Another build/progress thread (sort of) - my S3

[superkarl]

Also got the GFB lightweight crank pulley, unlike the neuspeed this is a non-underdrive pulley so it does not affect the ac or alternator in any way, which also means you can use the oem belt. 1.4 kg lighter than oem and a nice looking finish...
View attachment 70792

View attachment 70793

Is your engine still in one piece?

The standard crank pulley is a damper for the whole rotating assembly. Designed to keep it balanced.
This is what happens when you upset that balance:

 

[HHS3]

Is your engine still in one piece?

The standard crank pulley is a damper for the whole rotating assembly. Designed to keep it balanced.
This is what happens when you upset that balance:

I'm not doubting what you're saying or know the full story with the engine pictured, but why would a company (especially one like GFB) want to sink money into R&D as well as manufacturing costs into a product that wrecks engines? As surely they would've found this out in the early stages, let alone customer complaints after. Granted if fitted incorrectly or a knock off/cheap part is used instead then problems will arise, but why would places like awesomegti and demon tweeks support the GFB product if this is genuinely the case?

I was looking into getting this part next year which is why I'm so intrigued.

Edit: I've been looking into this and the majority of people, whether they're owners of a lightweight crank pulley or mechanics, say that they are a bad idea. This really surprises me, surely company's shouldn't be allowed to sell a product that is commonly perceived to be an engine killer? There are happy owners out there who have had no issues like Nik, but a lot more have blamed this part for their blown engine so I will not be risking it.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention as I have next to none engine knowledge and wrongly assumed that a reputable business wouldn't make such a controversial part and that other businesses would endorse it..

 

[superkarl]

I'm not doubting what you're saying or know the full story with the engine pictured, but why would a company (especially one like GFB) want to sink money into R&D as well as manufacturing costs into a product that wrecks engines? As surely they would've found this out in the early stages, let alone customer complaints after. Granted if fitted incorrectly or a knock off/cheap part is used instead then problems will arise, but why would places like awesomegti and demon tweeks support the GFB product if this is genuinely the case?

I was looking into getting this part next year which is why I'm so intrigued.

Edit: I've been looking into this and the majority of people, whether they're owners of a lightweight crank pulley or mechanics, say that they are a bad idea. This really surprises me, surely company's shouldn't be allowed to sell a product that is commonly perceived to be an engine killer? There are happy owners out there who have had no issues like Nik, but a lot more have blamed this part for their blown engine so I will not be risking it.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention as I have next to none engine knowledge and wrongly assumed that a reputable business wouldn't make such a controversial part and that other businesses would endorse it..

Fancy shiny, lightweight products sell, that's why their is a market for it.

Their are aftermarket pulleys available for these engines that retain a damper. Search the fluidamper pulley for a proper aftermarket alternative.

The theory of these things is arguably ok. Decrease mass, improve response and loss of power through kinetic energy. But the fact is the rotating assembly, coupled with dual mass flywheels, is a delicate balancing operation. So the reality is you're upsetting it.

 

[HHS3]

Fancy shiny, lightweight products sell, that's why their is a market for it.

Their are aftermarket pulleys available for these engines that retain a damper. Search the fluidamper pulley for a proper aftermarket alternative.

The theory of these things is arguably ok. Decrease mass, improve response and loss of power through kinetic energy. But the fact is the rotating assembly, coupled with dual mass flywheels, is a delicate balancing operation. So the reality is you're upsetting it.

Very true, I just never realised it was done with parts where the general consensus is negative.

I've been reading through threads and articles about crank pulley's and torsional vibration/harmonics etc. which is all beyond me. I do remember seeing Fluidampr mentioned but thought it was just another term to do with the harmonics/damping haha so cheers for recommending it.

I found this for £290 (http://www.uspmotorsports.com/Engine/Pulleys/Fluidampr-Engine-Damper-2.0T-FSI.html) which I was going to pass on and just stay with a stock pulley but then saw that it reduces chatter on SMFs. I'm getting a Spec 2+ Clutch & Steel SMF fitted next year of which the chatter at idle is the only thing I'm not looking forward to. I'm now tempted to get this as it shouldn't upset the balancing due to being dampened properly (I'm probably saying this wrong), is there anything I should still be weary of?

 

[superkarl]

I don't know of the SMF conversion you're doing and tbh SMF conversions allllways get mixed results. 'mine chatters' 'mine is silent' etc.

The fluidamper is more suited to people who are changing internals, change any or all of the crank, rods, pistons as well as flywheels. As changing any of these changes the harmonics possibly beyond the limits of the stock damper.

Regardless of all that, it certainly wouldnt be a bad mod

 

[Audiabc7]

Is your engine still in one piece?

The standard crank pulley is a damper for the whole rotating assembly. Designed to keep it balanced.
This is what happens when you upset that balance:

Looks nasty! That is a 1.8T right? I've heard reports of this happening with those engines as they don't have any balance shafts. From what I understand it should be safe to fit a lightweight pulley as the 2.0 tfsi is internally balanced? I've seen these pulleys from a number of fairly reputable companys like CTS and Neuspeed... If the balancing would be such a delicate thing then a lightweight SMF would upset the crank balance as well?

Any more info on this? Cause if there's even the slightest chance of crank failure, or even increased wear then I'll be refitting the oem pulley and this thing goes in the trash straight away! :O

 

[Audiabc7]

Spot on, cheers for the informative post.

I never released Audi did an OEM short shifter for half the price, so thanks for that!

No worries! Just to be clear you already have the OEM short shifter in your S3, only shorter compared to an A3. A popular mod in the US as they never got the 8P S3, but an aftermarket like the Forge is even shorter. I believe the longest setting on the Forge is the same as the S3

 

[HHS3]

No worries! Just to be clear you already have the OEM short shifter in your S3, only shorter compared to an A3. A popular mod in the US as they never got the 8P S3, but an aftermarket like the Forge is even shorter. I believe the longest setting on the Forge is the same as the S3

Thanks for clarifying I didn't realise that, so back to the Forge short shifter it is!

If it turns out that the 2.0 TFSI is at risk with the GFB lightweight pulley, then the Fluidampr engine damper is the best alternative if you still want an improvement over stock http://www.uspmotorsports.com/Engine/Pulleys/Fluidampr-Engine-Damper-2.0T-FSI.html

 

[superkarl]

Looks nasty! That is a 1.8T right? I've heard reports of this happening with those engines as they don't have any balance shafts. From what I understand it should be safe to fit a lightweight pulley as the 2.0 tfsi is internally balanced? I've seen these pulleys from a number of fairly reputable companys like CTS and Neuspeed... If the balancing would be such a delicate thing then a lightweight SMF would upset the crank balance as well?

Any more info on this? Cause if there's even the slightest chance of crank failure, or even increased wear then I'll be refitting the oem pulley and this thing goes in the trash straight away! :O

you are right yes the TFSI engines do have balance shafts. But given the stock pulley is a damper, its not something id personally want to **** around with.
Granted. the risks are reduced compared to the 06a 1.8T engine

 

[Audiabc7]

OEM pulley is going back on then, not a big deal as the crank assembly will still end up being lighter with the SMF.

The fluidampr looks interesting, have seen a few of those on rebuilt engines. Might be getting one sometime in the future considering the SMF removes one more damping element. But damn they're expensive! Interesting how they claim better engine response and power even though it's heavier than the oem pulley...

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[superkarl]

I can't believe the similar price between the two to be honest. Fluidamper is a no brainer with it being not much more

 

[Audiabc7]

Been really lazy with the updates here (as usual ), all work is finally done, at least for now...

So with the ic and all surrounding parts off I had lots of room to fiddle with the intake manifold and carbon clean. Manifold came off quite easily, hardest part was an electrical connector with a broken release clip, took a few hours of cursing before I managed to pry the clip from behind with a dental scaper.

Carbon buildup on cylinder 1, was expecting more after 130k km but still worth cleaning for sure.

buildup on the dividers

after first round with dry scraping

Soaked with carb cleaner, let it sit for about 20 minutes, then scraped with various picks and plastic brushes, used the same dental scraper around the valve seats and guides, repeated this two times on each port

Final result after two rounds with carb cleaner and a final clean with brake cleaner, not perfect by any means but still a massive difference! Took around 2 hours for each port.

Continued with the injectors, they all stayed in place when pulling the manifold but had already purchased new seals and the injector tool kit so decided to remove and clean them while having access

dirty injector with old teflon seal

Cleaned the injectors with brake cleaner and petrol and installed new seals and support rings

all injectors back in place, spent a lot of time cleaning all accessible electrical connectors to avoid future issues, also did a quick engine clean while having access

cleaned the throttle body...

Removed and cleaned runner flaps, cleaned the manifold and all associated parts, then installed new gaskets on both manifold and throttle body

Was then ready to reassemble everything, really surprised everything went so smoothly considering my first time doing a job like this. On to the intercooler, oem vs wagner, this is gonna be a tight fit

Wagner claims 100% perfect fit, this is true to maybe 90 %, had to enlarge the mounting holes a few mm on both the ac condenser and radiator to get a perfect fit, also had to cut down the brackets on the fan shroud to be able to fit the silicone hoses without rubbing. With these simple mods fitment is as good as oem with no rubbing at all, just a lot tighter! The fans clear the ac pipes just by a few mm!

Startup and first test drive indicated no issues, read a lot about people getting fault codes and misfires after a carbon clean (due to small amounts of chemicals or carbon deposits getting in the combustion chambers when cranking the engine). Logged with vcds when starting up and didn't get a single misfire or fault code so guess I can call the job a success Will be interesting to see what performance gains I get from this!

 

[dg-1984]

Been

Been really lazy with the updates here (as usual ), all work is finally done, at least for now...

So with the ic and all surrounding parts off I had lots of room to fiddle with the intake manifold and carbon clean. Manifold came off quite easily, hardest part was an electrical connector with a broken release clip, took a few hours of cursing before I managed to pry the clip from behind with a dental scaper.
View attachment 114345

Carbon buildup on cylinder 1, was expecting more after 130k km but still worth cleaning for sure.
View attachment 114348

buildup on the dividers
View attachment 114349

after first round with dry scraping
View attachment 114353

Soaked with carb cleaner, let it sit for about 20 minutes, then scraped with various picks and plastic brushes, used the same dental scraper around the valve seats and guides, repeated this two times on each port
View attachment 114356

Final result after two rounds with carb cleaner and a final clean with brake cleaner, not perfect by any means but still a massive difference! Took around 2 hours for each port.
View attachment 114358

Continued with the injectors, they all stayed in place when pulling the manifold but had already purchased new seals and the injector tool kit so decided to remove and clean them while having access

dirty injector with old teflon seal
View attachment 114360

Cleaned the injectors with brake cleaner and petrol and installed new seals and support rings
View attachment 114363

all injectors back in place, spent a lot of time cleaning all accessible electrical connectors to avoid future issues, also did a quick engine clean while having access
View attachment 114364

cleaned the throttle body...
View attachment 114365

Removed and cleaned runner flaps, cleaned the manifold and all associated parts, then installed new gaskets on both manifold and throttle body
View attachment 114366


Was then ready to reassemble everything, really surprised everything went so smoothly considering my first time doing a job like this. On to the intercooler, oem vs wagner, this is gonna be a tight fit
View attachment 114369

Wagner claims 100% perfect fit, this is true to maybe 90 %, had to enlarge the mounting holes a few mm on both the ac condenser and radiator to get a perfect fit, also had to cut down the brackets on the fan shroud to be able to fit the silicone hoses without rubbing. With these simple mods fitment is as good as oem with no rubbing at all, just a lot tighter! The fans clear the ac pipes just by a few mm!
View attachment 114370

Startup and first test drive indicated no issues, read a lot about people getting fault codes and misfires after a carbon clean (due to small amounts of chemicals or carbon deposits getting in the combustion chambers when cranking the engine). Logged with vcds when starting up and didn't get a single misfire or fault code so guess I can call the job a success Will be interesting to see what performance gains I get from this!

Been quoted £320 to have this done, well just the de-coking and new seals.
How much was it for all the new seals, just wondering if it's worth doing myself.
How did you get rid of all the carb cleaner? Just cloths, Take it no crap gets past the valves?

 

[HHS3]

Been really lazy with the updates here (as usual ), all work is finally done, at least for now...

So with the ic and all surrounding parts off I had lots of room to fiddle with the intake manifold and carbon clean. Manifold came off quite easily, hardest part was an electrical connector with a broken release clip, took a few hours of cursing before I managed to pry the clip from behind with a dental scaper.
View attachment 114345

Carbon buildup on cylinder 1, was expecting more after 130k km but still worth cleaning for sure.
View attachment 114348

buildup on the dividers
View attachment 114349

after first round with dry scraping
View attachment 114353

Soaked with carb cleaner, let it sit for about 20 minutes, then scraped with various picks and plastic brushes, used the same dental scraper around the valve seats and guides, repeated this two times on each port
View attachment 114356

Final result after two rounds with carb cleaner and a final clean with brake cleaner, not perfect by any means but still a massive difference! Took around 2 hours for each port.
View attachment 114358

Continued with the injectors, they all stayed in place when pulling the manifold but had already purchased new seals and the injector tool kit so decided to remove and clean them while having access

dirty injector with old teflon seal
View attachment 114360

Cleaned the injectors with brake cleaner and petrol and installed new seals and support rings
View attachment 114363

all injectors back in place, spent a lot of time cleaning all accessible electrical connectors to avoid future issues, also did a quick engine clean while having access
View attachment 114364

cleaned the throttle body...
View attachment 114365

Removed and cleaned runner flaps, cleaned the manifold and all associated parts, then installed new gaskets on both manifold and throttle body
View attachment 114366


Was then ready to reassemble everything, really surprised everything went so smoothly considering my first time doing a job like this. On to the intercooler, oem vs wagner, this is gonna be a tight fit
View attachment 114369

Wagner claims 100% perfect fit, this is true to maybe 90 %, had to enlarge the mounting holes a few mm on both the ac condenser and radiator to get a perfect fit, also had to cut down the brackets on the fan shroud to be able to fit the silicone hoses without rubbing. With these simple mods fitment is as good as oem with no rubbing at all, just a lot tighter! The fans clear the ac pipes just by a few mm!
View attachment 114370

Startup and first test drive indicated no issues, read a lot about people getting fault codes and misfires after a carbon clean (due to small amounts of chemicals or carbon deposits getting in the combustion chambers when cranking the engine). Logged with vcds when starting up and didn't get a single misfire or fault code so guess I can call the job a success Will be interesting to see what performance gains I get from this!

Great effort mate, fair play for carrying out the job and successfully too, wish this was something that I could do myself.

 

[Audiabc7]

Been

Been quoted £320 to have this done, well just the de-coking and new seals.
How much was it for all the new seals, just wondering if it's worth doing myself.
How did you get rid of all the carb cleaner? Just cloths, Take it no **** gets past the valves?

£320 including the seals sounds like a really good price, here in Sweden it would be more than double that! All the seals was around £80-90, depends a bit on dealer discounts etc. If doing it yourself you'll also need the injector tool kit which was about £70 (ordered from the UK)

I vacuumed all the loose gunk from the dry scraping, then used various cloths and paper towels to soak up the carb cleaner. Finished off with brake cleaner and compressed air, plus a final vacuum and brush around the valve seats to make sure nothing was stuck there. If your valves seal properly nothing will get past them, just make sure they are fully closed!

 

[DeeGee68]

Thought I'd post a little "build" thread for my S3, since it's been a while since I got the car and have done a few mods so far and planning on doing some more stuff... I'm still pretty new to this forum, seems like a nice place with a lot of great info and stuff

The car is a 2008 model year phantom black with pretty much all the options I wanted (buckets, RNS-E, flat bottom steering wheel etc.)

My build will probably be something like 60% looks and detailing and 40% performance (mostly handling and smaller upgrades, no big turbos for me), my goal is to make the car as fun to drive as possible without sacrificing all of the comfort and going completely nuts Already have a stage 1 remap from the previous owner so I'm more than satisfied with the power, at least for now... This will most likely be somewhat of a long-term project since time and money always limits things a bit

onto some pictures and the stuff I've done so far..

the car when I bought it, looked ok but the paintwork was pretty bad, a lot of swirls and nasty stuff..
View attachment 45087

First thing I did was a full detail and polish, also installed new license plates and plate holders for a cleaner look
View attachment 45088
View attachment 45089
quite happy with the paintwork
View attachment 45090
Been looking at the shift knob from the A1 quattro for like 2 years, decided to get one since it blends in nicely with the rest of the S3 interior, also did the ashtray delete at the same time

out with the ashtray and old knob...
View attachment 45092

...and done
View attachment 45093
View attachment 45094

Another small but essential mod.. interior LEDs from t8ups
View attachment 45096


another mod related to the shifter.. 42 draft designs shifter bushings, the whole shifter mechanism was feeling a bit sloppy so I decided to replace all the shifter parts while at it. Sorted out the "problem" nicely
View attachment 45095

that's it for now, more stuff to come in the future, waiting for the snow to arrive up here in sweden so I can get out and have some quattro fun

I would like to ask if you know the diameter/circumference of the gear stick as I asm looking at doing a custom gear knob but require an adapter to fit the knob to the gear stick?

Kind regards,

David

 

[ShaneBe]

Awesome build up man!!!

Notice much diffence with the Anti roll bars and lift kit?

I need that glass grommet for the rear wiper delete!! do they stock in the uk or deliver to the UK ??