A little something else to keep me busy.

[Rikki Kitto]

Double nutting to the rescue.

Sounds kinky

[Tractor Dave]

Engine insertion day.
This was meant to be a hour job but ended up taking all day.
First I had to swap some parts over from the original engine. This needed a deep clean.


I also swapped the coolant pipe that runs across the engine as mine was cleaner inside. And then I realised I had forgotten to swap the turbo to exhaust studs.

Here we go.






I'd like to say it went in easily but took lots of wiggling about, gearbox angle adjustments and brute force. Phew!

But got there in the end.


Before I dropped the crane I did up the subframe bolts. Now Audi do a tool to align the frame but after a you tube search I came up with an alternative solution. Two big tractor bolts. Grin.



Now, for some reason my turbo support doesn't seem to fit properly anymore???


I will sleep on that problem.


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[Monkeymagic]

It doesn’t look like it has, but could the turbo brace have been manipulated to suit the aftermarket exhaust manifold?

[Tractor Dave]

No because this came off the original engine, turbo and em. I think maybe the turbo is slightly different. I should be able to put a spacer where the mount meets the engine.

[Tractor Dave]

I worked it out.
I was aiming for the wrong hole!


Getting these engine to gearbox bolts properly torqued is a challenge.


And I needed every spanner in the toolbox to get the downpipe nuts done up.


Next job is to do the cambelt, water pump etc. bloo$y freezing in the barn today.


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[Monkeymagic]

I’ve done a cambelt on a 1.8t today for the first time in years.

[Tractor Dave]

That looks like a transverse engine? Mine is longitudinal which gives loads of space. Especially as I have the whole front stripped. Apparently it's easy to get it one tooth out. Will be my first 1.8t although I remember doing my brothers A4 1.8 20v (non turbo) about 20 years ago.

[Rikki Kitto]

I worked it out.
I was aiming for the wrong hole!


Getting these engine to gearbox bolts properly torqued is a challenge.


And I needed every spanner in the toolbox to get the downpipe nuts done up.


Next job is to do the cambelt, water pump etc. bloo$y freezing in the barn today.


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OOO Err Missis

[K Simmonds]

That looks like a transverse engine? Mine is longitudinal which gives loads of space. Especially as I have the whole front stripped. Apparently it's easy to get it one tooth out. Will be my first 1.8t although I remember doing my brothers A4 1.8 20v (non turbo) about 20 years ago.

It's the same job as on the non turbo car, really quite an easy one as you probably recall... The transverse engine's are easier to get a tooth out as access to the timing marks isn't as good.

[B5NUT]

It's the same job as on the non turbo car, really quite an easy one as you probably recall... The transverse engine's are easier to get a tooth out as access to the timing marks isn't as good.

Or three teeth in the case of the idiot who fitted the belt on my TT!

[K Simmonds]

I'm amazed that ran on three teeth out! There really isn't any excuse for getting such a critical job that badly wrong.

[Tractor Dave]

Timing belt day.

This Allen bolt was rounded out.


Who came up with this water pump idea? It's underneath all that!

The pump is actually external and held down by the alternator and pas pump bracket. What a faff!

So pump got removed and housing was cleaned up with new thermostat.


Now fitting the new belt was interesting to say the least. I was doing the mark the belt and sprocket method to ensure I wasn't a tooth out. When I went to transfer the belt marks from the old to the new Gates belt I found it was slightly longer. By one tooth to be precise. 153 whereas the old was a genuine Audi (gates) belt and was 152 teeth. I did some research on the interweb and found that Audi fitted a revised tension about 10 years ago and that version has a belt with one extra tooth. Great!
Now, all was not lost as I had a QH complete kit with belt, tension and idler with 152 teeth knocking about (as you do). This will do while I rebuild the old engine.
Fitted (less idler).


Just got to put all the other bits back now.


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[K Simmonds]

That exact external pump set up can be traced right back to when VW introduced the 1.6 Scirroco GTS and a year later the 1.6 Golf GTi in the mid 1970's, so nearly 50 years ago, all four cylinder Golf GTi's etc throughout the 1980's and 90's share it...

Back then before power steering and aircon were introduced it wasn't a bad arrangement, then over the years the pump got buried deeper and deeper under more brackets etc ending up with the somewhat over complex result on this variation of 1.8T engines.

The transverse engine 1.8T engine's of this era got a water pump that's internal to the block and cambelt driven, why Audi decided to stick with this block knowing full well it makes maintaining the pump extremely time consuming has always baffled me a little... I figured they must have a load of old casting's to use up and got rid of them them on longitudinal B5 platform car's as Passat's are the same.

Edit.. I've also been caught out by the two different length belt's, though I do actually prefer the version with an extra tooth and revised, manual, tensioner. Never been a fan of those little hydraulic units.

[John.]

....... why Audi decided to stick with this block knowing full well it makes maintaining the pump extremely time consuming has always baffled me a little.

Maybe they realise it's a good old lump?

[K Simmonds]

It's a good old lump alright but changing a water pump with the front end still on takes the best part of a day which is totally insane... I can do one on a transverse 1.8T, which entails also changing the cambelt in under three hours, or on a MK2 Golf GTi without PAS in about half an hour.

Edit.... Though to be fair the pumps are highly reliable.