About a month ago I bought a 1999.5 A4 Avant quattro 1.8t 5-speed. I know plenty about cars and have been working on cars since before I could drive, but I know nothing about Audis and this is my first turbo engine (ok, I did own a 2001.5 Passat turbo, but I never did any work to that car and traded it in in less than a year). I understand how turbos work, and have researched them a lot (thought about boosting a couple cars I use to own).
Anyway, my A4 came modded, and from the owner I got this:
Quote:
Mika tuned GT 25 software
RS2 - green top injectors
K24 sport turbo
Race Products intercooler ( side mount )
ECS race N75 valve
new spark plugs
VR6 Mass Airflow housing with open air element
MTM cast exhaust manifold (costs $2000+)
URS4 external wastegate
Audi TT 225 hp by-pass valve
Custom fabricated 3" exhaust ( cat delete ) - ( NO Check Engine light )
APR Snub mount
Eibach sport lower springs
|
So first off I have questions about my mods. A friend of mine who did service writing for 2 Audi dealerships confirmed that there was some well thought out work done to the car, but I know nothing about this stuff.
So please, some comments/explanations on the items/work stated above would be great. Pros and cons.
Also the car came with some work needing to be done, here's what the seller offered:
Quote:
Timing belt, water pump, seals, thermostat just done along with MAF/throttle body cleaning, new plugs.
Could use some additional tuning. Runs cold (about 40%), probably needs a thermostat, replaced it once, maybe got a bad one. Runs rich, probably related to the engine temp, cat delete, intake piping (MAF) or chip programming. Experiencing some throttle cut on boost, possibly solved by a manual boost controller or throttle cut defender, adjustment of wastegate or new diverter valve. In any case, all fairly easily addressed issues. Very fast and fun, probably running at 250-300hp.
|
The car does run cold, I don't think I've seen the temperature gauge reach the mid point. Should I replace the thermostat? Do they offer different temperature thermostats? Where is the stat and how much trouble is it to change?
Someone is giving me a front mount intercooler, will this block the radiator enough that I might appreciate the cooler temperature? Is there anything special about the "race products" side mount on the car?
I feel the throttle cut on the car, but it only seems to happen when the car is boosting slower, when I really get on the car, I don't experience the throttle cut. I don't know what a throttle cut defender is, I think I heard it was cheaper and easier to install than a manual boost controller. Can someone explain this?
Those issues came with the car, I've made my own issues since I got it.
The driver side wiper quit working, the passenger side still works. I've checked the the wiper arm is tight on the shaft, but you can move the wiper freely by hand (shaft turns too). Is there a linkage from the passenger side that could have come loose? A parts guy told me that the linkage assembly is part of the motor assembly and not available separately. Of course I haven't even opened up the cowl to see what happened yet. Any ideas?
I broke my hood latch release (behind grille). I didn't realize that the latch needed lubricant and it was tight, I pulled the little latch that comes out of the grille and broke the plastic piece off the end of it. I can still get my hood open, but I'd like to replace the latch, does anyone have one for sale? I can get a whole new latch from a parts guy for about $40-$44, but that's the type thing I figure I could find a lot cheaper off a hood someone is parting out.
Guys, any help on this stuff would be greatly appreciated! TIA
New Audi Owner, lots of help needed (Long)
