The usual BAM engine fauts/problems.

[Rich.T]

Morning all.

As i sead in another thread, ive just bought myself an 04 plate cupra r thats had a few mods done to it. A remap, red silicone hoses and a forge dump valve. Want to replace the hoses with black or original hoses and loose the dump valve (bit old for all that now lol).
At the moment im a mechanic with decent facilities at hand but looking at a career change later this year.
The car runs fine and am more than happy with it but whilst im in the position im in at the moment id like to try and future proof it as much as possible before i have to pay someone else to do it.

Anything i could do with replacing now on the car?

Belt and pump done a couple of weeks before I bought it.

Found a couple of oil leaks i need to sort but other than that, all seems well (touch wood).

All input welcome.

Cheers Rich

 

[Gokiwi64]

Wouldnt bother with oem - stupid expensive and add no value to the car, silicon far superior (if good brand name used). If you cant stand the red then yes replace with black.

The hockey puck and crankcase breathers, dip stick tube could all be a bit suspect by now as could the rear calipers , door seals and pollen filter can all let water into the cabin.

Suspension/bushes probably need a look over too.

 

[Rich.T]

Wouldnt bother with oem - stupid expensive and add no value to the car, silicon far superior (if good brand name used). If you cant stand the red then yes replace with black.

The hockey puck and crankcase breathers, dip stick tube could all be a bit suspect by now as could the rear calipers , door seals and pollen filter can all let water into the cabin.

Suspension/bushes probably need a look over too.

Thanks for the info.

Will address the crank breather and dipstick tube.
Whats the hockey stick?

Was more thinking things like cam, injector failures etc...? You know, the things that can be problems that put the car off the road and could result in uneconomical repairs.
I assume they are popular engines as you can get decent power from them.
Mine is at about 250hp and wont be aiming for more.
Suspension feels firm and tight but will have it on the ramp again in a few weeks to sort the leaks.
I did notice when i was under it yesterday that the oil feed pipe to the turbo is very thin. Does that ever cause problems?
The car had an oil change recently is clean. But receipt is from euros. Ive got genuine oil n filter from TPS.
The car is on 108k now.

Rich

 

[mty12345]

Hockey puck is part of the PCV system as well, it's called hockey puck due to the fact it looks like one.
1.8T is a pretty bulletproof engine on the whole, as long as the waterpump and cambelt are replaced at the right interval, then they rarely give any major problems. Plenty out there that have done 200,000 miles without any issues.
The OEM diverter valve is about £35 from a VAG dealer/TPS and is good for 300bhp+
No prolems with the oil feed to the turbo that i've ever heard of.
As Goki said the main issues are water leaks which are easily sorted using this guide here.... http://dubsteve68.blogspot.com/2011/05/seat-leon-leaking-door-seals-repair.html

 

[Rich.T]

Thanks for the info. Good to know that they're good for high mileage. Im tied to the car for a few years "£££" so nice to know its got a chance of lasting

 

[Alexis27]

Worth changing the N75 valve for a new OEM one so that's good for another decade.
These engines have recirculation valves not dump valves. OEM is a rubber diaphragm inside a plastic case whereas the Forge is a metal piston inside a metal casing. You can swap it for an OEM one, but there is no performance or real noise difference between the two options.
http://dubsteve68.blogspot.com/2011/05/seat-leon-essential-modifications.html?m=1

How are the door seals? Are the plastic sills dry when you open the doors?

 

[Rich.T]

Cheers,

Yeh, door seals were replaced recently apparently and its been bone dry through the rainy season we've been having.

I'll stick a N75 valve on my shopping list.
Thanks again.

 

[BigJase88]

Would certainly drop the sump and change the oil pickup pipe, known issue with clogging on the 1.8t if it has had a sketchy past service wise. Will kill the top end

 

[Rich.T]

Good call. Ive got a few goodies for the car. One of them being some TPS silicone sealer for my sump. Seems to be weeping a little so will be sorting that in a couple of weeks. Will order a new pick up pipe.

 

[Gokiwi64]

Only other thing I can think of that you may want to check is the exhaust manifold for cracks - not common but has been known to happen, also turbo exhaust housing between wastegate and and impeller can crack there to.

 

[Rich.T]

I'll take a look at that thanks.
Good to know that they are a good engine.
Ive been running PDs for the last 10+ years and thought id go back to petrol.
And its good to know that this engine isnt a bad thing.

Cheers guys.

 

[Gokiwi64]

A well looked after BAM/AUQ wont let you down , they are fitted to so many VAG variants over quite a large period of time that most of the niggles are sorted and there's a huge wealth of knowledge out there about them.

From my perspective
I like to let the engine warm up for a good few minutes before driving and never let the engine drop below 1500 or go over 3000 rpm before up to operating temperature.
Regular oil changes - do mine every 4k miles
Always let it cool down for a few minutes before switching off
Don't be afraid to thrash it once in a while - helps keep the sludge away

 

[Rich.T]

Ive been sitting for a couple of minutes after startup before moving off and keeping it below 2k but to be honest i work 3 miles from home and its 30 mph limit all the way. And sit for 2 minutes idling after every drive
But looking at changing jobs this year thatll probably be further away.

Im off on a course next week up country so will be going easy on it till i get back. But itll be sat on the M1 there and back so that should blow the cob webs out.

 

[Jay20VT]

Morning all.

As i sead in another thread, ive just bought myself an 04 plate cupra r thats had a few mods done to it. A remap, red silicone hoses and a forge dump valve. Want to replace the hoses with black or original hoses and loose the dump valve (bit old for all that now lol).
At the moment im a mechanic with decent facilities at hand but looking at a career change later this year.
The car runs fine and am more than happy with it but whilst im in the position im in at the moment id like to try and future proof it as much as possible before i have to pay someone else to do it.

Anything i could do with replacing now on the car?

Belt and pump done a couple of weeks before I bought it.

Found a couple of oil leaks i need to sort but other than that, all seems well (touch wood).

All input welcome.

Cheers Rich

Hi Rich

I just bought an 05 LCR and mine drives perfect bar a couple of oil leaks. Where were your oild leaks?

Cheers

 

[Rich.T]

Morning. Had one leak in the end.
Oil cooler. When i removed the oil filter, the brass threaded tube that the filter screwed onto was loose. Causing a leak between the cooler and its mounting. Gently (its brass) tightened it and its been fine since. Also replaced the dipstick tube and O rings as they leak as standard after a few years.

Rich

 

[Alexis27]

Also make sure you clean / change the oil pickup pipe every 60k miles.

Presumably mine was never done and it starved the turbo at 80k (luckily not the engine itself!)

 

[Nam-uk]

Also make sure you clean / change the oil pickup pipe every 60k miles.

Presumably mine was never done and it starved the turbo at 80k (luckily not the engine itself!)

sounds a bit harsh but putting a good engine flush just before oil change wont that clean the oil pickup? yea you are lucky in a way still gut wrenching, didn't thing the pickup would get that clogged overtime if oil changes were done regular

 

[Alexis27]

sounds a bit harsh but putting a good engine flush just before oil change wont that clean the oil pickup? yea you are lucky in a way still gut wrenching, didn't thing the pickup would get that clogged overtime if oil changes were done regular

The usual advice on these is to avoid using engine flush because it just moves particles and makes a clog more likely.

I think it's more down to temperature management - turning off the engine straight after ragging it, or booting it when cold.

 

[Nam-uk]

The usual advice on these is to avoid using engine flush because it just moves particles and makes a clog more likely.

I think it's more down to temperature management - turning off the engine straight after ragging it, or booting it when cold.

Yea only use that as last resort, that’s worse for the turbo totally opposite too what you should do.

 

[mty12345]

sounds a bit harsh but putting a good engine flush just before oil change wont that clean the oil pickup? yea you are lucky in a way still gut wrenching, didn't thing the pickup would get that clogged overtime if oil changes were done regular

Most of the pickup blockages either come from bits of plastic from broken dipstick guides, or from people using too much sealant/RTV when doing rocker and sump gaskets. If you've owned the car for years and have done regular oil changes and avoided both of the above, then i wouldn't say you need to clean the pick-up at all.