Hambone's 2016 MS GTI SE-PP

Sneaky, sneaky misfires.

So I just got done doing a 30 minute test drive after installing new spark plugs in my GTI. Before I go any further, here are the details on what was replaced and the running conditions of the vehicle:

Spark Plugs: 06K 905 601 M (1 Step Colder than OEM), all gapped to .24
Fuel: Shell Premium Nitro+ 93 Octane
Oil: LiquiMoly 5W-40
Mileage: ~34,000

My coils came out easily and I noticed that they were actually lubed with a small amount of dielectric grease on the boot and spark plug ceramic from the factory. I also ran my engine for a few minutes to get it warm, which I read would ease removal. Spark plugs came out effortlessly; here are the pictures:

https://imgur.com/eON5hRC

I was expecting worse since my idle was noticeably rough, but the spark plugs don't look in too bad of shape (they are rowed left to right, cylinders 1 through 4). I checked the gap on my new plugs, put a tiny bit of dielectric grease on the ceramic and at the lip of the coil boot, and reinstall. I fire up OBD11 and run live data. Starting the car the first time produced no misfires, and I could immediately tell a huge improvement in the smoothness of the idle. I stopped the car, let it sit for a moment, restarted again and got a misfire on Cylinder 1, though I let it idle for nearly 10 minutes to warm the engine up and got no further misfires; idle is still very smooth and steady. I went ahead and drove the car for about 30 minutes, monitoring the data from the vehicle.

I wish I had saved the log, but I did 4 pulls using highway onramps in 30 minutes, intermixed with city driving. Pulls consisted of taking the corner onto the ramp in first holding 4K RPMS, accelerating and shifting at 5.5k RPMS into 2nd, and shifting at 5.5K each gear up to 6th. Not once did the engine misfire during any of these pulls, or at WOT while on the highway. The engine and car felt great and my butt dyno was telling me all things were good.

It is during deceleration on the offramp, as well as downshifting regardless of where I was, that I was getting misfires, if any at all. Total misfires detected after 30 minutes:

Cylinder 1: 4
Cylinder 2: 5
Cylinder 3: 0
Cylinder 4: 2

Further research on the forums and via google reveals that this engine's constant attempt to trim and balance fuels, especially at idle/low speed, occasionally causes soft misfires and that it is normal for the engine. At no time did CEL come up. I checked out the following thread to reaffirm what I researched:

http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19453&page=2

So it seems that under certain circumstances the occasional misfire (which is really not a misfire in the harshest sense, but more so an incomplete/poor burn of the mixture due to the engine design). I rescanned via OBD11 to check for codes, and the P0300 codes I had before, and had wiped before the test drive, did not come back. We'll see what longer-term monitoring produces.

I always feel late to the party on what tends to be more common issues or quirks about this platform. I've been using that blessed search feature and reading up on as many spark plug and misfire threads as I can to get better perspective. Its frustrating to know there are many possibilities when it comes to the culprit of my issue: coil packs, spark plug gaps, fuel injectors/carbon build-up, and even fuel pumps. I'm not going to shotgun parts at the car, though, and instead plan to continue to monitor over the coming weeks. After changing the plugs and clearing the codes, the car has yet to store P0300 or any of it's four friends. No CEL or EPC lights either. The idle feels much better, too. I may have to accept this as part of the car's SOP, and that OBD11's raw information to the unlearned can be more worrisome than helpful.

On the bright side, I'm loving my ECS spacer kit. I took the car out for some runs down some backroads near my area, and stopped and snapped this picture with my phone. We're having great weather here. Wish this is what Florida was like all year 'round! I have noticed some very minor vibrations and the steering is slightly pulling to the right, though that is moreso due to my all-weathers needing to be replaced (and the car is due for an alignment soon, which will happen when I get my Firestone 500's on this Friday).

I can't wait to get summer tires on this car.

https://imgur.com/a/HGetN

Hambone said:

I always feel late to the party on what tends to be more common issues or quirks about this platform. I've been using that blessed search feature and reading up on as many spark plug and misfire threads as I can to get better perspective. Its frustrating to know there are many possibilities when it comes to the culprit of my issue: coil packs, spark plug gaps, fuel injectors/carbon build-up, and even fuel pumps. I'm not going to shotgun parts at the car, though, and instead plan to continue to monitor over the coming weeks. After changing the plugs and clearing the codes, the car has yet to store P0300 or any of it's four friends. No CEL or EPC lights either. The idle feels much better, too. I may have to accept this as part of the car's SOP, and that OBD11's raw information to the unlearned can be more worrisome than helpful.

On the bright side, I'm loving my ECS spacer kit. I took the car out for some runs down some backroads near my area, and stopped and snapped this picture with my phone. We're having great weather here. Wish this is what Florida was like all year 'round! I have noticed some very minor vibrations and the steering is slightly pulling to the right, though that is moreso due to my all-weathers needing to be replaced (and the car is due for an alignment soon, which will happen when I get my Firestone 500's on this Friday).

I can't wait to get summer tires on this car.

https://imgur.com/a/HGetN

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Beautiful pic!

Thanks for spark plug update; mines at 20k miles stock and I don't have any misfire issues yet. But I may go stage I this year and would certainly change the plugs if I tune.

lokerola said:

Beautiful pic!

Thanks for spark plug update; mines at 20k miles stock and I don't have any misfire issues yet. But I may go stage I this year and would certainly change the plugs if I tune.

Click to expand...

Yeah it was a spur-of-the-moment decision on a nice parkway near my area. Right as I took the picture I said to myself "damn, that looks nice!"

My gut is telling me the spark plugs were only one part of the solution. It very well could be carbon buildup on the valves and/or injectors.

So I went ahead and got some Brisk Silver spark plugs at the suggestion of SugarMouth, as well as RS3 Coilpacks to try and isolate my misfire issue. After triple-checking all connections and torque values, I turned the engine over. Sweet, sweet purring. What a world of difference in sound! I was blown away by how smooth the idle was compared to before; even my muffler delete sounds way different at idle. Acceleration is smooth and strong. Absolutely no hesitation.

While I only took a short 15 minute test drive, that entire time I only had one 'misfire' show up via live data on OBD11, and that was for cylinder 2 (I only knew it was there because OBD11 said so, I didn't feel a thing). All other cylinders are in the clear, and while my OCD side tweaks a bit that there is anything other than zeros in the live data report, I can hear and feel a huge difference in the engine, so I'm going to go ahead and call this problem solved. I do have a feeling that in another 15k or so, when I go to swap my Brisks, I should have a look at carbon cleaning and inspection of the injectors.

Very happy with my purchase. Thank you SugarMouth for turning me towards the Brisks!

MAGNAFLOW CATBACK

The $200 job I had the local muffler shop do almost a year ago was shit. The welding was atrocious (something I really didn't check up on or get to see). The drone was really getting to me, something I dismissed early on as the exhaust settling in. You get what you pay for, right?

So I decided to drop the cash on an aftermarket catback from someone bit more reputable. I first looked to ModdedEuros for a price match. I normally don't openly bash a business, but this transcript of the e-mail speaks for itself. I've left the name out of the individual I spoke with.

Me: Do you price match other sites? Hottexhaust is selling magnaflow catbacks for 560 shipped for mk7 gti
Modded: Yes we do. I do not see this system priced on their website lower? Please send over the info and we can take a look
Me: They have a coupon. The code is 1h163kt. Brings price down to just under 560 w free shipping
Modded: Ahh. I believe they are on the Do Not Sell from Magnaflow for pricing issues. Just talked to management. I am sorry but we cannot guarantee they sell actual Magnaflow systems and are approved. If its a good deal you could go for it and just file a chargeback if its a knock off system maybe. Let us know if you have any other questions. happy to help
Me: How are they on a do not sell list when magnaflow lists them as an authorized distributor on their website?
Modded: There have been issues with their dealer agreements in the past sadly. If you have a code that works I would give it a shot. Than just file a chargeback if the product is not correct or have any warranty issues going through them. Happy to answer any questions you may have.
Me: I suppose I find it odd that a competitor is speaking for a manufacturer that clearly lists hottexhaust as an authorized retailer. If you guys don't want to match that's fine. Ill take my business [elsewhere]. It'd be one thing if they weren't on magnaflows's website. Its another to be casting speculation. Thanks for your time.
Modded: We have worked with Magnaflow directly on this matter. This has been an ongoing issue under investigation sadly.

Yeah. ModdedEuros won't be getting any more of my business in the future, and its not because of a lack of price matching. Openly accusing a competitor of selling knock-off parts when that competitor is listed on the retailer's official website as authorized? Fuck off.

Ian at MAPerformance, however, was awesome and immediately got my invoice made and it was shipped the next day. Install was easy, and frankly one of the most enjoyable mods to put on the car. The sound is fantastic and exactly what I want: normal driving is not overly loud, but the tone is still deep and bassy. Open up the car however and it happily gets louder and growls. I4's will never sound as good as a V8, but outside of a Remus system, I think MF is the best sounding out of all the catbacks I've heard. I am 100% happy with the purchase. And those 4 inch double-wall tips? Yes please.

MISFIRES, PART II

On a side note, I pull codes once a month just to make sure the car is doing well. P0300, P0302, and P0303 popped up. Random/Multiple Misfires, specifically on Cylinders 2 and 3. I pulled up each fault, and the ECU only recorded it happening once on each cylinder, and it was on April 5th. Engine has felt great since the Brisk Silvers and RS3 Coilpacks went in and no EPC/CEL has ever popped up, but I am still concerned the ECU is storing an intermittent code for this problem. Until a few weeks ago I had been running Shell 93 in my car exclusively since I bought it, but after reading that some have been experiencing misfires from the gas (potentially bad batch or poor quality), I've been trying some other brands to see if I feel a difference. April 5th was the last tank of Shell I had in the car, so I'm going to go another month trying some other brands and see if I get these codes again. If anyone has any recommendation on any logs to run to see if there is an underlying problem, let me know. I really don't want this to be the symptoms to a bigger, more expensive problem later down the road.

Hambone said:

It is done.

...I learned a few things from this upgrade, so if you are looking to install a dogbone insert, this is what worked for me. Keep in mind I aggregated a lot of these tips from those who suffered trial and error, so I do not take credit for any of it.

1. Follow the instructions on the ramps. It tells you to put the car in Neutral when the wheels reach the top. Your car shouldn't move. If it doesn't, set the E-brake first then put it into park. Putting it into N first takes any tension off the transmission so you reduce your chances of the torque arm becoming offset from the dogbone mount. Don't forget chalks for your rear wheels!

2. Be prepared to use a breaker bar. This bolt can be serious business for some. When the bolt comes out, and you put the insert in, put the bolt back in and hand-tighten. Then do a 180 degree turn with a regular wrench. After that, start the engine and let it run for a minute or so, then shut the engine off. Torque to 130 Nm (~96 ft/lbs). Letting the engine run with the bolt not torqued supposedly helps the transmission and torque arm settle....

Click to expand...

Just wanted to say thanks a ton for the ramp advice. I almost want to start a thread to address this procedure so when it is searched it shows up.

Going through the Neutral -> Parking Brake -> Park works perfectly. It actually makes it so when the engine 'moves' when you remove the bolt all the way, the movement is half as much as when the transmission is loaded. On top of this, you can move the engine by hand almost an inch when it is unloaded! I couldn't believe how easy this was.

Thanks a ton. Review is spot on as well. Maybe 10-20% more 1st gear and starting vibrations. Surprisingly less torque steer with ESC OFF (and I mean full off).

arob157 said:

Just wanted to say thanks a ton for the ramp advice. I almost want to start a thread to address this procedure so when it is searched it shows up.

Going through the Neutral -> Parking Brake -> Park works perfectly. It actually makes it so when the engine 'moves' when you remove the bolt all the way, the movement is half as much as when the transmission is loaded. On top of this, you can move the engine by hand almost an inch when it is unloaded! I couldn't believe how easy this was.

Thanks a ton. Review is spot on as well. Maybe 10-20% more 1st gear and starting vibrations. Surprisingly less torque steer with ESC OFF (and I mean full off).

Click to expand...

Glad it worked out for you! Coincidentally I just wrapped up installing my twintercooler and while I was under the car I did a detailed inspection of my dogbone insert. No bending, warping, or cracking from what I can tell and it has not moved from the torque markings I placed on install.

I would suggest you do a follow-up on your torque markings a week and a month then 3 months after install, just to make sure nothing is wriggling loose.

Hambone said:

Glad it worked out for you! Coincidentally I just wrapped up installing my twintercooler and while I was under the car I did a detailed inspection of my dogbone insert. No bending, warping, or cracking from what I can tell and it has not moved from the torque markings I placed on install.

I would suggest you do a follow-up on your torque markings a week and a month then 3 months after install, just to make sure nothing is wriggling loose.

Click to expand...

I went through your thread and noticed you went for a metal dog bone insert. I went poly, but went with the Spulen Street compound. Interested to see if it breaks in a bit. The performance increase is subtle is DD, but as.soon as you push it, the power goes.to the ground with no wandering (especially with ESC full off). I will definitely be getting underneath the car and checking out that bolt. I didn't use loctite or any lube (other than residual silicone spray but tried to only hit the I sertion area). I did use a torque wrench though.

Have a stock location IC buy haven't worked up the gumption to tackle that. This summer heat demands it. I have torn apart and rebuilt a fair number of front ends in my day. Almost thinking about selling it and just getting a FMIC. Easier to remove and go back to stock.

Again, that dog bone tip was solid.

Downpipe, and the impending Stage 2.

Its been a minute since I updated, but mostly because nothing new has happened with the car up until last weekend. Probably somewhere further back in this build thread I said I'd never go Stage 2. Well, I'm a fuckin' liar. I'll be Stage 2 soon; the software is already purchased. But first I wanted to get the downpipe install out of the way and let everything settle mechanically before tackling the Uniconnect+ aspect of things.

I wish I had a neat story for the DP install, but honestly it was pretty damn straight forward. Youtube helps in terms of what to expect, and not many tools are needed. Just time, and patience. I bought the Baun Performance 3" DP with the Vibrant hi-flow cat. Gti jake was generous in being 'on call' during my installation to help with any questions and for warm fuzzies when it came to DP positioning and clearance.

The only wrench thrown into the mix was the butt clamp Jake provided to mate my magnaflow to the DP. I've got a tiny, tiny exhaust leak that is most likely the product of me not installing the clamp the proper way the first time. Make sure you have a breaker bar to get some leverage on your wrench if you can get the car high enough on jacks, or like me, break down (or break out) an impact gun. The clamp has to be completely tight, and that involves not only a lot of force, but running the car to heat up the exhaust to help that clamp stretch out that much further.

In the end, though, things are going well and I have a Torca EasySeal on order that will replace the JEGS one on there now. With my stock DP gone my Magnaflow CB sounds completely different -- louder, more aggressive. Its borderline too loud for my tastes and has introduced a small amount of drone at about 2100 RPM, but cruising around its very reserved and quiet. As soon as you start applying throttle, people know. I enjoy this. Also lots of DSG farts and it burbles quite nicely on decel and downshifting.

I give high praise to Jake's downpipe. It is well-made, especially so for a guy working out of his garage. Clean welds, good fitment, and excellent design. Can't beat the price for a catted downpipe at $440 before additional options and shipping. Can't wait to see how the car changes with Stage 2!

Been a while since I updated. Mostly because I'm lazy. The best thing to report is my car is paid in full as of June. I have had a car note in some form or fashion since I started driving when I was 16. Having a car fully paid off is a great feeling.

Been Stage 2 since October 18 and loving it. No issues so far. I'll be doing oil/DSG/LSD service here in a few weeks and will be checking up on some oil weeping inside spark plug well #1. I've heard the RTX sealant from factory on the valve cover isn't the greatest and may cause leaks over time. Last time I changed spark plugs back in December there was maybe a drop's worth of oil in #1 and it wasn't causing any other issues. Cleaned it up and replaced with Brisk Silvers. If it has worsened I'm contemplating if I should do the RTX sealant myself, or take it to a shop. Leaning towards shop.

My shocks and struts finally went because of the VWR springs. They lasted a total of 53K miles, and the ride was getting extremely harsh especially in the back seat. Got me some Bilstein B8's front and back and did the install yesterday, along with some new wheels (SE A16's, 18x8 45mm offset) and Firehawk Indy 500's. The last time I dropped suspension to spring swap the entire job took almost three days, mostly because I wasn't smart and didn't get certain tools to make the job easier. Yesterday I took my time and even with about 3 30-45 min breaks (Florida is hot as balls right now) the total job, start to cleaned up/finished was about 8 hours. Not setting any records, but I had no issues with any parts of the install. Here are the results:

https://imgur.com/a/BOStSgw

Ride is fantastic. Very compliant and comfortable when daily driving, but I can still feel the road and what the car is doing. Kept about the same height from before, dropped probably about 1/8" at most (time will tell as everything settles). I'm chasing down a very minor noise in the rear suspension, but it seems to be going away as I drive it more and things settle. I learned my lesson and applied load with my jack before torquing everything down. The new wheels look great and the offset gives me +10mm poke on stock. Fills the wells out nicely without the need for a spacer kit.

Also tore out the heatshield where a suitcase muffler would normally be. Was causing a lot of vibration and noise with the Baun DP/Magnaflow CB. Not anymore. I continue to love the hell out of this platform. I flirted with the idea of getting into a V8 but I couldn't justify the price, and I also really enjoy working on my car. Going to try to keep this GTI for as long as I can. The way the car market is headed, I think this might be the golden era for the GTI.