Planning Jabba remap - preparation?

[nick4501]

Hi guys.

I've watched this forum from afar for a while, and just bought a 2001 A3 last weekend thumbsup, so thought it's probably time to get involved.

I love the car, and it's running fine...with 1 minor problem - the Engine Management Light is on. The previous owner explained that he took it into Audi as soon as it came on, but they could find a fault so just turned it off. It came back on about 4 months later and the same happened. I intend to get it hooked up to VAGCOM and try to diagnose the fault myself.

I'm eagerly awaiting a Jabba Sports remap and wondered if I should sort out the EML problem before doing so?

Also, what preparation should I take to get the best possible performance before and after the map? I was thinking :

Spark plug change / clean;
MAF clean (necessary?);
Throttle body clean - can someone tell me what product to use to do this?;
HT lead change;
Panel air filter clean/change.

Am I missing anything? Will this actually produce a better mapping process?


Thanks!

 

[Matt82]

id be finding the cause of the "minor" engine light problem. i think he was telling you a tall story when he said audi couldnt find the cause and just turned it off

after that, just make sure its serviced properly, maybe one grade colder plugs etc but thats your own personal preference really

 

[Welly]

I love the car, and it's running fine...with 1 minor problem - the Engine Management Light is on. The previous owner explained that he took it into Audi as soon as it came on, but they could find a fault so just turned it off. It came back on about 4 months later and the same happened. I intend to get it hooked up to VAGCOM and try to diagnose the fault myself.

I'm eagerly awaiting a Jabba Sports remap and wondered if I should sort out the EML problem before doing so?

That sounds a bit on the fishy side to me. I have NEVER, ever heard of an Audi ECU throwing the EML light and not logging a fault.... I would get it on VAG COM asap.

To be honest with you, Jabba should check it before mapping it anyway. They will be able to tell you what's up with it I would I imagine. However, if it is something reasonable, they might not map it for you until it's fixed, so bear that in mind.

Also, what preparation should I take to get the best possible performance before and after the map? I was thinking :

Spark plug change / clean;
MAF clean (necessary?);
Throttle body clean - can someone tell me what product to use to do this?;
HT lead change;
Panel air filter clean/change.

Change the spark plugs, yes. I use Bosch Super 4s personally. Cheap and good quality. Can be found here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bosch-Super-4...arParts_SM&hash=item2a025acdac#ht_1633wt_1137

If you're not having MAF problems (which I guess is a possibility) for sure, then leave it alone.

Cleaning the TB is always a good shout. Remove from the inlet manifold and then clean out with a cloth. I normally use parts cleaner as well.

A3 engines don't have HT Leads. They use individual pencil coils. These coils are well known for packing in, especially after a remap due to the higher load required of them to produce a good spark. Be prepared to lose one or more after a map.

Change the panel filter for a performance one. Green cotton is the preferred version from users on here.

Am I missing anything? Will this actually produce a better mapping process?

It won't produce a better mapping process, but what it will give you is a better car at the end of the day. It's more likely to perform better once the map has been done.

 

[finesse]

A good remap provider will do a health check before the remap....

I would definitely;


Spark plug change - I still use OEM NGK PFR6Q
Throttle body clean - http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/t/127279.aspx
Panel air filter- OEM is good enough but if you want to be flash then get a Green cotton filter

 

[finesse]

Change the spark plugs, yes. I use Bosch Super 4s personally. Cheap and good quality. Can be found here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bosch-Super-4...arParts_SM&hash=item2a025acdac#ht_1633wt_1137

Welly, how long do the Super 4's last or you prefer to change?

 

[Welly]

~7000. I'm going to be buying some shortly to replace the one's I put in when the engine got rebuilt.

She's a little overdue to be honest, as she's done about 9000, but plugs are still good.

I personally think they are a very very good plug. And you can pick them up from the bay nice and cheap.

I paid £30 for the set I have now in Halfrauds, but that was a needs must job.

 

[nick4501]

Thanks for the info guys.

I've ordered a set of those spark plugs from that guy on ebay and have finally got round to running the Vag-com....it isn't great news.

3 faults were found:

16795 - Secondary Air Injection System: Incorrect Flow Detected

Some googling tells me that this is (hopefully) just a dodgy hose, so will be looking into it at the weekend. Does anyone know the width of hose pipe I should get to solve this?

17704 - Error in Mapped Cooling System (usually temp Sensor or Thermostat)

I have also ordered a temperature sensor from ebay...hoping this will cure the problem. I have noticed that my car seems to run at about 75 degrees. This seems far too low to me - could this just be a false reading from the dodgy sensor?

17705 - Pressure Drop between Turbo and Throttle Valve (check D.V.!)

This one worries me the most. I haven't checked the condition of the throttle body yet. I'm hoping that it is covered in crap and that a good clean will solve this error and prevent the occasional juddering of the car during low rev acceleration. If not, is it new diverter valve time?

It was a good job I did this before the Jabba map - I'm pretty sure they'd struggle to map an intermittently boosting car!

Any further information on this would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Matt82]

would have been a complete waste of time trying to get more power out of that.

get spannering!

 

[finesse]

throttle body clean and reset is a good start. as it says, check pipes for splits

 

[nick4501]

Will do. I need to figure out what size of pipe I need to connect to the secondary air intake vacume though!

On a side note, I had a fairly disappointing conversation with Jabba today....I found out that their £300 remap is just a generic one, and doesn't even involve going on the rollers!