So my loose plan is to rebuild this engine with some IE internal goodies, buy a wrecked MK7 GTI, DSG and make a full prep track car. That type of content doesn't seem super relatable, but id love your thoughts on it...
id honestly love that! im more of a mk6 guy but please go super indepth on some suspension stuff for these cars! Adjusting roll center/ all the geometry stuff i always find super interesting!.
I would never attempt this. I'm here for the learning experience as well. From watching Charles over the years, I can understand what my mechanic is telling me when issues arise. Also, I can ask intelligent questions.
I must've been following you since the beginning because I remember watching your videos when I lived in my first apartment in 2011-2012. I remember back then you were still working at the dealer. It's cool to see you've come such a long way since then. You're a well respected figure in the VW community.
I have never and will likely never take an engine apart, but I still enjoyed watching this video. Your explanations and walkthrough make the material very accessible. Thank you!
I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to understand with these 2.0 motors….swap the timing chain at 100k, water pump, change oil every 5k miles and you’re gtg.
I've had many Audi's in my life and have always paid their high price [for a VW like product] because of the great ergonomics, beautiful Bauhaus-inspired design styling and good general build quality. If I look at my current A4 in detail, I am astounded at the lack of both good ergonomic design and honest build quality. The buttons fail early, don't work in terms of ergonomics and the car is clearly designed with Pre-determined product obsolescence in mind. "Everything will be worn out by 200kkm". My first TDI lasted 500kkm with no issues [1000km range on a 48l tank of diesel!] The next generation lasted 400 [1990's], the next gen lasted 350 [200's] and the next, 250. I take care of my cars, I pay a high price for them [chunks of my life] and have been loyal to Audi. My current Audi is KAPUT at 215kkm. Everything is worn out! MADE TO FAIL. Flimsy! ...... As an Electrical Engineer and Industrial designer, I have to admit that my professional opinion is that this sucks! I am no longer seeking and Audi as my next car, after 30years at the wheel of the 4 circles. I note their presence on the list of the 'You shall own nothing and be appy" club, with great sadness. Herr Hoch would be doing high RPM's in his grave, if he were to see the sorry state of the once wonderful marque that he created. Sandy Munro is quite right, of course. SAD, very sad.
Your videos are always the best and your attention to detail awesome. As a mk7 GTI owner with 110k miles on the clock, I am learning a tremendous amount and plan on keeping the car for at least another 50000k miles. These videos help a lot
I had to replace a burnt exhaust valve (injector clogged and went lean) on my B8.5. When I went to install the exhaust cam, since the lobes move it didn't quite fit so I pulled the lobe a bit to slide it in... Next thing I know a ball bearing and a spring go flying! Luckily I was able to find it and put my cam lobe back in the correct place. The car runs fantastic now BTW... Also I didn't know there was a specific way to but the solenoids back in for the cam... I just tossed them in and sent it!
We don’t particularly dig EA888s around here but I still love watching these videos just for the pure engine nerd porn. I love your whole approach especially the fact that you’re looking at it with reusing it in mind. The world is too quick now to just shotgun new parts or cars at everything and toss out tons of stuff that may still have a lot of life left in it.
That electrically-controlled rotary valve based thermostat is the first one of such kind on a passenger car(EA888 gen3 was announced 11 years ago, then gen3 bz in 2015, gen3-evo for Euro-6d in 2017, evo4 in 2020). It has been a great design of engine thermal management, but it tends to fail(leak) at an early mileage. The thermostat is being improved continuously that almost a new iteration is employed every 1~2 years. The leak issue is said to have been fully fixed in an version released in 2019.
Great video as always Charles! I look forward to seeing what you will do in the future with this engine. I have this engine in my '19 GLI and I love it. She's sitting pretty at 74.5k, and I'm hoping to get at least another 125k out of it.
I like to hear that. I have a 35th Aniv. GLI at 31K miles. No issues so far. Have you had to replace Haldex fluid or do carbon cleaning at that milage?
@@DJ.1001 I've done both. I have my car serviced by DAP's repair shop, and they recommend getting the LSD oil serviced every 30k miles. I had a carbon cleaning done at 65k. So far I've only had a CV axle boot, and an oil temp sensor failure.
@@Tdfries the Mk7 GLI got the front diff from the GTI, since it now has the same powertrain. I assumed that was what DJ was referring to. I just called it an LSD for short.
Those rear main seals are almost a given I’ve changed a few over the years the ea888 is a complex but great engine if you treat it like a baby great video 💯
@@shanemitchell5807 where they’re made & how they’re assembled makes all the difference unfortunately no 2 engines are built the same I believe you nonetheless that’s terrible smh
@@shanemitchell5807 CDAA here and yes, it's starting to show. Already arranged the rebuild as my Superb is worth saving. It's so sad they killed the engine in such a stupid way. I love how they drive and I'd even consider them very reliable, if it of course weren't for their fatal and completely unnecessary flaws with original timing chain tensioner and the bad piston rings.
Man, I love my boring but reliable 2.5 engine in my 2012 Passat. Knowing that no kid ever had a picture of a Passat on his bedroom wall. I went from 1970 Buick Skylark GS to Turbo Saab to the boring yet fun to drive Passat SEL. No regrets. I love Audi groups and VW sports clubs but I'm done with those other engines. Love their performance, but I'm too old now to be working every year on engines.
Hey Charles! You're my last hope.. Bare with me for the long post! Bought my 2011 A4 last December. Bought at 96000km and had an android head unit installed on the same day.. The issue started 2 weeks later. Previous owners put 87 in it for 10 years. ive been putting obly 91 Only happens when temp is sub-5 degrees celsius after the car has been sitting for 4+ hours. Only codes showed were p0300 intermittent misfires occasionally but car runs great once its on. Took it to 4 mechanics (including Audi). 2 said nothing was wrong and the other 2 tried all the following: - replace all sparks and coils - replace all 4 fuel injectors - replace engine air filter - replace fuel filter Car doesnt have oil consumption issue (had stage 1 fix under a recall under previous ownership). Timing chain not done yet. - engine oil interval is 10000km under my ownership as I do lots of highway driving Car is now at 130000km. Issue has persisted since. Any ideas? Also I recently noticed that I dont always hear my fuel pump prime upon door opening, and usually that dictates how the car will start.
80k miles here. I've been tuned since 30k miles, and stage 3 with an IS38 making ~400hp on e48 for almost 20k miles. Still solid, but I do consider this the limit to stay reliable. I do need a yet stronger clutch though, but I consider that a consumable at this level.
Hey there Charles.. it's always good to see your videos, you and Paul crack me up. The wagon that Paul posted on his site a few days ago was interesting, for sure . Perhaps you all can do a video on mapping and coding.. Your friend.. Volvo snob
One thing I've noticed on many modern engines is the engineers have been moving the piston wrist pins closer to the top of the piston. This leaves very little space on the piston skirt for the bottom ring lands in order to allow for piston wrist pin insertion and crank clearances. I believe this came out of racing to increase mechanical advantage and reduce piston drag. Problem is, racing engines aren't expected to last for years in various driving conditions without meticulous maintenance. Add to that a possible performance tune and lugging the engine at low speed in a too-tall gear is enough for catastrophic failure. That piston displays all those shortcomings. It used to be that engines had "overhead" built into them. This allows for aftermarket performance upgrades. The LSx and 2JZ are prime examples of that design philosophy. Today's engines are built to finite limits. Sadly that engine demonstrates that clearly. That engine absolutely needs forged pistons for any medium performance upgrades. Maybe VW should've had those from the factory. Looks like the bean counters won that decision. Thanks for the video Charles - very interesting teardown!
I like your explanation. So if you have a tune car, maybe whit poor fuel and smash the throttle on to high gear and to low RPM, the result can be what we see in the video...
Hi Charles, The electronic engine thermostats are very interesting, looking forward to how you do your video on how they work. This video was good, a nice demonstration of what the consequences of low speed pre ignition are. It would seem you did score an engine for a nice build, also going to be interesting. Thanks for the content. Kind regards, South Africa
If you are going to track it, bore it to 83 mm in all 4, the IE rods you showed are it. Use mahle racing pistons. Replace all main and head fasteners with ARP stuff. Rebuild the head with better valves, springs, keepers and deck it to the block. I would also replace the harmonic balancer with a Fluidampr. I have a KTM x Bow with the EA113 and just finished doing all the above. Runs awesome. I've got about 30,000 track miles with stock parts at 350 HP by the time #4 piston ringland cracked. Now I built it for 600 HP but still run 350 HP. Mega reliable. Best of luck with your project. Love your videos!
@@HumbleMechanic I tracked the KTM yesterday in the Autobahn in Joliet which was my home track for a long time. After all the upgrades it ran amazing! I gave it the beans with break in oil for about 2.5 hours total. I burned 20 gallons of fuel. I will change the oil and filter and move on for another 30k of track duty 😀
Right from you open the top I can tell the person didn’t take care of her care well lol. Heads are burned . Cylinders look alright. I think the reason why the spring broke probably from the pressure build up maybe when driving it and not working on the engine itself. The other day we had a bad case of one cylinder was not working it been broken for awhile, the second when just broke, there was gasoline from injectors, the water pump gasket was broken and since it was it made the car overheated. It was a headache and a rare case.
EA888s are crazy expensive to build right now. Was in the ballpark of 9k to if you include full rotating assembly, complete fuel system, gaskets and hardware, and a complete head rebuild on my 8P A3Q.
He said quite clearly, that LSPI happens mostly in tuned engines. And it`s true. Stay stock, just play with the intake and intercooler if you wish. Leave downpipe couse than engine has to be remapped. Also stay with the dedicated oil with sort intervals up to 6k miles at max and you will be happy with your cupra for a long time.
I had Skoda with this engine. Now I have Audi A5. What surprises me most is the fact that Audi is so much quieter and cultivated. And I don't mean inside the car. What I mean is when you open the hood the engine is super quiet.
I've got a '16, APR Stage 2 Golf R. I take really good care of the car, it's my daily. I noticed it developed a mild vibration around 3K RPM on the highway. Thought maybe it as a wheel out of balance and continued to drive the car. About 3 weeks later, spun a bearing. Located a used block with 55K miles and it's getting rebuilt and put back in the car. It's going to set me back about 9K all in. Soooooo frustrating!
I have the exact same engine with the exact same issue and the exact same symptoms as you guessed (tuned, low speed pre-ignition). When the oil pan was removed, there was debris from a piston in it. So it’s been sitting in my garage since then. Got a new engine and I never even bothered to take it apart. To this day I still don’t know what to do with it.
Now, how cool was that?! loved it! I have an audi A3 (8V) 1.8 TFSi with EPC light on but no errors in the ECU and the car drives as it should!!! what can it be?
I have a 2017 Skoda RS that was tuned, and did exactly the same thing. Clean smashed the ring land off no 3 piston. Had a strange ping one day for half a second as i was driving, nothing more. Next day the wife took off from the traffic lights and boom, engine ruining rough. No other warnings. Just ticked over 60,000km. I swapped the engine for 10,000km MK7 GTI engine and deleted the tune. Apparently, the Skoda EA888 had a different piston material and its not as robust as the MK7 EA888 piston.
Hey Charles, I have 2016 R and I've head an issue of oil seeping into the #4 cylinder spark plug well. I was hoping you can use this engine to show how to properly reseal the cam cover as a DIY, I can't find any videos or guides on this process.
Your 100% right with the engine that’s been literally thrown back together. Warranty don’t pay for the engine rebuild (as that’s an exchange part) so it literally gets thrown back together without care, ready to be someone else’s problem.. or in this case, your problem! 😂
that shattered piston ring is more likely caused by the very tight piston ring clearance. when the engine is running stock, the temperatures are not such extreme. so volkswagen decided to make the clearances very tight. however when tuned, the piston assembly is getting hotter, and so the ring expands so much, than the ends contact each other and so they cannot expand anymore. and since they are in the bore and piston, they lock up against that cylinder wall and piston and destroy everything. so you need to put the clearances bit more loose, to make sure the rings will be allowed to expand..
Could you do a review on the e420cdi Mercedes. I’m considering buying one and I haven’t seen many videos discussing issues and maintenance costs. Great video and very in depth.
Many years ago, as an apprentice, one of our jobs was to rebuild any engines and manual gearboxes that were going back on warranty exchange, any missing parts or wrongly assembled components, and the warranty claim was rejected
@@HumbleMechanic it was a rule from the Warranty company, but it was the best training an apprentice could get, instead of doing one engine or gearbox rebuild every few months, it was more like one a week. Lots of manufacturers have slightly different riles regards warranty, I used to work for one in 🇬🇧 as an auditor, a certain number of job cards were selected every 3 months, if the Dealer had claimed too much time, or more parts than required, and put it through as a claim, not only that job was rejected, but a % of all the claims in the same time period. The Manufacturers thinking was you screwed us on that job, refusing one claim, doesn't hurt much, won't stop you doing it again, but refusing 10% of the claims you made in those 3 months, might!
Love these videos and how well you explain everything! Question: On these engines, to remove and reinstall the valve cover (eg. For resealing), can it be done without having to re-time the engine? There looks to be only the valve cover holding the cams down, would they spring up and/or move at the end without the chain when it’s removed, then causing issues with timing or refitting etc?
Hi Charles. There is a guy in Greece, if you want i can give you a link and his name is Emmanouil Tatouris- AMG Specialist. He describes this catastrophic failure in the older 1,4 tsi vw scirocco. He had 2 engines with the same exactly broken pieces in the pistons. If you check more careful the bottom side of the pistons you will see that the one side is blackish and the other side looks cleaner. That is because of lack of oil flow and that makes the piston of the one side to be cold and the other side to be hot. He create a double head oil beck to eliminate the temperature difference inside the pistons. His videos are in Greek language but you can search with this words: "Γιατί τα VW Scirocco σπανε εμβολα.Η ΛΥΣΗ! Why do the pistons break in CAV 1.4VW Engines?THE SOLUTION" to find the video and watch from 12:00. You can just watch and you will understand even without knowing the language.
@@jeanfrancoismenard705 it's because the small nozzles that spraying the back side of the pistons with oil to cool them down is not enough. This guy made a double nozzle for each piston to cool the whole piston and not only the one side like with the original one.
1.9 pd tdi Volkswagen's best modern times engine ever developed. In my opinion after having two in a space of almost 20 years all bought used. the current 2006 passat has got 221.000 miles and pulls like a train.as long as economical. Always serviced with original mann filters and liquimolly oil.
Shame that they had the ring gap too tight But worst of all is having a timing chain instead of a belt as they often fail between 70 to 190k Km Every VW Audi with a chain is a ticking time bomb 😂.
I like your videos a lot! Every time it's a ton of information, but it's not overwhelming. I have a EA888 engine myself (Skoda Kodiaq 2017, EA888 gen 3.b). But from what I can remember, I have both direct and indirect injection. So could this occur in this type of engine? I'm planning on having this car as long as it can run and I do my maintenance very often. So would like to know what the common issues are in those engines to prevent most of it 😊
You got the b cycle engine. Similar but a bit different. I personally haven't seen or experienced any ringland failure from the B cycle. Not saying it doesn't happen. Maybe try and research it a bit? Common issues are thermostat and pcv and well that's about it since you have the dual injection you won't have the carbon issues.
Can't believe I gave serious consideration to buying either a VW GLI or a GTI as my next car. In the market for a new one. Thing is, I keep my cars for a very long time before replacing them. Seems not much has changed in the last 15 years. If you want long-term reliability, get a Japanese car. Usually Honda or Toyota. Glad I found your video before I made a stupid mistake.
Hey Charles. I am super excited for that water pump video. I remember reading the slide valve thermostat SSP around the time the GR Yaris came out. Somewhere I saw that Toyota had to put in a lower opening thermostat for that car to make 268hp. Meanwhile VW has to put in this ridiculous dual valve electronic doodad with seven different operating modes to make less power from more displacement. Why?! This video was great and the idea of a future Mk7 racecar makes me very happy to be a patron. What do you think of using stock R pistons with aftermarket rods for E85 builds? I know the stock rods don't hold up too far beyond 400 ft-lbs but I'm worried about piston slap with aftermarket aluminum pistons in my daily.
5:40 That's not counter-threaded, it's a left hand thread! Counter is when two threaded things are tightened towards each other to lock them in place (aka nut + lock nut).
Oil was really nasty too in this engine. Of course no significant varnish and sludge buildup yet bc low miles but yeah I guess this wasn't changed every 5-6k miles...
Have you ever encountered misfiring at cold start? It drives me crazy. Had several mechanics look and couldn't find the issue. No codes, no check engine light. When the engine is cold I can feel the car misfire between 1000 and 1500 rpm, always at the same point. Once temp is up it goes away. I have replaced spark plugs, maf sensor, O2 sensor, pcv valve, coils, chain and tensioners, had the engine resealed, injectors cleaned. It is just weird!
That was my next point as I believe it has never been done. Is there any other way of cleaning without removing the intake manifold? Any miracle or spell?
This video made me nervous cause I'm getting misfires and hide cylinder code on cylinder 3 on my gti I've replaced coils, plugs and ran a eqt ground wire kit, but still got the misfires when I was doing pulls the other night I guess I'll have to look into injectors next.
Hey Charles! I was wondering if maybe you could link the paint/markers you use when you do timing marks and torque marks for 90 degree turns. That purple paint you used looks nice and I'd like to get some. Thanks!
Hi Charles, i have oil in the spark plug wells of my Seat Leon ST Cupra 290. Could you show us how to seal the valve cover on the EA888 Gen.3 with as little effort as possible? Is there a way to do it with just relaxing the timing chain and leaving the camshafts in? I would be very happy if you could make a video about it. Best wishes from Germany. Cheers Frank (one of your biggest fans)
Is it possible this was caused just by low octane fuel? I know several GolfR/Audi owners who just fill their tank up with regular fuel. Does the anti-knock system completely prevent detonation?
This is why im not going to tune - seems like risk of timing misfire increases resulting in catastrophic failure. Cars are quick enough for me with a few bolt ons, sans tune.
the factory rear main seal is expensive now you can go with a German aftermarket one they are way more affordable but people have to know that you need a new type of installation tool for these new seal compared to the older style talk a bout expensive part is the coolant regulator one the 1.8 T and 2.0 T engines they are around 900 Canadian and they fail too. and they are very hard to find in the aftermarket they seem like they are all back ordered.
Hi Charles, any chance to make an DIY video for the camshaft/valve cover on the EA888 Gen 3 ? mine is leaking as well with the Upper Timing Cover (that last one i know is easy peasy), but the cam/valve cover i know for sure its not that straitforward... and i don't want to mess my timing
So my loose plan is to rebuild this engine with some IE internal goodies, buy a wrecked MK7 GTI, DSG and make a full prep track car. That type of content doesn't seem super relatable, but id love your thoughts on it...
I’d watch the heck out of it!
Are you serious I'd love to watch that
heck yes!
id honestly love that! im more of a mk6 guy but please go super indepth on some suspension stuff for these cars! Adjusting roll center/ all the geometry stuff i always find super interesting!.
I'll watch anything you put out Charles. It would be cool to see a side by side vs. your Mk7.5 Golf R, the Mk8, and maybe even Paul's GTI?
I find your teaching method particularly engaging. You speak clearly and concisely, never repeating yourself. Always something to learn here.
Thank you!
@@HumbleMechanic you need to buy a Honda.
@@unclejoe6811 he has like four Hondas
I would never attempt this. I'm here for the learning experience as well. From watching Charles over the years, I can understand what my mechanic is telling me when issues arise. Also, I can ask intelligent questions.
I must've been following you since the beginning because I remember watching your videos when I lived in my first apartment in 2011-2012. I remember back then you were still working at the dealer. It's cool to see you've come such a long way since then. You're a well respected figure in the VW community.
Also I had a mk5 2.0 tfsi engine die on me last year. It died in catastrophic fashion at high speed. This brings back memories lol
I have never and will likely never take an engine apart, but I still enjoyed watching this video. Your explanations and walkthrough make the material very accessible. Thank you!
I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to understand with these 2.0 motors….swap the timing chain at 100k, water pump, change oil every 5k miles and you’re gtg.
Wrong. I did that and still water pump goes at at 39k miles. Have an Audi care plan plus did a 5k oil in between each. These engines are trash.
You are one of the best TH-cam,machnic channel, everything clear, áudio, visual,are all top, thanks man .
I simply love your engine tear downs/inspections or rebuilds. I am patiently waiting for the r32 turbo build to continue 😁
Thank you!!! I’m so ready to get that car back
I've had many Audi's in my life and have always paid their high price [for a VW like product] because of the great ergonomics, beautiful Bauhaus-inspired design styling and good general build quality. If I look at my current A4 in detail, I am astounded at the lack of both good ergonomic design and honest build quality. The buttons fail early, don't work in terms of ergonomics and the car is clearly designed with Pre-determined product obsolescence in mind. "Everything will be worn out by 200kkm". My first TDI lasted 500kkm with no issues [1000km range on a 48l tank of diesel!] The next generation lasted 400 [1990's], the next gen lasted 350 [200's] and the next, 250. I take care of my cars, I pay a high price for them [chunks of my life] and have been loyal to Audi. My current Audi is KAPUT at 215kkm. Everything is worn out! MADE TO FAIL. Flimsy! ...... As an Electrical Engineer and Industrial designer, I have to admit that my professional opinion is that this sucks! I am no longer seeking and Audi as my next car, after 30years at the wheel of the 4 circles. I note their presence on the list of the 'You shall own nothing and be appy" club, with great sadness. Herr Hoch would be doing high RPM's in his grave, if he were to see the sorry state of the once wonderful marque that he created. Sandy Munro is quite right, of course. SAD, very sad.
Thanks for taking the time to help me with my 2012 Audi TT 2 L I am currently having a heckuva time getting my camshaft bridge out
Your videos are always the best and your attention to detail awesome. As a mk7 GTI owner with 110k miles on the clock, I am learning a tremendous amount and plan on keeping the car for at least another 50000k miles. These videos help a lot
Hate to say it, but it's not going to last another 50 million miles.
@@ferrumignis unless it becomes the Golf of Theseus
@@ferrumignis Let’s aim for it anyways
Mine just started knocking and rough idle at 105k. I immediately shut it off and hoping it is just a cam adjuster magnet. Good luck friend.
@@SSmokin What ended up happening with it?
You kept it in, glad you did. Would love to see a waterpump video, not an R&R, more of a how it works and why! Nicely done!
As a cupra ea888 owner, thanks for the SEAT shout-out!
I had to replace a burnt exhaust valve (injector clogged and went lean) on my B8.5. When I went to install the exhaust cam, since the lobes move it didn't quite fit so I pulled the lobe a bit to slide it in... Next thing I know a ball bearing and a spring go flying! Luckily I was able to find it and put my cam lobe back in the correct place. The car runs fantastic now BTW... Also I didn't know there was a specific way to but the solenoids back in for the cam... I just tossed them in and sent it!
We don’t particularly dig EA888s around here but I still love watching these videos just for the pure engine nerd porn. I love your whole approach especially the fact that you’re looking at it with reusing it in mind. The world is too quick now to just shotgun new parts or cars at everything and toss out tons of stuff that may still have a lot of life left in it.
Which engine is your favorite?
That electrically-controlled rotary valve based thermostat is the first one of such kind on a passenger car(EA888 gen3 was announced 11 years ago, then gen3 bz in 2015, gen3-evo for Euro-6d in 2017, evo4 in 2020). It has been a great design of engine thermal management, but it tends to fail(leak) at an early mileage.
The thermostat is being improved continuously that almost a new iteration is employed every 1~2 years. The leak issue is said to have been fully fixed in an version released in 2019.
Yes they made so many revisions of thermostat housing by now. It's hilarious.
Humble Mechanic FTW!
This is the dude that gets invited to everyone’s party!
Just a cool guy sharing knowledge! 👏
Great video as always Charles! I look forward to seeing what you will do in the future with this engine. I have this engine in my '19 GLI and I love it. She's sitting pretty at 74.5k, and I'm hoping to get at least another 125k out of it.
I like to hear that. I have a 35th Aniv. GLI at 31K miles. No issues so far.
Have you had to replace Haldex fluid or do carbon cleaning at that milage?
@@DJ.1001 I've done both. I have my car serviced by DAP's repair shop, and they recommend getting the LSD oil serviced every 30k miles. I had a carbon cleaning done at 65k. So far I've only had a CV axle boot, and an oil temp sensor failure.
@@christheturdherder9096 ummm… Haldex?…. LSD?… in a GLI? Since when?????
@@Tdfries the Mk7 GLI got the front diff from the GTI, since it now has the same powertrain. I assumed that was what DJ was referring to. I just called it an LSD for short.
@@DJ.1001 Haldex in a GLI? Sign me up! I wish we got AWD Jettas haha
Those rear main seals are almost a given I’ve changed a few over the years the ea888 is a complex but great engine if you treat it like a baby great video 💯
I treated my EA888 engine like a baby and it still had many issues. Oil consumption anyone?
@@shanemitchell5807 where they’re made & how they’re assembled makes all the difference unfortunately no 2 engines are built the same I believe you nonetheless that’s terrible smh
@@nobatteriesincluded3968 Mine was made in Wolfsburg. No excuses then.
@@shanemitchell5807 in my Cupra 280, oil consumption is ~1l per 10t km after 150t km. And I drive quite often on the race tracks with this car
@@shanemitchell5807 CDAA here and yes, it's starting to show. Already arranged the rebuild as my Superb is worth saving.
It's so sad they killed the engine in such a stupid way. I love how they drive and I'd even consider them very reliable, if it of course weren't for their fatal and completely unnecessary flaws with original timing chain tensioner and the bad piston rings.
It would be amazing to see a 2.0t TSI engine build with aftermarket parts! Been considering doing that here soon..
Right. It would be great if you could build one that doesn't use any Volkswagen parts.
Man, I love my boring but reliable 2.5 engine in my 2012 Passat. Knowing that no kid ever had a picture of a Passat on his bedroom wall. I went from 1970 Buick Skylark GS to Turbo Saab to the boring yet fun to drive Passat SEL. No regrets. I love Audi groups and VW sports clubs but I'm done with those other engines. Love their performance, but I'm too old now to be working every year on engines.
It’s always a good day when Humble Mechanic uploads a video !
Hey Charles!
You're my last hope.. Bare with me for the long post!
Bought my 2011 A4 last December. Bought at 96000km and had an android head unit installed on the same day.. The issue started 2 weeks later.
Previous owners put 87 in it for 10 years. ive been putting obly 91
Only happens when temp is sub-5 degrees celsius after the car has been sitting for 4+ hours.
Only codes showed were p0300 intermittent misfires occasionally but car runs great once its on.
Took it to 4 mechanics (including Audi).
2 said nothing was wrong and the other 2 tried all the following:
- replace all sparks and coils
- replace all 4 fuel injectors
- replace engine air filter
- replace fuel filter
Car doesnt have oil consumption issue (had stage 1 fix under a recall under previous ownership).
Timing chain not done yet.
- engine oil interval is 10000km under my ownership as I do lots of highway driving
Car is now at 130000km. Issue has persisted since.
Any ideas?
Also I recently noticed that I dont always hear my fuel pump prime upon door opening, and usually that dictates how the car will start.
80k miles here. I've been tuned since 30k miles, and stage 3 with an IS38 making ~400hp on e48 for almost 20k miles. Still solid, but I do consider this the limit to stay reliable. I do need a yet stronger clutch though, but I consider that a consumable at this level.
Hey there Charles.. it's always good to see your videos, you and Paul crack me up. The wagon that Paul posted on his site a few days ago was interesting, for sure . Perhaps you all can do a video on mapping and coding.. Your friend.. Volvo snob
Can’t wait to watch a build series with a properly sorted gti
One thing I've noticed on many modern engines is the engineers have been moving the piston wrist pins closer to the top of the piston. This leaves very little space on the piston skirt for the bottom ring lands in order to allow for piston wrist pin insertion and crank clearances. I believe this came out of racing to increase mechanical advantage and reduce piston drag. Problem is, racing engines aren't expected to last for years in various driving conditions without meticulous maintenance. Add to that a possible performance tune and lugging the engine at low speed in a too-tall gear is enough for catastrophic failure. That piston displays all those shortcomings.
It used to be that engines had "overhead" built into them. This allows for aftermarket performance upgrades. The LSx and 2JZ are prime examples of that design philosophy. Today's engines are built to finite limits. Sadly that engine demonstrates that clearly. That engine absolutely needs forged pistons for any medium performance upgrades. Maybe VW should've had those from the factory. Looks like the bean counters won that decision.
Thanks for the video Charles - very interesting teardown!
I like your explanation. So if you have a tune car, maybe whit poor fuel and smash the throttle on to high gear and to low RPM, the result can be what we see in the video...
I agree, in combination with small turbochargers that makes alot of boost on low revs, produces alot of tq but its not good for the engine.
Hi Charles,
The electronic engine thermostats are very interesting, looking forward to how you do your video on how they work.
This video was good, a nice demonstration of what the consequences of low speed pre ignition are.
It would seem you did score an engine for a nice build, also going to be interesting.
Thanks for the content.
Kind regards,
South Africa
I'm so incredibly jealous of your shop.
I love that you kept the silliness. Awesome!
It's a bit strange, I'd would of thought it would of chewed up the bore 🤔 great channel by the way 👍
If you are going to track it, bore it to 83 mm in all 4, the IE rods you showed are it. Use mahle racing pistons. Replace all main and head fasteners with ARP stuff.
Rebuild the head with better valves, springs, keepers and deck it to the block.
I would also replace the harmonic balancer with a Fluidampr.
I have a KTM x Bow with the EA113 and just finished doing all the above. Runs awesome.
I've got about 30,000 track miles with stock parts at 350 HP by the time #4 piston ringland cracked. Now I built it for 600 HP but still run 350 HP. Mega reliable. Best of luck with your project. Love your videos!
Nice!!!!!! I’ll for sure build the engine. I’ll probably have it ready to hot swap, and run the stock engine until she blows
@@HumbleMechanic I tracked the KTM yesterday in the Autobahn in Joliet which was my home track for a long time. After all the upgrades it ran amazing!
I gave it the beans with break in oil for about 2.5 hours total. I burned 20 gallons of fuel.
I will change the oil and filter and move on for another 30k of track duty
😀
Right from you open the top I can tell the person didn’t take care of her care well lol.
Heads are burned . Cylinders look alright. I think the reason why the spring broke probably from the pressure build up maybe when driving it and not working on the engine itself.
The other day we had a bad case of one cylinder was not working it been broken for awhile, the second when just broke, there was gasoline from injectors, the water pump gasket was broken and since it was it made the car overheated. It was a headache and a rare case.
EA888s are crazy expensive to build right now. Was in the ballpark of 9k to if you include full rotating assembly, complete fuel system, gaskets and hardware, and a complete head rebuild on my 8P A3Q.
Ouch!!! That’s more than I want to spend on the car. Haha
I spent $8k 2 years ago for a shop to rebuild with IE internals. The Mahle pistons slap terribly when cold
Great video! Loved seeing the teardown. I just got a Cupra 290 and loving it so far. Am I risking this kind of failure if I do a stage 1 or 2 remap?
He said quite clearly, that LSPI happens mostly in tuned engines. And it`s true. Stay stock, just play with the intake and intercooler if you wish. Leave downpipe couse than engine has to be remapped.
Also stay with the dedicated oil with sort intervals up to 6k miles at max and you will be happy with your cupra for a long time.
@@maciekapocaliptic thanks!
I’d love to see a full engine build with adding multiport injection and a big turbo 👍🏽🙂
Amazing content as always
Glad you enjoyed it
@@HumbleMechanic the format is great and your energy and attitude when working on cars is on point.
A video comparing the Audi 2.0t vs the vw 2.0t would be nice it's already been done but with how you explain things it would be much better
They are the same thing 🤦♂️
Hes torn down another EA888 and said that the only difference is the injectors.
I had Skoda with this engine. Now I have Audi A5. What surprises me most is the fact that Audi is so much quieter and cultivated. And I don't mean inside the car. What I mean is when you open the hood the engine is super quiet.
I’m wondering if they used cheap gas in the car or wrong octane like cheap 91 when it was a 93 tune.
I've got a '16, APR Stage 2 Golf R. I take really good care of the car, it's my daily. I noticed it developed a mild vibration around 3K RPM on the highway. Thought maybe it as a wheel out of balance and continued to drive the car. About 3 weeks later, spun a bearing. Located a used block with 55K miles and it's getting rebuilt and put back in the car. It's going to set me back about 9K all in. Soooooo frustrating!
I have the exact same engine with the exact same issue and the exact same symptoms as you guessed (tuned, low speed pre-ignition). When the oil pan was removed, there was debris from a piston in it. So it’s been sitting in my garage since then. Got a new engine and I never even bothered to take it apart.
To this day I still don’t know what to do with it.
One of these days I’ll do a build video on it
Now, how cool was that?! loved it! I have an audi A3 (8V) 1.8 TFSi with EPC light on but no errors in the ECU and the car drives as it should!!! what can it be?
I have a 2017 Skoda RS that was tuned, and did exactly the same thing. Clean smashed the ring land off no 3 piston. Had a strange ping one day for half a second as i was driving, nothing more. Next day the wife took off from the traffic lights and boom, engine ruining rough. No other warnings. Just ticked over 60,000km.
I swapped the engine for 10,000km MK7 GTI engine and deleted the tune. Apparently, the Skoda EA888 had a different piston material and its not as robust as the MK7 EA888 piston.
These failures seem so common...
Such a coincidence. My Golf 7 just had a piston 1 failure just like this, last week.
71000km
Hey Charles, I have 2016 R and I've head an issue of oil seeping into the #4 cylinder spark plug well. I was hoping you can use this engine to show how to properly reseal the cam cover as a DIY, I can't find any videos or guides on this process.
This happened to my 2016 Audi A3 2.0t Quattro model.
No tune, no mods. It just blew in the same fashion.
I’d love to see you build an EA113 TFSI in depth.
Oh yeah. An EA113 could be little bit less expensive, more straightforward, and it make big power and reliability.
Another fab video Charles especially as I have the same engine in my GTI 🤞
Your 100% right with the engine that’s been literally thrown back together. Warranty don’t pay for the engine rebuild (as that’s an exchange part) so it literally gets thrown back together without care, ready to be someone else’s problem.. or in this case, your problem! 😂
HAHA YOU'RE 100% right! HAHA
@@HumbleMechanic I work for a VW main dealer so I’m first hand guilty of this 😂 I done the same thing to a 7 speed wet clutch DSG back last week 😂
When bolts are stripped like that, we call them "Apprentice marks"
Lol
Love these root cause failure analysis videos!
that shattered piston ring is more likely caused by the very tight piston ring clearance. when the engine is running stock, the temperatures are not such extreme. so volkswagen decided to make the clearances very tight. however when tuned, the piston assembly is getting hotter, and so the ring expands so much, than the ends contact each other and so they cannot expand anymore. and since they are in the bore and piston, they lock up against that cylinder wall and piston and destroy everything. so you need to put the clearances bit more loose, to make sure the rings will be allowed to expand..
This is a failure which can also happen on gas chain saws if you don't warm them up but go to 13k RPM with a cold engine
I like your way of teaching ..ur funny thats y i learn wat u teach
Fantastic video buddy! May need some advice on my kids 2002 Passat 1.8T we are both fixing up for him!
You make it! Shoot me an email I’ll do what I can for ya
Could you do a review on the e420cdi Mercedes. I’m considering buying one and I haven’t seen many videos discussing issues and maintenance costs. Great video and very in depth.
Many years ago, as an apprentice, one of our jobs was to rebuild any engines and manual gearboxes that were going back on warranty exchange, any missing parts or wrongly assembled components, and the warranty claim was rejected
Jeez! Super lame especially if they didn’t pay to reassemble
@@HumbleMechanic it was a rule from the Warranty company, but it was the best training an apprentice could get, instead of doing one engine or gearbox rebuild every few months, it was more like one a week.
Lots of manufacturers have slightly different riles regards warranty, I used to work for one in 🇬🇧 as an auditor, a certain number of job cards were selected every 3 months, if the Dealer had claimed too much time, or more parts than required, and put it through as a claim, not only that job was rejected, but a % of all the claims in the same time period.
The Manufacturers thinking was you screwed us on that job, refusing one claim, doesn't hurt much, won't stop you doing it again, but refusing 10% of the claims you made in those 3 months, might!
Absorbing! Can't stop watching. Have to watch the video on the something something electronic bloody water pumps now!
Love these videos and how well you explain everything!
Question: On these engines, to remove and reinstall the valve cover (eg. For resealing), can it be done without having to re-time the engine? There looks to be only the valve cover holding the cams down, would they spring up and/or move at the end without the chain when it’s removed, then causing issues with timing or refitting etc?
Why not showing how the cilinder wall looks after removing the piston? Was curious😊
221st thumbs up brother and awesome video and enjoyed watching and have a great week 👍👊😎
@humblemechanic great video as alway. Can you release number 1 piston from just removing the oil pump or does the secondary sump have to be removed
amazing content Charles! love the channel!
not a fan of the oil pan. Great video man
Rebuilt many an EA113 and EA888. Piston sadness always ends up in the pan.
Hi Charles. There is a guy in Greece, if you want i can give you a link and his name is Emmanouil Tatouris- AMG Specialist. He describes this catastrophic failure in the older 1,4 tsi vw scirocco. He had 2 engines with the same exactly broken pieces in the pistons. If you check more careful the bottom side of the pistons you will see that the one side is blackish and the other side looks cleaner. That is because of lack of oil flow and that makes the piston of the one side to be cold and the other side to be hot. He create a double head oil beck to eliminate the temperature difference inside the pistons. His videos are in Greek language but you can search with this words: "Γιατί τα VW Scirocco σπανε εμβολα.Η ΛΥΣΗ! Why do the pistons break in CAV 1.4VW Engines?THE SOLUTION" to find the video and watch from 12:00. You can just watch and you will understand even without knowing the language.
Interesting!!! I’ll check it out
Ok and when he talked about a lack of oil its because a low oil level or bad oil ?
@@jeanfrancoismenard705 it's because the small nozzles that spraying the back side of the pistons with oil to cool them down is not enough. This guy made a double nozzle for each piston to cool the whole piston and not only the one side like with the original one.
Yeah....a Charles video! Yeah a broken engine tear down. It's like an episode of 'I do cars'
VAG engines and DSG gearboxes great when they work but so easily break and so expenssive to repair when eventually break
I would actually like to see a track car build with a dsg. I myself would love it if you would aim more for a rally cross build.
1.9 pd tdi
Volkswagen's best modern times engine ever developed. In my opinion after having two in a space of almost 20 years all bought used.
the current 2006 passat has got 221.000 miles and pulls like a train.as long as economical. Always serviced with original mann filters and liquimolly oil.
Shame that they had the ring gap too tight
But worst of all is having a timing chain instead of a belt as they often fail between 70 to 190k Km
Every VW Audi with a chain is a ticking time bomb 😂.
I think a shorter oil change interval helps with that. Not that 10,000 mile bs. I change my Tiguan every 3,500 miles.
Great channel.Have you ever worked on 1.4 TSI EA211 engine?I have some misfire issues on mine 1.4 TSi 110KW just on idle,.Spark plugs changed!
I like your videos a lot! Every time it's a ton of information, but it's not overwhelming. I have a EA888 engine myself (Skoda Kodiaq 2017, EA888 gen 3.b). But from what I can remember, I have both direct and indirect injection. So could this occur in this type of engine? I'm planning on having this car as long as it can run and I do my maintenance very often. So would like to know what the common issues are in those engines to prevent most of it 😊
You got the b cycle engine. Similar but a bit different. I personally haven't seen or experienced any ringland failure from the B cycle. Not saying it doesn't happen. Maybe try and research it a bit?
Common issues are thermostat and pcv and well that's about it since you have the dual injection you won't have the carbon issues.
I drove late 80's and 90's vws loved the simplistic engines and design tho think id never want to own a car with that engine there
2:10 yoda voice "Buy a volswagen I must, maximum money it must consume. Okay, here we go"
Interesting video. Nice bit of carnage in there
Can't believe I gave serious consideration to buying either a VW GLI or a GTI as my next car. In the market for a new one. Thing is, I keep my cars for a very long time before replacing them. Seems not much has changed in the last 15 years. If you want long-term reliability, get a Japanese car. Usually Honda or Toyota. Glad I found your video before I made a stupid mistake.
Hey Charles. I am super excited for that water pump video. I remember reading the slide valve thermostat SSP around the time the GR Yaris came out. Somewhere I saw that Toyota had to put in a lower opening thermostat for that car to make 268hp. Meanwhile VW has to put in this ridiculous dual valve electronic doodad with seven different operating modes to make less power from more displacement. Why?!
This video was great and the idea of a future Mk7 racecar makes me very happy to be a patron. What do you think of using stock R pistons with aftermarket rods for E85 builds? I know the stock rods don't hold up too far beyond 400 ft-lbs but I'm worried about piston slap with aftermarket aluminum pistons in my daily.
Pre-ignition creates excess crown heat, causes rings to expand beyond end gap provided. Rings have nowhere to go so blow the ring lands/skirt apart.
5:40 That's not counter-threaded, it's a left hand thread!
Counter is when two threaded things are tightened towards each other to lock them in place (aka nut + lock nut).
Realy like your teaching videos also nice tear down of this engine but i love vw 1.9 and 2.0 tdi and also this 2.0 tsi they are realy economic engines
Oil was really nasty too in this engine. Of course no significant varnish and sludge buildup yet bc low miles but yeah I guess this wasn't changed every 5-6k miles...
Cool! My uncle is about to rip apart my DSG and replace the solenoids in the mechatronics unit any tips?
Have you ever encountered misfiring at cold start? It drives me crazy. Had several mechanics look and couldn't find the issue. No codes, no check engine light. When the engine is cold I can feel the car misfire between 1000 and 1500 rpm, always at the same point. Once temp is up it goes away. I have replaced spark plugs, maf sensor, O2 sensor, pcv valve, coils, chain and tensioners, had the engine resealed, injectors cleaned. It is just weird!
Usually that’s carbon on intake valves
That was my next point as I believe it has never been done. Is there any other way of cleaning without removing the intake manifold? Any miracle or spell?
Very educational! Thank you!
This video made me nervous cause I'm getting misfires and hide cylinder code on cylinder 3 on my gti I've replaced coils, plugs and ran a eqt ground wire kit, but still got the misfires when I was doing pulls the other night I guess I'll have to look into injectors next.
Hey Charles! I was wondering if maybe you could link the paint/markers you use when you do timing marks and torque marks for 90 degree turns. That purple paint you used looks nice and I'd like to get some. Thanks!
Hi Charles, i have oil in the spark plug wells of my Seat Leon ST Cupra 290. Could you show us how to seal the valve cover on the EA888 Gen.3 with as little effort as possible? Is there a way to do it with just relaxing the timing chain and leaving the camshafts in? I would be very happy if you could make a video about it. Best wishes from Germany. Cheers Frank (one of your biggest fans)
Good assessment! Are you still at Leith some of the time?
Thanks. I roll through there pretty often
Is it possible this was caused just by low octane fuel? I know several GolfR/Audi owners who just fill their tank up with regular fuel. Does the anti-knock system completely prevent detonation?
These engines are made to run on lower octane, you just don't get all the power you could be getting. It was more of an issue on the first gen.
any vw tfsi o tsi needs premium gas only otherwise well you have seen the video.
I wish he would have show us the cylinder walls after he took out that piston - you can see him inspecting it @15:11 but he doesnt show it
This is why im not going to tune - seems like risk of timing misfire increases resulting in catastrophic failure. Cars are quick enough for me with a few bolt ons, sans tune.
I love the loose plan go for it brother!👍🏼👍🏼🚀😊
Always enjoy your videos, I done even own a VW.
the factory rear main seal is expensive now you can go with a German aftermarket one they are way more affordable but people have to know that you need a new type of installation tool for these new seal compared to the older style talk a bout expensive part is the coolant regulator one the 1.8 T and 2.0 T engines they are around 900 Canadian and they fail too. and they are very hard to find in the aftermarket they seem like they are all back ordered.
Do you have a merch link can seem to find one, was on the site and even went to dap lol.
Hi Charles, any chance to make an DIY video for the camshaft/valve cover on the EA888 Gen 3 ? mine is leaking as well with the Upper Timing Cover (that last one i know is easy peasy), but the cam/valve cover i know for sure its not that straitforward... and i don't want to mess my timing
These engines are a validation of a engineering degree
If I bought you a running 2004 Golf 2.0 manual. Could you install a cam in it and tune it?
How are you enjoying the new m12 bit driver? Mine is on order
I wouldn't say you're stupid, but you do you brother 🤘