1.8T coil conversion - Cover or no cover?

[Stefen]

We've completed the 1.8T coil coversion on the AAN buggy engine. She definitely is happier now.

I was reading a few posts on this and heat seems to be an issue for the coils. In light of this, is it best then to leave the coils uncovered?

The issues with this are:
Dirt etc. dropping down
Not so neat
Exposed to rain

[UrS4boy]

NO COVER. Heat kills the 1.8t style coil packs. Run the factory belly pan to keep the issues with dirt and water down.

You could have used the red 4.2L V8 coil packs to add bling to your conversion.

[aronmatic2]

i covered mine with carbon. never had any problem.

[newsh]

NO COVER. Heat kills the 1.8t style coil packs. Run the factory belly pan to keep the issues with dirt and water down.

Its an off road buggy lol, I don't think the factory belly pan would fit, and the engine is open to the elements..

[UrS4boy]

Its an off road buggy lol, I don't think the factory belly pan would fit, and the engine is open to the elements..

Oops. Missed the "buggy"

In that case, run with the 20V turbo cover (but carry a few spare, trimmed, 1.8t coil packs because the heat WILL KILL THEM).

[Stefen]

We were thinking about machining a different cover for the engine, so the best solution may be to have the cover raised slightly and also have a few slots for ventilation too.

Is it also true that the 2.5 and 4.2 coils are more tolerant to heat and stronger (able to take more boost) as well?
I can't see us needing to go past 400PS so I'm thinking these coils will be okay.

[S2central.net]

Unless you & Alistair encounter some serious increase to your suicidal tendencies... staying below 400 would be very wise - LOL.

But yes - the B7 RS4 and 2.5TFSI coils are allegedly more robust... and yes I agree that you should concoct some sort of cover to keep out the worst of the dirt... maybe machine some slots into the OE cover ?

Just be sure to have an airline ready to purge out all grit & grim when swapping spark plugs - you dont want any of that crap falling into the engine.

Finally - PLEASE dont go whacking up the boost on that chipset by mechanical means... It is setup for no more than 1.5bar max... send me a PM if you want to play with some more oomf on that thing... needs a bigger MAP inside the ECU and bigger injectors if you are confident the turbo has the potential for more than ~300bhp.

The buggy needs a wideband O2 (AFR) gauge fitted before any tweaks are made beyond a generic setup that is known to be safe.

[Foeglass]

Check out this picture it's from www.AUDIS2.de mabey you could machine it like this? Like Stefen mensioned.
It will still let in dirt though..

I've done the same to my spare cover for when i'm going to fit my coils someday.
makes it look more OEM.

[S2central.net]

mmm yeah - some sort of mesh behind those slots could keep chunky particles out, but small sand/grit etc will not be stopped easily

[aronmatic2]

it was mine, long time ago:

[Stefen]

A few good ideas there. In answer to my original question, the solution seems to be to partially cover the coils. Some sort of cover for look's sake, with a few slots to stop heat building up.
As Paul says - a good blast with the airline before pulling the plugs would clean the wells and solve that problem.

More power - the turbo has been changed from a T3/T4 to a T3/T70 with new guts too. It is supposed to be approximately like a GT30. The compressor scroll is quite large, as is the inlet. 400PS should be well within its limits.
I suppose a wideband O2 gauge, injectors, MAP sensor and a remap would be good. We are looking at wider wheels at the moment to try and make the most of the existing power.

[S2central.net]

@Stefen...

I have a suitable MAP here for inside the ECU and I can recommend the right injectors to get it running with headroom for 400bhp country. If you sort out a decent AFR gauge then I can customise the ECU to suit what the turbo can do. I will let you and Alistair go shopping for re-inforced underpants as well.

I also suggest an EGT gauge would be a good addition to the beast. Have you looked at likes of Zeitronix logging, SLC-DIY and other similar equipment ?