Important Facts to Know - Sticky?
#1
01-19-2010, 07:45 PM
Important Facts to Know - Sticky?
These topics are being brought up almost daily it seems so please read carefully and get to work.
Check your oil!!!! These cars are notorious oil burners. The book says change your oil every 10k miles. If you wait that long to check the level you may not make it. I recommend every 3k miles and you may be surprised to see it needs a quart or possibly MORE! Better safe than sorry.
Buy a Boost Gauge. It is not a cool thing or even super accurate but used mainly as a tool for a point of reference. This will let you know if you have a potential problem as talked about below. Ok they are cool too. There are mechanical and electronic gauges out there. Mechanical will feed a line all the way into your car and Electronic will feed the line into a sender in the engine and then a wire into the car. It is arguable if one is better than the other and I say its personal preference. I have run both and currently run an electronic. Some good mechanical names are Newsouth and AWE. Some good electronics are CIM and Eurojet. Newsouth has a cool pod that mounts over the steering wheel and blends with the dash. Most others a AC vent mounted. Remember nobody does A pillar mounts anymore because you don't want an air bag sending it into your face.
Boost Tap for gauge to work. I used the 42DD billet tap. It had one nipple to connect into. If you need 2 or more nipples I would recommend the FORGE or BSH taps. Loved my 42DD and was installed in 5 minutes or less. No cutting involve as you just unplug a hose, slip inthe unit inline and then back together. http://www.42draftdesigns.com/catego...s/mk5taps.html
VW / Audi Coil Packs. They are a recall item on almost every model out there. No warranty needed so go get some new ones installed as you will have a failure eventually. They are free so do it. While typing my A4 is at 75K miles and did not need one yet but my VW GTI at 27K had 2 failures already so they next time i'm near the dealer the Audi will be repaired. Kinda hit or miss and you may feel a slight loss of power or a full blown miss and the car will barley move under it's own power.
PCV failures are a very problem for loss of boost or vacuum leaks. Dealers will replace this under warranty but sometimes you can loose a few pounds of boost and just not notice the proble. My recommendation would be to purchase a BSH PCV fix. It's about $100 and is foolproof and will not fail. Get one. BSH Install info http://www.bshspeedshop.com/bshstore...ns/fsi_pcv.pdf
Diverter Valves are another common failure for loss of boost or vacuum leaks. Same situation. You may not notice you need one yet be losing 20 hp for months. Most stock valves uses a diaphram to releave pressure, a "D" revision has a piston and will not fail (at least I have never heard of one failing). These are even superior to aftermarket fancy valves as they ALL require you to open them occasionally to lube them and the "D" valve is maintainence free. My recommendation would be to purchase a Revision "D" Stock Diverter Valve. ECS tuning has them for $79.99 shipped to your door and that is a very good price. Get one. Not an aftermarket one!
OEM Part # 06H145710D
DIY thread on GTI forum: DIY: Diverter Valve Change - tips - VW GTI Forum / VW Rabbit Forum / VW R32 Forum / VW Golf Forum - Golfmkv.com
Blow Off Valves. Similar to Diverter Valves only they vent to the atmosphere for a woooosh sound. Our engines are designed for a closed system with a Diverter Valve. DO NOT BUY A BLOW OFF VALVE. Your car will run a huge risk of running like ****. NO, no.
Diverter Valve spacer. Added to your diverter valve will give you that woooosh sound. These are safe and sold by FORGE Motorsports. Get one if you like noise makers.
CHIPS or ECU Flash. There are 4 main companies that are all respectable. APR, REVO, Unitronic, & GIAC in order of popularity. These companies can all offer gains by increasing boost levels electonically and remapping the computer to compensate. Advertised gains are on the 40-50 hp range and even better torqe gains. This is the truth and not bull. The 1st 3 companies offer a stage 1 basic tune and a stage 2 after you add at least a high flowing downpipe or testpipe. My personal favorite is APR because you can switch from Tuned back to stock and lock it in with a code all via the Cruise Control stalk. This will keep dealers out stealthy like or keep the car slower if someone else drives your car. I have used REVO and liked it very well too but you need a special box to plug in to switch programs. GIAC uses an adaptive tune that will notice your car when you add a DP or testpipe instead of a stage 2 tune. GIAC will not get rid of your check engine light like the others do so I do not recommend this company for that reason. There is also a stage 2+ program but a higher flow Fuel pump is required. Remember that an upgraded "D" Diverter valve and the PCV fix should be used when getting a chip. Using a boost gauge will also let you know when these items have failed (and the WILL). APR Video on swapping programs and security code feature. APR Video
High Pressure Fuel Pump Upgrade. Required for stage 2 Plus programming which is like going stage 1 to 2 all over again. APR sells new but very expensive. APR will rebuild yours for about half the price but still very expensive. There are cheaper pumps and DIY kits for cheap but I personally would not go that route as if this part fails, so does your motor. APR has a state of the art Facility on their rebuilds.
Downpipe, Testpipe, Highflow Cat. One of these are required to upgrade to stage 2 on your chip. If you get one first and get the chip you can go directlly to stage 2 programming. WORTH IT. Ebay SS test pipe knock offs are just as good as overpriced brands at about $80 bucks.
Cam Follower. This part sits under your High Pressure fuel pump (HPFP). This part has a protective coating that tends to wear off prematurely (known problem by Audi / VW). Once this coating is gone you are setting yourself up for a follower failure and then Cam failure. They basically wear on all 2.0t's from 20k miles or so on up. If your car falls in this bracket which i'm sure it does, check and replace this $60 part (Dealer cost). If you plan on keeping your car for a while anyway.
Very good DIY thread from GTI forum for a Cam Follower check (Non Banjo Bolt style). They have the same motor only mounted sideways.
SIMPLE DIY cam follower check. DUMMY PROOF - VW GTI Forum / VW Rabbit Forum / VW R32 Forum / VW Golf Forum - Golfmkv.com
Page 4 has info where someone with Banjo style (2006 and earlier roughly) finessed his out.
SIMPLE DIY cam follower check. DUMMY PROOF - Page 4 - VW GTI Forum / VW Rabbit Forum / VW R32 Forum / VW Golf Forum - Golfmkv.com
Please do not ask me anymore on these as you can search or google them.
If you are mechanically inclined, check and change your cam follower. it is directly under the high pressure fuel pump on top of the engine. It is not real hard to do.
Check your oil!!!! These cars are notorious oil burners. The book says change your oil every 10k miles. If you wait that long to check the level you may not make it. I recommend every 3k miles and you may be surprised to see it needs a quart or possibly MORE! Better safe than sorry.
Buy a Boost Gauge. It is not a cool thing or even super accurate but used mainly as a tool for a point of reference. This will let you know if you have a potential problem as talked about below. Ok they are cool too. There are mechanical and electronic gauges out there. Mechanical will feed a line all the way into your car and Electronic will feed the line into a sender in the engine and then a wire into the car. It is arguable if one is better than the other and I say its personal preference. I have run both and currently run an electronic. Some good mechanical names are Newsouth and AWE. Some good electronics are CIM and Eurojet. Newsouth has a cool pod that mounts over the steering wheel and blends with the dash. Most others a AC vent mounted. Remember nobody does A pillar mounts anymore because you don't want an air bag sending it into your face.
Boost Tap for gauge to work. I used the 42DD billet tap. It had one nipple to connect into. If you need 2 or more nipples I would recommend the FORGE or BSH taps. Loved my 42DD and was installed in 5 minutes or less. No cutting involve as you just unplug a hose, slip inthe unit inline and then back together. http://www.42draftdesigns.com/catego...s/mk5taps.html
VW / Audi Coil Packs. They are a recall item on almost every model out there. No warranty needed so go get some new ones installed as you will have a failure eventually. They are free so do it. While typing my A4 is at 75K miles and did not need one yet but my VW GTI at 27K had 2 failures already so they next time i'm near the dealer the Audi will be repaired. Kinda hit or miss and you may feel a slight loss of power or a full blown miss and the car will barley move under it's own power.
PCV failures are a very problem for loss of boost or vacuum leaks. Dealers will replace this under warranty but sometimes you can loose a few pounds of boost and just not notice the proble. My recommendation would be to purchase a BSH PCV fix. It's about $100 and is foolproof and will not fail. Get one. BSH Install info http://www.bshspeedshop.com/bshstore...ns/fsi_pcv.pdf
Diverter Valves are another common failure for loss of boost or vacuum leaks. Same situation. You may not notice you need one yet be losing 20 hp for months. Most stock valves uses a diaphram to releave pressure, a "D" revision has a piston and will not fail (at least I have never heard of one failing). These are even superior to aftermarket fancy valves as they ALL require you to open them occasionally to lube them and the "D" valve is maintainence free. My recommendation would be to purchase a Revision "D" Stock Diverter Valve. ECS tuning has them for $79.99 shipped to your door and that is a very good price. Get one. Not an aftermarket one!
OEM Part # 06H145710D
DIY thread on GTI forum: DIY: Diverter Valve Change - tips - VW GTI Forum / VW Rabbit Forum / VW R32 Forum / VW Golf Forum - Golfmkv.com
Blow Off Valves. Similar to Diverter Valves only they vent to the atmosphere for a woooosh sound. Our engines are designed for a closed system with a Diverter Valve. DO NOT BUY A BLOW OFF VALVE. Your car will run a huge risk of running like ****. NO, no.
Diverter Valve spacer. Added to your diverter valve will give you that woooosh sound. These are safe and sold by FORGE Motorsports. Get one if you like noise makers.
CHIPS or ECU Flash. There are 4 main companies that are all respectable. APR, REVO, Unitronic, & GIAC in order of popularity. These companies can all offer gains by increasing boost levels electonically and remapping the computer to compensate. Advertised gains are on the 40-50 hp range and even better torqe gains. This is the truth and not bull. The 1st 3 companies offer a stage 1 basic tune and a stage 2 after you add at least a high flowing downpipe or testpipe. My personal favorite is APR because you can switch from Tuned back to stock and lock it in with a code all via the Cruise Control stalk. This will keep dealers out stealthy like or keep the car slower if someone else drives your car. I have used REVO and liked it very well too but you need a special box to plug in to switch programs. GIAC uses an adaptive tune that will notice your car when you add a DP or testpipe instead of a stage 2 tune. GIAC will not get rid of your check engine light like the others do so I do not recommend this company for that reason. There is also a stage 2+ program but a higher flow Fuel pump is required. Remember that an upgraded "D" Diverter valve and the PCV fix should be used when getting a chip. Using a boost gauge will also let you know when these items have failed (and the WILL). APR Video on swapping programs and security code feature. APR Video
High Pressure Fuel Pump Upgrade. Required for stage 2 Plus programming which is like going stage 1 to 2 all over again. APR sells new but very expensive. APR will rebuild yours for about half the price but still very expensive. There are cheaper pumps and DIY kits for cheap but I personally would not go that route as if this part fails, so does your motor. APR has a state of the art Facility on their rebuilds.
Downpipe, Testpipe, Highflow Cat. One of these are required to upgrade to stage 2 on your chip. If you get one first and get the chip you can go directlly to stage 2 programming. WORTH IT. Ebay SS test pipe knock offs are just as good as overpriced brands at about $80 bucks.
Cam Follower. This part sits under your High Pressure fuel pump (HPFP). This part has a protective coating that tends to wear off prematurely (known problem by Audi / VW). Once this coating is gone you are setting yourself up for a follower failure and then Cam failure. They basically wear on all 2.0t's from 20k miles or so on up. If your car falls in this bracket which i'm sure it does, check and replace this $60 part (Dealer cost). If you plan on keeping your car for a while anyway.
Very good DIY thread from GTI forum for a Cam Follower check (Non Banjo Bolt style). They have the same motor only mounted sideways.
SIMPLE DIY cam follower check. DUMMY PROOF - VW GTI Forum / VW Rabbit Forum / VW R32 Forum / VW Golf Forum - Golfmkv.com
Page 4 has info where someone with Banjo style (2006 and earlier roughly) finessed his out.
SIMPLE DIY cam follower check. DUMMY PROOF - Page 4 - VW GTI Forum / VW Rabbit Forum / VW R32 Forum / VW Golf Forum - Golfmkv.com
Please do not ask me anymore on these as you can search or google them.
If you are mechanically inclined, check and change your cam follower. it is directly under the high pressure fuel pump on top of the engine. It is not real hard to do.
Last edited by 2wdBlazer; 05-26-2012 at 02:33 PM. Reason: Added more info. Boost Tap reference
#2
01-21-2010, 06:36 PM
I agree with everything but the boost gauge... the ECM monitors boost and will throw a fault and a check engine light if it falls out of parameters... Most people installing boost gauges have no idea what they are doing and tap into a bad spot or do a poor install and leak boost because of it.
But yea these are the everyday failures we see for 2.0
But yea these are the everyday failures we see for 2.0
#3
01-22-2010, 11:56 AM
I agree with everything but the boost gauge... the ECM monitors boost and will throw a fault and a check engine light if it falls out of parameters... Most people installing boost gauges have no idea what they are doing and tap into a bad spot or do a poor install and leak boost because of it.
But yea these are the everyday failures we see for 2.0
But yea these are the everyday failures we see for 2.0
Check out 42DD brand (I have this one) which has 1 nipple or FORGE which has 3 nipples. Awesom pieces that are made from Billet Aluminum and can be installed in 2 minutes.
#5
01-22-2010, 11:05 PM
I'll stick it, but you should add more to it as they come up. Like the coolant flange on the back of the head that leaks frequently around the 60k mark.
Rear brakes wear out every 25-30k (automatic models)
Timing belt/water pump needs to be changed at or before the 80k etc.
Rear brakes wear out every 25-30k (automatic models)
Timing belt/water pump needs to be changed at or before the 80k etc.
#6
01-22-2010, 11:20 PM
I would further add that the mini-topics within the post or subsequent posts be outlined in bold type to emphasize where the beginning of a tip/suggestion begins. It's incredibly easy to do.
