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Another MK7 GTi blown engine post..

Hambone

Hambone

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Florida
Car(s)
2020 TR GTI SE
Strange Mud said:
just curiosity and wanting to learn



why are plugs so much more important with tune? Do you go colder with them or something? And why changing them early?


Mud
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More fuel, more boost = more wear on the engine, spark plugs especially. I'm a firm believer in Brisk Silvers. They only last 10-15k at most, but they are inexpensive and easy to replace. Don't skimp on a quality spark plug.
 
Wrath And Tears

Wrath And Tears

Go Kart Champion
Location
Azusa, CA
Car(s)
17 Sport, 99 E36
Strange Mud said:
just curiosity and wanting to learn
why are plugs so much more important with tune? Do you go colder with them or something? And why changing them early?
Mud
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More boost = more heat. Too much heat on a plug not meant to handle it means the ceramic on the plug can be damaged. The ceramic part has been known to break off and take out the turbo or damage a valve or cylinder. So yes it is important to run the correct ones, but you would notice misfires before the plug would destroy itself in most cases. Cases where damage actually occurs are few and far between.

When a spark plug wears, the gap between the electrode and post widen, or the post will actually start to disappear. More boost also means a higher chance to blow out the spark causing a misfire. With a tune, running a step colder plug and reducing the gap is all to help prevent a misfire. A misfire won't blow your engine up. Just harm the CAT.

Unless you are misfiring, and enough to set a code while under full boost, there is no need to change spark plugs or coil packs. Changing them early is for people who want peace of mind, as well as to waste their time and money. Fortunately its pretty quick and painless to change the plugs.
 
P

psychonosspaz

Go Kart Champion
Location
PNW
What is the recommended plug? I have been running stock plugs for 20k, 10k with JB4
 
bobyjane1234

bobyjane1234

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Getting chased by a bobcat
That is awful to hear but you seem to understand the risks. I was about to go get ECU + TCU from Uni, now that i wet my pants i will think it over some more.

Best of luck going forward OP.
 
shrmntank

shrmntank

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
United States
Thanks for all the replies. The plugs all looked fine without damage except #4 which had signs of oil burning on it. I don’t believe it had anything to do with the plugs in this case. But I understand why a car might need different plugs depending on mods.

Tomorrow I’ll be going to the dealership to talk to them and see what can and must be done to get the car a new engine. I’ll update after.
 
Strange Mud

Strange Mud

Autocross Champion
Location
Small Town CT
Car(s)
Assorted
Boby,


Tunes can be fun, but they can be costly. I personally wouldn't but since I don't track my GTI it already goes faster on the street than is wise to go. Just know that they can void much of your wtty B4 you tune.
 
bobyjane1234

bobyjane1234

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Getting chased by a bobcat
Strange Mud said:
Boby,


Tunes can be fun, but they can be costly. I personally wouldn't but since I don't track my GTI it already goes faster on the street than is wise to go. Just know that they can void much of your wtty B4 you tune.
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Yeah :( stock for now it shall remain. Too cheap to get JB4 but too scared to go all the way and get it tuned.

That doesn't make any sense :cool:
 
E

echelonphoto

Ready to race!
Location
northeast
My last foray with turbo cars was with a 1993 Mr2 turbo. These were great cars and we all were in the mod mode with them. I turned up the boost on the stock motor and quickly blew the #3 piston...car ran reasonably well even with the blown piston. Took the engine apart and found that the top ring lands in the #3 piston had shattered. They are very thin and not forged. Well, the cylinder walls were fine, so put in a new piston and rings and reinstalled the motor. It wasn't long before the same thing happened again. We took out the motor and installed a complete jdm long block, which has a bigger turbo and more aggressive tune...this was a beast! It lasted about 3 months before the same thing happened again. My friend had a 20,000$ race engine prepped for his mr2..made over 400 hp at the wheels...a real beast! Had completely forged internals...lasted about a year...this time the pistons held up, but the cylinder wall cracked...so I guess some are having the same problems with the gti...the engine is already tuned to the ragged edge in stock form and the components don't seem to hold up with too much modding. All it takes is one glitch in the engine management system ...one lean cylinder, and the damage is done...usually happens at low rpm in situation where it is not even streesed
 
J

jeffkro

Go Kart Champion
Location
United States
bobyjane1234 said:
That is awful to hear but you seem to understand the risks. I was about to go get ECU + TCU from Uni, now that i wet my pants i will think it over some more.

Best of luck going forward OP.
Click to expand...

Yup, we are talking some serious money if things go bad. I like playing it safe, plus I'm pretty happy with stock power.
 
cb1111

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
echelonphoto said:
My last foray with turbo cars was with a 1993 Mr2 turbo. These were great cars and we all were in the mod mode with them. I turned up the boost on the stock motor and quickly blew the #3 piston...car ran reasonably well even with the blown piston. Took the engine apart and found that the top ring lands in the #3 piston had shattered. They are very thin and not forged. Well, the cylinder walls were fine, so put in a new piston and rings and reinstalled the motor. It wasn't long before the same thing happened again. We took out the motor and installed a complete jdm long block, which has a bigger turbo and more aggressive tune...this was a beast! It lasted about 3 months before the same thing happened again. My friend had a 20,000$ race engine prepped for his mr2..made over 400 hp at the wheels...a real beast! Had completely forged internals...lasted about a year...this time the pistons held up, but the cylinder wall cracked...so I guess some are having the same problems with the gti...the engine is already tuned to the ragged edge in stock form and the components don't seem to hold up with too much modding. All it takes is one glitch in the engine management system ...one lean cylinder, and the damage is done...usually happens at low rpm in situation where it is not even streesed
Click to expand...
The big problem is that nobody really knows where the limits are. All we do know is that these cars are pretty reliable with regular maintenance and normal driving.

One other problem is that everybody is jumping on the mod bandwagon but are forgetting to upgrade the most important thing - themselves.

A driving course can let you outrun virtually everything else on the road and do it safely.

It is only after you've taken a driving class that you can figure out what the limits of your car are and what mods are helpful - adding more power is rarely the answer.
 
P

psychonosspaz

Go Kart Champion
Location
PNW
echelonphoto said:
My last foray with turbo cars was with a 1993 Mr2 turbo. These were great cars and we all were in the mod mode with them. I turned up the boost on the stock motor and quickly blew the #3 piston...car ran reasonably well even with the blown piston. Took the engine apart and found that the top ring lands in the #3 piston had shattered. They are very thin and not forged. Well, the cylinder walls were fine, so put in a new piston and rings and reinstalled the motor. It wasn't long before the same thing happened again. We took out the motor and installed a complete jdm long block, which has a bigger turbo and more aggressive tune...this was a beast! It lasted about 3 months before the same thing happened again. My friend had a 20,000$ race engine prepped for his mr2..made over 400 hp at the wheels...a real beast! Had completely forged internals...lasted about a year...this time the pistons held up, but the cylinder wall cracked...so I guess some are having the same problems with the gti...the engine is already tuned to the ragged edge in stock form and the components don't seem to hold up with too much modding. All it takes is one glitch in the engine management system ...one lean cylinder, and the damage is done...usually happens at low rpm in situation where it is not even streesed
Click to expand...



The engine is already tuned to ragged form in stock form?? Not even close, the stock tune is very conservative, and there have been very few people over the last 3+ years who have reported any engine issues....mostly blown turbos
 
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