Hello AZ members, I'm new to the forum, and have recently been able to get back into something I've missed for some time: Cursing at cars I love while we work out our problems. I've always really enjoyed working on my vws in the past, so i figured this is a logical next step, but, I didn't want to work on a VR6 again, so 1.8t it is. This car is in rough shape, but a lot of it appears to be exterior (appears.
); I'll post pics following this post and you may decide how accurate my assessment really is. How it began: Finding the A4 1.8tQ (ATW Engine)
I wanted to make a possibly dangerous friend on craigslist, so with cash in hand, I set out to make that a reality. I found someone who seemed to really enjoy taking clubbed dubs and fixing them into half-way drivable, smoke billowing, deathtrap..? Nah, not deathtrap, but it does smoke like a chimney....that has a house on fire attached to it. All joking aside, he was a super cool dude, and he was SUPER straight-forward about what he had done, and what he saw was still messed up. I mean, $1200, I knew I was putting myself in a position to fix things, which is cool, because thats kind of exactly the whole idea, you know, aside from actually driving it.
I do not have to drive that often, so fixing things a few days at a time isn't necessarily a problem, although I try to have most things wrapped up before nightfall, as I don't have a garage, or a driveway...or even a guaranteed space of my street, let alone 4 blocks in any direction. That said, there's been some progress, but lets start with what I had been told was still a problem:- R-TITLE! YAY! It always sounds bad, but it doesn't have frame damage or anything serious; has been confirmed.
- Passenger window motor: Dead
- Slow leak: Front passenger side tire
- Clogged Catalytic Converter
- No exhaust after flexpipe. (Still have it, it just needs to be welded back together.)
- Super luxurious white smoke from the engine bay/exhaust (American Rd, Allentown, PA: "FIRE, FIRE, FIRE" screams a passer-by out their car window. Hadn't had the car long, so I nearly shat myself in this scenario.
) - Plenty of dents, and randomly missing things, like stock wheel center caps. The cup-holder assembly is gone, the ever-popular driver-seat tear, and the infamous screen of dead pixels.
The good things(?):
- It still runs!
- Drives and feels solid
- Rear-Diff fluid changed before I bought it, along with front wheel bearings, and tie-rods.
- No CEL (I assume ritual sacrifice was used to ward it off)
- Found the vehicle history: Was taken care of in its young life: Stealership service visits on time and such; TB and WP changed at 120k.
Since I've bought it I've had some time to look it over, and also do a few minor repairs, but some are still pending. I've found additional problems, such as leaky VCG, and Im assuming that cam half-moon looking seal is also in pretty bad shape, as there is definitely oil leaking, and burning off on the exhaust manifold, or, at least thats what it looks like is happening. This is my primary cause for concern, as I try not to drive the vehicle at all because of this. I plan on doing both the VCG and seal this weekend. I've replaced the cat, as well as the downpipe, which resulted in a CEL for downstream o2; Replaced that the other day, and it appears to be in proper working order now.
Other things I've experience in the short time of ownership:
- Oily spark-plugs..
- Problems start-up (crank, crank, crank, nothing. But, then it will inexplicably just start up no problem. Fuel filter?)
I don't have a boost gauge installed yet, but plan to, because I do not think the boost is very strong, but have no way to back up that assessment. I can hear the turbo spool, but the car feels sluggish at times. Again, I really have not much to go off of for comparison sake, so any nods in some direction are welcome, not just in regards to the boost, but in general. I've been reading here for some time, and this looks to be a very knowledgeable community. I'm a complete noob in contrast to many of you, but I will say I'm mechanically inclined at the very least, and not afraid to get the work done.
Thank you for taking the time to read!!
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Originally Posted by King_
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