My MK3 Project / Progress Thread

[VWTUNING]

Migrating some of this from the old forums to keep it going....


Overview:


GOALS: (Items in Italic have been purchsed/completed, items in Grey are being put on hold for now)

Power goal: 200+WHP: redo turbo setup with external wastegate, lower compression, go with a competent C2 motorsports chip, some sort of intercooler (going for AW again), build new downpipe and a dump tube (thanks Warren!)
Cosmetic goals: remove visable rust: replace fender, fix hatch rust and weld in a MK3.5 cabby recess and delete wiper, repaint front end and rear bumper, possibly paint roof black or at least clean up rust above windshield. work on stance: slight fender work to go lower, space rears for more of an even look.
Stopping power: upgrade brakes: rear disk conversion and also upgrading fronts to an 11" setup off of a corrado.
Misc: Pass inspection: install 2.5" high flow cat - Clean up engine bay: degrease, re-paint manifold and all boost tubes black. re-run wiring for misc sensors so its not all over the place. Pull coils drill out stuck set screws.



As she stood last summer:

http://uploader.ws/upload/200508/DSCF0645_Medium.jpg

http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wNDI1ODkxNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg



Past Updates:

3/23/2006
*********

As it stands the turbo setup is pretty much stripped from the car, syracuse crank is decking the exhaust manifold for me, then I'm getting it tapped for an external wastegate. The wastegate is on order and should be here tomorrow. I decided to lower compression via 2 head gaskets and go with the bigger C2 chip. It requires 42# injectors but im gonna rock my 36's with a 4bar FPR to make up for the difference. I also am ordering flanges and a V-band setup for my downpipe. Gonna start working on the fender soon, a few of the guys up at the shop offered to help me complete this. I'm also hoping to get the cabby recess in the next couple weeks so I can the hatch over to adam to weld in the recess.


I'm hoping this thread keeps me motivated, I'll try and do regular updates with some pics :cool:

[VWTUNING]

3/27/2006
*********

Wastegate showed up today, damn its purdy! :P

Pics:

http://uploader.ws/upload/200603/CDocuments_and_SettingspeterMDesktopwastegate_phot ospete2_86.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200603/CDocuments_and_SettingspeterMDesktopwastegate_phot ospete4_86.jpg


3/28/2006
*********

Met up with Brent last night to pick up some parts (wategate flange, gaskets, and MBC)


Also picked up my manifold today, was decked on both sides. I'll be trying to locate a shop to tap the external wastegate flange over the next couple days.


3/30/2006
*********

my friend Todd at the garage offered to drill and tap the mani for me, so thats getting done for free (case of beer) :cool:

Ordered head gasket and coolant today, Warren is giving me his old C2 spacer. Hoping to get that done this weekend. I have ARP head studs which are going in as well.

Next week ordering flanges, vband, silicone connectors, etc.. from ATP

[VWTUNING]

3/30/2006
*********

my friend Todd at the garage offered to drill and tap the mani for me, so thats getting done for free (case of beer)

Ordered head gasket and coolant today, Warren is giving me his old C2 spacer. Hoping to get that done this weekend. I have ARP head studs which are going in as well.

Next week ordering flanges, vband, silicone connectors, etc.. from ATP


4/2/2006
*********

head spacer is in, some pics from the night:

http://uploader.ws/upload/200604/CDocuments_and_SettingsPeteDesktopgarage_331DCG_12 .jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200604/CDocuments_and_SettingsPeteDesktopgarage_331DCG_15 .jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200604/CDocuments_and_SettingsPeteDesktopgarage_331DCG_17 .jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200604/CDocuments_and_SettingsPeteDesktopgarage_331DCG_18 .jpg


4/7/2006
*********

Clear Gti ecodes showed up today! Unfortunately they are both broken... so I'm working with NGP on that one. Also got some FK 15mm spacers with longer lug bolts for the rear (Jim hooked me up!). I'll be rocking them on the jetta temporarily till the MK3 is on the road.


Also placing the ATP order shortly, gotta go shake the money tree first :P


4/13/2006
*********

Rear disk conversion is 90% done, still need to hook up lines and get some pads rotors. Also want to pull the calipers and take off the blue paint :casstet: Planning on going with either black, silver, or red.

[VWTUNING]

4/14/2006
*********

Got the manifold back from Todd, looks killer Also got the damaged fender off tonight (thanks Jackie!) and removed the old busted heatshield on the firewall. I started removing the battery cause it looks like there is a lot of corrosion under the tray. I'm thinking about relocating it to the trunk while im at it, but I have tons of other **** to buy first so for now I'll just clean it up.

Next on the list is getting some parts from ATP (waiting for Mole@20squared to get back to me on some pricing), then I can start re-assembly and start mocking up the downpipe and external wastegate dump tube. Warren has volounteered to help with some welding/fabrication


Oh and the dude with the cabby recess backed out on me and then sold it to some one else, so im on the hunt for another one. MK3 cabby recess, please let me know if ya come across something.


And to the guy who sold it out form under me...

http://uploader.ws/upload/200604/thanks_dick.jpg

4/17/2006
*********

Ordered some ATP crap this weekend, heres a parts list for future reference

GRT-GSK-005 ...T3 Inlet Gasket
MIA-FST-030 ...8mm (1.25pitch) Stud
ATP-FLS-025 ...Steel - 38mm Wastegate Rotation Flange
ATP-FLS-041 ...V-Band and 3" Machined Flange and clamp Set
ATP-FLS-003 ...Steel - 2.5" to 3" Weld Transition (Formed Stainless)
ATP-FLS-035 ...Steel - T3 Discharge External WG - Weld On 3" JS Series
ATP-OIL-022 ...Oil Inlet Restrictor - T Series 1/8" NPT
ATP-SIL-250 ...90 Degree Molded Tight Turn Elbow 2.385" to 2.5"

:thumbup:

still have a shtt load of stuff to buy... doh! :P

[VWTUNING]

4/17/2006
********

WTB for cabby trunklid, spread the word!

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2561275


4/20/2006
********

Found this today:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/contiki123/wes%20and%20me/DSC04238.jpg


and a PCHOP Mike did:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/DC2ingB18C/DSC042385.jpg

Still up the air, but I think I'm gonna do it...



5/03/2006
********

Quick update....

Got a shipment of ATP parts and Ive started re-assembly. I started installing studs into the head for the exhaust manifold but then I got distracted with the Jetta, so im hoping to get out there tonight finish that and get the manifold mounted. Ordered the 4bar FPR yesterday.

Need to start bugging Warren to come out and help me me with the downpipe :P

A few core components remain to be ordered before I can drive it... rear rotors, pads and wheel bearings, and the C2 chip. Body work may initially be put on hold simply becuase money is tight right now, but the fender will be replaced and at least spray bombed white for now. Still searching for a MK3 cabby recess...

Snapped a pic of the ATP shipment...

http://uploader.ws/upload/200605/1_005_Medium.jpg

[VWTUNING]

5/04/2006
********

Just ordered rear disks, pads and a bearing kit from GAP so I can complete the rear disk conversion


5/05/2006
********

Last night Warren and I started mocking things up, I didnt have my camara so I only got this crappy cell phone pic...

http://uploader.ws/upload/200605/050406_2301.jpg


I'll be hitting up hiawatha fastners on lunch getting some hardware and plan to start assembly tonight/this weekend. Also brake stuff should be here today, need to get the calipers stripped so I can finish putting the rear disk setup on.


5/05/2006
********

BOOOOO-uurrrnnsss...

Hiawatha didnt have what i needed, and its pretty vital (10mm countersunk bolt) so I found some at www.boltdepot.com, I just placed an order and hopefully that works out.

Also brakes showed up :cool:

http://uploader.ws/upload/200605/050506_1303.jpg


Luke offered to make some stubby mirrors for me for practically free so I bought a set of DJ last night (from Brents purple Jetta), not sure the time frame on that, prolly wont get them painted/mounted till the other body work gets done.


5/05/2006
********

Well I ordered a couple bolts online that should work, I just hope the pitch (1.5) is right...


5/09/2006
********

I got the 'boltdepot' bolts in, they look pretty good except for the thread pitch, looks too large. Hopefuly we can retap, or better yet hopefully im wrong and this is the right thread pitch :P


Also the 4-bar FPR showed up yesterday :thumbup:


6/05/2006
********

Excellent page with rear disk info:

http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/jettatech/rearbrakes/index.htm




Warren and I are working on the downpipe tonight! Once thats done its home stretch :cool:

[VWTUNING]

6/05/2006
********

ok a quickie on the update....

ecodes came broken, Jim at NGP was unable to get me another pair so they are giving me a refund and im saying screw ecodes for now. I could use the money towards my chip (and/or bills right now, cause its that time of the month! :casstet: :P )

body work is on hold, still havent found a cabbie rear hatch... fender will likely be spray bombed for now to get it on, once the car is up and running and I get some miles on it I will give it to Adam (same guy doing brents cab)

no intercooler for now - 10 psi on lowered compresion with the new chip should be safe, AWIC to follow. Still have the wideband and vag-com to keep an eye on fueling and timing (vagcom lets me watch timing retard aka knock sensor :thumbup: )


So I guess you could say this is going in stages now, stage one is get it done, stage two will be body work, intercooler and morrrrre boost :)


6/06/2006
********

Downpipe is done! well still gotta do the bungs and mount the 5 bolt flange, but all the bends and flex section are done. THANK YOU WARREN! Couldnt of done it with out your help, once again man you helped me out. Hopefully some day I can repay the favor :thumbup:


Im psyched, its the home stretch now :cool:


6/06/2006
********

More updates (minor stuff):

I almost have all the blue paint off those stupid rear calipers! :P The corrado setup going on the front is already black so I'm gonna paint the rears to match.

Fronts should be on soon too, as soon as I can find the caliepr carriers :casstet: Stupid basement and all the damn parts we have = I cant find ****! :P

Once the brakes are on I think im gonna get wheels on, get her on the ground and roll her into the wash bay to start cleaning it up. The engine bay is VERY dirty and so is the rest of the car from sitting. Under the hood is just about caked with exhaust 'stain' from the leaks I had before.

I need to repair the maf wiring since I cut out the piggy back... Tiem to start bugging Rich to lend me his skills (soldering / heat shrink tubing) :D


6/07/2006
********

Bought exhaust bolts on lunch (for the junction between cat and downpipe) - locking stainless steal hardware, I dont want to deal with rusty crap no more! :P

[VWTUNING]

UPDATE! (progress is good :cool: )

All stock brakes are off the car, 11" disks are on the front, paint is off the rear calipers (painting them black soon). Still searching for my corrado caliper carriers.....

Down pipe is complete, minus taps for O2 and EGT but Warren took it home to use his drill press for the holes and to weld the BUNGS

Dumptube is all tacked, it got late so Warren took it as well to finish up. It took a few more curves than expceted but it came out really nice.

Timing belt is back on, timing is set.

MAF harness has been repaired (thanks RichB!)

Nothing remains under the car, I even sweeped. Once the brakes are on I will get wheels on and roll it back to start cleaning the engine bay and give her a quick wash (shes dusty!). Also got the coils back on it tonight.


All in all a VERY productive night, thanks soo much Warren for the fabrication help, definantly wouldnt be this far with out ya. And thanks again RichB for the super sweet soldering skills!


Wanted to post this wideband sensor install info for future reference:

The Wideband Oxygen sensor must be positioned after the turbocharger and before the catalytic converter. Recommended installation
requires welding the O2 sensor bung in the down pipe at least 16” away from the turbo. A stock narrowband O2 sensor location is
usually too hot for the wideband O2 sensor. The oxygen sensor must be positioned vertically (wires pointing upwards between 10 and 2
o’clock) to prevent cracking of the sensor ceramic element and protect sensor against water condensation.

[VWTUNING]

posting this for sidemount ideas:



http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/7484/p10100044mf.jpg
http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/1970/p10100050ut.jpg

[VWTUNING]

Finally some more progress...

Ordered chip on Saturday - hoping for arrival this week.

Fender is primed white, no more black :) Prolly gonna get some of my paint code in an aresol can for temporary. I Was gonna leave it primer but it marks too easy and you cant just rinse it off.

Rear disk conversion is complete, thanks Brian for helpoing me press the races!

All the wheels are on and the car is on the ground! Brent and I pushed it into the wash bay and washed her, shes white again! BIG thanks to Brent for all the manual labor, hes got some surprises too (I'll let him spill the beans - Rabbit looks good!).

Now that shes on the ground we can push her to the lift, hoping Warren can come out some time this week and help me finish the exhaust, just gotta mount the summit high flow cat :)


I forgot what she looked like, sooo goood to see it on the ground again!

[VWTUNING]

20squared tuning notified me last night that they recieved my money order - they are issuing the PO for the chip today, it ships from CT so with any luck I'll have it by the end of the week.

Picked up some LA9B (cool white) paint in 2 spray cans, will be painting the fender tonight. Dont expect it to be perfect, but should be good enough to get me by till Adam can take the car for some body work (after WF).

Putting the car up on the lift tonight to complete the exhaust, just need to get the cat installed and welded up. Once again Warren is coming through with his MAD SKILLS! Not sure if I have the turbo bolts, but if I do exhaust should be complete and on permenantly after tonight.

Still need to find 11" brake pads to use till I can afford new stuff for the fronts...

[VWTUNING]

found another trunk lid....

http://images1.snapfish.com/34746769%3B%7Ffp346%3Enu%3D3247%3E%3A98%3E%3A35%3E WSNRCG%3D323387%3A89867%3Cnu0mrj

http://images1.snapfish.com/34746769%3B%7Ffp33%3A%3Enu%3D3247%3E%3A98%3E%3A35% 3EWSNRCG%3D323387%3A896%3C4%3Bnu0mrj


So maybe the cabby trunklid will happen after all... :)

[VWTUNING]

Warren and I are back at it tonight, Tuesday night we didnt get to do the CAT because Todd took longer than expected on the lift, its all good though these things happen. It gave me time to work on the fender...

I did a dumb thing and used some wax/grease remover on the primered fender, and well it took off some of the primer in chunks. So I did some sanding and more priming on the fender to get it close to smooth with what i had. Got lots of good advice from the TNGTG crew and laid on about 4-5 layers of paint. im worried that it looks a little too yellow... but I guess I'll find out tonight when I pull it out of the booth and hold it up to the car. Hopefully after drying, and some wet sanding tonight it will brighten up. As long as its close I'll be happy :) Car will eventually be going to Adam for body work and profesional paint work, so im not too concerned.

Kyle (Lotar) is coming up Saturday and gonna hook me up with some old brake pads for me to use on the front till I can afford new pads and rotors, thanks Kyle!


As she sits right now...
http://uploader.ws/upload/200606/DSCF1431_Medium.jpg

[VWTUNING]

about to leave and check it out, got a rake job to do and Warren is coming out (if available) to do the CAT.

Heres some pics of the fender from the other night...

http://uploader.ws/upload/200606/DSCF1434_Medium.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200606/DSCF1435_Medium.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200606/DSCF1436_Medium.jpg

[VWTUNING]

Well it turned out to be a lot closer than I thought! I am very very pleased with the results, the fender is brighter than the adjacent panels, but color match looks great. Still needs to be wetsanded, that should happen this weekend :)

Exhaust is 100% complete, from manifold to tailpipe. Warren wrapped the downpipe and dump tube in header wrap while I worked on a brake job, it looks great! Then we mounted the downpipe and modded the cat to fit.

Warren has been a huge help on this whole 'revamp' - thanks man!


Besides all that I mounted the fender and tweaked fitment. Got all the upper bolts on and hood lift re-installed. I got a few pics but still learning the new phone im using, I'll try and get them off and uploaded (forgot the regular camara again :p)

[VWTUNING]

Goal is to get it running this weekend!

leaving now and planning on spending most of the day out there.

[VWTUNING]

tied up lots of loose ends tonight and got the car running, it idles rough but mostly started right up. after 'improving' an oil leak and putting in the larger FPR I got it to idle steady. Let it heat up to temperature so tomorrow I can re--torque everything.

Also need to re-bleed the brakes, fix the oil drip, finish assembly of front end, install lower dash, wash the engine bay, make a turbo inlet pipe, re-paint boost piping, wet sand the fender, clay bar and polish the rest, install wipers, clean up wiring, and im sure a few things that im forgetting.

[lotar_6]

It's look'n great Pete! You're almost done, too! Who's gonna be first, you or Brent?! ;)

Remember your dam camera so we can see the progress, foo! :p

[evolveVW]

so about one more day of hard work... and it'll be done!

[VWTUNING]

fixed the oil leak tonight and let it idle for a while till she reached temp.

going to drive it tomorrow, wish me luck :)

[Nuksucow]

Good to hear, you still need to inlet pipe made?

[VWTUNING]

sure do, let me know when you're free. right now I just have the maf hooked right to the turbo inlet :p


going out there shortly to get some work done.

[VWTUNING]

some pics from today, got a lot done.

http://uploader.ws/upload/200607/DSCF1451_Medium.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200607/DSCF1467_Medium.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200607/DSCF1480_Medium.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200607/DSCF1519_Medium.jpg


-brakes are bled and work now :)
-turbo inlet pipe is fabbed and some other piping changes/ improvements were done. Once again thanks Warren! Next time im out I'll be cleaning up some welds, washing the pipes and painting them.
-fender is all mounted including liner and vacumn res.
-much other misc BS got done, I drove it a couple times and it runs pig ass rich. wastegate screams :) Cant wait till the new chip is here!


Hopefully I have enough money to register the car this week...

[evolveVW]

I thought you had the chip already.....?

[VWTUNING]

Nope, ordered last weekend, waiting on Mole to get back to me with tracking info.

[VWTUNING]

still no chip, and no tracking info :( Mole is on vacation till Monday, and his partner John hasnt been very good about followig up. I'm a little disapointed but there is not much I can do right now, I have patience but we're going on 2 weeks now and its supposed to ship from CT, shouldnt take that long. Guess im just getting nervous since Waterfest is T-minus one week.

TONIGHT:

Got all the welds ground down from the work Warren and I did Monday, Im very happy with how everything came out. Tomorrow night I will clean and prime all the pipes, possibly the inteake mani too but I may just touch that up for now. Eventually I would like to get everything powder coated.

Started cleaning the engine bay, alot of the dirt and grime came off pretty easy, ut unfortunately a lot of it appears to be almost stained. Its gonna take some elbow grease to get it where I want it, but I am happy with the improvement from the quick wash I did.



Also did some work on the Jetta, found a brake line that was rubbing on the axle :eek: so I re-routed that and added a ziptie for good measure. Also pulled the heatshield off the cat (found the mystery rattle!) and took the belt off my power steering line (got rid of the whine). I decided just to leave the belt off till I get a new pump, popeye arms here i come! :p

[evolveVW]

hopefully you dont ruin the rack in the process...

[VWTUNING]

chip showed up today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[turbosnow]

Woot, can;t wait to see hwo she runs....you are gonna be kickin the cabby's ass I think.

[VWTUNING]

Prolly not till I intercool it and turn up the boost. Should be interesting though.



Cant wait to get out there and test run it, guess painting boost tubes will have to wait http://www.clubdub.org/forums/images/smilies/evilgrin.gif

[VWTUNING]

ordered my new plate today:

http://www.uploader.ws/upload/200607/brentsgey.jpg

[USOPHUNKE]

ordered my new plate today:

http://www.uploader.ws/upload/200607/brentsgey.jpg
you need to change that to brnt1sgay please.......:)

[VWTUNING]

Ok, so I didnt really get that plate (obviously) - but I did make it to the DMV (got a generic plate) and got the car registered and a temp inspection, hopefully I will be driving it tonight... :cool:

[Nuksucow]

I need to stop out and see how this thing runs now, what time you gonna be out there Pete?

[VWTUNING]

I should be there by 7 - 7:30

[RichB]

Woot! It runs, it goes and it goes pretty darn fast! ;) :) :cool:

[VWTUNING]

hehehe, that was fun on the way home Rich :cool:


the new chip ROCKS, thanks to everyone who came out for her maiden voyage. shes home now, im very happy, its so nice to drive again :)

Once I find the front end bolts I can put that back together (missing some of the rebar bolts) also plan on pulling the intake piping and painting it black tomorrow. other than that its mostly ready for W-fest, lots of cleaning in order and lots of test driving ;)

[evolveVW]

Was good to see her out Pete. How long was that cop across the street after I left?

[VWTUNING]

not really sure, anoter one rolled up in a truck with a boat trailor to pick up teir boat, guess they were patrolling the water.

No one bugged us when we left, Rich followed me since my license plate lights were out, then we played a little bit on 31 and 57 http://www.clubdub.org/forums/images/smilies/evilgrin.gif

[USOPHUNKE]

Rich followed me since my license plate lights were out, then we played a little bit on 31 and 57 http://www.clubdub.org/forums/images/smilies/evilgrin.gif


how did it pull?????

[BUNNYLOVE]

Awesome! Glad it runs so good, you deserve to enjoy some good performance after the work you put in to this car!

[VWTUNING]

Thanks Ryan, im trying not to get too excited till I get some miles on her.



how did it pull?????



we were pretty damn even, Rich was pulling ever so slighhlty though... it was fun! http://www.fastdubs.org//forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

[RichB]

how did it pull?????

Considering the Golf has no intercooler and Pete tells me his is only running 10 psi of boost at present, I would say it pulled pretty freaking darn good! :) (I'll let Pete fill in the rest of the details! :) ) Woot!


Edit: Oops... Pete beat me to it! :)

[lotar_6]

woot!! Keep on driving! Congrats, man! :cool:

[VWTUNING]

retorqued exhaust/head bolts tonigt, found one on the turbo that was pretty loose and im hoping that was causing a tick (exausst leak) i was hearing... I'll find out tomorrow when shes back together.

painted all the boost tubes, turbo inlet pipe and touched up the intake manifolds. drying overnight, bacck togeter tomorrow :)

also jackie pulled the rear door panel for me so I can replace the wiring harness, but then I realised the harness I had is from a JEtta and wont work (Jettas dont have speakers in the door). So im gonna attempt to repair this one, hoping Rich B. can help with some soldering, but its in a tight spot so im not sure. I do know the dealer ****ed me over on this crap, they repaired it twice under warranty and issues came back. After taking the door panel off I know why... broken wires were twisted together poorly and wrapped in electrical tape. Im hoping this is the cause of my alarm issues, and also eager to get that speaker working again!

[lotar_6]

What casued the wires to frey in the first place? are they rubbing on sheet metal or something? VW is notorious for running wires through unproctected holes in the body and normal vibrations cause wires to fail due to rubbing. One thing I did recently while wiring my headlights was to cut a length of silicone tube and slit it down the length. I then pushed it over the metal inside the hole to add protection for the wiring. Anyway... might be irrelevant, but thought I'd mention it.

[VWTUNING]

i had problems with the window not working, i think it might have been the regulator, and aparently they screwed up the wiring when they were in there. I went back at least once or twice from what I can remember (this was years ago). The last time I remember them telling me they reqired the complete door. Aparently by 'rewire' they meant HACKJOB!


****ing garage de france, im soo glad they are out of business....

[VWTUNING]

just bought these (centercaps) for the Rota's:

http://uploader.ws/upload/200607/centercapslogovwdeluxe.jpg (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140004964262)


hope they look alright...

[VWTUNING]

Rich is coming out tonight to patch the door wiring for me, with solder so im hoping my problems go away :) Thanks Rich!

putting the intake manifold back on and all the boost tubing.

and I should prolly bolt the bumper on now :p

[MerryBerry]

also jackie pulled the rear door panel for me so I can replace the wiring harness, but then I realised the harness I had is from a JEtta and wont work (Jettas dont have speakers in the door).

The earlier ones do. If you get a harness from a 1993-1995, it should work.

[VWTUNING]

looks like I'll need one... the harness is fubar, Rich B did some good work but there are still issues. I think either the connector is ****ed or there are wiring issues further upstream (in the door harness). I got the window up and thats where its gonna stay till I get a new harness.

[VWTUNING]

UPDATE.....

Car was running pretty solid, I put almost 200 miles on it before leaving for waterfest. A couple turbo bolts needed to be retorqued, and the wastegate turn flange came loose on me, but I pulled it off, replaced the gasket, and re-installed the bolts with some thread lock which seems to have curred that problem. I still had a small exhausst leak some where, but everything seemed solid so off to waterfest I went.

Cruising on the way down:
http://uploader.ws/upload/200607/pete_rollin.jpg


Waterfest was fun, car seemed to be running well except for an issue where the AFR was sticking at stoich (~14.7) intermittently, I suspect MAF is going bad, so I just kept an eye on the wideband if I wanted to get on it, no biggie. Picked up a new MAF before leaving the show Sunday, my plan is to give the new MAF a try and if I still have problems I will contact Jeff@C2 about the problem. Leaving the show we were directed down a dirt road, a very bumpy dirt road (im talking mine field'ish!) - and my down pipe broke, in two pieces... The car drove OK but obviously its not a good idea to have that much heat dumped right in the engine bay, so I made a decision to try pulling the hood and limping home. And it worked. After pulling the downpipe it appears I ground down a little too much weld on one side and im guessing a small crack developed (the exhaust leak I couldnt find before leaving) which spread untill it was over stressed and broke. I got a new J-bend in yesterday, and im lucky to have a friend like Warren offer to help me fix it, were gonna go at it tonight, hopefully all goes well.

Unfortunately I think my turbo is about to crap out, there is way more play in the center shaft than when I installed it, I am wondering if running an open downpipe caused higher EGT's which caused damage. Im just gonna put it together for now and keep an eye out for a replacement.

[BUNNYLOVE]

Don't be too concerned with the play. If the blades aren't touching the housings you are good to go. The open DP wouldn't cause higher egts, unless your O2 sensors were affected. Did it break pre or post O2s?

[VWTUNING]

I'll check tonight on the shaft play, my concern is that the shaft moves to the side now, and I know there isnt too much clearancebetween the blades/housing. with the downpipe broken you could hear the turbo a lot more, and i recall hearing a strange tinny/metalic sound. hopefully that was not the blades touching the housing. I'll look for wear marks as well.


the break in the d/p was pre-o2 sensors. but most of the exhaust was still directed down the pipe, I noticed my AFR's were still registering 14.7 most of the time.

[VWTUNING]

Got the downpipe fixed and car is mostly back together sans hood still. But I want to get some miles on it so I brought it home. I dont know if no hood is illegal, but I was at the gas station checking oil and fiddeling with a few things, cop came in and parked in front of me and didnt say anything, so maybe its not illegal????? Or he was just lazy :p

Anyway, ofcourse theres always something... ive been noticing alot of engine movement especially during clutch engagement (f'n 6-puck) - so tonight i took some time and tried to narrow it down, it appears my tranny mount is shot. Tomorrow I'm gonna pull it and investigate, I have Vin's old one so hopefully one way or another I can make something work till I get a poly mount from BFI. Im pretty sure that the engine movement + waterfest abuse + that ****ing mindfield we had to drive down were major factors in the downpipe breaking :mad:

And im pretty sure the turbo is a ticking time bomb, i have lost about a quart of oil since I got the car running 3 weeks ago (~800 miles) and im quite confident out the turbo is where it went.


But its a project so problems are to be expected, just happy to be behind the wheel again. Ofcourse a BIG thanks to Warren (for the 10000'th time) for all his help on this project, and just when he thought he was free I go and break the downpipe :p Thanks alot man!

[evolveVW]

you are no longer allowed to grind welds down pete :p

[boostin20v]

does this mean the rabbit will be out of my driveway soon :confused: ;)

[VWTUNING]

you are no longer allowed to grind welds down pete :p


dont have to tell me! :p



Soon Stu, soon ;) Maybe Friday.... im gonna move it to Vin's house!

[Nuksucow]

I'm glad its fixed, but I am definately feeling last night and no sleep today. I had four monsters this morning at work just to get moving:p .

[VWTUNING]

yeah dude, I hear that. I was useless this morning here at work :p I didnt get to bed till 4!


im gonna swap the tranny mount from the Jetta into the Golf, since the Jetta has a turn2 mount (prolly tonight).

Also just notice a head is missing.... from one of the turbo bolts... boy I wish we had noticed that last night :p hope I can get it out with out pulling the turbo.


oh and I got codes cleared today so I can get inpsected. I had one misfire code and one O2 low reading code. The misfire I knew about and the O2 code is likely due to the downpipe not being connected on the drive home from waterfest :p