Just bought a 2001 A4 Quattro, 1.8t last week.

The first few days, the performance was wonderful. Actually, I sometimes thought I was getting too much power from the turbo.

The past day or so, I don't seem to be getting any boost. (weathers been bad, so don't know if problem started yesterday or today. The car handled wonderfully in the snow!! But didn't expect turbo to kick in for that kind of driving).

check engine light is on. Last I looked, it was for bank 1 o2 sensor.

Would an 02 alert be enough to cut out the turbo?

Oh - how can I tell if my call has been chipped?

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks!

Jim

 

check all of your vacuum lines. the factory ones tend to be very crapy and tent to break. thats would be my first suggestion. i replaced all of mine with high temp silicone hose. also it pays to get a boost gauge so you know whats going on at all times this would also help tell you if your car is chipped. stock boost is around 8psi and chiped cars are 14psi and up usually. if infact your car is chiped you might wanna check out your diverter valve. the stock Bosch ones dont really hold up to too much aftermarket boost pressure and will eventully fail. but good luck!

 

Where would the chip be located? Is it as simple as looking for an empty socket? Or is there always a chip, and a chipped car just has a different chip?

Reliability/stability is more important to me than performance (as long as the performance remains 'good enough').

Thanks!

 

The chip is inside your ecu, which would require opening it. (BADD IDEA) but more and more chips are being "flashed" on the ecu, and you would have no way of knowing visually. Boost gauge is your best bet. If you can find someone nearby with a VAG-COM they could read your boost levels.

 

My vagcom cable is on order!

How do I use it to determine boost?

A boost gauge? How much? Where does it go in the car?

Wouldn't it be nice if we could use our LCD's to read the engine codes and display other information - such as the boost? Is that a feature on newer cars?

Thanks!
Jim

 

why you saying its a "BADD IDEA" to open the ecu up? Its really pretty simple and fine to do as long as you are careful with it. Plus he has a 2001 so im pretty sure its flashed and not a solder job anyway so he doesnt have to worry about that.
But like he said, boost gauge or vagcom is really your only option. You need the software and the cable to get anywhere with it btw. A boost gauge can go pretty much anywhere you want it. I prefer the vent gauges because they look oem and i need the room for other gauges and controllers.

 

Jim - The vagcom plus into your OBD port, under the steering wheel. With the car running (and your vagcom software on a laptop in the car) take the car for a spin and have a buddy check the boost levels. The best way to see full boost is to head for a hill and take it in a gear too high. This puts a high demand on the motor and you'll see full boost. I know I'm at stock and I can see 8psi until 3-3.5k rpm, then it goes to six or five.
The boost gauge's price varies from gauge to gauge. You could get a cheaper kit from 42 Draft Designs for $150. They sell VDO and IMO they look best with our cars as the stock cluster is made by... VDO. lol Mounting is up to you. Many people choose to do a vent mount, as did I, by dremeling out part of a vent and fitting the gauge in. There are also pillar mounts, and steering column mounts. Wire that bad boy up and you'll never worry about your turbo again (until there is something to worry about).

Faster - I meant bad idea as in opening the silver box for the ecu itself, not the weather proof box. I'm not sure how to open it myself, but I haven't given it a lot of thought. This guy seems knowledgeable, but I know how easy it is to **** up electronics. ECUs are expensive, and there's no good reason to open that silver box.

 

Theres really no problem with opening it as long as your careful like I said. But he doesn't need to cuz his would have been flashed on anyway.

 

kayakman13 wrote: The best way to see full boost is to head for a hill and take it in a gear too high.

------

So, is this a case for using the tiptronic? Or just leave it in drive, come to the hill and pound it (but not to the floor). (I've always been an automatic driver and except in extreme weather I've always let the transmission shift itself)

Thanks

 

You haven't used tip? Thats my favorite part of my car! (although I can only wish for a 5 speed) but yes, because the trans will kick down if left in D, which would defeat the purpose.