Draft. Trigger offset has not been confirmed on a running Race Core install. Pins marked TBD are unknown — do not guess them. A wrong decoder or firing order can destroy the engine.
Volkswagen VR6
Narrow-angle V6: 2.8 12-valve, 2.8 24-valve, and 3.2 24-valve (including R32). Firing order 1-5-3-6-2-4. OBD-II engines in this family are commonly a 60-2 crank, the same Bosch wheel as the 1.8T. Early CIS-E cars are not this note. 12-valve ignition is often a distributor; 24-valve is coil-on-plug or a coil pack.
Recommended: F7 or V4 for six injectors and six coils. Count the crank wheel before selecting 60-2. Distributor module pins and any 12-valve coil-pack pins are TBD. DBW on later 24-valve cars needs F7.
Status: draft. Trigger offset has not been confirmed on a running Race Core install.
- Cylinders: 6
- Displacement: 2792 (12V / 24V 2.8) · 3189 (3.2) cc
- Firing order: 1-5-3-6-2-4
- Orientation: Cylinder 1 is the timing-belt end. The cylinders are staggered in one block — use the numbers on the manifold, do not picture an inline six. Firing order 1-5-3-6-2-4.
Variants
| Variant | Years | Trigger | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA / ABV 12V 2.8 | 1992–2000 class | Often 60-2 on OBD-II, distributor ignition | 2792 cc. Confirm the wheel. CIS-E is out of scope. |
| 24V 2.8 | 1999–2005 class | 60-2 class + cam | Coil pack or COP. Port injection. |
| 3.2 R32 / BJS and similar | 2001– | 60-2 + cam, some DBW | 3189 cc. 24-valve. Still port injection on these VR6s. |
Recommended pin assignment (Race Core F7)
Pins below are the library default Race Core F7 map — the same AMPSEAL landings as the verified 1UZ-FE, 2JZ-GTE and LS1 notes. Core EFI V4 and Micro Core cavity numbers are TBD. If a pin is not in this table, it is TBD. Do not guess a spare.
| Pin | TunerStudio | Function |
|---|---|---|
| B5 / B13 | VR 1+ / VR 1− | Crank VR |
| B4 / B12 | VR 2+ / VR 2− | Cam VR |
| A3 | Lowside 1 | Injector cylinder 1 |
| A15 | Lowside 2 | Injector cylinder 2 |
| A4 | Lowside 3 | Injector cylinder 3 |
| A16 | Lowside 4 | Injector cylinder 4 |
| A5 | Lowside 5 | Injector cylinder 5 |
| A6 | Lowside 6 | Injector cylinder 6 |
| A35 | Ign 1 | Cyl 1 logic coil |
| A34 | Ign 2 | Cyl 2 logic coil |
| A22 | Ign 3 | Cyl 3 logic coil |
| A33 | Ign 4 | Cyl 4 logic coil |
| A32 | Ign 5 | Cyl 5 logic coil |
| A31 | Ign 6 | Cyl 6 logic coil |
| B7/B6 + B15/B8 | ETB 1 ± / ETB 2 ± | DBW motor. Not a stepper as well. Pedal and TPS tracks: follow the APP and ETB notes |
| C20 | Analog Temp 3 | CLT |
| C30 | Analog Temp 2 | IAT |
| C13 | Analog Volt 1 | MAP 0–5 V |
| C24 | Analog Volt 2 | TPS 1 |
| C34 | Knock 1 | Knock |
| A20 | Lowside 10 | Fuel-pump relay coil |
| A21 | Lowside 12 | Main-relay coil |
| A12 | Lowside 15 | Radiator-fan relay coil |
| B17 / B16 | CAN 1 H / L | Dash / wideband |
| B18 | Battery Sense | Ignition-switched 12 V (5 A fuse) |
| B23 | +12 V MR | Main-relay 12 V into ECU |
| A17 A18 A24 B14 B19 B20 | Power GND | Engine block → battery − |
| C9 / C21 / C32 | 5 V Sens 1 | MAP, TPS, pedal 1 |
| C1–C8, C29, C31 | Sensor GND | 0–5 V and thermistor returns |
Trigger
Count teeth. Select 60-2 only when the wheel is 60-2. Cam sync follows the 1.8T rule: Bosch quick-start if the wheel is that shape, single tooth if it is one tooth.
Crank
| OBD-II | 60-2 VR on B5 / B13 is the common case. Prove it. |
Cam
| Phase | Required for sequential. Digital 2 or VR 2 per the sensor. |
TunerStudio
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Trigger / wheel type | 60-2 when counted. Not a guess |
| Use only rising edge | Yes on MAX992x VR (typical) |
| Invert primary | No — swap VR wires first |
| Firing order | 1-5-3-6-2-4 |
Offset: Light on cylinder 1 at the belt. A VR6 damper is not marked like a 2JZ.
Injection
Six high-Z port injectors on the engines this note covers. Meter them. Sequential after cam sync. 12-valve batch looms may still join injectors — cut pairs only when you want sequential.
| Direct injection | Not this engine family. |
Ignition
12-valve distributor: Ign 1 to an igniter, module pins TBD. 24-valve: prove the coil is a logic coil, then Ign 1–6 by cylinder number. Wasted-spark packs need an igniter. Dwell 2.0–2.5 ms on logic COP.
| Order | 1-5-3-6-2-4 in software. The staggered block does not change that. |
Idle
Cable idle valve pin TBD. Later DBW uses F7 H-bridges and the ETB / APP notes. Not both.
First start
- Load the matching variant configuration in TunerStudio before the harness is live — injectors and coils stay disconnected until the decoder is confirmed.
- Fuel pump fuse out. Coils unplugged or spark outputs disabled. Crank. Open Diagnostics → composite / high-speed logger.
- Confirm crank teeth are even, the missing-tooth (or named pattern) is a single clean gap, and cam is one pulse per two crank revolutions for sequential four-stroke.
- RPM during cranking should sit in the 150–350 rpm band. 0 rpm or 12,000 rpm means the decoder is lost — polarity or wheel type, not offset.
- Lock timing to a fixed 10° (idle control off). Timing light on cylinder 1. Change trigger offset until the damper agrees with 10°.
- Recheck at ~3,000 rpm. If timing walks with RPM, it is VR polarity, a delayed Hall, or the wrong decoder — not offset.
- Enable spark. Confirm a healthy burn (timing light or plug colour) with fuel still disabled.
- Enable fuel. Prime, then crank. Catch the first idle on a rich-safe VE, then lean toward stoich at idle.
- Only then enable closed-loop idle, VVT, boost and traction. A base map is a starting point, not a dyno tune.
A base map is a starting point, not a dyno tune.