What are the best plugs in my condition?

[Freddy24]

I recently purchased vag com. Finally came to count my miss fires to find a high number in each cylinder. The car is not running very well too. I am running 22psi stage 2 by gonzo, CAI, FMIC, cat back borla. Currently have E3 spark plugs which cannot be gaped i believe. What plugs do you guys run at stage 2? And what do you gap them to? Thanks

[Big_Tom]

gonzo tune not running correctly eh? you think it's the plugs you say?

you could always read the FAQ in this forum the plug topic is covered

[thefrese]

At 20psi I had a huge number of misfires on stock plugs and coils. Get a set of copper NGK BKR7E's. Like 8 bucks a set at autozone. I've always heard that it's best to run copper plugs in turbocharged applications, because non-copper plugs breaking can cause a lot of damage to your engine/turbo while copper plugs will just melt if they break. A lot of times tunes cause failing coil packs to give up as well.

[Freddy24]

gonzo tune not running correctly eh? you think it's the plugs you say?

you could always read the FAQ in this forum the plug topic is covered

Out of jokes i have came to a realization that its honestly the tune. I am not the only one with problems with gonzo, specially with the fact that i got his tune when he just came out

[thefrese]

Out of jokes i have came to a realization that its honestly the tune. I am not the only one with problems with gonzo, specially with the fact that i got his tune when he just came out

What makes you think that? And what do you mean when you say the car isn't running very well? Rough idle? Problems holding boost? Misfires under boost?

You're running spark plugs that are not ideal for 1.8t's, and you could have failing coilpacks. Your MAF could be going, or your upstream o2 sensor. You might have a boost or exhaust leak. Did you pull any codes, or log fueling or anything with VAG-COM? It's much more likely that you have a hardware problem.

[Big_Tom]

What makes you think that? And what do you mean when you say the car isn't running very well? Rough idle? Problems holding boost? Misfires under boost?

You're running spark plugs that are not ideal for 1.8t's, and you could have failing coilpacks. Your MAF could be going, or your upstream o2 sensor. You might have a boost or exhaust leak. Did you pull any codes, or log fueling or anything with VAG-COM? It's much more likely that you have a hardware problem.

LOL, another blame it on the hardware guy. who says he has not checked any if all these things? also, this prob isn't the 1st set of plugs he's tried. but since he asked about the plugs, let just stay there for now

Out of jokes i have came to a realization that its honestly the tune. I am not the only one with problems with gonzo, specially with the fact that i got his tune when he just came out

OP, look into a set of bkr7e @ .028" gap if you have not tried that already and test for boost leaks. if that fails to solve ur prob i'd look into some real software

[thefrese]

LOL, another blame it on the hardware guy. who says he has not checked any if all these things? also, this prob isn't the 1st set of plugs he's tried. but since he asked about the plugs, let just stay there for now




OP, look into a set of bkr7e @ .028" gap if you have not tried that already and test for boost leaks. if that fails to solve ur prob i'd look into some real software

I wasn't saying it definitely wasn't software. I was trying to get more information than "it isnt running very well".

[Freddy24]

Yes about 25 misfires in 3 cylinders when in boost. I am running e3s. Butying bkr7es now. Will post results. And i appoligize. I am just a begginer :p

[Marcus_Aurelius]

How can anyone with logic blame software for the way a car with 25 counts of misfire while in boost is running????

OP, fix the eye-poking problem and all other mechanical issues then you can talk about software. I have helped countess TT owners with their "weird" issues that seems to plague most 1.8t cars. In all honesty, 99% of them had hardware or mechanical issues. The cluster f*** over engineered vacuum system, failing electronics and unhealthy sensors are usually to blame and software upgrades only magnify underlying problems.

Tom, it is becoming obvious that you're carrying a personal vendetta against anything with the name Gonzo, regardless of it having anything to do with the problem. It's seriously getting old and you need to let it go, I don't think you'll be in the market for any of his products ever, so put the bashing campaign to rest because it's tasteless. I'll admit, I have been hard on him in the past (we all ride the new kid on the block, but as mature adults move on overtime), and mostly because he kind of stepped away from engaging in debated tech topics (I don't blame him when he's constantly walking on egg shells).

We are all part of community that has been long abandonned by the names that are constantly praised (especially in terms of software). When there is someone bringing options and making an attempt to have innovative features added to his offerings, there should be a certain level of respect. IMO, the APR, Revo, and Unitronics should be the ones to bash because they made it clear that they could care less about us.

To give you an example, I have a generic "stage tune" from one of these "reputable companies" and to be truthful I'm not particularly impressed or care about it. With my own resources, I took over boost control mechanically, and fueling and timing via open adaptation channels (works pretty well considering my fuel, boost and timing requirements). However I needed more (we always do), I desperately needed some form of launch control and also get rid of the frustrating throttle cut with brake overlap. Well, none of the so called big names could help me (believe me they were all contacted by their own dealers requesting the favor on my behalf). Guess who came to the rescue and delivered? Gonzo Tuning! In 30 minutes, while sitting in the comfort of my garage, my file was read, modified, flashed and operational. All this, done remotely and using my VCDS cable. I know at this point, you're probably saying "cool story bro" because it's a success story with Gonzo associated to it. However, chatting with the guy revealed that he has enough understanding of the ME7 logic to come up with a sound strategy for fueling and boost control (if you don't know, these two are the real challenge in tuning our Bosh ECU and anyone with a brain can raise preset limits and optimize timing). I have a few things in mind in the future for my car, which I will probably take care of personally with open sourced tools like WinOls and NefMoto; but guess who will be my choice if I ever feel lazy or short on time to play with things: Gonzo Tuning.

To end my rant, I learned to let go and gave the guy a fair chance to prove his worth. I'm not saying you should be calling Gonzo for help, but at least be mature enough to give the next guy a fair chance of making his own decision without having you, negatively attached to every thread with the word Gonzo. BTW Tom, I still have nothing but love for you but I'm the kind that will tell you what everyone else is thinking. Here is a few of your favorites

[Big_Tom]

How can anyone with logic blame software for the way a car with 25 counts of misfire while in boost is running????

OP, fix the eye-poking problem and all other mechanical issues then you can talk about software. I have helped countess TT owners with their "weird" issues that seems to plague most 1.8t cars. In all honesty, 99% of them had hardware or mechanical issues. The cluster f*** over engineered vacuum system, failing electronics and unhealthy sensors are usually to blame and software upgrades only magnify underlying problems.

Tom, it is becoming obvious that you're carrying a personal vendetta against anything with the name Gonzo, regardless of it having anything to do with the problem. It's seriously getting old and you need to let it go, I don't think you'll be in the market for any of his products ever, so put the bashing campaign to rest because it's tasteless. I'll admit, I have been hard on him in the past (we all ride the new kid on the block, but as mature adults move on overtime), and mostly because he kind of stepped away from engaging in debated tech topics (I don't blame him when he's constantly walking on egg shells).

We are all part of community that has been long abandonned by the names that are constantly praised (especially in terms of software). When there is someone bringing options and making an attempt to have innovative features added to his offerings, there should be a certain level of respect. IMO, the APR, Revo, and Unitronics should be the ones to bash because they made it clear that they could care less about us.

To give you an example, I have a generic "stage tune" from one of these "reputable companies" and to be truthful I'm not particularly impressed or care about it. With my own resources, I took over boost control mechanically, and fueling and timing via open adaptation channels (works pretty well considering my fuel, boost and timing requirements). However I needed more (we always do), I desperately needed some form of launch control and also get rid of the frustrating throttle cut with brake overlap. Well, none of the so called big names could help me (believe me they were all contacted by their own dealers requesting the favor on my behalf). Guess who came to the rescue and delivered? Gonzo Tuning! In 30 minutes, while sitting in the comfort of my garage, my file was read, modified, flashed and operational. All this, done remotely and using my VCDS cable. I know at this point, you're probably saying "cool story bro" because it's a success story with Gonzo associated to it. However, chatting with the guy revealed that he has enough understanding of the ME7 logic to come up with a sound strategy for fueling and boost control (if you don't know, these two are the real challenge in tuning our Bosh ECU and anyone with a brain can raise preset limits and optimize timing). I have a few things in mind in the future for my car, which I will probably take care of personally with open sourced tools like WinOls and NefMoto; but guess who will be my choice if I ever feel lazy or short on time to play with things: Gonzo Tuning.

To end my rant, I learned to let go and gave the guy a fair chance to prove his worth. I'm not saying you should be calling Gonzo for help, but at least be mature enough to give the next guy a fair chance of making his own decision without having you, negatively attached to every thread with the word Gonzo. BTW Tom, I still have nothing but love for you but I'm the kind that will tell you what everyone else is thinking. Here is a few of your favorites

I did no real serious gonzo bashing here also i did offer the obvious help of getting the correct plugs w/ gap and checking for boost leaks. so because i said get some "real" software after doing those things you say thats bashing. i say gonzo anything and you boys get mad. meh, you get over it you can go buy gonzo tunes if you want it's a free country pal

[Freddy24]

Thanks for the story now anyways. I replaced the plugs with some ngk's and the car is misfiring under boost. However not a single misfire is detected when im driving in vaccum

[Big_Tom]

Thanks for the story now anyways. I replaced the plugs with some ngk's and the car is misfiring under boost. However not a single misfire is detected when im driving in vaccum

hope u get it worked out freddy

[jbutlertelecom]

Thanks for the story now anyways. I replaced the plugs with some ngk's and the car is misfiring under boost. However not a single misfire is detected when im driving in vaccum

Most coil failures will appear under boost. Make sure you don't have any boost leaks or vacuum leaks.
4 things can cause misfiring: Coil, Plugs, fueling issues and leaks (vacuum or boost).

[Marcus_Aurelius]

Thanks for the story now anyways. I replaced the plugs with some ngk's and the car is misfiring under boost. However not a single misfire is detected when im driving in vaccum

Have you confirmed the coils health? You said that 3 cylinders are misfiring, how about swapping one of the misfiring coilpacks with the one in the cylinder without misfire to see if the misfire moves with the coil.

To properly diagnose this, you'd also need to investigate your coilpack harness as it is not unusual for them to fail as well with age and the heat from the turbo.


This is what my coilpack harness looked like at 68k and it's not an anomaly

[Twopnt016v]

You should do what Max is suggesting and move the non misfiring cylinder coil pack to a different cylinder and see if the misfire goes away. Check the coil pack harness also and you can't go wrong pressure testing the system for leaks as well...if you've never done this before then you probably will find a few leaks. If your riding on some old coils you may just need new coils.

Here is a way to pressure test for leaks...
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2692757

If you have no access to a air compressor to check for leaks we can guide you thru that as well...

[Freddy24]

thank you all for the responses. the problems were the plugs. the car was still running pretty bad with the new plugs. but after a good 20 minute drive the motor started running smooth. car has 1 misfire maybe in 3 hours drive now. however, also thanks for telling me about the coil pack wiring. mine look pretty bad as well. :/ any good sources to get replacements?

[thefrese]

http://www.ecstuning.com/ES7679/

Put something heat resistant around it

[Twopnt016v]

There is also a good DIY on coil pack harness replacement.

[Marcus_Aurelius]

thank you all for the responses. the problems were the plugs. the car was still running pretty bad with the new plugs. but after a good 20 minute drive the motor started running smooth. car has 1 misfire maybe in 3 hours drive now. however, also thanks for telling me about the coil pack wiring. mine look pretty bad as well. :/ any good sources to get replacements?

Glad you got your car running better!

like I said, 99% of the time it's going to be something mechanical causing weird operation... but I'm sure the anti-Gonzo gestapo has a different opinion

[Twopnt016v]

I'm sure the anti-Gonzo gestapo has a different opinion

Gonzo takes a ton of sh_t and maybe deserves some however one time I was having problems with a file and Gonzo came out of no where and offered to alter the file and help out free of charge. You can't hate on that.

[Big_Tom]

Glad you got your car running better!

like I said, 99% of the time it's going to be something mechanical causing weird operation... but I'm sure the anti-Gonzo gestapo has a different opinion

all jokes aside... be clear, i did point him in the right direction with the FAQ before any of you. and then later just spoon fed the plug info to him and that solved him problem according to what he said. don't over look that... now about this gonzo tune $hit, i couldn't give less a fukc about what gonzo is doing at his "shop", behind the scenes, whatever u wanna call it. the only things i am interested in are dyno figures. i still have not seen anyone other than dmvdub post a dyno

Thats absurd considering the number of customers he's had... what's even more absurd that he himself has not posted one by now a lot of you are way too easy to please I look forward to seeing 2600whp gonzo tuning racecars running 3's in the 1/4


Freddy since ur car runs great now are you up for it? that's all i'm going to say

[BoostedGLS0218]

all jokes aside... be clear, i did point him in the right direction with the FAQ before any of you. and then later just spoon fed the plug info to him and that solved him problem according to what he said. don't over look that... now about this gonzo tune $hit, i couldn't give less a fukc about what gonzo is doing at his "shop", behind the scenes, whatever u wanna call it. the only things i am interested in are dyno figures. i still have not seen anyone other than dmvdub post a dyno

Thats absurd considering the number of customers he's had... what's even more absurd that he himself has not posted one by now a lot of you are way too easy to please I look forward to seeing 2600whp gonzo tuning racecars running 3's in the 1/4


Freddy since ur car runs great now are you up for it? that's all i'm going to say

I'd be happy to have my car put on a dyno if someone would be willing to pay up the cash for it for me. I have no interest in doing a dyno on my car just to do it on my buck.

But I regress. If anyone wants to see what his 2+ tune is doing with a 3"TBE CAI 4bar fpr and 2.0t coils and the stock IC. By all means send me a pm and well make it happen somehow.

[Big_Tom]

I'd be happy to have my car put on a dyno if someone would be willing to pay up the cash for it for me. I have no interest in doing a dyno on my car just to do it on my buck.

But I regress. If anyone wants to see what his 2+ tune is doing with a 3"TBE CAI 4bar fpr and 2.0t coils and the stock IC. By all means send me a pm and well make it happen somehow.

$50 or $60 is not that much money. be real now, if you can afford to buy all that stuff for your car you should be able to afford 1 dyno. if you don't care about knowing if the things you pay for are worthwhile, that's another story no harm no foul

[Freddy24]

The problem came back.... Im replacing the wires in a week. With that, plugs, wires, an coils will be done. Vag scan always gives bank 1 lean. I will post a scan asap.

[Gonzo@GonzoTuning]

Vag scan always gives bank 1 lean.

Well what does that tell you?

You need to take logs. Your fuel pump might be taking a dump.

[steve-o 16v GLI]

$50 or $60 is not that much money. be real now, if you can afford to buy all that stuff for your car you should be able to afford 1 dyno. if you don't care about knowing if the things you pay for are worthwhile, that's another story no harm no foul

Maybe he just has nothing to prove to the nay sayers. If hes happy with the performance thats all that matters. Not everyone has to dyno there car to make sure its making exactly what the hp claims of the software are. If your saying "$50 to 60 bucks is not much money to you" then send him $60 bucks and you can finally discredit everything gonzo does and end your crusade against him. Come on tom you are a real asset to this forum! But everyone here already knows your feelings about gonzo tuning. Just let it go man.

To the op Id agree to get the coil harness looked at. Mine was like the one pictured earlier. Maybe even worse. And I was only at 99k. I didnt have any noticable problems though other than my idle dipped occassionally. I was lucky I guess. But even just re wrapping the old harness as I did since I needed the car running asap, that made it go away completely.

This happens a lot once someone gets a tune. Parts get stressed more and the weak points in your car start to show. It sucks! I know its nice to get everything done at once but Im the kinda guy I like to do mods one at a time to eliminate more variables with troubleshooting and in this case to see what really was the problem. Its possible if the harness is a mess that it damaged the coilpacks also. and GL to you.

[steve-o 16v GLI]

$50 or $60 is not that much money. be real now, if you can afford to buy all that stuff for your car you should be able to afford 1 dyno. if you don't care about knowing if the things you pay for are worthwhile, that's another story no harm no foul

Maybe he just has nothing to prove to the nay sayers. If hes happy with the performance thats all that matters. Not everyone has to dyno there car to make sure its making exactly what the hp claims of the software are. If your saying "$50 to 60 bucks is not much money to you" then send him $60 bucks and you can finally discredit everything gonzo does and end your crusade against him. Come on tom you are a real asset to this forum! But everyone here already knows your feelings about gonzo tuning. Just let it go man.

To the op Id agree to get the coil harness looked at. Mine was like the one pictured earlier. Maybe even worse. And I was only at 99k. I didnt have any noticable problems though other than my idle dipped occassionally. I was lucky I guess. But even just re wrapping the old harness as I did since I needed the car running asap, that made it go away completely.

This happens a lot once someone gets a tune. Parts get stressed more and the weak points in your car start to show. It sucks! I know its nice to get everything done at once but Im the kinda guy I like to do mods one at a time to eliminate more variables with troubleshooting and in this case to see what really was the problem. Its possible if the harness is a mess that it damaged the coilpacks also. and GL to you.

[Big_Tom]

Maybe he just has nothing to prove to the nay sayers. If hes happy with the performance thats all that matters. Not everyone has to dyno there car to make sure its making exactly what the hp claims of the software are. If your saying "$50 to 60 bucks is not much money to you" then send him $60 bucks and you can finally discredit everything gonzo does and end your crusade against him. Come on tom you are a real asset to this forum! But everyone here already knows your feelings about gonzo tuning. Just let it go man.

1)LOL @ nothing to prove... thats a lame excuse if i ever heard one.
2) I'm not sending out any of my money for this foolishness.
3) LOL @ Crusade.
4) OP, good luck getting your car running correctly...

[Freddy24]

Well what does that tell you?

You need to take logs. Your fuel pump might be taking a dump.

I took logs. How do i share them with you?

[Gonzo@GonzoTuning]

I took logs. How do i share them with you?

Upload to Google Docs (or Drive, rather) and post the link here.

Also what does your fuel trims read?

[Freddy24]

Upload to Google Docs (or Drive, rather) and post the link here.

Also what does your fuel trims read?

the logs come out as Excel. can i e-mail them to you? and have you post them up here if you'd like? I'm having a hard time copying from excel to docs.

Here's the case re explained.

So i fry my ecu, as i had a naked O2 wire touch the exhaust. i changed both O2s, bought a ECU off vortex and got your stage 2 tune. since than, car goes on Limp mode. not sure soft or hard but i cannot pass 5 psi. i purchased vag com and decided to see what's wrong. when i clear the codes, as soon as my boost gauge passes that 0 line and goes into boost the car starts miss firing like crazy. i can drive without a single misfire in vacuum. after about 50 miles, the car goes back into limp mode at 5 psi. and everythings fine again. i took logs & ran blocks 014 015 and 016. it shoes the engine load, & misfires i believe. if you'd like other blocks ran please let me know. thanks.

Also,
Plugs are NGK BKR7E's at 0.28
coils are brand new from the dealer.
93 octane in the gas.
CAI
Cat back straight pipe into a borla muffler.
FMIC
car is a 5spd manual.

[groggory]

Go let your car sit at idle while fully warmed up. Post up a log of blocks 1/31/32

Once you're done logging, do a select all, copy, paste into a google doc. Post the link

[Gonzo@GonzoTuning]

Go let your car sit at idle while fully warmed up. Post up a log of blocks 1/31/32

Once you're done logging, do a select all, copy, paste into a google doc. Post the link

Freddy24, do this first. I think your fuel trims may be out of wack. Do you get any codes once you hit limp mode?

Alternatively I can offer you a complimentary reflash free of charge and bump you up to the latest revision of the Stage 2 file, but I honestly doubt that would help you much.

[Freddy24]

Freddy24, do this first. I think your fuel trims may be out of wack. Do you get any codes once you hit limp mode?

Alternatively I can offer you a complimentary reflash free of charge and bump you up to the latest revision of the Stage 2 file, but I honestly doubt that would help you much.

Saturday,22,September,2012,20:41:08:13248
VCDS Version: Release 11.11.4 (x64)
Data version: 20120807
CnM Diagnostics



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Address 01: Engine Labels: 06A-906-032-AWP.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 06A 906 032 SK
Component and/or Version: 1.8T S2V1.8 G 0001
Software Coding: 07500
Work Shop Code: WSC 07208
Additional Info: 9BWDE61J034012522 VWZ7Z0B5358654
VCID: 79F955AD63EA92D066B
5 Faults Found:

16955 - Brake Switch (F)
P0571 - 35-00 - Implausible Signal
16684 - Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected
P0300 - 35-10 - - Intermittent
16685 - Cylinder 1
P0301 - 35-10 - Misfire Detected - Intermittent
16687 - Cylinder 3
P0303 - 35-10 - Misfire Detected - Intermittent
17536 - Fuel Trim; Bank 1 (Mult)
P1128 - 35-00 - System too Lean

Readiness: 0000 1001


i will post 1/31/32 in a sec

[Freddy24]

Go let your car sit at idle while fully warmed up. Post up a log of blocks 1/31/32

Once you're done logging, do a select all, copy, paste into a google doc. Post the link

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B4z...Ec1YW9reDd2Mlk