Peace everyone my name is Sulaiman and I'm new to the forum! I should be a regular from now on, asking a lot of questions at first and hopefully helping others answer theirs in time.

Just bought a 98 A4 1.8TQ K04 turbo Audi. It runs and drives great but the engine is running very loud so I'm getting new spark plugs, belts and an oil change as soon as the parts are shipped to me.

Besides that I bought it for my wife and with all the mods it might be too fast for her. I'm wondering if there is a way to take the GIAC chip off of the ECU and if so how easy is it to do? I'm used to the volve 850 turbo ecu that is accessible right on the top. That's my first question I have many more but I will hold off for now

 

no it's a flash but you can buy a stock ecu and swap the chipped one out and sell it. and i don't think it'll be too fast for your wife. unless she's one of those really typical female drivers of course. just tell her to shift before 3k

 

Agreed, just don't floor it. A K04 turbo isn't a monster, and the car won't go fast all by itself. Plus if it's a full K04 build (breathing mods, injectors, etc) you'd have to get stock injectors as well as a stock ECU to power it down.

I'd be more concerned about the loud engine - what kind of noise, when does it happen, etc?

 

Loud engine (particularly if it's coming from the back of the engine) could very well be a cam chain tensioner in need of replacement. If not, I fear for worse things...

Can't be too fast. If that car has a PC-16 tune, which is GIAC's top-level K04 tune, it would also need FMIC, 315cc injectors (usually these are red in color), 2.8-3bar FPR, and full turbo-back exhaust (I think Borla is just cat-back or downpipe-back). This setup pushes about about 19-20psi to reach 210whp/240-250wtq, definitely not too fast.

If it's GIAC's base K04 file, which I suspect, it will just use a 5bar FPR on the stock injectors. I haven't seen performance numbers on this setup but I imagine it won't put out more than 180-190whp.

Tell her to relax on the gas pedal.

 

Thanks for the input y'all! Sorry it took me so long to reply. All my kids been sick.
I figured it was a flash Metal Man. How much do you think I can get for it?
Also where is it located?

The engine is loud but it's not making any out of the ordinary noise. It's just running loud like a truck and there's a lot of vibration in the steering wheel at idle. I'm going to change the spark plugs and all the belts and see if that helps. I already got an oil change and the oil was clean, so I'm good there. The timing belt and tensioner were changed 20,000 miles ago by the previous owners.

So far I've noticed a couple things that are bothering me. #1 the heat sheild is causing a lot of noise rattling on the bottom of the car. Anyone know a quick fix for that? Also there is a bit of acceleration lag is that normal with the 1.8t?

 

just bend the heatshield away from whatever it's hitting. acceleration is normal cuz it's a turboed car. the engine has to not only get the car moving but also spin the turbine which slows down the exhaust gas which saps a little bit of power. also the giac tune is supposed to be laggy and then ***** to the wall.

when you change the belts make sure you double check all the bolts that hold the pulleys on the motor. a lot of ppl have had them come loose for numerous reasons and they cause noise. otherwise it's probably the cam chain tensioner or try seafoaming the engine. a semi clogged oil pickup tube causes noise too