Nightmare on Willow street

[CrispyBacon]

Ok first off I have had this car less than 24 hours so a lot of info is still up in the air.

Anyway story goes; I bought this from a 64 year old repair shop owner that who had bought it from about a 40 year old friend/customer to bail him out of a financial bind. The guy knew nothing about the car so I went to check it out. the thing is clean as hell still smells brand new inside(specs below). Anyway I take a respectful test drive and all seems well, so I buy it and throw it on the trailer and take it 3 hours home.

I get it home and unload it, and hop in to take the woman for a ride. All seems well until I hop off the highway and get onto a surface street. I decide to give the loud pedal a test for the first time. 2nd gear at about 3k rpm I go maybe 3/4 throttle and it spins so I let out a little and get back on it then the thing stutters real hard (at about 4.5k) and starts a knocking/ticking sound. so I pull over and kill it. I fire it back up and the sound is gone for a moment then comes back after 15-20 seconds.

So I get the trailer (as I'm putting it on the trailer the sound gets fainter) and take it up the road to the auto parts store(well lit lot and a friend works there). I fire it up on the trailer and it sounds healthy as hell. so I let it run 3-4 minutes giving it the occasional rev and all seems fine. I am stumped on this.

also we had noticed at that time the battery is side post and not bolted down. it easily can rock back and forth and contact the valve cover(maybe related?)


CAR SPECS
2003 DSG vert 45k miles

Visible mods
steggy polished blower
2.76 pulley with big idlers
stock injectors(blue is stock right?)
radiator shroud has SCT stamped into it
canton tanks
Boost, fuel pressure, head temp, coolant temp and oil pressure(all digital) gauges

AFR gauge is in-op which is why I wasn't going to go full throttle or high in the revs

im sure there is more but I have yet to discover it all

Any advice or wisdom would be apperciated

 

[SVT_Troy]

It could buck if the battery was being intermittently disconnected. Tighten it down and give her another try. If you had a motor problem it would be making this noise and continue whenever it was running. It could also be beneficial to have the tune checked to let you know how she's running.

 

[CrispyBacon]

Yeah I'm praying the battery cause the ecu to spaz out and no damage was done.

top three priorities are correct battery, Get AFR gauge working, and get it to the dyno to check the tune

 

[SVT_Troy]

just don't do WOT pulls until you get her on the dyno. And I would make sure it was straight before you put it on the dyno as far as it bucking. Also if your car has been sitting for awhile it's probably wise to do some preventative maintenance.

1. Check/replace plugs (NGK TR6's are popular here)
2. Fuel filter
3. Engine, tranny, diff fluids
4. Flush/replace engine coolant
4. make sure your intercooler is working (allow your car to get up to temps and look at the I'C reservoir and make sure it circulating coolant)

#1&2 could easily cause your issues as well.


Unless a previous owner is a real enthusiasts and keeps extensive records, I normally re-do all servicing as a baseline when I buy vehicles..... especially a performance car. It may be somewhat of a waste but it keeps me happy.

 

[CrispyBacon]

As far as #4 goes the IC tank was a little foamy after it had been run not sure what that means

The knocking/tapping sounded rather catastrophic by the way, I find it odd it went away

 

[big dad]

As far as the ticking noise coming and going, check the cooling fan for being broke. Or turn on the AC and see if the noise starts.

 

[CrispyBacon]

As far as the ticking noise coming and going, check the cooling fan for being broke. Or turn on the AC and see if the noise starts.

not a bad idea I will check but it was an internal sound I believe

 

[CrispyBacon]

Because pics or it didn't happen

[/URL]

 

[big dad]

not a bad idea I will check but it was an internal sound I believe

That's what I thought when mine broke.

 

[CrispyBacon]

That's what I thought when mine broke.

fingers crossed

 

[CrispyBacon]

UPDATE:

Drove it to work today and it overheated but made no odd noises. ugh I'm glad I got this thing cheap

 

[mach1033]

First thing first. Get it to a reputable tuner. You bought a modded car without knowing the full history. If you have a stock MAF along with stock injectors/fuel pumps they could be very much pegged. Your spark plugs could be gapped incorrectly. Your gonna need a handheld tuner before you bring it to a tuner. Yes owning a supercharged car is high maintenance ;-)

 

[BLU3VN0M]

UPDATE:

Drove it to work today and it overheated but made no odd noises. ugh I'm glad I got this thing cheap

The fact that it overheated leads me to believe it is the fan as previously mentioned. When the fan goes out it can make some absolutely terrible noises that sound internal, i've seen it first hand and thought the worst. Turn the AC on full blast and check to see if the fan comes on, also check to see if any of the fan blades are broken or cracked. Was it spewing coolant out of the cap? If it's not the fan you may have blown a head gasket, of course you could have an air bubble in the system, but the circumstances behind your situation makes me suspicious of the fan.

 

[lloyd393]

I had one of the power cables rub on a belt through the insulation and ground out, which was just like you described, but as it would also compleatly kill the car sometimes. Also, are those some True Forged wheels you have on there?

 

[oldmodman]

I agree with both points.

1)Check the fan.

2)Love the wheels

 

[CrispyBacon]

SSR wheels, GT03 I guess, I didn't realize they were pricey until someone pointed them out.

Car is now at Dynosport in Lincoln NE. I'm just leaving it all in Dans hands, I've heard nothing but good things about the guy

ALSO, car has stock injectors and no boostapump, and im betting stock maf. all on a ported blower with 2.76 upper and 4 pound lower. good recipe to cook an engine

 

[T-Pain808]

I swear, i seen that car on this site before, but I could be wrong.
Maybe someone will chime. Hope it works out.

 

[CrispyBacon]

Well got a decent fuel system in it and stuck it on the dyno. Of course it started knocking again. So we pulled plugs and #8 is smashed. A bore scope revealed a good amount of damage. I'm just gonna order an AER reman.

Question now is what should I do while the engine is out of the thing. Clutch I assume but what else is a good idea?

 

[snakeraper11b]

Well got a decent fuel system in it and stuck it on the dyno. Of course it started knocking again. So we pulled plugs and #8 is smashed. A bore scope revealed a good amount of damage. I'm just gonna order an AER reman.

Question now is what should I do while the engine is out of the thing. Clutch I assume but what else is a good idea?

That sucks. You got hosed good. I guarantee the shop knew it had issues.

To answer your question about things to do while the engine is out: 26 spline input and billet throwout bearing retainer would be a must. If you're doing the clutch, it's always good to put in a new pilot bearing and FRPP throwout bearing.

 

[CrispyBacon]

Any recommendations on a supplier for the trans parts?