How to install an Apexi turbo timer
to an Audi A4.
This article was provided courtesy of
www.a4mods.com
Please visit them for more Audi A4 articles.
For turbo vehicles, it is good practice to
leave the vehicle running to allow the turbo to cool down before turning off
the ignition.
If the turbo is very hot, and the engine is
turned off, the coolant and oil
will not be pumped through the turbo. If the oil sits in the turbo, it can
bake in and damage the oil and the turbo. Some people prefer to let the car
idle while they are in it - and just wait for it to cool. Others choose to
install a turbo timer to do the job for them.
We are going to do the later and install a
turbo timer to the Audi A4.
In the long run this will increase the life and efficiency of
your turbo and engine and also save you alot of money.
If you have already spent a lot of money
tuning your Audi A4,
then you must get a turbo timer fitted so your hard work
and money does not go to waste.
VEX Motorsports got me a great deal on an Apexi Turbo (Auto) Timer so I
decided to give it a shot. The install went very smoothly.
SUPPLIES - You will need the following tools for this install.
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Apexi Turbo (Auto) Timer - From VEX |
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Panel remover tool |
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8 and 10 mm nut drivers |
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Wire strippers and snips |
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Assorted screwdrivers |
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Circuit Tester/Multimeter |
NOTE:
Up until recently you could not operate the vehicle's immobilizer on any B6
Audi while the vehicle was running. So when the turbo timer was operational,
you could not lock you doors or set your alarm with your key FOB. You would
have to put your key in the door and turn the key. This has recently been
overcome by the Turbo Timer
Companion Lite which I installed with this turbo timer. The writeup for
this install is located here:
Turbo Timer Companion Lite Installation Procedure
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The first thing to do is
to remove the fuse panel cover on the driver's side of the vehicle
You can do this by simply inserting your
key into the slot and prying it off
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Next remove the 8mm bolt
on the side of the panel
Please, no comments on the air
fresheners. Only the top one is new.
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Next unscrew
the two 8mm screws under the kick panel - under the steering wheel |
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After the bottom two
screws are out, pull the panel at the upper trim to disconnect it |
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Lower the panel to the
floor, and disconnect the OBDII connection and the floor light.
Remove the kick panel. |
The
Apexi turbo timer can be installed several different ways.
It is designed to
take readings from the O2 sensors to calculated how long the timer should
run for after you have turned off the ignition. I decided not to do this, as it is not necessary if
you just program a time such as 30 seconds in. This is more than enough time
for every day driving
This turbo timer also comes with
the option to buy a special wiring harness so that its is more
plug-and-play. However, these harnesses are not readily available for the
audi,
so we have to make do with what is here.
The way it will be
connected is as follows.
The basic functions of the wires go
something like this:
Red:
This goes to constant 12V. It supplies the TT with power, and is used to
keep the ignition line at 12V after key off. It must be connected to a good
12V source that is capable of sourcing current
Green: This wire gets
connected to the ignition switched 12 V source. When the turbo timer detects
a drop in this voltage, it will source voltage to it for the amount of time
programmed in the timer. This will keep the engine running.
Black: The ground for the
turbo timer
Grey: This wire gets
connected to the emergency brake switch. It should have 12V to it when the
emergency brake is DOWN. This will turn off the turbo timer if the brake is
put down. If someone were to try to get in your car and drive it away while
the TT was running, they could keep adding time to the TT until they got to
where they needed to go. By connecting this wire, they will turn the car off
when they release the emergency brake.
This is a security feature and should always be used.
White: The white wire is used to get the O2 sensor readings.
Like I already said, I will not be using this wire
Blue:
I am not sure of this wire's function. I believe this should be connected to
a switched 12V source which is live when in ACC (instead of run). I did not
connect this wire in my install, but will investigate its purpose.
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Now you know what the wires do, lets
start installing the turbo timer. First, disconnect the 12V battery.
Next, locate the switched 12V wire - it is the thick
black wire on the left side of the steering column - shown in picture.
NOTE: You should use your multi meter or voltage
tester to confirm this. It should have 0V when the ignition is off, and 12V
when the key is in Run/Acc. |
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You need to tap the Green wire into this
switched 12V source. As I mentioned earlier the Apexi TT comes with a
harness attachment which we cannot use in our cars. Although it is
useless, I did not feel like cutting it off.
I used some spade connectors to connect to the
harness. It looked like the picture before I sealed it up.
I used brown wire to extend both the Green and Red wires. So you will
have to keep track of what is what in the pictures. |
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I used a razor to remove the insulation
from the ignition line, then wrapped the Green wire around the exposed
ignition wire. I typically try to avoid cutting the harness on the
vehicle, so I find this method works great.
After you have connected the green wire, solder and tape the connection
so it is solid. |
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After you have connected the ignition
wire, connect the Red wire to the constant 12V source. If you look under
the kick panel, you will find many RED lines going to 12 V sources. I
used the following one.
Once again, I extended
the Red turbo timer line with a brown wire and a ring terminal.
Use your 10mm socket to remove the nut and attached
the Red TT line. |
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Next you need to connect the ground. I
have been using the same ground for a couple applications (boost gage,
etc) so I decided to use it again here. It is inside the fuse panel, and
works well.
NOTE: Sand the black paint off the ground
so you have a good connection to the chassis. |
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The last connection you need to make is
the White wire to the parking brake (hand brake). I ran the white wire under the kick
panel and down the centre console (just tucked it under the centre
console at the bottom).
Be sure to zip tie the white wire up, so it is not in
the way of the pedals or any moving parts
To get to the parking brake connection, you may have
to extend this white wire. I extended mine with a yellow wire that I had
laying around. |
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To get to the parking brake switch you
need to hop in the back seat and remove the ashtray. Just open the
ashtray and pull up on it. It will pop out |
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After the ashtray is out, you have to
remove the seat heater controls. If you don't have rear heated seats,
you wont have to worry about this which is good. But at the same time,
you don't have rear heated seats which sucks.
To
remove the controls, grab them at the corners I am pointing to, and roll
it towards the back seat. You will understand it when you see it.
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With the controls removed,
you will be able to see the parking brake switch. There is a brown wire,
and a brown wire with a white stripe. You want to tap into the brown
wire with the white stripe to get the needed functionality. |
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After you have made all the
connections, secure the turbo timer box and controller wherever
you like. I double sided taped my turbo timer box to a controller that
was under the kick panel
I have not decided what
to do with the Apexi Controller just yet - I will update with pictures when
I square something away.
Here is how I mounted the box though |
After everything is
squared away, ziptie the wires in place and put the kickpanel back together.
Connect the battery, start the vehicle up and enjoy your new turbo timer. Be
sure that all of the functions work properly - especially the emergency
brake cut off switch.
If you want the door
locking functionality,
check out the
Turbo Timer Companion Lite Install
Good Luck!
This article was provided courtesy of
www.a4mods.com
Please visit them for more A4 articles
Car Manuals from 99p delivered.
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