Old to cars news to Audi's, need advice from some of you veterans.
10-02-2009, 10:32 AM
#1
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Oxnard CA
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Old to cars news to Audi's, need advice from some of you veterans.
Fist off my name is Steve. I’m a 30 year old Marine from California. I used to be a Datsun guy, but decided it was time to step into the new age of cars and decided to buy an Audi TT. I did some shopping and found a very nice silver 2001 225 TT 6spd. It had low miles and already had the whole water pump, timing belt job done at 75k and had just over 77 on the car at the time I bought it.
The question Id like to ask to you hardcore Audi guys is what’s stock and what’s not? When I bought the car I didn’t know too much about it and since then have learned a lot through internet research and that has led me to believe this car has quite a few mods. So I’m going to list the things I think are modded and maybe you guys can confirm or deny my suspicion.
Starting first is the exhaust, it has the name miltek on the tail pipes, did 2001 TT's come with this type of exhaust? Second is the shifter, its an extremely short throw, did TT's come with short throw shifters? Under the hood there are a bunch of blue SAMCO intercooler hoses leading to a sparco front mount intercooler, I know this is an add on but is it a quality one? It also had a very loud BOV that is not recalculated, is this bad? Another thing I notice that I found to be strange is the boost. It has a boost gauge in one of the vents on the dash and under heavy throttle I notice that the boost will get all the way to around 22 pounds....seems a bit extreme for stock. What add on could cause this much boost to be produced by the stock turbo...assuming it is the stock turbo? I also notice that around 23 pounds of boost the injectors start to lean out, does anyone else have this problem? The car also sits very low to the ground and has slotted and vented rotors with red Audi breaks, are theses factory or mods?
I think I may have bought someone’s project car, though I’m disappointed the dealer wasn’t clear with me about the modified nature of this car, it seems to run fine and make a lot of power. If I could get some answers as to what’s stock and what’s not Id be able to start making it a project car of my own, but honestly I don’t know where to start because I don’t know what’s already been upgraded. Hopefully you guys can help!
Thanks Steve
The question Id like to ask to you hardcore Audi guys is what’s stock and what’s not? When I bought the car I didn’t know too much about it and since then have learned a lot through internet research and that has led me to believe this car has quite a few mods. So I’m going to list the things I think are modded and maybe you guys can confirm or deny my suspicion.
Starting first is the exhaust, it has the name miltek on the tail pipes, did 2001 TT's come with this type of exhaust? Second is the shifter, its an extremely short throw, did TT's come with short throw shifters? Under the hood there are a bunch of blue SAMCO intercooler hoses leading to a sparco front mount intercooler, I know this is an add on but is it a quality one? It also had a very loud BOV that is not recalculated, is this bad? Another thing I notice that I found to be strange is the boost. It has a boost gauge in one of the vents on the dash and under heavy throttle I notice that the boost will get all the way to around 22 pounds....seems a bit extreme for stock. What add on could cause this much boost to be produced by the stock turbo...assuming it is the stock turbo? I also notice that around 23 pounds of boost the injectors start to lean out, does anyone else have this problem? The car also sits very low to the ground and has slotted and vented rotors with red Audi breaks, are theses factory or mods?
I think I may have bought someone’s project car, though I’m disappointed the dealer wasn’t clear with me about the modified nature of this car, it seems to run fine and make a lot of power. If I could get some answers as to what’s stock and what’s not Id be able to start making it a project car of my own, but honestly I don’t know where to start because I don’t know what’s already been upgraded. Hopefully you guys can help!
Thanks Steve
10-02-2009, 12:28 PM
#3
Welcome to the fold. This forum lost a lot of members in April, so it's pretty dead around here. You did buy someone's project car, though it doesn't seem to be heavily modified. Some answers:
- 22lbs of peak boost means that the car is likely "chipped." Be happy about this, I suggest. These are durable engines and 22lbs over 100K miles hasn't proven to reduce reliability.
- Be thrilled that the t-belt service was done. The system is prone to failure well before recommended service interval (110K miles) so it's good to have the new water pump, belt, and tensioner roller on. A failure on this interference engine means a pricey repair.
- Milltek is an aftermarket system, and it does improve the power delivery.
- Red brakes with slotted rotors are not stock.
- Front-mount intercooler is not stock
- Samco hoses are the good stuff (and are aftermarket).
- Audi 1.8T engines do not use a blow-off valve, but a recirculation valve (or "diverter valve," in the parlance). If it *is,* in fact, a BOV, you may wish to replace this with a DV (aftermarket or stock, though the stock is prone to tears).
- The car sounds lowered. I'd check to see if the lowering is just springs, or springs + dampers (or coilovers). If the former, you may wish to get some aftermarket dampers (you may have an infinitely better ride quality hiding in crappy dampers).
Note that the 225hp 1.8T motor is a pretty reliable, robust unit. It uses a diesel block (high compression) and stronger internals than the rest of the 1.8T line, so it's plenty strong and there are many high-mileage cars with power mods that are still reliable. Common faults/wear items with this TT are a few:
- bad instrument clusters, with the first symptoms being a fuel gauge that won't read properly (the immobilizer is in the cluster, so a dead cluster means the car won't move).
- boost and vacuum leaks, esp. on high-mileage modified cars (not a big deal)
- premature timing belt wear and catastrophic failure
- front strut bearing failure
- oil sludge, though it's less common on 225hp 1.8Ts, and minimal if you run high RPMs often (which you, of course, should do anyway)
- failing MAF sensors
- failing crank position sensors, engine speed sensors
Of all the problems, the cluster and the timing belt issues are the most common and significant. Otherwise, problems are scattered. I have 55K on my '02 and it has been relatively trouble-free.
- 22lbs of peak boost means that the car is likely "chipped." Be happy about this, I suggest. These are durable engines and 22lbs over 100K miles hasn't proven to reduce reliability.
- Be thrilled that the t-belt service was done. The system is prone to failure well before recommended service interval (110K miles) so it's good to have the new water pump, belt, and tensioner roller on. A failure on this interference engine means a pricey repair.
- Milltek is an aftermarket system, and it does improve the power delivery.
- Red brakes with slotted rotors are not stock.
- Front-mount intercooler is not stock
- Samco hoses are the good stuff (and are aftermarket).
- Audi 1.8T engines do not use a blow-off valve, but a recirculation valve (or "diverter valve," in the parlance). If it *is,* in fact, a BOV, you may wish to replace this with a DV (aftermarket or stock, though the stock is prone to tears).
- The car sounds lowered. I'd check to see if the lowering is just springs, or springs + dampers (or coilovers). If the former, you may wish to get some aftermarket dampers (you may have an infinitely better ride quality hiding in crappy dampers).
Note that the 225hp 1.8T motor is a pretty reliable, robust unit. It uses a diesel block (high compression) and stronger internals than the rest of the 1.8T line, so it's plenty strong and there are many high-mileage cars with power mods that are still reliable. Common faults/wear items with this TT are a few:
- bad instrument clusters, with the first symptoms being a fuel gauge that won't read properly (the immobilizer is in the cluster, so a dead cluster means the car won't move).
- boost and vacuum leaks, esp. on high-mileage modified cars (not a big deal)
- premature timing belt wear and catastrophic failure
- front strut bearing failure
- oil sludge, though it's less common on 225hp 1.8Ts, and minimal if you run high RPMs often (which you, of course, should do anyway)
- failing MAF sensors
- failing crank position sensors, engine speed sensors
Of all the problems, the cluster and the timing belt issues are the most common and significant. Otherwise, problems are scattered. I have 55K on my '02 and it has been relatively trouble-free.
10-02-2009, 12:51 PM
#5
The format change from Kawf software to vBulletin software really, really irritated the veterans. Most of those veterans left for another forum, so a lot of the technical depth is gone.
Trending Topics
10-02-2009, 01:51 PM
#9
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Oxnard CA
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the information. I really am greatful that you guys answered me so quickly. So I guess I got kinda more then I planned with this TT. Cool I guess.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
audijim113
Audi 100 / A6 (C4 Platform)
18
11-20-2002 06:29 AM