Kungfuey

Hello Everyone,

I recently inherited a well maintained 2004 A4 that was unfortunately pretty much destroyed in a terrible rollover accident.

I think the engine is still good and I am considering pulling it and all necessary components to possibly use for one of my front engine / rear drive 'play car' projects.

I had been considering a Ford Zetec (or Duratec) engine but I started leaning towards an Ecotec 4 cylinder with a Saturn / Solstice 5 speed. Then this poor Audi fell into my lap and it got me to thinking...
It wouldn't be impossible to dig up a 5 or 6 speed transmission, modify it to power only the rear wheels and end up with what looks like a reasonably compact engine that would probably give me an honest 175+ horsepower without any serious mods.

I'm posting here to ask your opinions on these 1.8T's.

Basically, should I bother with it?
They seem like nice engines and with German engineering I would assume they must be reliable and well built - but I don't know for sure.

I'm not looking for 300 HP, I'm not into burnouts or ultimate performance, I'm looking for reliability, good gas mileage and preferably 200 or so horsepower with nice low-mid range torque (I'll be using a manual transmission). Additionally I'm not made of money so I don't want to dump $10K into a driveline for a play car. Having this engine and most related parts for free is a sweet deal.

Would you recommend a 1.8T engine for a play car or should I pass on it?

Thank you for your knowledge and opinions on this subject.

W261w261

Some of these 1.8T engines are really putting out the hp. It's tolerant of serious mods. For you, you go to stage 1 with a simple software upgrade - it kicks up the boost, changes the timing curve, requires 93 gas, and you have about 210 hp. If it's high-mileage, that's a consideration.
These engines are great, generally. Sludge was an issue early on, usually resulting from dino oil and/or long-interval oil changes.

Kungfuey

Interesting. Thank you.
Does a stock 2004 A4 require high octane fuel or does it take regular?

I'm not dead set on the 200 horsepower mark, it was just a rating I was kind of aiming for. But like everything power-wise, more is usually better.

I've found that most turbo engines react favorably to a larger intercooler and bigger exhaust, freeing up a little bit of power in the process so that might be an easy way to squeeze out a bit more grunt.

Are these engines torquey at low and mid RPM ranges or do you have to get them revved up to do anything interesting?

Regarding transmissions, should I hold out for a 6 speed or will I be happy with a 5 speed? Are they dimensionally the same? If they are, upgrading to a 6-speed from a 5-speed should be easy. I see that the ratios between the two transmissions are quite similar, (obviously) but is there a big difference in the driving feel between the two?

Thank you for your comments.

W261w261

Are you in the USA? The engines take 91 octane and because of the turbo, have good low/mid range torque. People do go to larger turbos, larger exhausts etc, but it all depends on money. "Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?"

The A4 was hooked up to a 5 speed through 2003 and maybe part/all of 2004.By 2005 for sure it was a 6 speed. Why not use the transmission that's on your car?

This project sounds pretty blue-sky to me. As you get further into it if you do, I think the costs will start getting up there....

W261w261

Also, there's a lot of electronics to be concerned about...

Kungfuey

My car has an automatic trans and I believe the case might have been damaged when the axle and suspension were ripped out. Manual transmissions are more fun for me anyway. If the drive shaft is the same between the auto and manual transmission, I can probably save enough of this one to build a new one to fit my needs. If not, I'll also have to secure a driveshaft for a manual transmission A4 Quattro to make things work.

The electronics are always the issue with newer engines and I honestly don't like working with all the wiring. Unfortunately, if you want 200 hp you either have to deal with lots of wires and sensors or live with a carbureated SBF or Chevy V8.
They're big and heavy, generate a ton of heat and usually get lousy mileage. Building a '70's / '80's carb'd Ford 2.3l 4 cylinder engine gets real expensive real fast. 200 hp will probably cost you $4K in parts and still have to build the engine. And those engines are tuned to the nth degree. To make power, you have to be revving them - which is no fun in traffic or when you're cruising.

With this 1.8T, wiring woes might be lessened a bit with the help a standalone ECU but I know they don't come cheap so for a more or less factory tune on a 1.8T, probably not in the cards for me.

I see 5 speed transmissions for sale for $400 ish and the last 6 speed I saw for sale was $750.
I don't have an issue with those kind of prices. Add in a new clutch and driveshaft if necessary and I still might come in under a grand for the parts I need.

Thank you again for you comments and opinion on this. I very much appreciate your reply!