My minor modding thread

[Tj 0785]

View attachment 186479



<tuffty/>

Does that mean it’s almost ready for firing?

 

[<tuffty/>]

Does that mean it’s almost ready for firing?

well... I need to get it in the engine bay first LOL...

Made a start on the wiring loom too... hoping to get the engine in this weekend, a list of hoses or other stuff needed to hook it all up ready to start and the loom 'mapped' out so I can rewire next week...

I am not holding my breath on first start but depending on parts and acts of god I am hoping she will be running off stale v-power by the end of the month...

If I can work out what I need and get it in time I plan to take a week off work to get it done and running... I don't wanna book a week only to spend most of it waiting on parts...

<tuffty/>

 

[Prawn]

this is always the worry isn't it!

Finally having the time then finding you're waiting on parts.

Can't wait to hear it start up on 6 cylinders man!

 

[S3AMJ]

If you get it up and running in time..... will you attend this years AITP mate? I’m contemplating it at the moment


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[<tuffty/>]

If you get it up and running in time..... will you attend this years AITP mate? I’m contemplating it at the moment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't intend to do any long journeys until I know the map is mostly there and the car is reliable enough... no reason to think it won't be but rather wait to make sure the 'anti rejection drugs' are working

<tuffty/>

 

[S3AMJ]

I don't intend to do any long journeys until I know the map is mostly there and the car is reliable enough... no reason to think it won't be but rather wait to make sure the 'anti rejection drugs' are working

<tuffty/>

Very wise man..... well if you need a tow we can use my car, should be far more reliable now almost everything has been changed and running IECU haha


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[IPG]

ultimate OEM + going on here !!!

 

[<tuffty/>]

Busy (eventful) weekend...

First the clutch...

First hurdle... the DSG box didn't use a gearbox plate... so I didn't think to get one which is apparently available for the manual... so decided to fit it without one for now and get one later for when I do the turbo conversion and change the clutch plate...
Next issue.... I forgot the DSG box makes use of a spigot bearing in the crank... so I didn't remove it... I had already fitted the flywheel so couldn't easily remove it without risking debris falling in to it.... this meant that non of the alignment tools I had to hand fitted...

So I made one...

Next thing to do was to reset the silly self adjusting cover plate...

final issue (for now) with the clutch is the bolts I got from TPS were M7... the flywheel was tapped for M8... brilliant... so found some correct grade bolts... then found that the cover plate mount holes were M7 too!!!... well done GSF for selling a kit that appears not to be compatible with its other components!!... so drilled the holes out to 8mm and sent it

The fingers (apparently) reset correctly on first press of the clutch... first time I have fitted a self adjusting clutch so hopefully done it right...

Gearbox fitted on easily (tip... put it in gear to help with aligning the main shaft to the clutch plate splines...)

Bolting the gearbox on was interesting... very few of the 20v bolts I had fitted in the places they normally do for am 02M... the starter motor ones are shorter for a start and don't pass through to the block...

Thankfully VAG being lazy b*ggers meant that with a bit of juggling I found enough bolts of the right grade and length to use and then fitted the transfer box... kinda glad I bought the proper VR one as the thing is very very tight on the block... the std S3 one would need quite a bit of modding (doable thankfully but a pain non the less)

All ready to go in

Dragged the old girl in...

Ably assisted by my glamorous assistants (thanks guys)...

...we got the anvil in...

Tried test fitting the front clip to see if anything would hit... and as expected...

Did know this was likely to happen and others generally fit the TT 3.2 fans pack as they are slimmer... they also seem to have '3.2' tax applied (like BAM tax only sounds better )

Luckily VAG being VAG the LCR Mk1 comes equipped with the same setup... so picked up a set 30 quid cheaper than the TT ones I had found...

The VR fun continues... the PAS pump feed hose is now too short as the engine leans forward...

Will look into the R32/TT version or may just use an alloy joiner to extend the pipe...

Fitted the covers to see if there are any other fitting issues... looks rather sweet in there...

...with rather a lot of room at the back....

As my BHE code engine was from a TT with DSG I rejigged the hoses to 'delete' the DSG cooler as obviously I wouldn't need it...

Fitted the rest of the coolant hoses that are VR specific....

I needed to make some use of this monstrosity that runs along the back of the TT VR engine... I only need the larger one to run to the bottom of the expansion bottle

...so cut off all the stuff I didn't need and cleaned up the pipe...

Test fitted th turbo mani and offered the turbo up in the rough position it will sit... this was to work out what was needed to get it fitte and see what issues the coolant pipes may present...

Fitted the OE heat shield... this will need modding for the turbo but I also have a few ideas for making this look a little neater..

Very tired but rather happy that the engine is now in the car...

I haven't done much to the loom yet as not had time but will crack on with that next...

Have my basemap ready to go for the first start... may need a few tweaks but its looking good to start the engine with at least..

I have a few more parts to order... two hose 'sets' for the radiator for a start... I also should have a couple of flanges being cut so I can make a pipe to connect the VR6's down pipe to my exhaust...

Happy days and again a big thank you for the help from Bill and my great mate Mark today... the VR is a big old lump and was 'great fun' getting it in lol

<tuffty/>

 

[Tj 0785]

Getting close now can almost hear it, looks very tidy in the bay

 

[hydro s3]

Will the mk1 LCR fans fit the s3 8l or just the 3.2 ur building?

 

[<tuffty/>]

Will the mk1 LCR fans fit the s3 8l or just the 3.2 ur building?

My car is an s3 8L... Just happens to have a 3.2 in it

Not sure as yet if any further mods are required wiring wise for the fans but an LCR is the same chassis family as the S3 and parts like this are generally interchangeable

<tuffty/>

 

[Rainbird]

Cracking work team, getting close now. Clean install as ever, Tuffty. Not that it's a surprise these days of course!

I've fitted LCR fans to a Golf before with no ill effects, so wouldn't be surprised if they are interchangeable across the board.

 

[Prawn]

Epic work PT!

Might I ask why the clutch plate thing? Seems like a hell of a lot of work to pull it all out again in future just to change a clutch plate!

 

[<tuffty/>]

Epic work PT!

Might I ask why the clutch plate thing? Seems like a hell of a lot of work to pull it all out again in future just to change a clutch plate!

Mainly because I have no idea when I may get around to fitting the turbo and don't particularly want to have the associated clutch wear with a cerametallic plate on something that doesn't need it only to find when I do get around to fitting the turbo its worn enough that I need to change it again anyway...

There is every chance the car may get used a bit more now its got a VR... plus I will be tuning the engine for a few months anyway so all I should need to change is the plate when the time comes

<tuffty/>

 

[IPG]

LOL I remember that starter bolt compatibility! I was like

GOOODDAMMMITTTT!!! hahaha And look at the clearance for your A/C pulley - plenty room!!!

Exciting times now that you are so close! Rest of the bolting together's pretty straightforward now and I look forward to hearing the first gurglings of the VR6

 

[<tuffty/>]

Loom mods... I stripped all the tape off the loom and it was as sticky as a very sticky thing... cleaned it up with APC and brake cleaner and made a start on the mods...

Bought some fancy braided shizzle to make the loom look fancy... started with the coil pack wiring...

As the braided stuff is a 'tube' I de-pinned the plugs to help get the braid over the cable...

A few attempts later...

Not really that happy with it to be honest... its horrible stuff to work with and looks cr@p unless you build the loom from scratch using heat shrink to close off the ends... I will be rethinking the coil pack wiring later but before I got too much into it I needed to offer up the loom to the engine and work out the cable runs for the additional stuff I need to add..

The VR engine is normally aspirated and uses a MAF so has no need for a MAP sensor and the IAT sensor is in the MAF... I needed to add a MAP sensor as I am using speed density for fuelling and when turbo charged will need an N75 for boost control and an IAT sensor in the plenum...

I also needed to move the throttle body wiring from the rear of the engine to the front of the engine and I wanted to remove the wiring for the PCV valve and the inlet vacuum system that operates the inlet runner change over mech..

Laid out the loom on the engine... you may notice that I have also changed the injector plugs as the 630cc injectors are a different type to OE...

Ran the extra wires for the N75, MAP, IAT, sensor +5v and ground... I also ran the wires for the oil pressure sender and fuel pressure sender while I had the opportunity to tidy that aspect of the wiring up...

Changed the standard 4bar FPR of the VR to 3bar as I don't need the overhead for the level of power I am after...

As I am not using an aftermarket fuel rail with AN fittings I got a new fuel filter so I could allow Torques to take even more of my money on fittings

That will get plumbed in properly later once the engine is up and running...

Removed the loom to review and secure the new cables so I can sort it all out properly...

The turbo adaptor flange arrived in the week... obviously needs welding up but that will be done as part of the turbo phase later...

Still waiting on a solution for the wastegate... I have an adaptor flange on its way... no idea if its going to be of any use but will cross that bridge later..

So... next task was to integrate the new wiring... the ECU switches the earth/ground of the N75 so running the wire to the ECU is obviously not enough... the S3 wiring showed the N75 picking the 12v from a shared supply that the N205 (VVT) solenoid is on so tapped off that for the 12v

The loom I am using is from a TT 3.2 with DSG... the DQ250 doesn't have a speedo sender... the speed signal is picked up from the ABS... Ignitron can be configured to do this but I wanted to add the wiring all the same as my R32 gearbox has the sender...

This wiring is in the large 14 pin plug that is attached to the inner wing so I took the wires from the S3 loom and added them to the TT plug... I then ran wires from the gearbox speedo sender and joined them to the tails... there are three wires in total.. the ground is off the common ground (pin 7 of the 14pin plug)

The VR engine also uses a constant circulation pump (bit like the after run pump of the 1.8t)... the wiring is again in the 14pin plug but the S3 half doesn't have it pinned... I attempted to find the correct terminal to be ale to add it but there are so many variants its difficult to know if they would fit so I opted to use a separate connector instead...

I unpinned the wire and terminated it with the single pin plug... I just need to terminate the other side and run the wire to the fan controller...

At this point I refitted the loom to make sure it was all lining up ok...

You may notice I have painted the heatshield in VHT 'black'... which is kinda more grey than black... looks ok though and added the coolant hardline for the pipe to the expansion bottle...

I added more of the OE brackets and clips this time to hold it all in place...

Happy with the progress so far... just a couple more bits to do and I can fit it and leave it in...

I now need to buzz all the cables I have changed before pinning the ECU plug to make sure they are all connected to the right pins... and terminate the second MAP sensor, fuel and oil pressure sender wires too...

I have a few more plugs on the way to wire those three sensors in as the wiring crosses over into the larger ECU plug..

The LCR radiator fan pack turned up and so I tested the fans... sadly it seems that the low speed side of the fans doesn't work... this is a fairly typical failure on fans due to them being run at low speed while the aircon is on

Have msg'd the seller so will see what happens... I have a couple more on watch but arguably won't stop me starting the engine...

...which is the plan for the end of the week as I have next week off to try and get the engine running and the car as close to road worthy as I can...

<tuffty/>

 

[IPG]

Love it!

Couple more hurdles to overcome since you've got the DSG loom.

Was there anything else you needed to re-jig or connect to ground re: DSG wires? (i ask because i'll probably manual convert later with the TT2.0 >3.6 later)

 

[S3AMJ]

Bentley oil filler cap mate? Good work by the way, looking forward to seeing it up and running.


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[<tuffty/>]

Love it!

Couple more hurdles to overcome since you've got the DSG loom.

Was there anything else you needed to re-jig or connect to ground re: DSG wires? (i ask because i'll probably manual convert later with the TT2.0 >3.6 later)

There were no DSG connectors on the loom at all dude...

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

Bentley oil filler cap mate? Good work by the way, looking forward to seeing it up and running.


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Yarp... technically its half of a Bentley engine

<tuffty/>

 

[S3AMJ]

Yarp... technically its half of a Bentley engine

<tuffty/>

Ah yes of course W12 good shout!


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[Prawn]

Amazing progress PT!

Really can't wait to hear this thing!

 

[<tuffty/>]

Busy week so far... been very hot and my sorry excuse of an office based a55 is certianly not used to this kind of physical exertion lol

Starting where I left off... pinned up the N75, MAP and IAT sensor into the ECU plug... the plug typically has the spare pins already there for use.. they are a bit like a scotchlock in operation so I soldered the wires instead...

Fitted the loom into the car...

The VR's 'after run' pump is on the block and appears to use the same output as the 1.8t's one... the wire gauge for the S3 looked a little smaller than the VR so I unpinned the S3 wire and repinned a thicker gauge wire for the VR...

As I couldn't find the right terminal sets for this plug short of buying a new plug I depinned the VR side and used a single Tyco AMP connector to join the pump wires... I also ran the original wire that goes to the S3's pump plug on the other side of the engine bay so that I can potentially use it to power the S3's original pump for the turbo... I will use a relay though as not sure running two pumps on that output is a particularly good idea

On the subject of the turbo... I test fitted the manifold and turbo to get an idea of room and challenges that may present themselves...

Actually quite a bit of room considering... I may look at moving the comp housing away from the manifold by rotating it back or either extending the outlet so the silicon joiner can be a little further from the heat or maybe look at using those alloy vband jobbers for boost pipes...

The turbo sits more in the middle on this main than my previous 20v fitment which is not the best but with a couple of tweaks I should be able to reuse my old intake pipework...

Room for the downpipe looks ok but will need to angle it away from the bulkhead a bit and maybe use 1D bends... I didn't think at the time to grab some and try but pretty confident a downpipe will be easy enough to sort out... I made a 3.5" DP for a K04 in an S3 so I can easily bang this one out

Lastly I checked the wastegate... in this case a Turbosmart WG45 gen5.... the mani is designed for a 2 bolt 38mm gate but as I will be using low boost (relatively) then I want the control the larger WG will give me so will need to adapt it all to fit... I have an adaptor enroute so will post pics later...

The gate is tight... the heatshielding will need a little adjustment to give a little more room... I am also considering machining the WG mount on the mani to angle it more into the centre which will give more room fitment wise...

Removed all that turbo gubbins (sadly) and fitted the OE manifolds and downpipe instead... actually not too bad to do but will do a spanner check once the car is on a ramp anyway..

At this point I connected the ECU and then the battery.... nothing caught fire... and no magic smoke was released... winning

I went a checked Ignitron to make sure it could see all the engine sensors and stuff... ran through the output tests and everything was going well until I went to check the injectors... they did not turn on... b*gger!

Called it a day and took the inlet mani home so I could make (old skool style) a gasket from gasket material... while catching up with Jack Frags and Linus Tech Tips on Youtube...

Been a while since I have to do that lol... there isn't really a gasket available for this manifold... well... there is but its 35 bucks + about 40 bucks shipping!!!

New day... Today my intent was to get the engine started... I was still waiting on Parcel Farce to deliver my radiator hoses (couldn't find Badger 5!!) so I cracked on with everything needed to turn the engine over...

Filled the engine with oil, filled the gearbox with oil filled the radiator with... ah... no... hoses still not arrived as they couldn't find Badger 5... so called the depot and told them how to find it...

In the mean time I had worked out why the injectors didn't work... the fuel pump relay needs to be on... so ticked that box and ran the injector output tests... all working... phew!...

I plumbed the fuel filter in (the old one for now) and plugged the fuel pumps back in and fitted the inlet manifold...

Ignitron has a feature that over a certain pedal percentage it will go into a flush mode where it will turn over with injectors and ignition disabled... this is only while cranking and is useful for first start scenarios or arguably an oil change to get the oil circulated...

This went well... nothing leaked, the engine turned over easily with no worrying noises.... soooooooo....







.....yay!

Its fine to run the engine for a very short time with no coolant but I wouldn't make a habit of it... it was enough to get the engine fired up... it was also very loud due to not having the exhaust system on it but it runs... and I am happy

Finished off a few more jobs... fitted the serpentine belt which was fun (not)... then extended the PAS pump feed pipe so it will clear the rotating bits... the VR sits forward compared to the 1.8t which sits back...

Fitted the new fuel filter and plumbed in the parts for the fuel pressure sensor...

Finally the hoses arrived!!! (better late than never I guess)

Tidied up and put the covers on the engine bay for a little teaser of the finished product... I also changed the coil pack covers and fitted a coil pack wiring cable conduit from the later 3.2 VR's fitted to cars like the A3 8P

Happy days

I am still waiting on a slim line fan pack to arrive that works... the LCR one is being returned for a refund and I ordered one from a TT V6 this time... arrived today and found that both fans didn't work at all!!... tbh I am happy to buy new fans as I can get them for about 35 quid each but I am not paying 50 quid for a cowl...

The search goes on... I am in contact with this seller and it maybe that I just offer a small amount to cover the cost of postage and then buy new fans as the cowl will be of use...

Tomorrow I will wire in the fuel and oil pressure senders and tidy the ECU wiring up properly

<tuffty/>

 

[hydro s3]

Excellent stuff mate. That hasn't taken to long to get her back running again.

 

[<tuffty/>]

Another hot and sweaty day...

The plan today was to finish the wiring and tidy up the bay....

Wired in the plug I was using for the fuel and oil pressure senders as they go to the larger ECU plug... I had run the wires in the TT loom so just wanted to be able to disconnect easily

Also added new plugs to the sensors to keep it all neat

4 pin Tyco AMP plug finished and tucked away in the trunking...

Fuel pressure sender

Oil pressure sender...

Gave the engine a turn over and checked the pressures in Ignitrons sensor overview screen to check pressure was being built and it was so happy days...

Taped up the rest of the loom and tucked it all away...

Terminated the second MAP sensor wire too... this will be the feed to the Color MFA's boost gauge functionality...

Fitted the last of the coolant hoses... the TT has a weird setup where coolant is circulated via the throttle body and there is a whole bunch of hoses around that area so I simplified that while retaining the original circuit for the coolant to flow

Next job was to start mocking up plans for the intake pipe... this will of course be far from ideal as NA engines tend to work better from the least amount of restriction possible and are more sensitive to this...

As I am going turbo at some point and knowing the power won't be fantastic anyway I decided it best I make the intake pipe as I intended for when going turbo...

This means using 63mm pipework and running it to the space where the old SMIC's were... running along here will connect to the FMIC and go back round in the turbo appliycastion but for now I will essentially run it to where I plan to pick up the intercooler and stick a filter on it... I will need to do a little work to limit the risk of water ingestion too but tbh I probably just won't drive the car in the wet anyway if it looks too iffy...

I may come up with a better solution or I may even just connect through the FMIC anyway and run the pipework back up under the battery cover... I have no big expectations on power while NA anyway so can test on the dyno if there is a measurable loss... if its nothing to get upset about then I may well just run it through the FMIC and be done...

I fitted the front clip back on to see what clearance issues may present themselves...

Looks ok... but the fan clearance issue is highlighted here...

Still waiting on a response from the ebay seller as I am trying to get a partial refund and will use the cowl and buy new fans...

Thats about as much as I can do for now... need to make an exhaust piece to join the DP to my exhaust, sort some fans, fabricate the intake pipe section and then run the engine up to temperature to see what leaks out...

So tidied up the bay, added in the covers, gave it a quick wipe over and called it a day...

When I got home I was pleased to see the wastegate adaptor had finally arrived

Looks decently cast... seems to have had a few knocks on its journey but nothing that can't be cleaned up... will offer that up tomorrow

<tuffty/>

 

[Tj 0785]

Looking good dude, is the adapter to 44mm? I can’t seem to find one to 50mm I might have to sell the bov and get a 44mm one

 

[<tuffty/>]

Looking good dude, is the adapter to 44mm? I can’t seem to find one to 50mm I might have to sell the bov and get a 44mm one

Yeah 44mm... (link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183720089883)

Will get some pics later of it on the mani..

<tuffty/>

 

[Tj 0785]

Yeah I’ve seen them not sure if it’s worth trying to weld the 50mm vband adapter over it. Do you think 50mm it’s to big considering it’s only a 38mm opening?

 

[<tuffty/>]

A larger wastegate will help overall but I used a 44mm at 620hp with no issues on boost control... ok there are subtle differences here but tbh I think a 50mm on the mani we have is way to much hassle (and overkill)

If fitting a GT40 something to a tubular and shooting for 700+ then maybe but I doubt this mani will be up for that to be honest

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

Tried the wastegate adaptor...

The inlet of the adapter is 38mm but the mani is only 30mm!

Over hangs a little so would need some weld building up a bit to make it viable

A Turbosmart WG45 gen5 fits nicely on there but the adaptor does extend the gate right out in the area I know is very tight so need to take the heat shielding off at some point and see if I can find the space

<tuffty/>

 

[IPG]

niiiicccceeee

 

[IPG]

View attachment 187382

<tuffty/>

are you going to open up the manifold here to not have such a big step?

 

[<tuffty/>]

are you going to open up the manifold here to not have such a big step?

It's all about the flow

<tuffty/>

 

[IPG]

I'll take that as a "yes"

 

[<tuffty/>]

Managed to successfully get a partial refund on the fan pack and ordered new fans... one of them that turned up had been damaged in transit...

Has taken a chunk out of the fan blade too... disappointing... but GSF are replacing it straight away so not all bad...

Despite the hassle of trying to sort out the slimmer fans out its been worth the effort as there is now plenty of clearance (...Clarence)

Next job was fabricate the charge pipework... bit of offering up and tactical cutting later...

Fabricated a bracket to hold the charge pipe as I wanted to control its movement....

...which is handled by the hump hose and the 90 degree hose... this will allow it all to move withe the engine... which won't be much with the Vibratechnics mounts...

Painted it all (obviously)

...and all fitted....

Finished up by mocking up the 'intake' side... as I am running normally aspirated for now I just need to keep this side simple until I get around to fabricating the top side of the charge pipe from the turbo (when fitted)

No MAF again as I am running Ignitron...

...and obviously with the covers on...

I still need to find a place for the catch can, the VR only has the one outlet on top of the cam cover so will be pretty easy to sort out...

Still waiting on a few more parts for the exhaust but hopefully have all that for next weekend and once the exhaust is on I can run the engine to temp and see what issues (hopefully none) arise..

Once that is sorted then I can think about getting her ready for the road and sort out getting an MOT.... then comes the tuning

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

I'll just leave this here...


<tuffty/>

 

[Tj 0785]

Thought you’d been quiet, have you put any miles on it yet?

 

[<tuffty/>]

Thought you’d been quiet, have you put any miles on it yet?

Well... I would but... The self adjusting clutch is basically a pile of dog p00p so I need to take the gearbox off and do something about that

<tuffty/>

 

[Tj 0785]

****** hell, just when you thought I
You were done, is there any timeline for when the turbo’s going on

 

[<tuffty/>]

****** hell, just when you thought I
You were done, is there any timeline for when the turbo’s going on

Lol... No mate... Just want it running for now...

Will settle for it to move under its own steam rather than a bunch of old fella's pushing it about...

Sounds good though

<tuffty/>