Audi TT Mk1 3.2 V6 - How to check the Timing Chains on Audi TT

#Audittmk1 #andycharger
How to check the timing chain on Audi TT
Checking your timing chains on an Audi TT Mk1 3.2 V6 is essential if you have recently purchased your car. If your chain has stretched, you could end up in a lot of trouble if you do not get it replaced. The repair bill for changing chains is approaching £2000 and the cost of a new engine about the same. So make sure you check the timing chain for stretch.
You could also use this for reading the chain on a VR6.
Did you know you can monitor your chain stretch using OBDII or VCDS?
It is essential that you read the timing chain for stretch.
Well you can and its easy enough to do at home.
Plug in a bluetooth dongle to your OBD port under the dashboard and using an app on your phone, you can check the readouts against recommended tolerances.
I will list the tolerances below and they appear in my video also.
I had a couple of abnormal readings that need investigating which I hope some of you will be able to provide more info on in the comments.
Thanks to Chris at CarChris for reading the chains for me. Check ouf his KZbin channel at: / carchris
So, heres the settings:
Software we used: OBDEleven
www.obdeleven.com
Bring engine up to temperature by giving it a good run.
Idle should be around 680rpm.
OBDII and VCDS
Read blocks 90, 91, 208 and 209
BLOCK 90 (Exhaust Bank)
Duty Cycle: 15.3%
Adjustment actual (within 0.5 degrees of zero KW)
BLOCK 91 (Inlet Bank)
Duty Cycle: 15.3%
Adjustment actual (within 0.5 degrees of 22 KW)
BLOCK 208 (Inlet Bank)
Phase Position Camshaft (Between 113 and 129 KW)
Offset (between -/+8 or zero KW)
BLOCK 209 (Exhaust Bank)
Phase Position Camshaft (Between 113 and 129 KW)
Offset (between -/+8 or zero KW)
Any questions, advice or suggestions, please leave me a comment.
Thanks for watching and dont forget to subscribe!

[@CarChris82]

great vid mate and it was a pleasure having a look at your lovely v6 and talking about the Audi tt but would be good to know about the phase position reading I believe its something to do with the vvt . I don't think it is anything to worry about as the main things were well within tolerance.

[@andycharger]

Thanks mate! I really appreciated all the help you gave me on that. We need to get a date in the diary to get you over here!

[@Kenny_Ded]

That's good news Andy. You guys are lucky to have a good community around these cars. I'm proud to report that I have joined your club, though from across the pond. (Norway) I finally bought an MK1 225 a few days ago. I've not seen it in person yet so I took a bit of a gamble, but the 225 is rare to find for sale here and I got it for a reasonable price from a dealer, so I have some warranty. I'll be picking it up some time in January and I can't wait to drive it, and to get my hands dirty. 🚗😁

[@CarChris82]

welcome to the club mate 👍

[@Kenny_Ded]

@@CarChris82 Cheers!

[@andycharger]

Nice one Kenneth! Let me know how it works out. Who knows, maybe I can come to Norway for international TT meets TT!

[@zahimiibrahim3602]

My Mk5 R32 was well within spec at 270,000km but the ugly rattly noise and fear of catastrophic failure made me change it anyway. With the high mileage and engine already out, I decided ah well I may as well go the whole hog and rebuild the engine with valve seals, valve seats, rings, rod and crankcase bearings etc etc plus new DSG clutches. Runs/feels like new now.

[@paulp96275]

Sounds good spoke to a friend who changed his chains his reply is not printable something about lost father but when he had done it he said it transformed the response 🚀and he could rest knowing it wasn’t going to go pop ,great one Andy keep them coming 👍👨🏻‍🏭

[@andycharger]

Thank you Paul! Much appreciated!

[@richardgeorge8120]

Well done Andy - got there in time ;-) Looking forward to meeting you Wednesday!

[@andycharger]

Thanks buddy! Defo see you 11am Wednesday! 👍

[@jayp4569]

A merry Xmas Andy and a nice present that your chains are fine and dandy,,,saw your figures for tolerance etc on the club,,,,,never a problem with chains on our mk5 R32 but it was over serviced and had a very easy life over 7 yrs or so,,,,yours looks a lovely car,,,,

[@andycharger]

Thanks for your comment Jay and Merry Christmas to you!

[@pigeonguardgames507]

As a V6er I found that very interesting Andy, Pleased your chain is ok too, brilliant work from CarChris there, hopefully you'll find some answers to those anomolies....it sounds like Bryn territory to me😉

[@andycharger]

Thanks Si. It’s quite a relief knowing it’s in good shape! I hope you and that fabulous car are keeping well!

[@pigeonguardgames507]

@@andycharger Yes thanks, I'm trying to get a booster jab for the TT as we speak😉

[@andycharger]

@@pigeonguardgames507 we got turbo boosted yesterday in Andycharger Towers!

[@pigeonguardgames507]

@@andycharger That sounds like a non OEM mod to me🤣

[@martini3642]

2008 Audi TT VR6 143,000 miles Original Timing Chain- No Issues. Other examples - TT MK1 VR6- 180,000 miles and MK2 VR6 200,000+ miles with no issues- original chain.

[@andycharger]

Well done Martin. You are obviously taking very good care of your engine 👍

[@martini3642]

​@andycharger Full Synthetic oil only- Castrol edge extended performance every 5000 miles. Warm up car properly before you give it the Beans. Cold oil/motor causes engine wear, chain/tensioner wear.

[@benofthenorthuk]

Looks good! Hope you film cleaning the cam sensors as I want to do that to mine.

[@andycharger]

I sure will mate! I will let you know on that one! How’s that lovely roof working out?

[@benofthenorthuk]

@@andycharger Loving it still, especially now as its really cold

[@benofthenorthuk]

@@andycharger the car however developed an intermittent vibration I’m trying to resolve, and just had to get new discs and pads, couple of new bushes, new tyres, and new exhaust next month too. Discovered the Miltek back box was not properly connected to the rest of the exhaust any more either. Oh and new springs! She’s been a pain this month.

[@andycharger]

Wow! An expensive month for you. I have just booked mine in to have the DSG gearbox oil changed between Christmas and New Year. All genuine oil and parts I may add. Its too much of a risk to skimp on that!

[@TM-on4jl]

ANDY excellant video...

[@andycharger]

Thanks T M! I am glad you are enjoying my videos!

[@TT3.2]

Nice one Andy 👍🏻

[@andycharger]

Thank you Gary! 👍

[@markosojcic]

hello guys, great video. what "level" of OBD11 was used to measure chain stretch? Basic or pro? or to ask directly, can it be done with Basic?

[@andycharger]

Just spotted this comment and realised I never replied! Massive apologies. It was the pro version 👍

[@julesmatthews2178]

Andy Good news about the chains 👏

[@andycharger]

Cheers buddy! And yours is a step closer to returning to the road! 👍

[@julesmatthews2178]

Yes been lost without it 🤦‍♂️😬

[@RobS32]

Spot on pal 👌

[@andycharger]

Thanks Rob! It’s appreciated!

[@GratestMoviesNvrSeen]

When they put the VR6 into the MkII. Did they fix any of the issues or is it the exact same engine, if you know?

[@andycharger]

The chains were changed from those with the stamped logo so they did not suffer as badly. However a lot of the maintenance tips and techniques for prolonging engine life and avoiding the long life oil/ longer service intervals and avoiding short journeys apply across the board.

[@GratestMoviesNvrSeen]

@@andycharger okay cool, thanks for the info. I did watch the other dee dive video about the chain stamp so that’s good. Not much I can do about the short trips unfortunately. For the oil I do oil changes every 5,000km with LiquiMoly

[@DeeCeeRecords]

I am planning to buy a 07/08 3.2 TT, can you please advise me on the things to look for, and an easy way to check the time chains if i dont have the dongle....

[@andycharger]

07/08 would be a mk2 Audi TT. However, I think the chains would be somewhat the same with regards to tolerances. I would recommend using one of the diagnostic tools to check stretch. It is not something you can check by "looking" at the engine on a test drive. Alternative ask to take it to a local garage who can look at it for you and advise.

[@DeeCeeRecords]

@@andycharger thanks Andy.. your video gave me quite a few good insights... 🤜🏽🤛🏽

[@jjose1648]

How many miles at this point does your car have? Thank you for your videos!!!

[@andycharger]

Hi Jose. Right now with the chain at those stats, the car has covered 108,000 miles. I cannot see any evidence of chains being changed so I think they must be original.Thanks for your comment!

[@shrekkyfantablo]

what is the phone software your using ?

[@andycharger]

@@shrekkyfantablo carscanner buddy 👍

[@ben93911]

Just read mine and can’t seem to get any values apart from the top and bottom readings in banks 090 and 091. 208 and 209 come up ok. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong? Cheers.

[@andycharger]

@@ben93911 when you say “top and bottom” what ones are you missing? The angles are the important ones on 208 and 209 and the duty cycle on 90 and 91 👍

[@jonrreid65]

Please can you tell where I can get timing chain done for £1800, as I've been quoted £3500+.

[@littlewing3635]

Did you ever get to the bottom of those numbers ?!

[@thehype3678]

What does is it mean when camshaft 209 is on 73 and 208 is on 118 ? Let me know please guys !?

[@simon762321]

Just checked my new 3,2. Also -3 degrees. But my phase position was similar out at 132. So no idea what that means.

[@andycharger]

What’s the mileage like on it Simon? A lot of chatter says it’s ok but I’m still dubious and naturally nervous!

[@simon762321]

@@andycharger 140 000km, no major engine issues to report on. Watched all your video prior to purchase so thanks for that! Duty cycle on 091 is 15,7% and 090 is 41.4% - so those two don't seem to need to correlate 1 for 1.

[@andycharger]

@@simon762321 Thanks Simon! I appreciate your support on the channel. I have been trying to do some serious digging on the various forums to get a definitive explanation of all the numbers but you to be 100% sure of the state of play. Im just waiting for my original wheels to come back from the refurbisher for their 2nd trip there in 2 weeks!

[@simon762321]

yip, from what I can gather, a + reading is basically unheard of. So -3, -4 is good. Think i might just not overthink it and enjoy it!

[@Infinitpossibilities]

The other thing not mentioned is that the readings between blocks 208 and 209 must not have a difference of more than 3.0

[@glencolledge2586]

Hi would this be the same on the mk2 3.2 ?

[@andycharger]

Good question Glen and thank you for asking. To be honest, I do not know if the tolerances would be the same and if the engine has been revised in the mk2. I will find out and let you know!

[@glencolledge2586]

@@andycharger thanks that would be a great help

[@andycharger]

Hi Glen. So I have done some research and they seem to be the same engine with the difference being mainly on the gearbox between mk1 and mk2. The mk1 gearbox is synonymous with certain weaknesses (mechatronics) but the engines are a match. Here is an article from the TT Forum: www.ttforum.co.uk/threads/differences-between-mk1-and-mk2-v6-engines.1427545/#:~:text=Mk1%20%26%20MK2%20TT%203.2%20engine,be%20correct%20for%20the%20platform.

[@glencolledge2586]

@@andycharger thanks for that , I can get on with checking the chain stretch now using the tolerances in your video . The article was helpful too

[@thehype3678]

Guys I’m looking to buy a TT 3.2 v6 mk2 and I have gone to 2 different cars with 83k and 101k and they both sound the same with some sort of noise where the oil cap is. I don’t know how a good engine is supposed to sound compared to one where the chain needs changing can anyone give me advice cheers

[@andycharger]

I would say you should not hear any chain noise on a good engine. When you increase the revs and then let them settle again, do the chains sound rattly?

[@thehype3678]

@@andycharger so I’ve done the obdeleven thing and 209 camshaft on 73 and 208 on 118 with both 0.00 offset is that good ? Shouldn’t the camshaft both be on the same number too ?

[@NicolasCharalambous]

I need obd11

[@derekp1984]

Ah mines is -11 kW. 😳🥵

[@derekp1984]

I'm gutted ive only owned the car for a few weeks, I love it and i really thought i had a miss fire. Changed all spark plugs and it still rattles, even changed the oil and filter and the dsg oil and filter, now i understand why the car was cheap. Wish i knew this about the chains before i bought the car. Great video. 👍

[@andycharger]

Get it done mate. It’s a pricey job but better than the engine going bang. I watched a guy change the chain on KZbin last night (I think he’s a Dutch guy) with the engine on a workbench. It looks a monster of a job!

[@marcosguillen3101]

@@derekp1984 I feel ya bro. I’ve had mine for over two years changed all the stuff that can make it miss, no luck. Rough idle but smooth while driving, only shows check engine flashing when driving around 75mph+. Can’t afford to have the chains replaced and don’t have the time to repair it myself.

[@maxthomson2948]

It's OBD 2! It's two i's not two 1s!

[@andycharger]

Thanks for the extra info 👍

[@-a6833]

No, the connection and protocol is called OBD-II (obd2) which is on every single car, what this guy was referring to is the specific dongle and software which is called OBDeleven, which is made for diagnosing VAG cars via the OBD-II connector, look it up

[@Dirpitz]

if 208 is -3 and 209 is -7.....how f**ked am I?

[@andycharger]

Was the engine hot when you tested? That would suggest it is out of specification but I would recommend a 2nd test with the engine nice and hot. Any sound of “marbles” coming from the engine? I checked my chains with a cold engine and they were -3 and -6. When it was warmed up they both went to -4! So defo do the test a 2nd time

[@Dirpitz]

@@andycharger I picked it up today. Housemate drove it back with me about 100 miles, then when we got back I checked it, but it had like an hour to cool down, at first it said -3 -8 then after a few minutes said -3 -7 so may just need warming as you said. I listened to it and there was no marbling sound. I'll have to pop out tomorrow and check it. Either way I have a few months before I need to drive it so can save for a full go over as I'm actually yet to do my test, so will be my first car (Dr's have ordered me off bikes so, decided to go for my dream car from when I was 15 ^^) Thanks for the vids btw helped me immensely with checking the car out