While I had it off, I decided to un-RAI my downpipe. It has pissed me off from the first day it was on the car.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zps6solx6b6.jpg
Here it is all tacked up. I’ll weld it tomorrow.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zps02tpzkjk.jpg
Looks good!
Got everything welded up. I may look into adding a mount for the factory brace. I haven’t decided yet.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsaryumqzb.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsfh5pl6yw.jpg
Added the O2 bung and exhaust venturi for my PCV setup.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsz6b9kip4.jpg
Ready to go in the car.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsm2lyz012.jpg
Final fitment.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsmwkzqrnr.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsofnzabnn.jpg
Sick! You should go single exhaust all the way back ;D
One of these days, I’ll replace the rest of the exhaust with something bigger. Most likely, I’ll go from 3" to split 2.5". I would go with a bigger downpipe, but I don’t know how much bigger I could fit. Maybe if I got some 4" oval tubing…
Do single 4" then split to dual 3".
After fighting with an oil consumption problem for the last 6 months or so, I finally came to the conclusion that my valve seals must be bad. I figured this out by process of elimination mostly. I replaced everything external to the engine that could cause oil consumption, and then did compression and leakdown tests to check the piston rings. I got 165-170psi in all cylinders and about 3-3.5% leakdown across the board. That eliminated the rings as a problem (thank god). So valve seals it is.
I finally started the teardown tonight after stockpiling all the parts I needed/wanted. I’m replacing the coolant flange, thermostat, water pump and timing belt/tensioners/rollers while I have everything apart. I’ve only got about 53k-54k miles on the current belt, but I don’t want to have to tear my car apart again in a year (I drive a lot).
Let’s get to work! (this part is kinda boring, so we’ll fast forward a little)
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zps9mgjsaao.jpg
Fast forward a bit more to after intake manifold removal:
Cyl #1
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpslt8vofix.jpg
Cyl #2
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpscgqg8ypj.jpg
Cyl #3
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpslpqb3a3a.jpg
Cyl #4
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsgxtifyrr.jpg
As you can see, Cyl #1 & #4 are actually pretty damn clean for it having been 43k miles since the last carbon clean. I guess all that meth I’m spraying does help after all. Cyl #3 & #4 however, look like ass. There is significant buildup on the valves and they are quite wet with oil, as were the flaps in the head and the nozzle of the injectors. I think it’s safe to say that the seals are shot on #3+#4 intake valves. There may be issues with the exhaust valves also, but it’s nice to finally see evidence of something wrong that I can fix. I’ll keep this thread updated with progress and it will shift to a more DIY style once I start to disassemble the head/valvetrain to replace the seals.
Got a little further tonight and found a couple surprises. I’m feeling pretty lucky that I caught it when I did. The water pump seems to have been leaking for some time now, and my timing belt was waaay loose.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsuypg6hko.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mojhzDRTf48
You can see that the tensioner isn’t tightened to where it should be. I think it was on it’s way out and I just happened to catch it in time. I’m going to go buy a lottery ticket.
Yeah good thing you caught that one early!
Wow the past few updates have been big steps forward. It looks like you have a small list of things that were all starting to go wrong. Good thing you decided to take off the heads. You would have not found that if you just let it go. Sooner or later you would have to have taken off the heads. Better to take them off to replace some seals then to have to take them off to replace some bent valves
Yes, especially since I have approximately the cost of a nice used stock engine in the valvetrain alone.
More parts removed, more surprises. Got the head off finally.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zps64mh1nwt.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zps56cf0afu.jpg
But then removed the timing chain cover and saw something odd with the tensioner.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpswjjpkowh.jpg
It is completely compressed. I’m no doctor, but I think there is supposed to be some room to push the tensioner in. Is it possible that this is just because of the cam position? Or do I indeed have a problem? I’m going to replace the chain and tensioner unless this is somehow normal, even though they are only about 43k miles old.
On closer inspection, I think the tensioner is fine. When I put tension on the exhaust cam by trying to turn it, the tensioner springs up into a position I would expect it to be in. I guess the valve springs keep the chain pretty tight when there is no timing belt holding the exhaust cam back.
No, that is compressed too far. It needs to have tension on the chain:
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/01/52dcb4d2abfa244d9523fcc7935aecc4.jpg
^see video Jake. It only looked like that because the head was off and the timing belt wasn’t putting tension on the exhaust cam sprocket. When I put tension back on with a ratchet, it looked how your picture does.
Took the day off of work today to get more done on the car. I would have gotten more done, but I spent a good portion of the morning driving around looking for a 12 point 8mm socket. I finally found one at Lowes and was back in business.
If you haven’t already, remove the sprocket/gear from the exhaust cam now with a puller. It’s a bitch, have fun. I used a medium size 3 jaw puller with a little PB Blaster. Then remove the black cover that was held in place by the sprocket you just removed.
I started by unbolting the cam tray from the head. Once all the bolts are out, use a screwdriver to pry slowly around the perimeter on the cast tabs to lift the cam try off the head. I forgot to take pictures of this part, but it’s easy to figure out.
Once the cam tray is off, you can remove the cams. Press down on the tensioner (if it’s not already compressed), and hold it in place with a small allen wrench. Now lift the front of the cams out of the head and move them toward the back of the head to get the chain clear from the tensioner.
Now that the cams are out, we can get to the rocker/lifters. Pull these out simply by lifting up. I don’t know if it’s a big deal with these, but I kept them in order so I could put them back in their original spot.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsjrmlcbda.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpscyf7u2d6.jpg
With those out of the way, we can get a better look at the valve springs.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsaughmqbf.jpg
Bolt on the valve spring compressor and strap the head down to your work bench. You don’t want this thing moving around on you. It will make a difficult job much worse.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zps7rzsfsjk.jpg
My method for removing the springs was to fish in a small telescoping magnet pickup thingy down in the head to snatch up the valve keepers while the spring in compressed. A lot of them were pretty stuck, so I had to free them with a small pick before grabbing them with the magnet. There is no way I could have taken a picture of this without a helper. Repeat this 16 times and swear a lot, until you get all the valve springs off.
With the springs off, use some valve seal pliers to remove the old seals. It helps is you twist them before pulling to break them free.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zps2cifxgxc.jpg
Now you can remove the valves. Be sure to keep track of which one goes where, or you may have valve sealing issues later. Each valve is mated to it’s specific seat. I used a box with holes in it to keep them all in order.
At this point I had a completely bare head. Seems like a great time to get out the Harbor Freight soda blaster and do one hell of a carbon cleaning. Earlier in this thread, there are pictures of the back of my valves. The underside looked pretty nasty on cyl. 2&3 also.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsq40zlai2.jpg
I spent the next 2 hours or so blasting the crap out of the head. I sprayed the head down with brake cleaner to get rid of the oil prior to blasting. The soda blaster also works wonders for removing the sealant from the head and cam tray. I also blasted each valve individually while it was out. The buildup on the exhaust valves is damn near impossible to get off, so I settled for scraping off what I could with a razor blade and calling it good.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpscpylsaz6.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsao06lkzd.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zps1tvcmvtl.jpg
After I finished blasting, I hosed out the head thoroughly with water. The soda dissolves easily, so you don’t have to worry about any getting caught in the water/oil passages. After hosing it out good, blow it dry with compressed air.
Back to the workbench to reinstall the valves. I coated the stems with clean engine oil before installing.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zps3dds9ywv.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsp0b8exlo.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsdyet2ueq.jpg
With the valves back in, strap the head down to the bench again and install the new seals. I used IE seals and they are different between intake and exhaust, so make sure the right ones go in the right spot. The exhaust seals are made from Viton to hold up better to the heat and are blue. The intake seals are reddish brown and I think are just rubber. I pushed them on by hand and then seated them with the valve seal pliers. After you install them, make sure you didn’t damage the small spring that goes around the top of the seal.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsibwqemvj.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsiabf6gmg.jpg
Now comes the shittiest part of the entire job IMO. You have to compress the springs back over the valves and install the keepers to hold them in place. After lots and lots of swearing, this is what I came up with:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpse0ll5igd.jpg
The pipe on the compressor tool gives me a lot more leverage, making it easier to keep the springs compressed. I tucked it under my arm, and used my body weight to keep the spring compressed. This lets you use both hands to fumble fuck with those little demon keepers. I used a small magnetic (barely) screwdriver and a non-megnetic screwdriver to position the keepers. You will get the hang of it after 2-3 of them, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. It still sucks.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpssbsj8zmy.jpg
After all the springs are back in, I used a scrap piece of aluminum I had and a hammer to give head valve a few good whacks to make sure the keepers and spring retainers aren’t going anywhere.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zps3jikmhvk.jpg
Put the rockers/lifters back in.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpswjgl9qte.jpg
Reinstall the tensioner. You can see the allen wrench that is keeping it compressed. I also put a thin coat of bearing assembly lube on the cam bearing races before putting the cams in.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsp9dvbwus.jpg
Lay the cams in place in the head. If you left the chain on them like I did, this part will be easy. If not, use trial and error until the timing tool will fit between the cams.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsbditdft4.jpg
Lube up the cam tray.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsartgktcx.jpg
Place the cam tray over the cams, and tighten in place with a couple bolts. This is a good use for your old cam tray bolts, since they are TTY and you need to use new ones. You are just doing an additional check of the cam timing here. The timing tool should easily fit between the cams with the tray tightened flush with the head.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsrzhctnda.jpg
After you are certain the cams are properly timed to each other, bust out the sealant. I used Elring Dirko sealant. It’s much cheaper than the Audi sealant and will likely be much easier to remove if I ever need to. Put a small bead of sealant on the cam tray in the machined grooves around the perimeter and the plug holes. Don’t go overboard, just use enough to have a bead the width of the groove. This is when you want to install your new cam seals. I also used some ARP fastener lubricant on my cam tray bolts per ARP’s recommendation. I torqued the cam tray bolts to 15 ft-lbs. starting from the center and working my way out. I believe the stock bolts are 8 nm and 90 degrees (you should double check to be sure).
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpss8dil9r9.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsz0bupabi.jpg
After that, pop the timing chain cover back on and call it a night. This was about the time that I realized I was starving because I hadn’t really eaten anything all day.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsxivxtkas.jpg
Finished putting the car back together finally. I pulled the fuse for the lpfp and cranked the engine for a bit just to make sure oil was flowing to everything before starting. After letting the lpfp prime the system back up, it fired right up. Threw a code at first, but that was due to me forgetting to plug in the cam position sensor. It was buried somewhere under the intake manifold, but the only thing I had to take off to find it was the throttle body. I used a piece of 308L TIG filler wire with a hook bent into the end to fish it through to where I needed it. From here, I’ll be watching the dipstick to see if I fixed my oil consumption problem. I should be able to tell in just a couple days if it has gotten any better.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsig7toa4v.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsg1nttita.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpss1ritxbj.jpg
lookin sharp. Thats a lot of work and you did it very quickly so good for you. Let us know how things turned out
To make a long story short, the valve seals did not slow down my oil consumption any. I pulled the head this weekend so I can take it to the machine shop for some new valve guides. I originally thought they were excessively worn, but I was wrong. They were gouged by something.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsudfpp1zy.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a129/2fast4sanity/image_zpsbvv70ixd.jpg
I have gouges on 4/8 intake guides. Not sure what caused it, but I’ll be glad when it’s fixed. It seems plausible that this is the primary cause of my consumption, but I’ve been wrong before. Any thoughts?
Those scratches dont look good but I cant see them being too bad for oil. The scratches are mid shaft but they look deep. It would be interesting to see what the head shop says.
