Karma bump boat. Lots of good helpful information these past few days
Yup, thanks Boatmobile!
The vibration I’d say is a shudder and feels likely you’re right on the diff service. CV boots look like they have been changed recently, so they’re sealed but no grinding sounds.
S6 in my year are permanent 4wd with Torsen T-2.
Suspension, the shocks do feel like they’re starting to go, so I was considering coilovers. I do want to get it a bit lower and stiffen it up a tad. But it is something I can definitely wait on and do wheels first. Tires are at 70-80% though so I’ll have to be patient there.
Trying to get to some other small niggling things like a detatched headliner, replacing some peeling/sticky control pieces in the interior, and trying to find a way to get an rs6 rear here from germany from ebay sellers who don’t seem to want to send to USA. (Any good samaritans in germany willing to help? =) )
Next chance I get I’m going to get it back on the lift and check that steering pump. A/C fan is making some noise too so hopefully thats an easy swap.
As part of a buy of a few other parts, I took a shot on some RS6 Hotchkis swaybars. Wasn’t sure if they’d fit my car, anyone know for sure? All I could find was that the AR was different because of the compressors being in the way. I’m hoping that the RS6/S6 is compatible except for maybe some diameter differences that can be overcome.
Thanks again for all the info!
To give you an idea of how it looks lowered, here is my old 2002 S6 sitting on H&R coilovers, on the highest setting. Note the pickup truck in the background. On the highest setting, these coilovers provide a really tasteful/slight drop. Factory sized tires are 255/40/R17 (overall diameter 25.0"). Tires in this picture are 245/40/R19 (overall diameter 26.7"). No rubbing issues, and looks great if you ask me.
http://audirevolution.net/addons/albums/images/556495044.png
http://audirevolution.net/addons/albums/images/365493366.png
Noisy HVAC fan is a really common issue on these cars. Super easy to change. Just remove the glove box. Even with zero experience, I’m sure you could swap the HVAC fan in less than two hours. It’s literally right there once the glove box is off. Might be less than an hour if you’re super handy.
Be careful when selecting a replacement climate control console (I assume this is what you’re talking about). The climate control consoles are different, depending on which factory stereo you have. When shopping for a used climate control unit in good shape, pay attention to the top left and right corners. Sharp corners are from cars with a Symphony/upgraded OEM stereo, and rounded corners are from a Concert/basic OEM stereo. Note these differences in the following picture:
http://audirevolution.net/addons/albums/images/137647091.jpg
Also, regarding the peeling buttons on the climate console: I heard somewhere that Audi changed the type of paint/coating on these consoles starting in 2002. So any climate control unit from 2001 or older that fits a C5 would be a unit that won’t be as prone to the same button paint peeling problems.
My S6 had a H&R rear sway bar installed right before I got it, courtesy of v8a6 (previous owner). You can see how much more beefy it is here (picture of OEM vs H&R side by side):
I’m not sure about compatibility, but I imagine the RS6 and S6 sway bars would be interchangeable. One of these images shows dimensions of all C5 cars, except the RS6 (from the Bentley manual, in inches). The other image of RS6 dimensions is from Google, in metric. I’m pretty sure a wide body C5 car is a wide body C5 car, but you can do an exact comparison using the following:
http://audirevolution.net/addons/albums/images/922303508.jpg
http://audirevolution.net/addons/albums/images/814211720.png
Thanks Justin!
So we’ve almost covered the basics for easy stuff to get an edge on this car. Before we get into the info on big power jumps, I wanna touch on IMRC (“intake manifold runner control”). It’s not a power adder, but it IS a power robber if it isn’t working properly. If you bought your car used, then you might have some un-used power under the hood right meow, just waiting to be hooked back up.
C5 platform V8 cars, as well as some other Audis, have problematic intake manifold runner control. Malfunctioning IMRC results in loss of torque at some point(s) in your rpm range, between idle and redline, and, since hp is a result of rpm’s and torque (basically), then malfunctioning IMRC also means a loss of hp. In other words, potential loss of smooth torque at low rpm (like below 3000rpm), and potential loss of hp top end power at higher rpm (like above 3000rpm). And, you may have never even noticed a lack of power because it’s a ballsy V8 anyways.
Understanding IMRC is a bit lengthy, along with fixing it, and sourcing parts, so, I’m gonna start a thread on it here:
So yeah to briefly summarize what was discussed in the above thread, you’ll wanna:
(1) Check your pods for rips/tears, and if you need new pods, then go with Land Rover pods if you can find them. Seems to be cheapest option. Or Lamborghini.
(2) Check your plastic actuator arms to see that they’re definitely attached on both ends, and if not, consider GruvenParts metal replacements.
(3) When you give it throttle and change rpm, check to see that BOTH of the pods are indeed moving the tear-drop shaped actuators (aka “pivot levers”) on the front of the intake manifold. Remember that each pod moves at a different rpm (details in above IMRC thread). If need be, consider getting a Dremel involved to help free things up, and consider GruvenParts for new pivot levers.
Then go out and feel the power you’ve been missing.
I’ll be back at some point to continue on the power adders for this legendary wagon…
Thanks for that tip on the AC panel. I had already bought a used one and didn’t realize there were different versions, but looks like I have sharp corners from a 2000 so I think I’m good.
Will pop the cover off and take a look at the intake as well, but torque feels pretty smooth throughout acceleration so I might not have any issue yet, but admittedly I haven’t been in another one.
Not sure if it was this thread or another someone was talking about intake spacers due to heat issues? Any input on that?
The intake spacers on the V8 and V10 cars make a big difference. They are worth getting for both performance and motor health.