# My sportwagen project thread



## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

I started a project thread over in the sportwagen forum but its not very active over there so I'm going to post it here too. This is what I have done so far:

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What's up guys, I recently bought a 2010 TDI Sportwagen and I'll be trying to get it ready for EuroEx(SoWo) in May so this will be a project thread where I'll be posting what I'm doing to it leading up to that and hopefully getting some feedback from you wonderful people. 

I picked up the car about 5 months ago from a little local dealer, it had 95k on the clock and, besides the tan interior, had everything I wanted; TDi, DSG, pano, Salsa Red, mfa, clean body, and it runs fine. 



Before the purchase I was driving a mk4 golf and while I loved that car its age was really starting to show.



So I picked up the mk6 and shortly after sold the mk4, and used the money to buy an Airlift 3P kit and performance bags from Urotuning.



Alright that's my introduction, now here's the projects.


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So obviously the air ride is going to be my first task. I did a simple setup in the MK4 but I want to put a little more effort into this one, and I work in a fabrication shop so I'm going to make the most of that.



I've got the basic idea of what I want to do and I'll start fleshing it out more as I go along. I'm new to MK5/6's so I might have to post a few questions in here along the way.

I loved the Accuair setup I had in the mk4 but these new Airlift systems look really nice and come with a few things that the Switchspeed doesn't. The controller looks a lot better than the ones that came with the V2 and for my first project I needed to find a place to mount it. This is what I came up with:



My first idea was to have it mounted inside the ashtray but after removing some of the paneling I found two screws underneath the ac controls and decided to use those instead. This is the first version(top) I came up with next to the reworked one I'm using now:



The screws that it mounts to go into the radio cage and it feels pretty solid but it probably wont stand up to too much abuse.

So with that sorted I've decided next thing is to figure out where and how I want to mount the air tanks. I know I want them to sit near the rear side windows so I can retain all my current storage space but I still need to figure out the specifics.




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Couple updates, I picked up some wheels the other day:


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They're 19x8 et60 so I'm guessing I'll need 20mm spacers or something, anybody have any input on that? I want them to tuck as much as possible, I also need to figure out what tire size to run. 

Also spent some time in Autocad and came up with how I want to mount these tanks, had them cut out and welded up at the shop.


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I'll hopefully be mounting the tanks in the car tomorrow and then I can start working on the compressor and manifold placement.

I've started installing the tank brackets I made but unfortunately the parts are a bit too tall so I need to make another bracket to space them out a bit before I can install the tanks. Hopefully that will be finished up tonight though.



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Putting all the rear paneling back in finally after getting both tank mounts finished up, now I need to figure out how to run the airlines from the tanks to the compressors that will be inside the spare tire and the manifold which will be under the flooring.


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## northendroid (Sep 16, 2014)

Very nice build love your attention to details! Custom work is awesome!


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## Nyccustomizer (Sep 9, 2009)

Looking great so far. Nice work.


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## MechEngg (Jan 13, 2009)

In for more :thumbup:


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## President Lincoln (Jun 27, 2005)

Very cool work happening here. :thumbup: I'm just getting geared up for my 4th air install. opcorn:


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## v2. (Oct 19, 2007)

Looks great! Love the set up. :thumbup:


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## blue bags (Jul 1, 2009)

looks great so far :thumbup::thumbup::beer:


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

Thank you for the encouraging words everyone, made a little progress tonight with the compressors. I decided to mount them inside the spare tire on a removable tray so I mocked it up with some cardboard and then put the laser to work and cut the final piece out of 13 gauge stainless. 



















Also had a local VW dealership take care of my timing belt and water pump this week and when I got the car back I found some marks on the clear coat on the hood so now I've got to deal with that.


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

Can anyone help me out with this, I'm trying to come up with a minimal setup for the plumbing and I wanted to know if this would work alright:










If this setup will work would I be able to use a water trap anywhere? Maybe between the splitter and the manifold?


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## northendroid (Sep 16, 2014)

Jake2k said:


> Can anyone help me out with this, I'm trying to come up with a minimal setup for the plumbing and I wanted to know if this would work alright:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes that will work but that tank inlet is one position over to the right on the manifold and yes the water traps can be position anywhere between the compressor and the air tank. Install a third water trap the one supplied in the kit into the supply line to the manifold.


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

I thought the water traps only let air pass through one way, no both, so with this setup they wouldn't work between the compressors and tanks since the air would need to travel both ways. Or am I mistaken?


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## Blinddub (Jan 19, 2006)

Project is coming along great!

I had the same wheels on my A3, look awesome.


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## northendroid (Sep 16, 2014)

Jake2k said:


> I thought the water traps only let air pass through one way, no both, so with this setup they wouldn't work between the compressors and tanks since the air would need to travel both ways. Or am I mistaken?


The check valves on the and of the compressor leader lines are what let air thru one way, not the water traps, water traps prevent water from entering the air tanks and manifold.


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## northendroid (Sep 16, 2014)

Blinddub said:


> Project is coming along great!
> 
> I had the same wheels on my A3, look awesome.


Nice ride love bagged wagons :heart: Love your plate as well


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## MechEngg (Jan 13, 2009)

Water traps can technically let air flow in both directions. However, it is advisable to only run them in the direction indicated on the head of the water trap. 

If you take a cut section through a water trap you can see that the designated "inlet" leads down to the bowl, through the filter in an outside-in flow pattern, and then out the designated "outlet". If you flow backwards through one of these, you would flow through the designated "outlet", then through the filter first in an inside-out pattern, then into the containment bowl, then through the designated "inlet".

The problem with scenario 2 is that any water that is blocked out by the filter will gather in the tiny volume in the filter cylinder. It will sit there, and eventually start to plug off more and more of the surface area of the filter itself. The actual design of the filter is so that any water that gathers on the exterior of the filter, and drips down into the bowl. The bowl bottom sits an inch or two (depending on model) below the bottom of the filter, so the bowl is allowed to gather that large volume of water in it without restricting the surface area that the filter has to filter with.


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

I know the check valves do that but if I'm remembering correctly the water traps have a flow indicator on them which led me to believe they only work correctly with the air flowing one direction.


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

MechEngg said:


> Water traps can technically let air flow in both directions. However, it is advisable to only run them in the direction indicated on the head of the water trap.
> 
> If you take a cut section through a water trap you can see that the designated "inlet" leads down to the bowl, through the filter in an outside-in flow pattern, and then out the designated "outlet". If you flow backwards through one of these, you would flow through the designated "outlet", then through the filter first in an inside-out pattern, then into the containment bowl, then through the designated "inlet".
> 
> The problem with scenario 2 is that any water that is blocked out by the filter will gather in the tiny volume in the filter cylinder. It will sit there, and eventually start to plug off more and more of the surface area of the filter itself. The actual design of the filter is so that any water that gathers on the exterior of the filter, and drips down into the bowl. The bowl bottom sits an inch or two (depending on model) below the bottom of the filter, so the bowl is allowed to gather that large volume of water in it without restricting the surface area that the filter has to filter with.


This is very informative, thank you! So it looks like I'll have to skip the water traps for now until I have more time to spend on a more complex plumbing job. I'll just run it the way I drew in the diagram for a couple months and then I'll start redoing everything.


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## MechEngg (Jan 13, 2009)

No worries.

And to add to your initial question.

Yes that setup will work with some comments:
- Use the tank end connections for your tank fill/discharge and not the bottom port. You do not want to be pushing water back to the manifold, even with a water trap. There will be a lot of water built up in the tanks, so a drain on the bottom will be very nice
- You can put a single water trap between the blue manifold block and the actual V3 valve manifold. Put it the direction of the flow and you will have no problems. But i would recommend one on each compressor as well as between the manifolds in this instance if you plan to be airing up quite a bit or having your compressors constantly filling/discharging the tank, you may get some condensation hanging out in that blue valve block and it probably won't be a very good time for the check valves and manifold.

However i do have one unique recommendation based on my setup over the years, i would run the tanks in series instead of parallel. It will help filter water out of your system, better than a water trap even, with the hot air hitting the cool air in the first tank and condensating right away, then you have a dry empty second tank to use as your reservoir which feeds your manifold. I have run mine this way for a few years in a few variations and the first tank is always filled with water, the second tank is always bone dry and the water trap between the second tank and manifold is completely dry as well, basically used for a debris filter.




EDIT: Oooo just saw you are in sunny humid Florida too. I would really strongly recommend using the tanks in series as well as a water trap between the second tank and valve manifold. Quite strongly.


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

Thanks for the help man, running the tanks that way you described would be a little difficult since they're on opposite sides of the car and the airlines are going to be fed down into the side panels and into the storage area underneath the rear flooring. I'm trying to set this up with as few connections as possible to reduce the time it'll take to hunt down any potential leaks. I think I will try and mount a trap between the valve block and the manifold.


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

What's the best way to get the airlines outside of a mk5? Are there any grommets in the rear that would be easy to use?


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## northendroid (Sep 16, 2014)

Jake2k said:


> What's the best way to get the airlines outside of a mk5? Are there any grommets in the rear that would be easy to use?


I personally like to use bulkheads but yes I believe there are grommets under the spare.


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

Well it's been a busy week or so but I was able to get this thing on the ground. The trunk setup was thrown together quickly so I'll be updating it bit by bit in the following months leading up to H2Oi, I'll get some photos of how it looks currently soon. I also am having a hell of a time getting the Mercedes wheels to work out, they're et60 so I picked up some 20mm spacers but was unable to find bolts that were long enough to run them last minute before SoWo. I was able to get them on with a set of 8mm spacers in this photo but they wobbled like crazy so I had to ditch them and just run my stock wheels. Guess it's my fault for trying to get all this done last minute before the show lol.


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## northendroid (Sep 16, 2014)

Jake2k said:


> Well it's been a busy week or so but I was able to get this thing on the ground. The trunk setup was thrown together quickly so I'll be updating it bit by bit in the following months leading up to H2Oi, I'll get some photos of how it looks currently soon. I also am having a hell of a time getting the Mercedes wheels to work out, they're et60 so I picked up some 20mm spacers but was unable to find bolts that were long enough to run them last minute before SoWo. I was able to get them on with a set of 8mm spacers in this photo but they wobbled like crazy so I had to ditch them and just run my stock wheels. Guess it's my fault for trying to get all this done last minute before the show lol.


Car looks great and love the wheels, to bad you couldn't run those for the show. I got a soft spot for bagged wagons!


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

*Just realized I never posted any photos of the current air setup, just keep in mind this was the product of me just wanting to get it done asap and in the following months I'll be cleaning it up. The plans include hardlines and copper accents, custom machined manifold blocks, and maybe some lighting.

I cut these crossbars the day before the show just because I didnt like how much the tanks wobble when driving. With them in nothing budges so I'll redesign and cut some better looking ones in the future, probably have them hug the roof line so they're out of the way as much as possible. Adding a led strip light to them is an idea I'm tossing around.*










*Here's the first version of my compressor mount, I'll be replacing that ugly manifold with a custom piece later and I also want to have the wires splice into a plug for easy removal to get to the spare tire. I assumed when I bought two compressors that I'd get both wiring harnesses but I was mistaken so for the time being I'm only running the left 444. With all the flooring in place and the back seats up the noise is very minimal, hopefully that remains the same when I have the other compressor running. I'll also need to figure out where I can store my spare tire tools and extra airline/tools, one idea is redoing the entire floor out of wood and have areas built in for storage, this might also be necessary since I plan on sleeping in the car for camping trips and I'll need the floor to be very sturdy for that.*









*
Here's the rat nest of airlines I have for now, the current plan for this area is to have the manifold sit all the way back on the left and have copper hardlines run into bulkheads in the floor. I'm not a huge fan of the plastic and drab stock carpeting which adds another pro to redoing everything out of wood. I've also thought about maybe using aluminum.*










*Here's how she sits right now, I keep the front up so the frame doesnt sit on the axle. Gotta try and find someone who can help me notch the frame, anyone know if you usually need to do both sides on the mk5 platform?*










*As far as the wheels go it's looking like I'm going to need 60mm lug bolts to run these 20mm spacers since the wheels themselves are so thick. But after having the 8mm and 5mm spacers on and seeing how they fit I'm worried that the 20mm might be too big and put the wheels right up on the fenders. Any advice on this? The wheels are et60 and 19x8.*


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## MechEngg (Jan 13, 2009)

I like it. :thumbup:

Since you want the compressors to be easily disconnected electrically to pull the spare, have you given any though to possibly using a hose disconnect fitting to tie the compressors into the compartment? If you put the receiver (female) as the "bulkhead" through the plastic wall there, then it would keep the pressure in the tanks when you had to remove the compressors for spare tire work, and you could also then easily plug in your tire inflation valve into the same receiver if your compressors let you down. I think it might be a clean alternative and give you the functionality that you wanted plus a bit more, with a clean look.


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

Yea I've thought about using a quick connect but I've heard that they often leak, another option would be a ptc fitting with a ball valve right before it.


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## northendroid (Sep 16, 2014)

Jake2k said:


> Yea I've thought about using a quick connect but I've heard that they often leak, another option would be a ptc fitting with a ball valve right before it.


I have a quick coupler in my trunk install and it's has never leaked.


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

Well I just found out what the annoying tapping noise I've been hearing lately is, seems both of the rear right upper shock mount bolt holes are stripped out. The hole on the left grips a bit but just spins instead of fully tightening down and the right one is pretty much useless at this point. I guess I'll try and run a tap through it and see if I can salvage them but if not I'm guessing a helicoil would be the only other course of action?










Unfortunately I won't have any time to mess with this until the weekend so I'm just putting it back together the best I can and hoping the weight of the car is enough to keep it in place.


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## Jake2k (Nov 25, 2010)

Another question real quick(if anyone's still watching this thread lol), which fuse do most people tap into for the airlift controller? Mine is hooked up to my cigerette lighter currently but I'm not able to control it with the iPhone app with the car off.


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## northendroid (Sep 16, 2014)

Jake2k said:


> Another question real quick(if anyone's still watching this thread lol), which fuse do most people tap into for the airlift controller? Mine is hooked up to my cigerette lighter currently but I'm not able to control it with the iPhone app with the car off.


Here is the tie in point, it switch off with the key. As for accessing the manifold from the app once the car is off put in show mode (see the manual for explanation)


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## Xander134 (Sep 9, 2016)

It's been a while. Any updates to this project?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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