A2 Project MMII

[esayem]

Introduction:

Hi all,

I’m starting a thread here to document progress in restoring and upgrading my first A2, the details of which are as follows:

Engine	1.4 Petrol (BBY)
Year of manufacture	2002 (hence the project name)
Mileage at purchase	71,000
Colour	Cobalt Blue (LZ5Q)
Spec	SE

Some photos were included on my general introduction post , but here are some extras.

I’ve been on the lookout for an A2 for a little while to replace my previous car (BMW 330Ci), and whilst I would ideally like to have to pick up a TDI model, I opted for the 1.4 petrol unit as it better suits my current driving needs - mostly short inner-city journeys and low overall annual mileage. I purchased the car for £850 (which I think was a bargain), however there are a number of issues that will need resolving, these include (in order of priority):

• The car came with very limited history, and no evidence of a cambelt or water pump change.
• The car is due a full service.
• There is an intermittent engine misfire/cut-out problem.
• The driver’s door doesn’t unlock with the key fob - it does lock with the key fob and unlock with a key turn.
• The temperature gauge drifts up and down between 60 and 90.
• The petrol filler cap doesn’t open – can open it manually by pushing on the release mechanism.
• The car still appears to have the original battery fitted.
• Both of the front door checks have failed.
• The headlights are heavily oxidised.
• There is a small crack in the passenger side taillight.
• General exterior wear (dull paintwork, scratched trim, damaged alloys).
• General interior wear (broken cup holder, broken ashtray, worn switches, etc.).

In addition to these issues (and any others that will inevitably appear) I intend to address the other common A2 failure points mentioned on the forums, and potentially upgrade the car with some OEM options in the future. I wanted to say a big thank you for the warm welcome and advice on my thread in the ‘introduction section’ - any and all feedback is welcomed!

Thanks for reading,
Sam

 

[esayem]

Update 1: Vehicle History and Information

Hi all,

Before I begin the process of restoring my A2 I wanted to document the small amount of history I have available. The car has seen 9 keepers before me, and didn’t come with the original service book (I assume it was lost in one of the many ownership transfers). It did however come with a duplicate service book containing one service stamp - 57,691 miles at a VW Audi dealership.

Combining this information with the MOT history and a generic vehicle information search I’ve managed to put together a mileage and ownership timeline, and get a rough idea of some of the basic maintenance/ repair work that’s been carried out.

In addition to this I used the Erwin Audi website (thanks to @herx for the suggestion) to confirm my paint code and options.

Description	A2 1.4 I455 M5S
Production date	04.05.2002
Exterior paint code	LZ5Q cobalt blue metallic
Interior description	black/black-black/black/light grey
Spec	SE pack

With no history of any cambelt or water pump change these items are top of my to do list. I inspected the belts today and the teeth appear to be showing signs of wear - I assume they’re the original parts.

On this topic - I checked the battery and believe it is also the original, although any confirmation of this would be helpful. Is there any reason to pre-emptively change it if this is the case, given that it’s holding charge okay?

Up next is servicing the car, deep cleaning it, and getting the cambelt and water pump changed ASAP.

Thanks for reading,
Sam

 

[Proghound]

The original battery would have shown an 8Z0 part number. That one shows 000 - possibly an OEM dealer replacement with generic VAG stock? Anyway, it's not knocking on 20 years old but it might still be old enough to surprise you. Glad that all seems to be OK for now but keep an eye on its state of charge and ability to retain it.

 

[esayem]

The original battery would have shown an 8Z0 part number. That one shows 000 - possibly an OEM dealer replacement with generic VAG stock? Anyway, it's not knocking on 20 years old but it might still be old enough to surprise you. Glad that all seems to be OK for now but keep an eye on its state of charge and ability to retain it.

Perfect, thanks for letting me know!

 

[Andrew]

If you clean up the top of the battery earth terminal you should find its week number and year of manufacture.

Andy

 

[esayem]

If you clean up the top of the battery earth terminal you should find its week number and year of manufacture.

Andy

Thanks Andy - I’ll check this.

 

[depronman]

I can sort you out with refurbished check straps for the doors

 

[esayem]

I can sort you out with refurbished check straps for the doors

Thanks! I’ll message you to buy some when I get to sorting them.

 

[birtyA2]

Hi

Don’t leave the check straps too long, they can do a lot of damage as I found out!!

Post in thread 'Today I.....'
https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/today-i.28729/post-483114

 

[Howey]

Those belts look quite recent to me but it's hard to ever really tell, I would say it's always best safe not sorry mind

 

[esayem]

Hi

Don’t leave the check straps too long, they can do a lot of damage as I found out!!

Post in thread 'Today I.....'
https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/today-i.28729/post-483114

Thanks for letting me know! I'll take a look at them soon.

 

[esayem]

Those belts look quite recent to me but it's hard to ever really tell, I would say it's always best safe not sorry mind

Yeah definitely best to be safe! I'm assuming the numbers on the belt can't be used to date it and figure out when they were last changed?

 

[Andrew]

Yeah definitely best to be safe! I'm assuming the numbers on the belt can't be used to date it and figure out when they were last changed?

You often see the belt change date and mileage on top of the cam belt cover, but I suppose you would have noticed that.

Andy

 

[esayem]

You often see the belt change date and mileage on top of the cam belt cover, but I suppose you would have noticed that.

Andy

Unfortunately no sign of this on my A2.

 

[Howey]

Was told recently dayco date mark there belts to the fine detail of the day in the week they were made but not seen myself yet

 

[esayem]

Update 2: Full Service and Misfire Issue

Hi all,

I started work on my A2 this week performing a full service of the engine.

Item	Audi part code	Part installed
Engine oil	VW 502.00 (spec)	Castrol Edge 0W-40 4 L (only 3.5 L used)
Engine oil filter	030 115 561 AN	Mann W712/52
Sump plug	N 90813202	Generic plug and washer
Air filter	8Z0 129 620	Bosch 1457433538
Pollen filter	6Q0 820 367 B	Mahle LAK120
Spark plugs	101 000 033 AA	NGK BKUR6ET10

As mentioned in the first post on this thread, the car has been having an intermittent misfire/ engine cut out issue, similar to what was described in this thread. Initially I suspected the misfire issue to be related to the ignition coils (this was mentioned in the related thread, and I’ve had similar problems with these on other VAG engines of the same era) and so decided to inspect them prior to the service; I found a combination of two original and two replaced parts, none of which were in great shape, and so I decided to replace all four with new Bosch ignition coils whilst carrying out the service.

Item	Audi part code	Part installed
Ignition coil	036 905 715 E	Bosch 0986221023

This appears to have completely resolved the misfire issue for now, although I will continue to monitor and update accordingly. I still plan on having the car scanned to make sure there aren’t any other underlying faults that may have contributed to this issue.

Finally, I replaced the front windscreen wiper blade as the old one was no longer working effectively (and was an advisory on the last MOT).

Item	Audi part code	Part installed
Front windscreen wiper blade (non aero)	8Z1 955 425 C	Bosch commercial N70

Thanks for reading,
Sam

 

[esayem]

Update 3: Timing Belt, Water Pump, and Deep Clean

Hi all,

This week has been productive (and expensive) with respect to the A2. On Monday I took the car in to have an OEM timing belt kit and water pump fitted at Vasstech Garage Services (VAG specialist) in Knaresborough. After doing some research I decided this job was more than I wanted to take on as a DIY project, and that having the timing belt done professionally would add more value to the car than I would save by doing it myself.

Item	Audi part code	Part installed
Timing belt kit	036 198 119 C	036 198 119 C
Idler roller	031 109 244 D	031 109 244 D
Water pump	034 121 008 M	034 121 008 M

It was very straightforward getting the car booked in with Vasstech - I dropped the car off at 09:00 and collected it again just before 14:00. While I was there I got a quote to get the gearbox oil changed (around £100), but decided I could do this myself at a later date reasonably easily - please correct me if I'm wrong!

I’ve also recently finished giving the car a deep overall clean. Starting with the interior, which received the most intensive treatment:

• All seats and (easy to remove) trim pieces taken out of the car.
• Seats cleaned with upholstery cleaner and a wet-extractor vacuum.
• Trim pieces deep cleaned.
• Headliner spot cleaned (to avoid getting it overly wet and causing sagging).
• Interior surfaces deep cleaned.
• Interior carpets cleaned with carpet cleaner and a wet-extractor vacuum.
• Floor mats pressure washed.

Following this I gave the engine bay a once over - I didn’t go crazy with this and wanted to avoid getting it soaked, and just removed the obvious grime to make things easier to work on and spot any potential issues.

Finally I gave the exterior a clean to see what sort of state the paintwork was in - in the near future I’m planning a deep exterior clean, compound, polish, and protection to get the cobalt blue paintwork shining again. I’ll also sort the headlights and faded trim pieces at the same time.

Thanks for reading,
Sam

 

[esayem]

Update 4: Coolant Temperature Sensor

Hi all,

Just a small update today. As mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, the temperature gauge in my A2 was drifting between 60 and 90 sporadically. After doing some research into this common fault I decided to fit a new G62 coolant temperature sensor, which appears to have resolved the issue entirely. I’m also still in the process of sorting out VCDS to give the car a full scan.

The new G62 sensor was easy enough to fit - it’s a little awkward to get the leverage to safely remove the electrical connector without causing any damage, but with a bit of patience it does slide off. The Audi repair manual suggests to quickly remove and replace the sensor to avoid coolant loss, but even the few seconds where there is no sensor in place is enough time for a significant amount of coolant to leak out. I’d recommend removing the under tray and placing a bucket under the sensor to avoid making a mess.

Item	Audi part code	Part installed
G62 coolant temperature	059 919 501 A	Meyle 059919501A
O-ring	032 121 142	032 121 142
Retainer clip	N 90316801	N 90316801

On an unrelated note I found this sign the other day and couldn’t resist taking a photo.

Thanks for reading,
Sam

 

[PlasticMac]

Would coolant loss be minimised, if the cap on the reservoir was sealed? Thinking no air in, no coolant out.
Works in my central heating system ...
Mac.

 

[esayem]

Would coolant loss be minimised, if the cap on the reservoir was sealed? Thinking no air in, no coolant out.
Works in my central heating system ...
Mac.

I was hoping the same thing - I left the reservoir cap in place but coolant still came out very quickly. I think the position of the sensor within the system means spillage is unfortunately inevitable.