Craig's A3 1.8T progress thread (be gentle)

[craigt1985]

Ok... after having few VAG cars over the years (along with a few minor hiccups in the form of an EP3 CTR and 5 series), having seen Prawn's very first A3 progress and evolve to his current A3 beast; I thought it was about time i jumped onto this 20VT bandwagon and found out what the fun was about.

Never having had a FI car and a limited budget this was going to be a gradual and subtle development.

So with a far from extensive mechanical background I dipped my toe in... be gentle!

First I bought myself a reasonably low mileage, 1 owner, FASH A3 1.8T Sport:

First thing that needed sorting were the cloudy headlights:

Which for a first attempt came up ok

 

[craigt1985]

Then this little lot turned up:

Could not have the S2000 filter staying its original horrible white colour, so that was swiftly dealt with. Not got around to doing the SAI delete and the catch can yet.

The original exhaust was looking a little sorry for itself and was in need of being replaced. A crate of Corona and Mr Rainbird had supplied me with a nice shiny 3" DP and sports cat, a quick hunt on EBay later and i'd bagged myself a filthy cheap (under £100) 2.5" cat back Jetex resonated system with a single 3" round tail pipe. Much better, sounds a lot nicer too when coupled with the SFS supersize TIP and S2K filter

At this point I felt like the thing deserved a service so did all the boring bits and poly-bushed the dogbone at the same time:

Nice simple little mod this

Definitely like to thank everyone (even Jardo) for the time and effort that has gone into typing up and documenting all the How to threads in the stickies, it's been invaluable for a newb like me!

Unfortunately a few snapped ligaments in my ankle and Christmas put a hold on things, but I've already got 80% of the parts I need to fit, before I start thinking about driving up country to get things mapped. More boring posts and rubbish photos to come

 

[daz-20vt]

lovely looking example.
looks brand new!
whats your long term plans ?

 

[craigt1985]

lovely looking example.
looks brand new!
whats your long term plans ?

Cheers very much, think the photos are a little deceptive

Well I've already picked up a LCR Brembo/256mm Vented front and rear brake setup which i'm giving a quick spruce up at the moment. Also have LCR subframe, steering rack, cast wishbones, hubs and shocks/springs to fit too. Have a 22mm Eibach front ARB to fit when i've sourced a rear to suit, currently looking at the 24mm Whiteline rear ARB. But if something else comes up second hand that's suitable then i'll happily consider that...

Then once the handling and brakes are sorted i'll be looking at getting a OEM exhaust mani to port (if i can find a 2nd hand one that isn't cracked) and fit, would like a stealth fit FMIC if possible but unsure on the best and then get it booked in with Bill or Niki.

I'd love to go KO4 or K300, but I currently can't justify the cost of doing forged rods etc. nor the time it would take it off the road as it's just a daily. Time and money are the main restricting factors, should be moving house in the next month, so the car may take a back seat

 

[daz-20vt]

is this a k03s then
not familiar with the a3
if so they can go very well indeed with the right tune!!

 

[craigt1985]

Yeah made sure I got a facelift with an AUM- KO3S powered lump. Should be a noticeable jump once it's mapped with all the supporting mods. Just not too sure how far too go really

 

[scotty89]

Plans look good mate
I also have an aum powered a3 (5 door though) so will be interesting to see what power figures you get

 

[craigt1985]

Plans look good mate
I also have an aum powered a3 (5 door though) so will be interesting to see what power figures you get

Cheers hoping to get 220-230BHP with some good usable torque. Not sure realistically what to expect, i know every engine and setup is going to be different. And even if it does make good figure beyond my expectations (unlikely), i'd really like to avoid the cost of having to install forged rods (it'll probably happen eventually...).

For now I just want to get all the niggly issues sorted, handling and brakes done so it'll stop and go around corners properly and then I can see what i get from it. A little way off yet!

Also need to figure how i can get a decent size IC in there whilst retaining the fogs/grilles and air con rad. Answers on a postcard please!

 

[Rainbird]

BigBump time

Finally spotted this and had a read, good times with progress coming soon...
In terms of the FMIC, for the power you're looking at at the mo you could get away with a smaller cooler than a standard Wellycooler and not have to worry too much about the grilles/fogs at all. I'd be inclined to go for something that's close to a Welly but a little narrower. There are plenty of them about on eBay etc like this one which are the same height and depth but not so wide (450x300x76 as opposed to 600x300x76). Would give plenty of cooling, negligibly less lag and more room to work provided the rads don't get in the way.

Can we get your mirror caps colour matched soon please?!

 

[Prawn]

How have I missed this!

Car is looking good man I think slowly over the last decade every single friend of mine has owned a 1.8T mk4 platform car, so welcome to the Bandwagon!

IC wise, I'd take a look at the slightly smaller IC that Lewis (VAGSlag) fitted to my old car.

The narrower one R'Bird linked above will have most of the fitment issues of a welly cooler due to depth, and be tricky to pipe up as it'll be narrower than the slam panel.

Lewis got one that was slightly smaller, I Think around 600x250x65. it seems to be working well for him, and he's kept the grilles intact and retained the fogs too.

600 core width works really well on the 8L due to the width of the slam panels. It places the outlets right where they need to be either side of the rad.

Glad you're taking your time and doing all the suspension and brakes properly too. It'll be a really well sorted car by the sounds of it.

Seeing as you've got a turbo back 'Zorst and going FMIC, I reckon it'd be WELL worth while fitting a 10psi uprated actuator too. Several people recently with healthy engines have seen 250bhp without the aid of meth. That's not to say that's norm by any account, but an actuator will certainly help towards it.

 

[Rainbird]

Yeah, I've not had a proper look at the width of the rad etc so if it does get in the way you'd be better off reducing the height of the cooler rather than the width for sure. Before everyone started to run the 600x300 Wellycoolers they were pretty common and had decent enough results on k03/s

 

[craigt1985]

Cheers Nick and Luke,

I'm a serial skulker when it comes to this forum, sitting in the background hopefully absorping some knowledge

Cheers for the info on IC cores, maybe i'm looking for something that may not be possible with retaining grilles, fogs, AC rad etc. whilst having a little future proofing if i get a hybrid in the end. I want 63mm inlet/outlet pipes on the end tanks, do you think welded pipes will make retaining things any easier?

Finally booked the time off to get all the braking and handling bits fitted, buying new nuts, bolts, bushes and bearings for everything that's getting fitted. Costing a fair chunk but i'd rather do it right once.

Just bought a BAM inlet manifold, i'd like to try and make something similar to the KO4 IC pipe routing just becuase it looks so much tidier. Not sure how feasible it is mind. Just need to get hold of a spare KO3 exhaust mani so i can take a carbide burr to it and get that side of things flowing better.

250BHP would be amazing Nick, but i'm in no illusion that it's the norm; if i can get 230 ish i'll be happy and anything over that will be a bonus.

 

[craigt1985]

Did a little bit of work on the car this week, finally got around to do a catch can install (need to get a few new bits of pipe to tidy things up) and sorting out the rear washer that was ******* water all over the engine bay.

Was hoping to get all this lot fitted this week, but alas a few parts didn't arrive in time so that has unfortunately delayed it all so for now I'll have to put up with it.

Did however paint the callipers ready for install. Shiny.

Spare exhaust manifold turned up today, so need to get that ported and an intercooler set up bought and fitted.... then it's just a case of getting it all mapped One day it'll happen anyway.

 

[Rainbird]

Progress is progress, nice one dude! Shame about getting the other few bits sorted at last but you've waited this long - a touch longer won't hurt

 

[Prawn]

That's a decent little pile of bits you've got there Craig.

I'm dead keen to see where you mount the vacuum cleaner!



Calipers look excellent too.

 

[craigt1985]

Not quite sure where the photos have gone, but hey ho...

Made a bit of progress on the car over the weekend, fitted this pile of bits:

Sorry Nick, vacuum didn't get fitted; just didn't have the time...
These:

Along with:

• LCR top mounts
• 256mm vented rear set up
• New bearings, bushings and bolts all round

Oh and some new rear lights as mine decided they were going to crack and craze when I washed the car a month or so back. Gave them a quick buff with the DA as they were a little scuffed and scratched:

New bits going on up front:

Bits fitted up back:

In typical British summer tradition...rain stopped play..... several times:

I say stopped whilst it was peeing it down I did climb underneath and finally fit my lambda spacer, no more EML

Bits up front all done:

Everything went together all ok, no seized bolts or dramas. Apart from finding the disc retaining bolts had both been sheared off in the hubs, but certainly nothing too taxing.

All finished (photobombed by next doors cat...). Then trailered it off and got it all hunter 4 wheel laser aligned, not surprisingly the handling is so much tighter. Just wants to grip (comparative to how it was) and for some reason actually wants to go around corners now. The stark difference was definitely made even more obvious by the fact that what was taken off was on its last legs! Having brakes that want to stop is novel too.

Slight issue with the brakes in that the ABS kicks in on the front drivers side when coming to a complete stop i.e. below 5 mph, so going to clean up the ABS ring and sensor, see if that sorts it. No faults otherwise.

Going to get some braided lines off of Bill as the original flexis were a little tired, what's the best way to clip the lines to the shocks to keep them out of the way? Can imagine zip ties are an MOT failure...

Now i've got it stopping and going around corners I can plan to send the manifold to Bill, get an uprated actuator from Dan, sort myself an EBay FMIC setup before mapping.

 

[Prawn]

Lovely stuff Craig

Took me ****** ages to find the cat too!

 

[Rainbird]

Sweeeeeeeet! Glad you finally got it all together mate, must have made a world of difference. Plans going forward sound good too - FMIC was a surprisingly simple one to do (at least compared to the snags I had imagined when I did mine) so get one on there!

 

[craigt1985]

Nothing too exciting, but got these fitted ready for my MOT:

Lovely quick delivery and great quality from Bill@Badger5

 

[craigt1985]

Sorted the ABS issue that had been doing my swede since I fitted the Brembos, new sensors all fitted. thanks to Mr Rainbird for the use of his drive/helping hand/mugs of tea. Typically one of the old ones didn't want to come out without some gentle persuasion....

A second set wheels and tyres have been bought for the winter, can get mine refurbed now and then i'll do these when the tyres are spent.

FMIC bits are starting to be ordered...

 

[Rainbird]

Yeaaaaaaaaah buddy!

 

[TheRunningMan]

That's a very nice, tidy looking example. I like your plans, similar to mine but a bit more adventurous. Mind you I swore blind I wouldn't modify mine. I've restricted myself to an S2000 filter and S3 boot spoiler in over a year of ownership so done well! Look forward to seeing your progress.
How did you find the SFS oversize tip to fit? Was planning on one of those at some point. Did you notice any difference after fitting it?

 

[craigt1985]

That's a very nice, tidy looking example. I like your plans, similar to mine but a bit more adventurous. Mind you I swore blind I wouldn't modify mine. I've restricted myself to an S2000 filter and S3 boot spoiler in over a year of ownership so done well! Look forward to seeing your progress.
How did you find the SFS oversize tip to fit? Was planning on one of those at some point. Did you notice any difference after fitting it?

Fortunately I bought this with the intention of modding it from day one, but the anticipation was to go to Stage 2ish and no further. Don't think I could have held myself back like you have!

The TIP was a little fiddly trying to get in place, but far from taxing. I wouldn't say the difference is all that much so far, running some logs and some dodgy maths would suggest its putting out about 15BHP on top of what it should have had from the factory. But that is with the filter, DP and exhaust being changed too. I don't think you'll notice anything drastic from anyone mod fitted individually, but a culmination of all the parts improving flow that makes the big change.

I haven't had mine mapped yet as I intend to get everything sorted to go to stage 2 in one go, but I expect the gains with all of what i'm doing to be fairly good (realistically 220-230BHP). But it's not just that peak figure, but the availability of the power/torque across the rev range. Should be a different animal to drive.

Thankfully these cars are relatively cheap to upgrade and tune!

 

[TheRunningMan]

I used to have a Seat Leon Cupra R and that was no slouch for a standard car. From what I remember our cars are about 100kg lighter so 220 odd bhp should be fairly lively

Haha yes i've been very restrained but never bought it with modifications in mind (I should have known better really) I think if/when I start doing a few more bits the bug will bite and the floodgates will open...

 

[rich4130]

Looking forward to this, exactly what I want to do.. Really miss my a3!

 

[craigt1985]

Buy another then? Can never have too many cars , n+1 and all that...

Small update, no pics. Been suffering with a hunting idle and some rough running for the last few weeks, so this weekend I decided to carry our the N249/N112/SAI delete and replace the the remaining vac hoses with black silicone. All went smoothly, no issues with doing anything. Was expecting the removal of the SAI pump bracket to be a pain from all the how too's and feedback i'd read, but took about 30 minutes in total to remove everything and get the resistor soldered in place.

All that done the car was still being a hesitant and at times misfiring, so think something isn't quite right on the ignition side. Not changed plugs, coil wiring loom and coils yet, so might be worth a shout. Hooked it up to the laptop and scanned it..... nothing. So that left me a little confused. The issue is only at low engine speed i.e. below 2k RPM and is very intermittent, any ideas?

What are the best plugs to go for? And is it worth changing to TFSi coilpacks or just buy a new set of OEM 1.8t packs?

 

[Rainbird]

Yay for progress!

Have you checked the MAF? I had all number of problems with the LCR when I first got it and although old/randomly gapped plugs and vac leaks were part of the issue, the main culprit was a gammy MAF which cured things nicely.

 

[craigt1985]

Well the car hasn't progressed at all since the end of last year. I've now got to the point I need to start rebuilding my block and cylinder head. The head is where I'm not totally sure how far to go so a bit of advice would be appreciated.

The car is going to be my daily running a K04-064, but how far I take the cylinder head upgrades is confusing me; initially I was thinking of getting it rebuilt to OEM spec, but now I'm contemplating doing springs and exhaust valves. My question is, how far is it worth going? Do I need to look at intake valves too?

Apart from that I think my MAF has died, projected fuel range has reduced to a third of what I was getting, idle is a little erratic and definitely a lack of power.

 

[Rainbird]

If you're going to go to the effort of rebuilding with stock components you may as well upgrade things whilst you're in the area. Exhaust valves, springs, retainers and stem seals wouldn't be far off IMO.

Pop round this evening and we'll swap your MAF for my spare and see if it helps.

 

[superkarl]

Well the car hasn't progressed at all since the end of last year. I've now got to the point I need to start rebuilding my block and cylinder head. The head is where I'm not totally sure how far to go so a bit of advice would be appreciated.

The car is going to be my daily running a K04-064, but how far I take the cylinder head upgrades is confusing me; initially I was thinking of getting it rebuilt to OEM spec, but now I'm contemplating doing springs and exhaust valves. My question is, how far is it worth going? Do I need to look at intake valves too?

Apart from that I think my MAF has died, projected fuel range has reduced to a third of what I was getting, idle is a little erratic and definitely a lack of power.

Considering you're fitting that turbo, you don't NEED spring and retainer upgrade really, as you won't be revving too high.

As a minimum tho, I would upgrade the exhaust valves to some inconel.

Along with the usual service items: guides, seals. It should make for a reliable head fit for purpose, without breaking the bank

 

[craigt1985]

If you're going to go to the effort of rebuilding with stock components you may as well upgrade things whilst you're in the area. Exhaust valves, springs, retainers and stem seals wouldn't be far off IMO.

Pop round this evening and we'll swap your MAF for my spare and see if it helps.

Will do mate, cheers

Considering you're fitting that turbo, you don't NEED spring and retainer upgrade really, as you won't be revving too high.

As a minimum tho, I would upgrade the exhaust valves to some inconel.

Along with the usual service items: guides, seals. It should make for a reliable head fit for purpose, without breaking the bank

That was my query really, guides seem to be something that's not frequently offered, but something I'd be keen to do considering the age of these engines and predicted wear. What sort of RPM do springs become a necessity? If I don't need to do springs it'll take a huge chunk out of the head rebuild materials cost. I've been given a quote by Pro-Race Engineering, can you recommend anyone else?

So new stem seals, valve guides, Inconel exhaust valves and I should be ok? I guess if I switch out to a hybrid or something bigger I can always drop in some springs at a later date.

 

[superkarl]

Will do mate, cheers



That was my query really, guides seem to be something that's not frequently offered, but something I'd be keen to do considering the age of these engines and predicted wear. What sort of RPM do springs become a necessity? If I don't need to do springs it'll take a huge chunk out of the head rebuild materials cost. I've been given a quote by Pro-Race Engineering, can you recommend anyone else?

So new stem seals, valve guides, Inconel exhaust valves and I should be ok? I guess if I switch out to a hybrid or something bigger I can always drop in some springs at a later date.

Needing springs depends on exhaust pressure and rpm. One or/and the other can cause the valves to float which isn't good.
If memory serves me right valve float can start at around 7.5k (beyond what you will rev to). This was established from bench tests of stock and upgraded valvetrain. The videos used to be on YouTube.

I personally don't think springs are a necessity at your level.
Valves (to combat the heat) and guides (for reliability) are 100% needed. Pro Race will serve you well


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[superkarl]

7500rpm


8800rpm