# R3TT2 Build



## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

So I recently was in a pretty bad accident where my built TT 225 was deemed totaled by insurance. With all the time and money I've put into it, I decided to purchase it back as I can rebuild it or gut it and swap everything into a new shell. I'm waiting on an estimate as the roof will need replaced and the pillars will need reworked (the car rolled into a ditch.) Anyways, I found a 2 owner 3.2 TT, the second owner purchased it pre-certified from Audi, and had all maintenance done by Audi dealerships throughout her ownership (very meticulous.) Let's just say the DSG transmission has taken a dump on her and I purchased the car for a very good price. 

Long story short, I'm tackling the long awaited R32 6MT swap into the 3.2 TT... I will keep this thread updated with pictures, progress, as well as obstacles I run into. It will be a slow, but hopefully steady thread. :thumbup:

So far, my research leads me to believe that these are a few of the parts I am going to need for the swap. A few of which I have already ordered:
*MK4 R32 6MT Transmission
MK4 R32 Shifter/Cable Assembly
MK4 R32 Manual Transfer Case*
*MK4 R32 ECU*
*MK4 R32 Starter*
*MK4 R32 Cluch/Brake/Gas Pedal Assembly W/ Dead Pedal & Hydraulic Line for Slave Cylinder*
*Flywhyeel/Clutch/Pressure Plate
Throwout Bearing/Slave Cylinder*
_I know there are a few other odds and ends that I'm forgetting off the top of my head right now, but they'll come to me as I do more digging into research. Any input/guidance is always appreciated and welcomed.
These parts include engine R32 engine harness and R32 cabin/body harnesss - *If anyone can inform me if I'll will be needing these to make the electronics work cohesively together rather than rigging the car together with relays that would be great. I'd like this to be as OEM as possible.*_
*Timing Chain Kit - Might as well service the timing when I pull the engine.*


*I'll update this thread tomorrow with pictures of both vehicles to keep an accurate build log!*


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## .T.o.n.y. (Apr 3, 2003)

definitely tuning in for this!


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## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

Alright, so a little update. I wasn't able to update the thread with pictures yesterday due to working overtime, which is a little needed when I'm trying to complete this project in a timely manner. However, the R32 transmission and transfer case came in way earlier than expected so I decided to tear into the TT earlier than I had anticipated.

I was able to compression test each cylinder and get a reading, but unfortunately left my Bentley manual at the shop to compare my readings with what each cylinder is supposed to read, per the books recommendation, so off the top off of my head, I'm not sure if my readings are good or not... I'm sure they're not too far off, but the 130 psi reading is concerning me...

My readings were as follows:
Cylinder 1: 150 psi
Cylinder 2: 160 psi
Cylinder 3: 140 psi
Cylinder 4: 155 psi
Cylinder 5: 130 psi
Cylinder 6: 150 psi

I was able to get front bumper, crash support, headlights, engine covers, radiator core support, A/C disconnnected and everything out of the way for me to disconnect all electrical connections and hoses on the engine bay to remove the engine and transmission in the next day or two. 

Here are a few update photos:


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## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

Can anyone give me any guidance/insight as to if I will need to purchase a VW R32 ECU or have my Audi TT ECU Tuned to accept the manual transmission? This is one of the main pitfalls that I am struggling on. I don't mind purchasing the the VW R32 ECU, and that's what my research leads me to believe will make this swap work easier but after reading the MK5 R32 DSG to 6 speed swap I don't believe the guy swapped to them manual ECU, so I'm not sure if I just need to have the European file flashed over onto my ECU... If anybody has some insight has to what my best option would be or who could point me in the right direction, that would be greatly appreciated.


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## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

A bit more progress...

So the past few days I put in a bit of work on the TT. I decided with a couple days off of work, it'd be a good time to pull the motor, and get it prepped for the new transmission. I disconnected the driveshaft, forgot how much a PITA this is when I built my 225 engine, but I did it. Anyways, got that disconnected, removed the axles, got the rats nest of a wiring loom removed from the block and pulled it aside. To get the wiring loom completely out of the way, you need to remove a lot of coolant lines (obviously), the intake manifold for the injectors and oil level sensor, and some other brackets, and rearrange a few other things like the power steering line to get it completely free and out of the way for the engine to come out without any issues (not too hard, just takes some time to look at it and think about a methodical way to go about it.)



So with all the small things out of the way, axles disconnected, prop-shaft/driveshaft (whatever you want to call it) disconnected, dsg cooler disconnected, automatic trans electrical disconnected, automatic shifter linkage disconnected from tranny, dog-bone mount removed, tranny mount out, engine mount out, hoist hooked up, the engine was ready to be pulled.



It was way easier for me to remove the heat shield covering the exhaust manifold and leave the manifolds connected to the downpipes instead of leaving the manifolds connected to the head...Not too sure how people get the 6 downpipe bolts removed from the manifolds, but I applaud you :screwy:



While on the topic of exhaust...Any of you 3.2 owners out there have any recommendations as far as bigger replacement headers and after-market manifolds? Or is it not really worth changing those out, or having custom downpipes made? Not looking for huge power gains, mainly ear candy as these motors are notorious for pleasing my ears. From what I'm looking at in my garage, it doesn't appear I can go much bigger due to the driveshaft and how much room there is between that, the two downpipes currently in there, and the sub-frame. I want this thing to sound like a monster when it's all back together and this seems like the most promising time to change exhaust plans while I have ample room to do so. 

Any exhaust upgrade advice would be greatly appreciated as I really haven't had time to look into small modifications like that at this time due to the time I'm putting into researching the bigger portions of this project, such as if I'll need a different transmission mount due to different transmission sizes, R32 ECUs (which I'm almost positive I don't need to do. I think I will be able to get away with the stock ECU, with some tuning.), transmission side axle, which I also don't believe I'll need due to getting the manual transmission transfer case for the AWD. 

Anyways, today I decided to tackle removing the interior because the lady who owned the car before me must've lathered the car with baby oil to keep the leather as nice as it is. BUT, I can no longer take the smell. Stripped everything except for the carpet, which will be next on the list...Most likely tomorrow. Today, I got all seats out, center console is out, automatic gear selector is out and the R32 shifter is ready to go in.








That's where I ended at today, but I'll be back at it tomorrow to split the DSG from the block and work on a few other things...I may be crazy, but I'm determined to get this project finished, and will. Mark my word.


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## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

Split the DSG transmission from the block today and ordered the timing kit along with the new clutch and flywheel. Once those parts come in and timing is done, the manual transmission will be ready to mated to the block.


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## .T.o.n.y. (Apr 3, 2003)

keep up the work man! Definitely following :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

.T.o.n.y. said:


> keep up the work man! Definitely following :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


T.o.n.y... I have some more pictures that I willl be posting tonight once I have some time. I've been trying to do some investigating whether or not I'll need an R32 ECU, but so far, nobody has been able to answer that pertinent question for me. I'm under the assumption that I do not need the ECU, but I will have to have a tuner, delete the coding for the DSG and upload a new block of coding similar the the R32 coding so the TT ECU understands what the manual transmission is doing. I've been slacking on posting pictures, but not working on the car, reason being is that I feel nobody has been really following this thread except for you and one other person who has actually given some advice when I've needed. I've also come to the realization that I may need to have custom axles made and possibly a drive shaft made due to the differences in sizes between the DSG transmission and the R32 6 Speed manual transmission.

One thing I did find though, was that the automatic transmission mount cannot be used during this swap. It is too large and a different shape. Just by looking at it, you would think it would work, but it does not. Therefore, looking and analyzing my wrecked 225 transmission mount and transmission bell-housing, I came to the conclusion that you can use a transmission mount from a manual transmission 1.8t Audi TT to accommodate this swap, so that's what I did.

I am heading to work, but you guys can be expecting pictures of progress later...that is for those of you who are interested in actually seeing a 3.2 6 Speed Manual Audi TT actually be completed. opcorn:


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## ticketed2much (Feb 18, 2012)

Any R32 or even Quattro manual axles should work as long as you have matching hubs. I’d try the driveshaft before buying another. I’d be surprised if Audi designed one specifically for DSG cars, but I suppose it’s possible. 

I saw another member who went from TT225 to 3.2 and he used an R32 ecu. Since you already have a 3.2 ecu, you probably can reuse it with a proper programming. You’ll have to call some tuners and see if it’s possible.

Here’s his thread if you haven’t seen it already.

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?9090025-R32-rod-knock-Need-fast-help


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## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

ticketed2much said:


> Any R32 or even Quattro manual axles should work as long as you have matching hubs. I’d try the driveshaft before buying another. I’d be surprised if Audi designed one specifically for DSG cars, but I suppose it’s possible.
> 
> I saw another member who went from TT225 to 3.2 and he used an R32 ecu. Since you already have a 3.2 ecu, you probably can reuse it with a proper programming. You’ll have to call some tuners and see if it’s possible.
> 
> ...


I actually had not seen this thread yet, so thank you very much for linking me to this. I'm going to have to read through the whole thing.


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## jcstomper (Feb 25, 2002)

You dont need a non dsg ecu. It can be recoded, or tuned by UM to not have the dsg..

Also, do u wanna sell the dsg shifter??? Im looking for one right now actually because im taking the 6mt out of my r32 and installing a dq500 DSG... 

Also, ur prop shaft should be 100% fine. The drive shafts will have to change because of the inner joints i think...

While the 1.8t manual tran mount looks the same, the height may be different, i honestly do not know. 

Also i think u will need to recode ur cluster for a manual car and possibly recode the speedo because the dsg and manual clock speed differently. Im not 100% sure, but know a guy who added a dsg to his r32 in the UK and the speedo didnt work at first.. u will also need a different brake reservoir that feeds to the cluch master slave...

Check coding on the abs as well because it may have to be switched to manual as well.


Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

jcstomper said:


> You dont need a non dsg ecu. It can be recoded, or tuned by UM to not have the dsg..
> 
> Also, do u wanna sell the dsg shifter??? Im looking for one right now actually because im taking the 6mt out of my r32 and installing a dq500 DSG...
> 
> ...


Perfect! I wasn't aware of any companies that did any ECU tuning to tune out the DSG... so THANK YOU!!!

Unfortunately, I've already sold the DSG shifter, otherwise I would sell it...my apologies!

Are you thinking I will need to purchase R32 driveshafts? Or have custom driveshafts made for my application since I'm assuming the width of the front ends between the R32 and the TT are different. That's one thing I noticed was that the axles flanges/inner joints.

You could be right about the 1.8t transmission mount height, however they looked almost identical in height and I got it for dirt cheap so I guess we will see when I go to install it back into the car.

I'm not positive about the recoding the cluster as I am having a ColourMFA installed by Clusters by Litke LLC. If you guys haven't checked out any of his work I would highly suggest his work. I'll have to pick his brain and see if he can recode the speedo for the manual transmission or do a little more research. And actually, you don't need to add a different brake reservoir, the stock one in my TT will work...There is a nipple on the side of the brake reservoir that you just have to cut the end off of and slip the hydraulic line for the clutch master slave cylinder. It was the weirdest method of installing the clutch master slave, but it was nice because I didn't have to buy a new one.

I will look into coding on the abs as well! I really appreciate the advice you put forth for me to investigate as I move forward! Cheers!:beer:


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## jcstomper (Feb 25, 2002)

mycrayonisred04 said:


> Perfect! I wasn't aware of any companies that did any ECU tuning to tune out the DSG... so THANK YOU!!!
> 
> Unfortunately, I've already sold the DSG shifter, otherwise I would sell it...my apologies!
> 
> ...


I personally would think the r32 axles would work. Im pretty sure the subframes are the same as the mk1 tt and mk4 cars. I couldnt see the control arms be so drastically different in length that it would call for custom axles. 

I know about the nipple on the brake reservoir, but though they also made one without it to help clean up the bay a tad. If they dont, thats good for me as well so i dont have to buy one and can just cap it off. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## 8382 (Feb 18, 2006)

opcorn:opcorn:

Love a good build


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## ticketed2much (Feb 18, 2012)

jcstomper said:


> I personally would think the r32 axles would work. Im pretty sure the subframes are the same as the mk1 tt and mk4 cars. I couldnt see the control arms be so drastically different in length that it would call for custom axles.
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Subframes and control arms are identical on R32s and TTs. Axles are also same length on manual R32s and quattro manual TTs. Here’s a pic, shows different end fasteners, bolt vs nut. You need the appropriate hub to match the fastener. R32 style bolt fasteners are more desirable than the older TT style.


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## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

ticketed2much said:


> Subframes and control arms are identical on R32s and TTs. Axles are also same length on manual R32s and quattro manual TTs. Here’s a pic, shows different end fasteners, bolt vs nut. You need the appropriate hub to match the fastener. R32 style bolt fasteners are more desirable than the older TT style.


So, just so I understand correctly, if I choose to use R32 axles, I will need to use R32 hubs due to the bolt style fasteners which differ from the quattro manual TTs? How much better/stronger are R32 axles as opposed to quattro manual TT axles? Is it worth the swap?



8382 said:


> opcorn:opcorn:
> 
> Love a good build


I hope it turns out as I have it planned in my head.



jcstomper said:


> You dont need a non dsg ecu. It can be recoded, or tuned by UM to not have the dsg..
> 
> Also, do u wanna sell the dsg shifter??? Im looking for one right now actually because im taking the 6mt out of my r32 and installing a dq500 DSG...
> 
> ...


So, I'm going to pass on having UM tune the DSG out of the ECU. They quoted me $650 which is more than I think it's worth to have my stock ECU tuned. I purchased a R32 ECU for $210 shipped to me which I found too good to pass up. Now I'm just wondering if I need to purchase an R32 engine harness/cabin harness. I need to figure out the harnesses because I still have the DSG wiring loom in the engine bay. I'm contemplating buying R32 harnesses because I really want this to be as OEM as possible without bypassing things and using relays. 

Here's some more pictures. I've been going a little slower than anticipated because I've been going back and forth about the ECU and wiring. Would love some input if anyone has any.

























Recently rolled my Aviator Gray 225, but I made it out with just a cut on my finger. This starts my second build. Picked up a flooded TT for $600 to swap everything from the 225 into. Going to finish this 6 speed swap first, but I figured I'd show you what I have on the back burner.


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## SprintA3 (Jan 11, 2007)

I can't belive I missed this, great project! I'm stoked to see how this progresses and what is required for the swap. 

Good to know that the stock ECU can be re-coded to remove DSG, but I can't blame you for going with the R32 ECU, especially at that price. :thumbup:


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## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

SprintA3 said:


> I can't belive I missed this, great project! I'm stoked to see how this progresses and what is required for the swap.
> 
> Good to know that the stock ECU can be re-coded to remove DSG, but I can't blame you for going with the R32 ECU, especially at that price. :thumbup:


I'm pretty quiet, so I'm easy to miss lol. Once this is done, I will do a thorough write-up of everything that is needed to do the swap. There are other companies besides UM that can recode the DSG ECU, but I figured I couldn't pass up a $200 ECU to stay OEM.




Long story short for this swap, I had to use a manual transfer case because the shaft that goes into the manual tranny is longer than the shaft from the automatic transfer case. Which leads me to my next point...

So I've done some research that the 6mm hex bolt inside of the transfer case for from the R32 is longer than the 6mm hex bolt inside the automatic transfer case.

I found said information from this thread. https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?7243682-Mk5-R32-Manual-Swap-DIY/page2 I know it's from a MK5 R32, but I figured the logic was the same. The information I'm referring to is about 3 quarters down the page.

I called the dealership to get the part number and they could not find the part number. I gave them the part number for the transfer case and asked them to bring up a dissected diagram of the transfer case with the hopes that the bolt could be seen with a part number, but no luck. He was able to get me a part number, but I'm afraid it's not the correct one as the length of the bolt is the same as the 6MM hex bolt that came out of the automatic transfer case. (02J409359) I also found that same part number in this R32 Clutch Replacement DIY thread about a 5th down the page. https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthr...al-Clutch-Replacement-diy-Quick-Version/page6

The transfer cases for the TT and the R32 are the same so if anyone can confirm the part number for me that would be greatly appreciated. Or am I incorrect in thinking that there are two different size hex bolts for the MKIV generation transfer cases? The bottom bolt is the bolt that came out of the automatic transfer case and the top one is the one the dealership said is for the R32...



I'm stuck with this...but once I figure this out I can get the motor back in the car and work on getting the wiring figured out correctly.


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## ticketed2much (Feb 18, 2012)

Here’s mine. Manual TT quattro trans.


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## mycrayonisred04 (Oct 30, 2013)

ticketed2much said:


> Here’s mine. Manual TT quattro trans.


Thank you, I appreciate the confirmation. I actually confirmed that the automatic and manaul 6MM Hex Bolt for the transfer case are the same length for the MKIV. However, they may be different for the MKV generation.

Anyways, THERE'S A 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION WHERE THERE NEVER WAS!!! I didn't put the transfer case on because I wanted to get fresh o-rings for it to ensure a proper seal and no leaks.


*Slave cylinder already bled. Air line holding the fluid in the slave cylinder to eliminate the PITA of bleeding the clutch.*

*BAGS*



And as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I rolled my 225. However, I had the 3.2 bumper on it and kinda got a little beat up. I am going to try and resurrect this bumper as they're very hard to find, and if you do find them, they're very expensive. Here is the said damage. I'm thinking I'm going to try Hot Air Plastic Welding it back together.


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## walkdontrunn (Jul 23, 2015)

Is there any chance you have any more close up photos of how the power and ground wiring is routed between the mechatronic cover and starter?


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## DBVeeDB (Aug 3, 2007)

Did you ever finish this swap? Would like to do this to mine over the winter, and would really appreciate any more info you have before I start blindly ordering parts!

Shifter & Trim: I read on another forum that the TT shifter assembly was slightly different so that engaging 6th gear doesn't interfere with the circulr ring trim piece on the TT. Wondering if you ever confirmed that the TT console fits over the R32 shifter. 

Axles: My understanding is that 
1) Stock TT DSG Axles are the incorrect inner flange for the 02M, but correct outer hub style
2) Stock R32 are correct inner flange for 02M, but incorrect outer hibstyle
3) TT225? Correct inner and correct outer? What about their length?!

Transmission Mount: On my TT, I bought a MK4 R32 Trans (6MT) Mount AND a MKV R32 DSG mount from VF Engineering. I was able to make a hyrbid out of the two that utilized the 2-bolt frame rail base, and a 3-bolt DSG trans bracket. I had to add a small (about 5mm) spacer between the DSG trans and the VF bracket to keep the height in check. otherwise the trans would be too high/rise too much. I am wondering now if you had a similar issue with running the TT225 trans mount or not since I had to adjust for height in my project. Maybe you did not, since its all TT family stuff in your case. Either way I would be curious to know more. Since I still have the other half of my mk4 bracket, Im hoping I can just swap it out for my swap. 

Looks like you found a MK4 R32 ECU, which I am assuming you'll need to IMMO defeat or have matched to your car's cluster VS having your stock 3/2 TT DSG ecu recoded for manual. Anything else you can share about what needs to change on the wiring side outside of the ECU swap? Such as...
1) Clutch position switch?
2) Starter Interlock?
3) Reverse trigger wire?
4) What to do with the DSG mechatronic harness? (tape or cut out?) 
5) New cluster or does coding it out take care of the gear display? 

Did you source a new steering wheel w/o paddles? Just curious  

Pedal Assembly - looks like the R32 ones bolt up. Did you swap over all three pedals or just simply add the clutch and change the brake lever to the smaller one? 


I think thats all I have in my brain at the moment, lol. While we are on the topic though - anyone see this car on BaT last week? It is an HPA car, but it has a 6spd swap.....








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