafts are driven by a toothed belt and installed in the separate camshaft housing attached on top of the cylinder head. The camshafts are not removable from that housing (it forms an integral module). The engine has the variable valve intake and exhaust timing.

The engine has a vane-type oil pump driven directly by a crankshaft. The oil system uses a continuously variable oil pressure control. That means the oil pressure is controlled in accordance with the engine load, engine rpm, and oil temperature. The max pressure produced by the oil pump is a 3.3 bar.

The high-pressure direct injection fuel system operates with injection pressure between 120 and 250 bar and uses 5-hole injectors. The excellent performance and low emissions could not be achieved without using a turbocharger. The 1.0l TSI has a turbocharger with an electronically controlled bypass flap, the charge air cooler cooled by engine coolant, and compact intake manifold made from plastic. The close-coupled catalytic converter goes after a turbocharger and lowers the emissions even better. The engine is controlled by the Bosch Motronic ME 17.5.21.

Engine Specs

EA211 1.4 TSI Engine Problems and Reliability

The turbocharger unit is less thermally loaded due to cooled exhaust gases by engine coolant flowing in the exhaust manifold integrated into the head. That is not only increased the reliability of that unit but also allowed warm up the engine faster (important for driving in a cold climate), and reduced the emissions and fuel consumption.

Compared to the small-displacement conventional MPI engines, while the power output is similar, the VW 1.0 TSI engine has much more torque on a wide range of engine speed. That is a good point for engine durability and makes it more efficient and pleasurable to drive.

Engineers tried to keep the simplicity of a cheap 3-cylinder engine, but the modern equipment of the 1.0 TSI requires advanced electronics (sensors, control units and etc). All these expensive components extend the list of potential failures for cars with that engine. VW engines, equipped only with direct injection (like the VW 1.0l TSI), have the common problem with carbon build up on the intake ports and the intake valves. It continuously happens due to lack of fuel as a natural cleaner in the intake ports. The soot layer restricts the air flow, drops the engine output, and leads to serious damages of intake valves and valve seats. The best thing you can do to prevent that problem is just using good fuel (super unleaded at RON 95). But the mechanical cleanup process at least every 50k miles will keep the engine in top condition.

Modifications

CHZJ/CHZD - 115 hp (85 kW) at 5,000-5,500 rpm, 147 lb-ft (200 Nm) at 2,000-3,500 rpm. Application: Golf Mk7, Skoda Octavia, SEAT Leon Mk3, SEAT Ateca.
CHZB - 95 hp (70 kW) at 5,000-5,500 rpm, 118 lb-ft (160 Nm) at 1,500-3,500 rpm. The engine is used in the VW Golf Mk7, VW Polo, Audi A3, and SEAT Ibiza IV.
CHZC - 110hp (81k W) at 5,000-5,500 rpm, 147 lb-ft (200 Nm) at 2,000-3,500 rpm. The version is for the Volkswagen Polo 1.0.
CHYB - 75 hp (55 kW) version was used in the VW Polo, VW Up!, and VW Up Bluemotion.