Roadcar A3 build from the Netherlands

[Erikn89nl]

Hi all. After reading through these forums for a while, I've finally worked up the courage to start my own thread here, and ask for help.

I have a ming blue 98 A3, 1.8t AGU, lefthand drive, which has done 140k miles (226k km's).

When I bought it, it already had lowering springs fitted, as well as wider 18" wheels (225/40). It also has chav speakers in the rear window shelf, which I am desperate to get rid of. It has a Clifford alarm system, which is actually a pretty nice addition.

After I had it about 4 weeks, it decided to run on 3 cylinders, and since I knew f-all about cars and engines and whatnot at the time, I took it to the local audi dealer, which set about replacing **** which didnt fix the problem, until they decides it needed a new ECU. ****** expensive fix that was, but they had to give me a free courtesy car for 2 weeks, and I wouldnt pay for the new plugs they fitted for no good reason, so in the end not a bad deal really. Anyway, new valve cover gasket (if I'm translating that right), new plugs and new ECU.

I also had the deathtrap chinese tires replaced by Eagle F1s, and when the muffler decided to lose one of the two tips, I replaced the muffler too. Note to self, look underneath car before buying one.

Anyway, now my baby has decided it sometimes doesnt want to start with a warm engine. When its cold, it takes a second or two to pick up, but when it's hot, if I park it for 10 minutes then try to start, the starter will turn but the engine won't run. Excuse any wonky technical talk, like I said, I know very little about cars, and the things I do know are often in the wrong language.

Anyway, anyone seen this before?

Also, pulling the handbrake lever causes a clang noise, seemingly under the car, needs investigating. The plastic cover on the handbrake is also loose, which annoys me.

I tried to do a boost leak test earlier tonight, but I have no garage available and it got dark before I could finish, but there appears to be a leak in the hose which runs from the DV to this metal pipe behind the engine (god I feel dumb saying that). Leak got worse when bending the hose up, but couldnt find any holes on the thing. Meh, I need a garage, and an illustrated parts manual.

Anyway, thanks for reading, cya round.

 

[LennardS3]

Hi Erik,
A lot of problems already, hope you get it al fixed so you can enjoy your A3
En weer een nederlander erbij! haha. Ben benieuwd naar je foto's.


Gr.

 

[Erikn89nl]

Pics from the time of purchase:

Really want to get rid of that S-Line badge, previous owner chavness.

 

[Erikn89nl]

Ok, so I've done some work on the car over the past few months.

The 'not starting when hot' issue turned into 'dying in stand-still traffic' so that needed sorting. Checked the faultcodes, engine speed sensor (crankshaft position sensor) seemed like the most likely suspect, so googled that some more while I waited for the engine to cool down after it died on me in a busy (Christmas shopping) parking lot. I saw many people with the same symptoms as I had, something to do with the internal resistance of the sensor getting out of bounds when it's hot, which then causes the ECU to cut out the fuel pump. Got a replacement sensor at the local parts shop, luckily they had one on the shelf, replaced it at a self-service garage nearby, using info found on this forum. Thanks to those who've written about it, the only person I can remember is @<tuffty/> who posted where to find the sensor

Also serviced the car with new oil and filters while I was renting the lift anyway.

Fitted an OEM armrest I found at a scrapyard, the plastic is the wrong colour but I don't really care. I'll repaint the interior trim some day, cause most of it is worn pretty badly anyway.

I also changed most of the audio system in the car. I was already on an aftermarket headunit, which was connected to the door speakers only. I did get a conversion cable to hook up to the OEM sub and rear speakers, but only one side was working, and it still sounded ****, so I took that back out. Cable was 60 euros in the Netherlands, and 10 euros in Germany. Don't buy in Holland!

Anyway, spent 2 days taking out all the necessary interior trim, making up mdf speaker rings, fitting new Blaupunkt speakers and a JVC active subwoofer, run cables (out of sight) and put the whole thing back together again. Very satisfying result Also fixed the clunk in the handbrake, turned out some of the nuts on the assembly were loose.

*edit* also removed the S badge from the back.

 

[Erikn89nl]

I am working on a plan to rebuild and modify this car extensively this year, probably running well into next year due to cost. First step is to get it all running smoothly so tuning won't be hindered by any faults. In order to do this, there's a few things I am wanting to do, but I'm not sure what order to do them in. They are:

- Oil catch can + PCV delete (prevent vacuum leaks)
- TFSI coilpacks + ICM delete (it's not idling very smoothly)
- Replace old rubber hoses with silicon
- Fit Liquidgauge (for diagnostics)

Some steps to be taken further up the road (or when the need arises, i.e. clutch) will include:
- Replace clutch (uprated in preparation for the future power)
- Have gearbox refurbished (or replace with 6-speed for better fuel economy?)
- Rebuild engine (replacing rods with IE rifle-drilled, while it's being rebuilt anyway, in preparation for the future power)
- Find and fit LCR Brembo's with DS2500 pads
- Lots of suspension work

 

[Erikn89nl]

Ok, so from the above list, I have now finally taken some steps in the right direction

Over the past few weeks, I have been ordering lots of parts, including a ton of different size silicon hoses (why can't they just one size?!), and have now done:

- Installed uprated Sytec fuel pump (supplied by Badger5)
- Installed BMC dual-cone airfilter with heatshield (also Badger5)
- Replaced MAF for a new genuine unit (old one was causing bad mpg)
- Replaced plastic brake booster pipes which were cracked, with silicone hoses
- Replaced DV with a new 710P unit, and replaced the boost and vacuum hoses with silicone ones
- Capped off the TB vacuum port which connects to the EVAP hose, to see if it would throw a code (it doesn't ) will delete charcoal canister and TIP vacuum hose soon
- Replaced N75 boost hose with silicone
- Removed stock PCV hoses, replaced with silicone, venting to TIP via hockeypuck. Will order a Saikou Michi catchcan soon...

Current state of the engine bay:

The valve in the PCV hoses seems to have been leaking, there was a load of oily crap all over the hoses there...
The car now feels much smoother, throttle response has improved from the silicone hoses, and then improved more from the airfilter. There is more engine noise at WOT and above 3k rpm, and I can hear the DV doing it's job.

Any comments are welcome, thanks for reading!

 

[Erikn89nl]

The items on top of the to-do list now are:
- replace throttle cable (inner jacket is split in many places, throttle sticks when released from very low position)
- EVAP delete (need IE resistor)
- replace hose from actuator to N75 with silicone
- replace fuel filter
- investigate low voltage code

 

[TerryA]

for someone who says he knows jack xxxx about cars - you are doing brilliantly - keep at it

 

[Prawn]

Hi Erik

The car looks great, I've bit seen those wheels on an a3 before. They look smart.

Good work on the engine bay too!

 

[Erikn89nl]

for someone who says he knows jack xxxx about cars - you are doing brilliantly - keep at it

I think the statement should now be "knew jack about cars 6 months ago" been reading all the build threads, looking up whatever sounded worth doing, and now I am getting round to doing things myself. This thread should become interesting over the next 2 years

Hi Erik

The car looks great, I've bit seen those wheels on an a3 before. They look smart.

Good work on the engine bay too!

Those wheels are what initially made me fall in love with the car was funny seeing them on badguy cars in the latest Transformers movie, too Any idea what they are? Doubt they'd be genuine, any way to check?

 

[Erikn89nl]

So, changed the fuel filter today, stupid clip on one of the hose connectors broke, so ended up using fuel hose to fix it.
Also fitted the poly bushes to the dogbone mount. I used the yellow powerflex ones for the back (subframe side), and the powerflex one for the front (gearbox side). Noticed no vibrations on the way home. I torqued the compression bolt to 20nm + 1/4 turn.

 

[Erikn89nl]

My bodge of the fuel line didn't hold for very long... quarter tank of petrol pumped onto the motorway

 

[<tuffty/>]

Whoops...

<tuffty/>

 

[Erikn89nl]

So, on the way home from work, this happened:

However! Turns out it wasn't the bodge method that caused it to go horribly wrong... it was the hose that I was assured was "fuel resistant"... This is what happens when you use silicon vacuum hose as a fuel line:

 

[<tuffty/>]

So, on the way home from work, this happened:
View attachment 51781

However! Turns out it wasn't the bodge method that caused it to go horribly wrong... it was the hose that I was assured was "fuel resistant"... This is what happens when you use silicon vacuum hose as a fuel line:
View attachment 51783

It may be fuel resistant but its not up to the pressure dude.... it will be seeing 3 to 4 bar of fuel pressure... needs to be reinforced stuff...

<tuffty/>

 

[Erikn89nl]

Replaced the broken plastic fuel line with a proper hose from pump to filter. Used the original connector on the pump side to make the 90 degree bend. Had to lower the tank by removing the straps before it would fit in.

Also had the car detailed today, which is apparently the first time in 17 years that it's seen any type of wax or sealant.

 

[Erikn89nl]

Some ****** did this to my car last night, while it was parked:

I cried

 

[Sandra]

I rarely get angry, but when someone does this to someones car and dont hang around to admit what they done really gets me wound up. Hope you can fix it without to much time and expense involved. x

 

[Erikn89nl]

I'll just leave this here...

 

[Prawn]

That's probably the best place to leave it Erik

I hate to tell you, but if it's supplied as per the picture, it'll be wrong for the car.

A few of the lads here in the UK have ordered these on that listing and received the wrong rads

 

[Erikn89nl]

Sadly, the rad was supplied as per the picture, so it got sent back for a quick and easy full refund, no drama.

 

[Erikn89nl]

A little over a week ago, I spent 7 hours in a garage doing the following:

- oil change with cheap oil, new filter
- engine flush
- oil drain
- replace oil pump and pickup pipe
- fill with cheap oil again, new filter
- drive for 10 minutes to flush out any loose muck
- change with decent oil (Motul X-cess 5W40), new filter again

She now runs quieter than ever, pulls a bit stronger, and the top end rattle seems to be cured.
How much noise are the injectors supposed to make?

Because it took forever to get that one ******* bolt out of the sump (you know the one), I didn't get round to fitting my shiny new Vibra-technics engine mounts (road version), or doing a transmission oil change, or changing the worn throttle cable, and the list goes on...

 

[Prawn]

Said lists are never ending!

Good work though always gives you peace of mind having done the pick up.

 

[Erikn89nl]

This sunday, after watching Le Mans most of the day, I finally got around to fitting the aforementioned Vibratechnics Road version engine mounts. Took me around 2 hours, but I am slow, and don't have a garage yet (6 more weeks!).

Very noticeable difference, which may have something to do with the fact that the old engine mounts were so soft I could move them around almost an inch, by hand, very easily. The Vibratech ones would budge a few millimetres at most when putting the same force on them.

The front of the car now feels like it's connected side-to-side, as opposed to two separate wheels with a loose mass in the middle. Every turn of the wheel feels nicer than before, there's no more jolting of the car when coming off throttle, no more shaking of the engine when turning the ignition off...

I have yet to verify, but I think max cornering speed has improved, which would make sense, since a lot more weight now remains on the inner wheel. A few hundred kilo pendulum in between your front wheels: not good.

Noise and vibration have increased a fair bit. Vibration is present up to around 1300rpm, above that it's barely noticeable. Noise has increased throughout the rev range, but not so loud that it's uncomfortable. I do hope it settles down after a few weeks, but as it is now, it's acceptable for a daily driver. The pros definitely outweight the cons in my opinion

I also finally replaced the cable ties that held my airfilter onto the MAF, with a proper hose clamp. Had that thing lying around for ages, never took the time to fit it...

Next up: transmission oil change, serpentine belt replace, throttle cable replace.
After these jobs are done, I think I will look into converting to a wideband ECU, as it seems ME3.8 support is on a decline. Plus, it would enable the mapping to be performed by Badger5

 

[Erikn89nl]

Yay, thread title changed! Thanks @<tuffty/>

 

[Erikn89nl]

Car failed MOT 10 days ago, on the state of the left rear brakeline. Advisories on 2 other brakelines.

Changed the rear brakelines yesterday, was easy. Used my eezibleed for the first time, lovely device, worked a charm.
Going to get it checked tomorrow, which will hopefully make the car legal to drive again

 

[Erikn89nl]

So, the car passed MOT 2 months ago. Since then, I have bought a house, redecorated it, moved into it, and am still busy unpacking and fixing up little bits all over the house...

Sadly, the car didn't get a whole lot of love during that time. Last Friday I was off work because the kitchen was being removed from the house that day, so while that was going on I did something I'd been wanting to do for a very long time:

It's not currently wired up, need to take the amplifier base of the old aerial apart, to see if I can make it work with this one.

I also replaced the old broken PCV pipe with a new one:

Changed the plugs in hopes of fixing my wonky idle problem, for new BKR7Es.
Can anyone comment on how the old ones look? Been on there for over a year, around 12k miles (20k km).

I also swapped the wheels back to front, cause the fronts were getting pretty worn:

Is there any way to tell if these wheels are genuine? I expect them to be reps...

 

[Dohcwp]

most genuine ones usually have the audi logo & part number stamped on the inside or just the part number in some cases

 

[Erikn89nl]

most genuine ones usually have the audi logo & part number stamped on the inside or just the part number in some cases

Good point lol, the audi logo! Figured they were reps, considering the previous owner had put 2 holes in the parcelshelf to fit speakers in...

 

[Erikn89nl]

Okay, it's been way too long since I've posted anything here... And while the car is no better (or worse) off than it was 8 months ago, a lot has happened since then!

My gearbox had started making more and more noise, whining on overrun louder and louder as time went on. It was starting to worry me, so I contacted my crustacean friend from across the Channel, to keep an eye open for a 6-speed FWD box and associated bits.

@Prawn did not disappoint! I now have a 6-spd box waiting for me… and attached to it is a spare engine, with a full K04-064 setup! But wait, there’s more! The seller (a great guy called Clive) was also able to supply the LCR front end I’d been hoping to fit someday, as well as the parts for a wideband conversion.

More great news came a few months later, when @Prawn also found the LCR Brembo’s I was hoping to find, from a guy that sounded familiar… @daz-20vt . I also got the S3 rear brakes off him, for a more than reasonable ASN-special offer

Can’t thank any of the people involved in this process enough, @Prawn especially has gone above and beyond for me

Originally, all these parts were to be sourced and fit in several stages, but this offer was too good to pass up. Now it’s just a matter of figuring out the logistics of ripping pretty much all the original stuff out of the car, and replacing the lot with shiny new stuff. I’m hoping to steal @Prawn away from his wife for a few days soon, to help me with the fitting.

I’ve contacted Bill @B5 for a rebuild (with IE rods) of the spare engine which should be happening end of June sorta time…

Big things will hopefully be happening in this thread, pretty soon Thanks for reading!

 

[Erikn89nl]

Currently on the ferry to the UK for the first phase of this build!

 

[Prawn]

Holy crap.

What on earth have I let myself in for

This weekend should be comical!

 

[Erikn89nl]

No time for comedy mate, we have a 6spd conversion, quick rack, LCR front end, coilovers and brakes to fit!

 

[Rainbird]

I'm just about to drive past Nick's on my way home for the weekend. Almost wish I was sticking around!

Hope things go smoothly for you, gents

 

[Prawn]

ASN's favourite Valtteri Bottas lookalike is almost here:



No backing out now!

 

[Erikn89nl]

Going well so far...

 

[Ashy>>]

good luck guys, cool project so far.

If you were local I'd pop down for the day to help out

 

[Erikn89nl]

End of really long day nr.1:

Back at it in 7 hours...

 

[<tuffty/>]

Looks like you have fitted the brake servo on the wrong side

<tuffty/>

 

[Erikn89nl]

Looks like you have fitted the brake servo on the wrong side

<tuffty/>

Yeah, @Prawn keeps mentioning that...