The Project Pad

Lol not trying to criticize, just wondering if there is a solution path in place yet

loxxrider wrote:Lol not trying to criticize, just wondering if there is a solution path in place yet

No I know, believe me this is worlds from where it was a few days ago though!

The solution is in the grounds I'm pretty sure. I don't understand noise completely from an engineering standpoint so I'm still trying to find the cleanest places in my setup to take the VR, divider board, and VR shield grounds to. I initially had them all grounded on the same lug but coming out different harnesses, and moving the divider board to the MS ground plane made a night and day difference. I thought I could run them all out without putting them through the MS ECU ground plane, because my assumption has been that if things are at the same lug and taken out on separate wires it should be good. That has not proven to be the case, and I'm not totally sure if it's a result of the proximity of my coil driver circuit grounds, but they are only a low amp 5v on/off signal. Plus, a typical MS instal would ground them through the ECU's plane which, in my mind, would cause them to introduce as much if not more noise than being brought out separately on but to the same lug.

But now that I'm thinking about it and talking through it, maybe it's because MS needs to see these voltage spikes from things like the coil drivers, as if it doesn't pass through the ECU ground plane the ECU doesn't register it as resistance in it's reference ground circuit so instead it sees it as feedback through it's ground wires from the lug shared with these separate circuits?

One thing I've read about grounds is that you don't want the chassis and engine connected.

HAHA, I love it... "the only 20v guy"!

Any way, did you happen to check the file that Elaw sent me for my base tune? Might be useful to get you started.

Oh... and ME NEXT...ME NEXT!!!

chaloux wrote:One thing I've read about grounds is that you don't want the chassis and engine connected.

But what about the factory engine ground strap? At least my 200 has a heavy gauge ground strap between the driver's rear of the engine and the frame rail.

So you're thinking to put some grounds on the engine and some to chassis and keep the two electrically separate to isolate them from each other?

I have 3 different large ground straps on my engine. One from the block, one from the Alternator, one from the starter, and I think I actually have a 4th elsewhere on the engine. VEMS is grounded to the intake manifold, and the coils are grounded to the head and intake manifold. Not sure how that helps you, but that's that.

pilihp2 wrote:I have 3 different large ground straps on my engine. One from the block, one from the Alternator, one from the starter, and I think I actually have a 4th elsewhere on the engine. VEMS is grounded to the intake manifold, and the coils are grounded to the head and intake manifold. Not sure how that helps you, but that's that.

Interesting...

My main grounds are pretty much the same as yours, all ECU grounds to the same lug on the intake manifold along with the wideband, coil power grounds to engine/trans bolt on the drivers' side, coil signal grounds are to the intake manifold. What I don't have is an alternator or starter ground strap. Maybe I'll add a couple heavy gauge grounds there and see if it helps clear it up.

The problem is the actual ECU pcb board wasn't designed for 1 VR sensor, much two VR's and a Hall effect and 5 PNP pullup circuits, so there's a lot going on and a lot of my issues have been a matter of how to ground all these new circuits without creating any noise.

Yeah. That being said I took a second look today and I have a huge ground going from engine to chassis.... So whatever lol

So just a small status update on this thing. Despite blowing huge clouds of oil at Carlisle and pretty much only having cruise tuning relatively dialed in the old wagon made the trip back from Carlisle, PA to Essex, VT without issue, so overall I'm going to consider the shed-built 20v a success. Even managed almost the exact same fuel mileage as the 5k which has a much more dialed in tune.

Anyway, the amount of oil it was consuming led to doubts about the motor, plus an intermittant problem that was making the car slow most of the time and especially slow some of the time. Tim experienced it, one pull it would feel good coming onto boost and then die off and the next it wouldn't even feel strong coming onto boost. Still not sure what the cause of it was/is, timing was where it should be, physical timing was on too so I'm still unsure what was causing this.

So I got it home and before tearing into it I did a compression test to see where I was at.

1: 65psi
2: ~90-95psi
3: ~90-95psi
4: ~90-95psi
5: ~90-95psi

So something in cylinder #1 is no bueno, I'm guessing the rings just didn't seat right when I had a hard time getting it back started with the new engine, because that's not the cylinder that had visible scoring (that was #3) and there still isn't, plus no sign of detonation and the tune was rich with very conservative timing the whole life of this motor.







I've been working on building another project, something much slower and with fewer drive wheels, but I managed to put together another motor with the MC2 bottom end I had around, but I don't think that is going in. I think I will either re-ring cylinder #1 on the MC1 or put all the goodies onto the 5k, or you may see a large T44/20v partout coming soon



I think it's time to move to a newer chassis. The 5k isn't getting any younger/better and the 200 has been pretty hacked by my learning process so I may be taking this chance to get out of the T44/especially the 20v game. We shall see.

aww, makes me sad to hear that….

But lets be honest, who hasn't had dirty secret thoughts of a 20vT couple quattro…...

You have a good amount of work into that thing, I feel like parting it is just a huge waste of effort. I don't know of anybody with a 20v 200/5k with actual flares on it.

Seriously…. this was my #1 favorite avant, this thing fucking rips.

Well thanks for the kind words guys, I just have found I much prefer dailying a sedan over a wagon/hatch which is what I've always had. Nothing is set in stone, I may still revert to the original plan and part the 5k to make this nice/complete and then pick up "that other one" as a daily.

This car just has so many issues that bother me like crazy I don't know if it's worth the time/effort/money to even try to make it nice enough for me to be happy with.

And yeah, I want a CQ with a 20v like I want a hole my head. I love CQ's, especially when well built and maintained but I would never own one (unless racecar), too many things like windshields and window regulators I just don't need those kinds of 25yr old Audi problems in my life. I will continue to drive the models that people are most commonly parting

Ive got some pistons you can have.....they made over 40psi of boost

AngryTaco wrote:Ive got some pistons you can have.....they made over 40psi of boost

40psi?! Interested where that number came from as your gauge only read to 20lbs, I guess you logged it in VEMS... Oh wait...

40psi into the crank case

vt10vt wrote:

AngryTaco wrote:Ive got some pistons you can have.....they made over 40psi of boost

40psi?! Interested where that number came from as your gauge only read to 20lbs, I guess you logged it in VEMS... Oh wait...

Nobody gives Jared any slack.

chaloux wrote:40psi into the crank case

damn, that was my line!

vt10vt wrote:

AngryTaco wrote:Ive got some pistons you can have.....they made over 40psi of boost

40psi?! Interested where that number came from as your gauge only read to 20lbs, I guess you logged it in VEMS... Oh wait...

Well considering I broke the damn needle and it was behind about 5-7 psi.....and the needle shot past the spot where 25 and 30 psi would be.....YES. LOL

So Funemployment is over leaving me... well, still funemployed. Except now I have a job at a place that pretty closely fits my definition of a "ideal," so instead of being F-unemployed I'm Fun-employed I'm going to keep the details to mahself for the time being because it's a temp/trial position, 99% I'll get an offer to stay in the shop which doesn't pay well enough, but there is a very real potential for me to move into quite literally my DREAM JOB in a month or so... so WOHOO!!

And, with that funding secured (I start Monday), and as soon as I sell my MK4 Jetta wagon flip car I think I'm going to be stepping up to an URS4 There is one local, Porsche front brakes, lowered, chipped, FMIC etc. etc. with some ratty ass Rieger bumpers and a few other hacks that I can get for a damn good price so hopefully I'll be starting another thread for that one assuming it passes my second scrutiny. Seats are untorn, it has carbon trim, most of the interior is there, aftermarket boost gauge etc. etc. so here's hoping it isn't a rust bucket underneath.

I remain undecided on the fate of the Avant. I'm leaning towards parting/scrapping the 5k once I get the URS road ready and then dailying that and keeping the wagon for wagon duties but we will see and having two cars on the road will be dependent on how much I end up making as my ultimate goal is to be living in Burlington, VT in my own place without roommates and that's more important than having two cars to me.

still going to pop that mc on the dyno at volfsgart?

Congrats on the opportunity for your dream job! I think a move to an urs would be the right move.

Second everything Chris said. Nice, Shawn!

my2000apb wrote:still going to pop that mc on the dyno at volfsgart?

We shall see... kinda hinges on what I decide to do with this

loxxrider wrote:Congrats on the opportunity for your dream job! I think a move to an urs would be the right move.

Thanks!! I think it makes sense too, besides bumpers (and I'm okay with 100 bumpers for a daily) there isn't anything too expensive about owning them with the number that are constantly getting parted out. It just makes me sad to scrap another T44, possibly two as they're getting more and more rare, especially the number being daily driven. But I think I'm more concerned with making 20v power than carrying on the T44 torch right now haha

chaloux wrote:Second everything Chris said. Nice, Shawn!

Thanks Matt I couldn't be more excited, can't wait to see how this pans out

Yeah, it's hard to beat a car that's already "swapped" with a 20v from the factory Don't worry about scrapping a T44... as long as is isn't a 200 20v