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Tony's Black GTI

Tony48

Go Kart Champion

gdub09

Ready to race!
Nice build! Get rid of the lug nuts though. The paint strips pretty quick unless you put rag on em or something. I had the same kit on my MK5 and loved it but the paint started chipping off within a month. I ended up just get open ended ball seat lug nuts. My only concern was trying to find a set of locking nuts. As for the studs, I cleaned out the holes and coated em in red loctite. Never had an issue of any of em coming loose.
 

Tony48

Go Kart Champion
Nice build! Get rid of the lug nuts though. The paint strips pretty quick unless you put rag on em or something. I had the same kit on my MK5 and loved it but the paint started chipping off within a month. I ended up just get open ended ball seat lug nuts. My only concern was trying to find a set of locking nuts. As for the studs, I cleaned out the holes and coated em in red loctite. Never had an issue of any of em coming loose.

Thanks for the info. I already picked up a set of black, open-ended lugs as backup. Since I already have the MH extended lugs I might as well run 'em until they're ugly. The idea behind purchasing the extended lugs was to help protect the otherwise exposed stud from corrosion and road grime. I guess that may not be a problem since I see plenty of guys running fully exposed studs.
 

gdub09

Ready to race!
Thanks for the info. I already picked up a set of black, open-ended lugs as backup. Since I already have the MH extended lugs I might as well run 'em until they're ugly. The idea behind purchasing the extended lugs was to help protect the otherwise exposed stud from corrosion and road grime. I guess that may not be a problem since I see plenty of guys running fully exposed studs.

I'd coat em in a some sort of metal corrosion protector. Mine had surface rust after a few months. I cleaned em after a while and they seemed to stay clean. Idk if it was just my set or their product in general. But it wouldn't hurt to put a protector on em just in case.
 

gdub09

Ready to race!
Lookin good!!
 

Tony48

Go Kart Champion
I've started piecing together my DIY RSR clutch. I've ordered all fasteners, metal TOB, clutch disc, and a gently used DMFW. I'll order the TTRS pressure plate and oil soon. The plan is to get this thing on the car sometime this winter once I have access to a lift. I also plan on replacing the whole timing system this winter. Bye bye $$$$ :iono:
IMG_20170510_211409 by Tony G, on Flickr
 

Tony48

Go Kart Champion
Replaced my K&N intake with an IE intake. There really wasn't any reason except that I wanted a new look under the hood and someone local had it for sale. K&N intake is For Sale Here if anyone is interested.
IMG_20171029_141121 by Tony G, on Flickr
IMG_20171029_141128 by Tony G, on Flickr

Also pulled out my soundaktor & control unit from under the windshield cowl. I had previously unplugged the control unit but was recently getting some rattle and noise from under the dash near the soundaktor. I decided to remove the wipers & windshield cowl to fully remove it and tape/ziptie up the electrical connections. We'll see if it gets rid of my rattle.

IMG_20171029_115942 by Tony G, on Flickr
IMG_20171029_141920 by Tony G, on Flickr
 

Tony48

Go Kart Champion
ECS Ultimate Timing Chain kit has been purchased along with a new lower timing cover. This will get tackled over the winter.



 

Tony48

Go Kart Champion
Big maintenance update. I completed the timing system replacement.
New chains/guides/tensioners for the camshaft timing system and the balancer shaft timing system. Wasn't too bad since I did my research, had all of the correct tools, and followed the service manual. Took me about a day and a half taking my time and taking lots of breaks. Also upgraded my diverter valve to a Rev. D since the old one (Rev. C) was whistling under boost. The chains/guides/tensioners were actually in great shape but I'll rest easier knowing the old-style tensioner has been replaced. When I had everything back together I had a weird misfire issue that took me a long time to diagnose but I believe it was a stuck N205 valve or camshaft adjuster magnet, or some other issue in the camshaft timing system. Either way, it went away after I disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled the cam bridge, N205 valve, and camshaft adjustment magnet.

Here's some info that I think will help people in the future doing this job:

  1. You will need a short m12 triple square bit to get 2 of 3 bolts out of the the engine support mount bracket (connects engine mount to the block). I bought a cheap set of triple square bits and cut them down then used a 1/2" wrench on the end.
  2. I bought the Schwaben timing service tool kit for the job. It was pricey but goes on sale for 25% off pretty often. Well worth it for the correct tools.
  3. The timing system will not all line up when you line up the crank pulley notch with the 4 o'clock mark on the lower timing cover. Apparently it can take up to 160 rotations of the crank pulley to get everything lined up perfectly (all camshaft and balancer shaft marks). Instead, I turned the system a dozen or so times by hand (spark plugs out) until I had the balancer shaft system lined up and the camshaft system off by a single link so I could verify I had not skipped a tooth.
  4. My new, OEM balance shaft chain had extra marked links. I counted the links between marks to verify which marks to use and ignored the others.
  5. Check your cam bridge for screen blowout. Mine was fully intact so I left it as-is. If it's blown out then check the immediate area to see if there are any debris you can fish out. EDIT 12/26/18: 1 year and 26k miles after writing this timing chain post my cam bridge screen blew out. Check post #166 of my build thread for more info and pictures. Due to this I recommend everyone remove the screen if possible. It pulls off easily using a small pair or needle nose pliers. The cam bridge can be removed without removing the motor mount.
  6. Taking off the turbo outlet elbow and N75 valve was a huge pain because of the limited access and vacuum lines in the way. It has to be done for access to the lower timing cover.
  7. To remove/reinstall one of the lower timing cover bolts you must get behind the accessory belt tensioner. Instead of removing the entire accessory belt tensioner assembly I removed the pulley only and held the spring loaded arm up when necessary.
  8. If you plan on replacing the balancer shaft tensioner you need a standard depth 27mm socket. A deep socket wouldn't have fit.
  9. When reinstalling the cam bridge it may not go on easily. Take a large flat head or pry bar and gently pry the cams apart every so slightly while wiggling the cam bridge onto the cams. I used a soft-face mallet to gently tap the cam bridge into place.
References that helped me:


EDIT: In an effort to keep this post relevant I'll try to add resources and information as it becomes available.
Here's the Flickr album with all of my pictures and below are a few embedded pictures for your enjoyment (click for full size).














 
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BudgetPhoenix

Autocross Champion
Did you notice any wear or stretch on the balance shaft chain and guides? Wondering if its worth it to do it and just do the timing chain. Also I think im having a hard time understanding what you meant when the timing marks dont line up at first. Once you set crank pulley at TDC shouldn't it be good?
 

k03tfsi

Ready to race!
great work.

I did the same work 2 years ago... and changed all valve springs with the firm springs of 2.0tfsi.
if there is any interest, I have some pictures of the work that I can post here.
 

Tony48

Go Kart Champion
Did you notice any wear or stretch on the balance shaft chain and guides? Wondering if its worth it to do it and just do the timing chain. Also I think im having a hard time understanding what you meant when the timing marks dont line up at first. Once you set crank pulley at TDC shouldn't it be good?

I didn't notice anything wrong with the balance shaft chain or guides but there's not really any way to check for stretch without measuring (which I did not do). I'll measure if you can find a spec. You should be fine skipping replacement. I did it while I was there because I figured "why not."

The timing marks I'm speaking of are the tick marks on the cams and crank that line up with the colored links on the timing chain. When you put the crank pulley at TDC it doesn't necessarily line up the timing marks.They only all line up (camshaft system & balance shaft system) every 160ish rotations of the engine or some crazy number. I read that it's because the camshaft chain takes twenty some rotations to line up while the balance shaft takes 7 rotations. So the only time the camshaft system and balance shaft system both line up is twenty something times 7, ie 160ish rotations.

Instead of rotating the crank around that many times I rotated it around a few times until it was close to being lined up. The balance shaft system marks were aligned and the camshaft system was a single link off. I figured the marks didn't need to line up as long as the crank/cams didn't move and I maintained the correct number of links between marks. I put the new chain back on in the same configuration (single link offset). If you look closely at my picture of the cams below you will see that the colored links of the chain are a single link ahead of the timing marks on the cams.

The service manual doesn't mention this so I was quite confused when I took the timing/cam covers off and the marks weren't lined up. It took some googling to figure out what was going on.

 
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