Uncategorized
New Parts Summary page
by Matt on May.06, 2013, under Uncategorized
I’ve added a Parts Summary page to the site outlining the parts that I have currently installed on the car . I have started with a brain dump of what is on the car now and I will try to add more to it later.
Check it out: Parts Summary
Back together and running (again)
by Matt on May.06, 2013, under Mods, Photos, Uncategorized, Videos
Started it up Thursday night and immediately realized I’d forgotten to tighten the passenger side manifold. Then, after that was tightened down it would no longer start.
It refused to start again on Friday.
However, on Saturday it started first crank but I had 3 problems:
1. CEL for p1340 camshaft (g40) and crankshaft position sensor (g28) with incorrect correlation code.
This was caused by my passenger side intake cam being off 1 tooth. I suspected this cam was off because when I assembled the heads I was careful to get the cams timed correctly but once I installed the head in the car I thought the cam was off 1 tooth so I moved the cam back a tooth. This was unnecessary and caused my CEL. I moved the cam forward a tooth, bringing it back to its original correct position and that resolved the issue.
I later realized that when the cam chain tensioner is compressed the cams alignment marks may not align correctly with the arrows on the caps. You are supposed to be able to count 15 chain pins between timing marks but this is sometimes difficult.
2. Low oil pressure switch light would illuminate when revving past 2,000 RPMs
This was simply a broken wire in the harness behind the driver side head. My poor harness is getting pretty beat up from age and the several engine removals. I’ve had a few other harnesses laying around from other cars and they each had their own problems. I may build my own harness in the future to fix some of these problems and make the engine bay a little cleaner.
3. The 034 fuel pressure regulator housing was leaking from the small vacuum fitting plugs.
These plugs don’t have any o-rings or anything but wrapping some teflon tape on the threads sealed up the leaks.
VMaxx coilover review
by Matt on Sep.06, 2010, under Uncategorized
I installed the VMaxx coilovers in May and ran them for about 7,000 miles through the summer. I spent a lot of time researching which coilovers would be the best for me and I couldn’t make a determination. I decided to purchase a set of VMaxx coilovers because they were the lowest price coilover.
They definitely go low, this picture was taken when I first set the height. There was more than 1″ of thread left to lower the car.
They road pretty poorly. At normal speeds they were fine but were too soft while turning. The worst problem was the shock dampening was too soft so the car would float at high speeds and if you hit a dump the car would be come unstable.
Two weeks ago I picked up a set of low mileage Vogtland GTs. They are a huge improvement in performance. The car is now composed while cornering and smooth like glass at high speeds.
First 1/4 track times
by Matt on May.28, 2010, under Uncategorized
I went down to Empire Raceway tonight with my buddy Brendan and his MK3 GTI with a cammed VR6. I spent all night messing around with different launching techniques, tire pressures, and shift points but I couldn’t get anything solid. My best time was a 12.4 @ 116 mph, with a 1.8 something 60 foot. I kept hitting the 1st gear rev limiter. It was frustrating. I dropped my tire pressure to 25 psi all around right before my last run and it seemed to help me get a decent launch. I’ve ordered a WOTBox and hopefully it will help me get the launches even lower.
First VAST tune revision
by Matt on May.18, 2010, under Uncategorized
I met up with my friend Paul, another VAST customer, and used his flashing cable to load the first revision for my tune. I had sent VAST my logs a few weeks ago and today the changes were made available for me to load. Really wasn’t much of a difference, but the timing and fueling is a little bit smoother.
392whp and 432wtq
by Matt on Apr.16, 2010, under Uncategorized
Went up to Innovative Tuning today. Put down almost 400 wheel, not bad for a base tune with no revisions. I’m very happy with the torque numbers, although that boost spike needs to be sorted and will likely bring the numbers down a little. Time to throw the MBC back on.
Painted wheels, RS4 grill mod
by Matt on Apr.11, 2010, under Uncategorized
This weekend I painted my wheels a lighter shade of silver (Duplicolor ultra silver) and put on the center caps I ordered. So much better.
I then finished a project I started 2 years ago. RS4 style bumper grills. This used to be the cool thing that S4 guys would do. It might be played out now, but I wanted to finish the project. If I decide I like it I’ll cut out and install the RS4 mesh in the center section. If I get sick of it I’ll put the old grills back in.
I also got rid of the faded S4 emblem when I buffed the car a few weeks ago.
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Automotive Masochism
I am a B5 S4 owner that operates under the delusion that a single car can be comfortable, attractive, and fast. Join me as I journal the repairs, maintenance and mods of my S4 in the attempt to realize a possibly unobtainable goal.
