[Boulderhead]

This is a build thread / work in progress

This thread took a different direction and I ended up going with a hybrid setup instead of a BT

Table of Contents

• Cluster Teardown
• Waste gate spring mod
• ECU, Cluster, and RFID (key) swap
• Short shifter install
• Billet injector cups install
• Front mount intercooler
• Catch Can install
• ECS Ultimate dogbone mount
• Install Rear springs shocks and lateral links
• Removing front suspension
• Manual boost controller install (n75 delete)
• MTX-L Wideband O2 and Gauge Install
• Haldex Service
• Waterfest 2013 Drag Times
• Powerflex Strut Bushings & Adjustable sway links
• 034 Motorsports big port manifold install
• Mishimoto Radiator Upgrade
• TyrolSport brake stiffners
• Baseline Dyno run on APR tune
• GTS Hybrid turbo swap
• Wideband conversion
• 42 DD turbo back install / Defcons / front & rear sway bar upgrade

Hi All, I came into ownership of an 01 TT225 Roadster black on black with 92K mi.

The top end had been rebuilt around 72K as the previous owner broke the timing belt. Water pump and normal goodies were replaced as well. A new ragtop was installed a year go as the OEM back window fell out.

The 2 hour ride home after buying the car was a bast! The following morning I was off to have the APR stage 1 software tune. I also did new plugs and Forge DV to replace OEM. That day I took a 150 mile road trip and threw my first of several P1128 codes. Over the next week (every 100 miles or so I would get a CEL)... Which made sense.. More boost is going to push the already weakened vac system beyond the limits

I have since ordered silicon to replace all stock vacuum lines and will smoke check when everything is back together. Also have an in-vent boost gauge on the way to keep an eye on what is going on under the hood easier.

The car had the broken glove box (which was easily fixed for free with a screw I had laying around)... and the pixelated LCD syndrome. I have removed and disassembled the cluster to replace all guage motors and the LCD panel with brand new components I sourced on the web. I should have that back together by the end of the week and will post the results when done.

Updates so far include:
Stage 1 APR
Forge DV
42 DD intake

While this info above doesn't pertain to the long term goals I have for this car.. It helps set the stage for where it started The car is really fun to drive and gets great MPG on highway.. But sometimes "fun" just isn't enough

Over the next year or two the plan is to upgrade the cooling system, suspension, brakes, fuel delivery, differential controller, built motor, big head, big intake manifold, exhaust and then turbo... Pretty much in that order.

The details will get filled in along the way and documented for all to see, but my goal is to top 400 WHP and still maintain an OEM look.

I appreciate all visitors and advivce any experienced vets have for someone on my journey. Stay tuned and thanks for dropping by.
-Tony

 

[panakamana]

Got same car, same year, same color combo... but mine is big turbo already...

I wish you luck on this journey you will suffer sometimes but in the end it will be worth it.

 

[Boulderhead]

Some quick photos

Cluster teardown:

LCD Panel:

 

[Boulderhead]

Thanks mate

Got same car, same year, same color combo... but mine is big turbo already...

I wish you luck on this journey you will suffer sometimes but in the end it will be worth it.

Thanks bro.. I am looking forward to it.

I enjoy spending time working on cars as I don't do it for a living so a bit of frustration down the road is just part of the experience. With so many folks willing to share what they have done now a days, it makes life much easier

 

[jbrehm]

Despite your very misleading and disappointing thread title, I welcome you to the 'Tex.

Care to share the details on the cluster parts/rebuilding? I'm fairly certain that 100% of TTs will eventually have partial to full cluster failure.

 

[Boulderhead]

Thread title / cluster

Hey bro.. Sorry for the disappointment.. Any idea how to edit the title so I can say "work in progress" we all gotta start somewhere right??

In regards to the cluster pulling it out is quite easy. I have purchased new motors for speedo, fuel, eng temp, engine speed.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Audi-TT-Ins...Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a1d7cf14a&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Audi-TT-Ins...Parts_Accessories&hash=item27c901c424&vxp=mtr

I also ordered the replacement LCD panel which is pixelated on most vehicles.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LCD-Display...Parts_Accessories&hash=item58946b1171&vxp=mtr


I will take a soldering iron and heat up the old connection to remove th bad LCD and clean everything up. Then it's some flux and a quick zap of the solder gun and the new LCD is in. Plug the new guage motors back in place to cluster subframe, add the face and needles, and close the outer shell back up

Will take plenty of pics and post any issues I run into.

 

[jbrehm]

Click on the Edit button in the top right of your first post, then Go advanced.

I didn't think it would be as simple as searching eBay; I figured you actually had to search electronic suppliers for a suitable replacement. Good to hear it's easy to fix - I'm sure plenty of us will be buying those

 

[Boulderhead]

Motors shipped

It let me edit the title of the first post but not the actual thread itself... Oh well.

I wasnt expecting it to be that easy either. Just got an email the motors have shipped! LCD panel should be in this week too, would be nice to have it back together this weekend. Supposed to be in the 70s which is a bit rare this time of year in the northeast eace:

 

[Doooglasss]

A note on the cluster rebuild-- I actually tried to do this with unsuccessful results. I bought a new gas gauge motor, installed it and had the exact same issue I did before- it would inaccurately read when the tank was empty.

Apparently it's the firmware flash that goes bad on the circuits- not the motors. A lot of these rebuild companies just re-flash the software and everything works great.

For $160 I sent my cluster out to module master to have everything fixed except the LCD screen. If you can do the solder work on the LCD screen you might not want to advertise publicly on Vortex (only due to forum rules) but I bet a lot of people will get in touch with you for affordable screen repairs!

 

[Boulderhead]

Cluster Feedback

Hi Doug, thanks for the feedback and for stopping by. History will most likely repeat itself.. so I will start searching around the web in regards to the software flash to see how it's done I am always up for a good challenge!

I'm certainly not trying to break any rules, and want to tread lightly.. so let me start by saying I am documenting this for the good of the community in hopes that others can benefit from my mistakes :banghead:

Soldering will be the easy part... not breaking those plastic connectors on the cluster subframe and gauge motors is a different story all together :screwy: Still waiting for shipping confirmation of the LCD panel.

Cheers
-Tony

 

[Doooglasss]

Welcome by the way Tony :thumbup:

Yeah I broke the plastic subframe clips during my second attempt at repair and that's about when I gave up.

The software that re-builders use is- VagTacho. There are others I have written down somewhere too. I was talking with Gavin @ Module Masters and he was very helpful with my rebuild and re-program which became a drawn out process.

Your end goal sounds like my car now. Big turbo, big power, looks pretty much stock on the outside. My advice is do a lot of reading and don't cut corners, oh and a perfect tune makes a world of difference between blowing up a motor and having a reliable running car.

 

[Boulderhead]

Feelin the vibes!

My advice is do a lot of reading and don't cut corners, oh and a perfect tune makes a world of difference between blowing up a motor and having a reliable running car.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Thanks Doug, I plan to take my time and use the wisdom of others to avoid catastrophic failures. A lot of great information on these boards, and while my post count is low, I can promise you my "read" count is in the thousands!!

This is a pleasure car, and not a DD, so the pressure isn't as great to move faster than I need to :beer: I don't know it all, I'm not a mechanic by trade, I owned a 2.8 A4 for about 4 years and did lots of work on that, but a complete rookie when it comes to the 1.8T setup.

So far I like what I see in terms of the options for building a BT setup, and working on the car has been enjoyable.. Thanks for the support!

 

[carsluTT]

nice work on the cluster, ill be doing the lcd in both my cars soon.

 

[cgeromi]

Welcome Boulderhead to the wonderful world of German engineering ownership. Some times you'll want to cry and other times you will rejoice! :laugh:

Just remember, you gotta pay to play my friend.

 

[Boulderhead]

Thanks / Quick Update

Thanks Cgeromi & carsluTT for the positive vibes.

I just ordered my Ross-Tech cable last night and should have it by the end of the week, along with all the other components I need for the cluster rebuild. Im an Apple guy so last night I installed Win 7 along with Parallels and the VCDS software package.

Just for kicks, I bought an $15 OBD2-USB cable online to compare the usability / functionality between that and the official Ross-Tech cable.

Supposed to be a rainy and chilly weekend here in the northeast, which sounds like a perfect time for some indoor electrical work Might be able to get my new crank breather hose installed as well if the rain lets up and FedEx makes it here on time... If all falls into place I might even get a chance to take her for a spin Sunday before the games start

 

[Boulderhead]

Cluster back together

Hi guys.. need a bit of help understanding what I did here. I spent an hour this evening putting the cluster back together. I am hoping this is something folks have seen before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcKtEo8INKk

Basically when I connect power to the cluster and I get everything to light up and then things start going crazy! It almost feels like a power issue (inconsistent, or shorting)

When I first connect power to the cluster I see everything light up including the full LCD panel eace: but no data in the displays it seems as I have either toasted the circut board or some security stuff I am missing.

I can't crank the car over as I have some engine components removed.. Do I need to get a new cluster???

Thanks guys

 

[Boulderhead]

Circuit Board

So I tore everything back down to the circuit board (getting pretty good at it.. didn't break anything). I never took an electronics course, but I think I see the problem (dealing with the solder job I did). Looks like two lines leading back into the LCD panel got crossed up.

The pic below shows a chip that gets really hot in a short period of time when I hook the power up to the cluster. Also the two capacitors above get very warm as well. Shouldn't it atleast show a diagnostic OK or something like that if the board is still in good shape and I give it power? Currently it just lights up and then looks like it starts tripping out...:screwy:

Time to get another cluster and try again?

 

[FatAce]

seems like an immobilizer issue.

 

[Boulderhead]

??

seems like an immobilizer issue.

Can you elaborate? What makes you think it is immobilizer rather than a crappy solder job on my part? I dont know much about immobilizer, so I just want to see what brought you to that conclusion..

I should have tested the cluster stripped down to see what the old LCD did when plugged in like that.

Live and Learn.. Happy Friday Everyone :beer::beer::beer::beer:

 

[jbrehm]

SMT soldering is not easy. Desolder all the SM stuff, and try again. Hopefully the none of the ICs are fried.