Post by Sabertooth on Apr 16, 2019 8:49:17 GMT -5
Last week my friends and I decided to motor swap my TT. Just a mostly straight swap, 1.8t from an A4 to replace my 1.8T. Same block, same head. Just different internally
I had had to re-tap a lot of the holes on the block as the replacement one didn't use the same brackets, but that was fine. Less fine was that the previous person to work on it used permanent thread lock, so of course we also snapped studs and bolts... We had to weld nuts onto them to get them out
. It was quite a nightmare of a swap really. We also totally re-did the PCV system, secondary air, vacuum system, and modified the motor mounts to be stiffer (drilled holes in the rubber, and filled those and all air space with polyurethane). Everything was setback after setback, constantly a kick in the teeth. We also did a timing job on the motor, and it was the most meticulous and accurate timing job that has ever happened. We aligned it for the timing marks, held tension on the belt, then released the tensioner so you don't get that 1/4-1/2 tooth offset, it was dead on at both timing marks.
Normally we do a motor swap in 1-2 days, but this one took around 50 hours. We finally got it assembled last night
and on the road. We idled it for about 40 minutes prior to driving it, and things were good.
We took it out for a test drive, and it was the best sounding 1.8T we'd heard. It ran amazingly, handled boost well, very smooth; for about 400 meters. At that point, we heard a lot of mechanical clatter in the engine bay, and the motor shut off. Somehow, clutch in, 20mph, coasting, the BRAND NEW timing belt snapped. So now after having done all that work, now I have to do a head swap and find out WHY it snapped, so that I don't risk the new head as well. Overall, this has been the worst car I've worked on.
At least the head swap shouldn't be too hard, except I need VW specific tools to pull the head. It's genuinely easier to pull the head than it is to pull the turbo on this car
I had had to re-tap a lot of the holes on the block as the replacement one didn't use the same brackets, but that was fine. Less fine was that the previous person to work on it used permanent thread lock, so of course we also snapped studs and bolts... We had to weld nuts onto them to get them out
. It was quite a nightmare of a swap really. We also totally re-did the PCV system, secondary air, vacuum system, and modified the motor mounts to be stiffer (drilled holes in the rubber, and filled those and all air space with polyurethane). Everything was setback after setback, constantly a kick in the teeth. We also did a timing job on the motor, and it was the most meticulous and accurate timing job that has ever happened. We aligned it for the timing marks, held tension on the belt, then released the tensioner so you don't get that 1/4-1/2 tooth offset, it was dead on at both timing marks.
Normally we do a motor swap in 1-2 days, but this one took around 50 hours. We finally got it assembled last night
and on the road. We idled it for about 40 minutes prior to driving it, and things were good.
We took it out for a test drive, and it was the best sounding 1.8T we'd heard. It ran amazingly, handled boost well, very smooth; for about 400 meters. At that point, we heard a lot of mechanical clatter in the engine bay, and the motor shut off. Somehow, clutch in, 20mph, coasting, the BRAND NEW timing belt snapped. So now after having done all that work, now I have to do a head swap and find out WHY it snapped, so that I don't risk the new head as well. Overall, this has been the worst car I've worked on.
At least the head swap shouldn't be too hard, except I need VW specific tools to pull the head. It's genuinely easier to pull the head than it is to pull the turbo on this car
