The Sanctuary
Technology => Gearheads => Topic started by: MoaningLisa on September 02, 2014, 04:28:23 am
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a few weeks ago I posted a thread of the audi A4 I bought (thread) (http://www.intosanctuary.com/index.php?topic=364.0) with a bad clutch. I took delivery of it 14 days before I needed to be 1600 miles away in Pennsylvania for school.
the car hadn't moved under its own power in 9 months before I bought it. I knew it was a runner, but it had a terrible driveline grind when the trans was in gear, and the clutch was out. it also wouldn't move. at first we thought it was the pilot bearing, but since the trans was the only major part on the car that was original (184k miles) I was going to replace it with a remanufactured unit anyways.
(http://i.imgur.com/mavKLuv.jpg)
a friend helped me tow the car to my house, where I pulled the trans and clutch apart...that is an awfully short sentence that sums up about 3 days of work, we didn't have a lift, so it was done on jack stands in my garage, with no air or power tools. everything was done with hand tools.
(http://i.imgur.com/La16e3j.jpg)
I had done a clutch in my passat, which was one platform older than the audi, but had the same engine and a very similar trans. a few things were different, but I knew what to expect and what needed to be done.
once we had the trans out, we went to buy the remanufactured unit from an enthusiast who advertised the trans on CL. my new transmission was out of a B5, and had longer ratios than the original...the long ratios combined with the VVT turbo motor is absolutely fantastic, it may be slower, but its much smoother and feels like it pulls harder longer. his trans had 12k miles on it, he replaced it because he heard a clunking noise and blamed the trans, it turned out to be something else. we had to move over a few parts like the tailshaft housing/center diff housing, and center diff.
just like in the passat, putting it back together went MUCH faster than taking it apart.
once we had the trans back in, we tried it out on jack stands, and found the center diff was also shot. we bought an extra from the dude who sold us the transmission, and then we were in business, it would drive. here is what makes a Quattro so much better than any other AWD set up.
(http://i.imgur.com/SUmV4CT.jpg)
this was 3 or 4 days before I had to leave, and it was just now driving under its own power for the first time in 9 months...the car had several sitting related problems, but I had no time to worry about those, I needed the car to pass incpection, and sell my passat before I could leave. I had also been working 12 hour days, so the first thing I did to free up time was quit.
it feels SO good to quit a shitty job.
the Check engine light was on, and in Texas that pretty much meant an automatic fail. using a scanner, we found it was the IAT (intake air temperature) sensor that was causing the code. we subbed it out for the working one in the other car, and it still wouldn't work...there were a few other codes, so we decided to hammer those out and come back.
the second non-intermittent code was the thermostat coil. Audi has a coil in the thermostat, so the computer can open the thermostat if it so decides that is necessary. this was about 9 inches from the IAT, and after almost ordering another thermostat, we noticed the IAT and the thermostat had the same connector...so we swapped lines from the harness to the components, and both codes went away.
whoever replaced the engine fucked up and put the wrong wires to the wrong components.
the IAT is a resistance-type sensor, and the electrical current running through it over the years had cooked it, so my sensor was shot. also, this code caused the car to go into limp mode, the entire time this engine had been in the car it had only been running 5 PSI of boost, not the (still wimpy) 9 PSI it was supposed to.
there were a few other things that had to be done, for one, the headlights didn't work. this car had factory HID's, and we found both bulbs were missing. I think the previous owner had to buy new ones ($70 each) and didn't want to sell them with the car. we got new bulbs, and found one of the ballasts was fried...so we wired in one halogen just to pass inspection...the rear tires were also totally bald. I put the rubber off the passat on the Audi in hopes of using that to pass inspection.
(http://i.imgur.com/Zhvm4KZ.jpg)
I was kinda broke, and had been trying to sell my passat...I had to get rid of it fast, so I didn't get what I could have for it, but I did get enough to finish the Audi, and have a good backup for starting college.
(http://i.imgur.com/Vr43psP.jpg)
with the money I got from the passat, I was able to finally address the rubber situation permanently. I bought 2 Continentals and got a Kumho for free to put on the spare. anyone that has driven a car with cheap rubber, then driven the same car with nothing changed other than expensive rubber will tell you, tires are not a place to cheap out. good tires can make a stock car outrun a car with a complete suspension and coilover job. you put Kumhos on a car that has no rubber that you are trying to sell, if you are actually going to drive it, put good rubber on it.
the day before I left, the car passed inspection. it was close, because there were a few things the shop could have picked to fail me on, like the crack in the windshield, or the SAI (secondary air injection, or smog pump) system was throwing a code for a leak. also the sketch headlights and sporadic wheel speed sensor code...but it passed.
I spent the rest of the day ignoring the "max loaded capacity" sticker and loading everything I owned into the car...mainly tools...
I never had it weighed, but I know it was at least double max loaded capacity. it rode like shit.
(http://i.imgur.com/ZL7phUW.jpg)
we left at 5:00 AM the next morning, before we were out of Texas, the front passenger wheel bearing started to vibrate. the rear passenger window regulator was broken, so the window would slowly fall down as we drove...to prevent buffeting, we had to roll with the windows down. it got miserable at times.
by the time we were in Arkansas, we noticed the exhaust was steadily getting louder and louder, and rattled between 2500 and 3200 RPM. when we got to kentucky it the wheel bearing was so bad I had to slow down when turning right, it felt like I was on the rumble strip whenever I turned right going faster than 70. also, the shift pattern was slowly changing shape...reverse was getting further and further from 4th, which had kinda blended with 5th...
we spent the night in kentucky, the next day we started through west VA. going through the hills, I just set the cruise control to 80 and ignored the wheel bearing. the suspension on the car was surprisingly tight, except powering out of left turns...at a rest stop i checked the rear driver suspension, and found someone had put a spacer in the spring.
here I am driving up to an insane asylum in west VA. kind of a badass shot of how fucking huge that place was.
(http://i.imgur.com/KJgBB8D.jpg)
the car limped into PA, but we made it. when I replaced the wheel bearing, it was exceptionally bad, worse than I had ever seen before...it could have failed completely at any moment. the car wouldn't go into reverse anymore, after I adjusted the shift linkage, that problem was solved.
the car is still a work in progress, but it made it here. we found the motor is a reman that was replaced at 154k, the trans I put in had 12k before the drive, the suspension is tight other than the spring, the electrical system is fine, and the interior is still not bad. this car is on track to be one of those "456k miles, only thing original is the VIN plates and the odometer" cars on craigslist.
its an absolute beast on gravel or dirt roads, the only way to explain AWD to someone who hasn't driven one hard, is it feels like you are breaking the laws of physics...the car should be sliding, it doesn't seem possible that a 4500 lb car can go this fast this hard on gravel without sliding, but no matter how hard you push it, there is still grip for some reason...
the car is still pretty much stock, but I'm going to fix everything before I start fucking with it. I already put in Sunpro gauges (boost and oil PSI)
(http://i.imgur.com/IJ9nRVQ.jpg)
a hybrid diverter/blow off valve
(http://i.imgur.com/7A9nIfQ.jpg)
future mods-
-ABS interrupter
(http://i.imgur.com/UT89sLk.jpg)
-new injectors/chip
-performance exhaust/O2 sensor relocation
-intercooler
-diff mod (http://diffmod.plainbored.com/)
-Frankenturbo (eventually :P)
I will update this thread whenever I do major work on the car
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You have very manly hands for a female :-\
But either way excellent thread :D
5 Star thread
I like your choice in cars
I had a diesel jetta TDI that got BOSS gas mileage until I totalled it, and now I have a used Passat
German Engineering 4 lyfe
The way the thread was put together and pics and shit was quality
Would comment further on your work, but your knowledge of working on cars far outweighs mine
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didn't read but im subbing because I love audi's and will probably buy an A4 in the next 6 months
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You have very manly hands for a female :-\
But either way excellent thread :D
5 Star thread
I like your choice in cars
I had a diesel jetta TDI that got BOSS gas mileage until I totalled it, and now I have a used Passat
German Engineering 4 lyfe
The way the thread was put together and pics and shit was quality
Would comment further on your work, but your knowledge of working on cars far outweighs mine
A year ago I owned 2 GMs, I've covered a lot of ground since then.
German cars are simply on a whole other level than japanese or american cars, and it isn't something that can be copied. any company can put expensive leather, turbos and AWD in a car, but for some reason only german companies can make it "feel" German. even my passat had that feel, and its hard to get into anything else after driving that.
didn't read but im subbing because I love audi's and will probably buy an A4 in the next 6 months
just a tip if you are looking at A4s-
do NOT buy it if-
it isn't a quattro
its a V6 with the tiptronic transmission.
its the 1.8t with the CVT trans (only available in FWD configuration)
if the timing belt needs to be done. its about a $2k service.
if you plan on working on it yourself (save HUGE money) buy all the special sockets and wrenches ahead of time. it sucks when you look at the 12 point tamper proof fastner thinking "how the fuck..."
as far as actually working on them, they are just like any other car, just...German. its approachable, you just need to "think German"
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A year ago I owned 2 GMs, I've covered a lot of ground since then.
German cars are simply on a whole other level than japanese or american cars, and it isn't something that can be copied. any company can put expensive leather, turbos and AWD in a car, but for some reason only german companies can make it "feel" German. even my passat had that feel, and its hard to get into anything else after driving that.
Damn skippy.
I've only owned VW's so far and the engineering aspect of them are just top notch shit. My main problems I've experienced have been they are more prone to electrical problems.
Which isn't a big deal when you compare it to the mechanical problems of other vehicles, but can be a major pain in the ass trying to figure out whats what. I'm too much of a n00b at diagrams for it to help even me much. Luckily I haven't had any problems other than having to replace the ABS which is easy as shit, which I picked up at the local pick n pull for like $150.
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what kind of VWs?
yeah, to be fair my GM's were REAL GM's, not government motors...
(http://i.imgur.com/sXayFFO.jpg)
one of the things I've noticed about VW is they cast every piece they can...which is heavy, but I think that contributes to the feel. all the suspension components, motor mounts, tranny mounts, tranny, diff and a lot of brackets are cast magnesium/aluminum, where other manufacturers use stamped steel.
the GM's used stamped steel, but they were thick AF and very heavy...the older GM's had that "solid" feel too. the cutlass wagon in the pic weighs just 300lbs more than the A4.
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Me and proots live in Pittsburgh come out for a beer when I get back from my work trip
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with the money I got from the passat, I was able to finally address the rubber situation permanently. I bought 2 Continentals and got a Kumho for free to put on the spare. anyone that has driven a car with cheap rubber, then driven the same car with nothing changed other than expensive rubber will tell you, tires are not a place to cheap out. good tires can make a stock car outrun a car with a complete suspension and coilover job. you put Kumhos on a car that has no rubber that you are trying to sell, if you are actually going to drive it, put good rubber on it.
I just put 4 new Cooper CS5 XL's on my 02 Avalon, totally changed the handling for the better and my Talon AWD runs Nitto Neogens.
Your A4 looks pretty nice, How is the trans holding up?
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Good ol German cars. I had a 5000 quattro... that didn't go too well. Now I prefer older BMW's.
I still remember Rider back on &z had an A6 2.7T, he converted it to manual and swapped the turbos for bigger ones. That car lasted like a year lol. As much as I love krauts, I won't touch another Audi until I'm fully prepared to take it apart. I still secretly desire an Urquattro however :p
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I just put 4 new Cooper CS5 XL's on my 02 Avalon, totally changed the handling for the better and my Talon AWD runs Nitto Neogens.
Your A4 looks pretty nice, How is the trans holding up?
trans is fine, still shifts solid through all my abuse
either or, I am going to find a boneyard motor and build it up on the side. 1.9TDI crank or a 2.0 TSI crank, punch it out .030, and forged rods. after the block is solid, I'll decide on turbo.
a classic audi would be badass. just turn up the boost on the 2.2 20v motor, all it took to go stupid fast.
that's everyone's 2.7tt story, and also one of the reasons audi has the reputation for maintenance costs it does...you had to pull the motor out to get to the starter, turbos, and pull the bumper off for just about everything else. at least there is *some* room around a 1.8t.
concerning the car, I think the head gasket might me on its last limbs...it has a misfire some mornings, and coolant is disappearing...I'll use this excuse to build a motor on the side. I just need to find a cheap one
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trans is fine, still shifts solid through all my abuse
either or, I am going to find a boneyard motor and build it up on the side. 1.9TDI crank or a 2.0 TSI crank, punch it out .030, and forged rods. after the block is solid, I'll decide on turbo.
a classic audi would be badass. just turn up the boost on the 2.2 20v motor, all it took to go stupid fast.
that's everyone's 2.7tt story, and also one of the reasons audi has the reputation for maintenance costs it does...you had to pull the motor out to get to the starter, turbos, and pull the bumper off for just about everything else. at least there is *some* room around a 1.8t.
concerning the car, I think the head gasket might me on its last limbs...it has a misfire some mornings, and coolant is disappearing...I'll use this excuse to build a motor on the side. I just need to find a cheap one
Haha sounds like the DSMs 4g63T, boost control and a good tune and your rockin... but does it ever stop there? Thus reliability goes down the tubes but a solid motor & transmission + AWD is a godsend to send the power to the ground.
I've been looking for a clean RS6... I know there are a few here in SWFL... old people with money love cars with High HP.
Was your Passat reliable?
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yeah, the passat was solid. it was also high miles, only thing it needed was a clutch.
the thing about DSM's was the manual trans couldn't stand up to more power...the automatics could, but who wants an auto.
Audi transmissions are rock solid, there is a guy with a twin-turbo LS2 in one, stock trans.
the only thing about RS6's are they only come with an auto...personally I LOVE the feel of a stick shift.
I found an AMB code head with bent valves...AMB heads had big ports, but no VVT. I am going to buy it, port it even more, swap in my VVT cams, new valves and valve springs and fix the head gasket, then I'll focus on the block when I get the chance. all the 1.8t builds I've found use aftermarket forged rods, I'm wondering if I can't just use TDI or AWD-code forged rods and keep the rev limiter in check around 7.5k.
I really like Garret's new GTX series turbos, I think a GTX2871R would give me stupid performance with DD-able powerband...if only they didn't cost as much as I spent on the car. my friend has a jetta with a T3T4, and I like the cost/performance ratio on that turbo.
I got to ride in a big-turbo car, and I'm sold. I'm almost tempted to trade this off for a G-platform, get a 6.2 iron block truck motor/T-56 and put a 2nd gen cummins turbo on it. if I thought I could handle that car in the snow, I'd be all over that.
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I just remember being a passenger in upstate ny in a RS6 and at 120 it felt like 70-80 mph. It was ridiculously comfy.
What turbo does cummins run? I remember a GSX that had a holset hx40 and it was sexy af.
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German cars are always stable at high speeds, even the passat was that way...it isn't really that they are smooth, or "floaty" like a Cadillac, but they are stable. it feels like you are in control.
cummins used a different turbo on the 12v, the 24v, and the 3rd gen 24v. I believe all were manufactured by Holset.
12v-54mm
24v-60mm
2nd gen 24v-I'm not sure.
the only reason I say cummins turbo is they are cheap, big, internal wastegate, loud, and give that freight train torque
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(http://boards.cannabis.com/attachments/cannabis-pictures/126428d1174606866-decent-weed-i-just-got-cheap-borat_nice.jpg)
Nice detailed post!
German cars don't seem to stand up to the test of time down under, our roads are horrid unless you live in a capital city.
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yeah, the passat was solid. it was also high miles, only thing it needed was a clutch.
the thing about DSM's was the manual trans couldn't stand up to more power...the automatics could, but who wants an auto.
Audi transmissions are rock solid, there is a guy with a twin-turbo LS2 in one, stock trans.
the only thing about RS6's are they only come with an auto...personally I LOVE the feel of a stick shift.
I found an AMB code head with bent valves...AMB heads had big ports, but no VVT. I am going to buy it, port it even more, swap in my VVT cams, new valves and valve springs and fix the head gasket, then I'll focus on the block when I get the chance. all the 1.8t builds I've found use aftermarket forged rods, I'm wondering if I can't just use TDI or AWD-code forged rods and keep the rev limiter in check around 7.5k.
I really like Garret's new GTX series turbos, I think a GTX2871R would give me stupid performance with DD-able powerband...if only they didn't cost as much as I spent on the car. my friend has a jetta with a T3T4, and I like the cost/performance ratio on that turbo.
I got to ride in a big-turbo car, and I'm sold. I'm almost tempted to trade this off for a G-platform, get a 6.2 iron block truck motor/T-56 and put a 2nd gen cummins turbo on it. if I thought I could handle that car in the snow, I'd be all over that.
this is the fucking worst post i have ever read
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yeah, the passat was solid. it was also high miles, only thing it needed was a clutch.
the thing about DSM's was the manual trans couldn't stand up to more power...the automatics could, but who wants an auto.
Audi transmissions are rock solid, there is a guy with a twin-turbo LS2 in one, stock trans.
the only thing about RS6's are they only come with an auto...personally I LOVE the feel of a stick shift.
I found an AMB code head with bent valves...AMB heads had big ports, but no VVT. I am going to buy it, port it even more, swap in my VVT cams, new valves and valve springs and fix the head gasket, then I'll focus on the block when I get the chance. all the 1.8t builds I've found use aftermarket forged rods, I'm wondering if I can't just use TDI or AWD-code forged rods and keep the rev limiter in check around 7.5k.
I really like Garret's new GTX series turbos, I think a GTX2871R would give me stupid performance with DD-able powerband...if only they didn't cost as much as I spent on the car. my friend has a jetta with a T3T4, and I like the cost/performance ratio on that turbo.
I got to ride in a big-turbo car, and I'm sold. I'm almost tempted to trade this off for a G-platform, get a 6.2 iron block truck motor/T-56 and put a 2nd gen cummins turbo on it. if I thought I could handle that car in the snow, I'd be all over that.
this is the fucking worst post i have ever read
...because you're a junkie autist shitposting in the car forum. Why would you come here if you don't care about/can't understand the subject matter?
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Nice detailed post!
German cars don't seem to stand up to the test of time down under, our roads are horrid unless you live in a capital city.
how so? my father had a VW rabbit for years that ran fine and florida weather is absolutely torturous on vehicles
im actually looking at VWs because japanese engineering is annoying me and american engineering is just plain shit
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Nice detailed post!
German cars don't seem to stand up to the test of time down under, our roads are horrid unless you live in a capital city.
how so? my father had a VW rabbit for years that ran fine and florida weather is absolutely torturous on vehicles
im actually looking at VWs because japanese engineering is annoying me and american engineering is just plain shit
I think the main problem lay with massive tariff on european imports during the 80's, right when German cars were getting more and more popular everywhere else; this meant the cars were way too expensive so they didn't sell much, which meant the German car makers didn't bother giving much support to their customers down under. There's more to it than that but that's one of the biggest problems of the day.
On the other hand, these days in the north american market, there are plenty of horror stories of new German cars riddled with glitches and faults despite the high cost to buy and maintain them. Though the reality is companies like VW, Audi and BMW aren't that much worse than anything else on the market - except the Japanese.
Personally speaking, I still prefer the classics, models with verified reputations for quality. Even if they're old, if they were built right from the start they'll last indefinitely. Like my 02.
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They seem to suffer from the rougher roads and higher temps in northern areas of the country compared to equivenlent cars by the more popular makes here. They are beautiful cars nonetheless.
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They seem to suffer from the rougher roads and higher temps in northern areas of the country compared to equivenlent cars by the more popular makes here. They are beautiful cars nonetheless.
From what I have experienced the German cars are highly Over Engineered and thus required stricter maintenance schedules.
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you definitely have to stay on top of these cars, my friend had a toyota he drove around for 6 months with terrible valve chatter...you couldn't get away with that with one of these.
every time I ride in someone elses VW or audi, the check engine light is ALWAYS on, granted, these cars do make a lot of BS codes, but I've gotten mine down to one code that doesn't throw a light...its the lower-radiator coolant temp sensor, which I have ordered.
I have the top end gasket kit, timing kit, water pump, new head bolts, an air intake, and enough hose clamps to do a hose clamp conversion. once I get the new head, I'll port it, and swap everything over.
(http://i.imgur.com/hw8Zr50.jpg)