New ride: '02 MK4 GTI

[leighaus]

n75 is easy as to install. i didnt notice any power as i believe my car is in some kind of limp mode. ill report back once i have the car running right.

ohsnap! : do you know which ebay sellers sell a decenty vagcom cable for a good price. i bought a bluetooth obd2 adaptor, but it was junk. would rather not waste my time on something thats borderline broken again.

thanks guys

[Andy]

I've just bought one of these. Turned up today. Will let you now how it goes.

NEW Tacho VAG 3.01 Opel Immo Airbag Scanner Reader Fast | eBay

Seems others who needed to make a new key have done so as well with success

[leighaus]

ordered the same cable as andy so i can hopefully have my power back soon.

also my tuner dome LEDs finally arrived from america. Damn they are bright. They would want to be, bloody expensive for LEDs. At least they dont throw error codes i guess. Really hard to get a pic of how they actually look. Ill try again tonight with my better camera.

Due for a bath too.

[hart]

snap! another '02 Mk4 / leigh here too

[leighaus]

Even though i had bought lowered springs, and have only put the rears in, i was already unhappy with the height. So i have a set of FK street coilovers coming from the UK as of now.

[sheehan69]

lovin it......

[leighaus]

had no internet for over a week. what a pain in the proverbial.

heres the extendable CF antenna i ordered from ECS.

its pretty cool and gives slightly better reception than the sharam stubby i had before. I think ill still buy an FM booster though.

heres a pretty average shot of the tunerdome LEDs i installed, its like impossible to show how much they brighten the car, so i made it black and white just to be artistic.

I guess youll just have to trust me that they are worth 100$.

My forge wastegate actuator with higher spring rating arrived also.

i got under the car to see if i could do this without taking the turbo off, theres one bolt that looks impossible to get to without dropping it. Unless someone can tell me otherwise, this project will have to wait a bit.

And friday night i chucked the rear FK coilovers in. Wanted to get the fronts in as well, but the girlfriend chewed up my weekend. All good.
Going to re-adjust them today though, sitting too high currently. Pics of the car once the fronts are done.

[Manaz]

n75 is easy as to install. i didnt notice any power as i believe my car is in some kind of limp mode. ill report back once i have the car running right.

ohsnap! : do you know which ebay sellers sell a decenty vagcom cable for a good price. i bought a bluetooth obd2 adaptor, but it was junk. would rather not waste my time on something thats borderline broken again.

thanks guys

Just get a real VAG-COM cable and be done with it, seriously.

[noone]

It was stock when you bought it? Is it driving differently to when you bought it? It seemed you were happy with it at the end of Oct, then in Nov you thought it wasn't driving properly? Is this just as the boost gauge isn't giving you the numbers you want?

Could be as simple as a split vac pipe, but the mk4's seem to have issues with specific vac and recirc pipes degrading, and they are around a decade old now. If you are expecting to hit 5-7PSI, you need to be using 3rd gear or higher.

a basic scan with any OBD-II cable and some basic knowledge of VAGCOM will point you in the right direction, what you do with that information to resolve the issue comes down to how much time you spend searching...

[leighaus]

It drives well, just doesn't have a lot of power. I think the boost gauge just confirmed my suspicions. Will do a scan and get a leak test done soon. The gauge hits 5 psi and goes no higher, irregardless of gear or load. Which makes me think its in limp mode rather than a leak as vacuum is strong and boost doesn't waiver, it just hits 5 and stops.


Car was dead stock, have since replaced dv, n75, s/s cat back, cranked wastegate

[noone]

Might not be limp mode, sounds like its ready for a tune... I don't know the Mk4 GTI, but same engine in my car. I believe 5-7 PSI for stock is normal. Having changed the diverter, swapped the N75 and cranked the wastegate may not have affected the boost levels much / at all.

I don't know your experience with VAG's, but the 1.8t ECU needs a flash or to be swapped to get the most out of it.

[leighaus]

you may be right, i was under the impression 7-8 psi was stock for the mk4 gti. That information, coupled with having installed an N75J and cranking the wastegate made me think i shouldnt be maxing out at 5psi.

Im not well versed in the VAG scene, i have come from a 5L v8 and an sr20det silvia prior to the GTI. Maybe i was just expecting a little more from the GTI. A smoke test and scan is the only way to know.

If i find out the car is all clear then i will book in a viezu tune, ive already spoken to the local workshop who will do it.

i guess the last possibility is the k03 is on its last legs. However the car has never been modded and was a family car previously. :\

[noone]

A simple clearing of the codes, releasing the adaptation of the ECU (disconnecting the battery for 10 min and discharging) may give it a little more kick. It could be a little aged, it could need the throttle body re-alligned, it could need new spark plugs and be pulling timing, it could be a lot of things.

A smoke test is probably not a bad idea, I've not done this but if you go for it (is it cheap?) make sure they check it for a higher boost than you have now (assuming thats an option).

The 1.8T is a different beast after a tune. I'd be thinking about the intercooler, an uprated diverter valve (the OEM ones are not really designed for 20psi) and checking the service history is good. New spark plugs dont cost much, you can go a little cooler if you are going to be tuning shortly.

A visual check of the vacum pipes coming off the intake manifold only takes a second, but a good mechanic who knows his way around the Mk4 GTI will pick up on little things that you and I wouldn't know to look for. Some of the 1 way return valves near the block get pretty hot and after 10 years may be leaking / blocked.

I'm not trying to be an expert, but think you should alleviate the basic possible issues before replacing gear and playing with the wastegate .

Once you have any issues sorted and the tune on, you'll be a happy with the performance. For a while...

[bullsta]

Leigh I have the same car (same year and colour too).VERY SLOW STOCK.I drove it stock for around a year then Revo,d.
Night and Day mate.No other mods whatsoever and so far everything sweet.It seems to me a lot of people change all their bits out before seeing how the stock parts (DV etc) go.As yet my car runs perfectly and the tune only cost about $800.Better on fuel too.

[leighaus]

thanks for the reply bullsta/noone.

Car is running pretty good at the moment for what it is i guess. still believe the boost should be up a little, but eh.

Put new spark plugs in, was definately due for some, got champion premiums. Pretty damn expensive plugs i must add.

Did a scan using VCDS Lite last week also. pulled up a few fault codes.

[quote]18010 -P1602 -Power Supply (B+) Terminal 30 Low Voltage
00515 -Camshaft Position Sensor (Hall Effect Sensor)
01262 -Wastage Bypass Regulator Valve -N75[/quote

first one may be due to disconnecting the battery. I also had a loose Neg terminal on the battery, so might have also thrown a fault. The other possibility is my ignition barrel is screwing up. Research showed that was a major cause for that error, and my cigarette lighter is not working now. Even though there is power both sides of the fuse. Ive even taken the cig lighter out and tested the wires to be dead, so i know its not just the unit.

Also ordered a genuine bosch camshaft sensor from the states which should be here just before xmas.

In relation to the n75 fault, it may be due to disconnecting the n75 when i changed it to a n75J, or maybe the J will just always throw faults.

So I need to reset the fault codes and see what reappears now.



---------- Post added 07-12-2011 at 11:06 PM ---------- Previous post was 04-12-2011 at 09:56 PM ----------

bought some new rims... wont be on for a little while though.

---------- Post added 09-12-2011 at 06:41 PM ---------- Previous post was 07-12-2011 at 11:06 PM ----------

also had my FORGE induction pipe arrive yesterday. so will fit that soon too.

---------- Post added 12-12-2011 at 08:16 PM ---------- Previous post was 09-12-2011 at 06:41 PM ----------


was reading "turbo problems with no error codes" and it was said

Its a pressure actuator , requires pressure to open wastegate . If you crimp the hose [from the n75 to wastegate nipple] you should be able to overboost the turbo

i tried this and the boost freely went up just over 10psi.

with only getting 5psi without that hose crimped. Im going to assume that i dont have a boost leak, and my issue is the wastegate / turbo?

i understand the turbo wasnt actually boosting to over 10psi.. but are my assumptions right? my boost gauge is tapped in on the hose between the manifold and the fuel rail



---------- Post added 14-12-2011 at 05:20 PM ---------- Previous post was 12-12-2011 at 08:31 PM ----------

camshaft sensor arrived from the states today... will fit that now. probably fit the Forge TIP tomorrow night. (btw i hate how this keeps editing the same post).

---------- Post added at 08:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:20 PM ----------

FUAAAAAK YEA! FINALLY! A ****ty little camshaft sensor being replaced has fixed the GTI. So damn happy right now. pulling around 9psi, dropping back to 8psi instead of hitting 4.5 and then just not making any more power. Such a relief. I honestly was pretty unsure of the results, but im smiling again.