BAM Engine Advice Please
Discussion
Hello,
So looking to get an Audi TT, an older one, MK1.
Did all the Audi TT's have the BAM engine? Or was it just the 225?
Some of the cars I am looking at are pretty high mileage, ranging from 130k to 170k. Are there any issues with these engines and high mileage?
Like for some cars like the Mini R56, around 60k you are looking at big bills, ask me how I know.
Thank you
So looking to get an Audi TT, an older one, MK1.
Did all the Audi TT's have the BAM engine? Or was it just the 225?
Some of the cars I am looking at are pretty high mileage, ranging from 130k to 170k. Are there any issues with these engines and high mileage?
Like for some cars like the Mini R56, around 60k you are looking at big bills, ask me how I know.
Thank you
Hi,
Yes you are correct that only the 225hp models come with BAM engine, the significant difference compared with the 150/180/190Hp 1.8 20VT engines is the BAM is the only one that comes with the K04 turbo & supporting improvements to the engine internals (lower compression & forged) coolant/intake/exhaust system to cope with the additional power.
There will be people who say you can get a 180hp model and have it remapped to 230hp but it will always be limited by the smaller turbo, hence it may feel a bit more punchy at lower revs with slightly less lag but the standard BAM will pull better at the mid>top end.
When looking at cars for sale, if it not specifically listed as being a 225hp variant and you do not have access to the V5 you can tell from the engine bay without having to poke around much. The easiest way to spot if its a BAM engine is to look at the intake and throttle body, the intercooler hose into the throttle body should come from the RIGHT hand side as you look at the bay (passenger side) and the turbo>intercooler pipe on the LEFT side of the engine bay (driver)
All the lower end models the throttle body is on the LEFT side of the bay and the intercooler pipe comes up from the LEFT
You can find the engine code stamped on the front left corner of the block just under the cylinder head to the side of the cambelt cover
Yes you are correct that only the 225hp models come with BAM engine, the significant difference compared with the 150/180/190Hp 1.8 20VT engines is the BAM is the only one that comes with the K04 turbo & supporting improvements to the engine internals (lower compression & forged) coolant/intake/exhaust system to cope with the additional power.
There will be people who say you can get a 180hp model and have it remapped to 230hp but it will always be limited by the smaller turbo, hence it may feel a bit more punchy at lower revs with slightly less lag but the standard BAM will pull better at the mid>top end.
When looking at cars for sale, if it not specifically listed as being a 225hp variant and you do not have access to the V5 you can tell from the engine bay without having to poke around much. The easiest way to spot if its a BAM engine is to look at the intake and throttle body, the intercooler hose into the throttle body should come from the RIGHT hand side as you look at the bay (passenger side) and the turbo>intercooler pipe on the LEFT side of the engine bay (driver)
All the lower end models the throttle body is on the LEFT side of the bay and the intercooler pipe comes up from the LEFT
You can find the engine code stamped on the front left corner of the block just under the cylinder head to the side of the cambelt cover
Just to save some confusion, all BAM’s are 225’s but not all 225’s are BAM’s. Some were APX.
As far as big bills I’ve got one that was tired when I bought it and it has presented various big bills and mostly common problems or general maintenance.
A high mileage one on original bushes will drive like crap. There are a lot of arms and bushes and the alignment toe’s the rear in massively when the bushes are worn making an understeery mess.
Clutch replacement is expensive due to the labour involved.
They have an issue with sludge in the pickup pipe which can cause oil starvation. I replaced the pickup pipe in mine but to be honest it wasn’t bad at all.
There’s a long list of common problems with them and I’ve had most of them now. I don’t think I’d do it all again but my car drives very well now. I can’t really sell it as it’s worth nowhere near what I’ve put into it.
As far as big bills I’ve got one that was tired when I bought it and it has presented various big bills and mostly common problems or general maintenance.
A high mileage one on original bushes will drive like crap. There are a lot of arms and bushes and the alignment toe’s the rear in massively when the bushes are worn making an understeery mess.
Clutch replacement is expensive due to the labour involved.
They have an issue with sludge in the pickup pipe which can cause oil starvation. I replaced the pickup pipe in mine but to be honest it wasn’t bad at all.
There’s a long list of common problems with them and I’ve had most of them now. I don’t think I’d do it all again but my car drives very well now. I can’t really sell it as it’s worth nowhere near what I’ve put into it.
Jonj1 said:
Some of the cars I am looking at are pretty high mileage, ranging from 130k to 170k. Are there any issues with these engines and high mileage?
Given these cars are 20 years old, 100k+ miles, and will have been ragged by previous owners, there are many, many possible issues. My Leon Cupra R with the BAM engine had a list of issues when I got rid of it, and that was 10 years ago.Jonj1 said:
Thank you all for the replies.
In the end went with a MK2 2.0 TFSI. Not without there own problems, cough cam follower
And cam chain, oil pump pick up, carbon fouling, split recirc valve, injector failure (always cyl 3 first for some reason) and VVT oil control ring failure In the end went with a MK2 2.0 TFSI. Not without there own problems, cough cam follower
Both the TFSI and 1.8T are good solid engines if looked after.
Jonj1 said:
I have the cambelt one
Yep, the EA113 engine, but it has a cam chain as well as a belt. Exhaust cam is belt driven. Exhaust cam drives the intake cam via a chain. The chain tensioner runs out of travel as the chain wears and then you get VVT fault codes and cam/crank correlation errors.Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff