John Pal...

Boy has it been a long time since I've been here. The last time was during the A4.org days and JET's pages...I'm here because I have a problem (naturally), and I could use some unbiased advice.

I have a '97 1.8TQAS that I got chipped back in late '97 with GreedSpeed's chip. Shortly after I chipped, I had some pinging under load, and said to myself that I'd have to send it back some time soon to be reprogrammed. Well, I never did...(how stupid was THAT???!!!)

Well, what do you wind up with when you have detonation over a long period of time? Right now it's some good tapping from the valves, but I fear that it'll get worse soon. The tapping has grown louder over the last, uh, year or so...

So here's my questions...
With the engine in this condition, is it fixable without a valve job? How would I do it? I know I need to send the chip back to be reprogrammed...but once the detonation has built up deposits for this long, can it be 'cleaned?'
What does a valve job cost on the 1.8T?

Any thoughts, advice, and opinions are appreciated.

BTW, the site looks INCREDIBLE!!! Is Matt still doing all the work on it?

Regards,

ecmcclure

My 1.8TQ detonated here in Colorado after I installed the Wetterhauer 1.1 bar chip after installation of a 2.5" exhaust. I quickly removed it, but called a mechanic soon after to see if I could have done some damage. Basically the knock limiter in the Audi prevents any major damage to the motor over short periods of time, but if you've been detonating for a long time, and under loads, the knock limiter can't keep up, and you do damage to the pistons, and valve seats. Try some higher grade gasoline or octane boost what you can get. This will significantly decrease knock, but you may have to have your motor looked at some point down the line. We've only got 91 octane max here in Colorado, so I've got to boost to prevent detonation year-round. You may want to look into a front-mounted intercooler, or TAP's sport intercooler. This, as well as a 5 bar fuel pressure regulator would definately solve the problem permanently.