Fenixgoon's Build Thread

A6 All/ S6 All
#1

With the car finally in hand, it’s time to start down that path :slight_smile:

The good news - after the car was delivered, my brother was kind enough to take some logs and saw no issues (misfires, etc.) so the engine is nice and healthy 8) 8)

The bad - Today’s trip to the local VW/audi specialist uncovered items that were not noted during the routine dealer inspection provided by the seller. Lesson learned - always get a PPI. always.

Fixes Needed:

-Accessory Belt (immediate need)
-Crank Case Breather Leaking
-Oil Pan Leaking
-Water Pump Replacement

Bentley guide is on its way, and depending on how immediate and difficult the breather and oil pan are (can’t be that bad…right?) I’m pretty sure my brother and I could knock those out in a day or less. The water pump needs a lot of labor (~10hrs :o :o ) so it’s not for the impatient or faint of heart. I will probably end up leaving that to the shop.

As far as other mods/replacements go:

JHM Intake Spacers
Spark Plugs
Ignition Coils
Flow-matched Injectors
JHM LW Pulley
JHM Exhaust
Interior/Exterior Clean
Fix rock chips (Dr. Color Chip is seriously amazing if no one has ever used it)

All things in good time. Once the most pressing items are taken care of, I promise some really nice pictures :slight_smile:

#2

You can do all that!

Just got done with replacing the w/p and belt (amongst other “while your in there” items). If you have the manual, you can do it. Plus, you may find other things when your in there. I found my oil cooler was leaking, which was masked by the oil pan leak.

#3

fenixgoon nice to hear the car is in your hands.

Your list of to dos is a great list and really will help round out the car. If you didn’t already inspect the intake manifold inside flaps to see if they are in good working order that is going to be another good thing to look at.

In one swoop you can pull the front clip off and your going to want to do that when looking into the oil pan leak as its a good chance to really inspect and get to everything. Once the front end is off you can do the JHM LW crank pulley the water pump the belt and the acc belt… I think a belt comes with the JHM LW crank pulley so you can probably kill two birds with one stone there. You can also inspect the tensioner that tends to get bound up over time.

With the front end off its easy to remove the intake VS with the front clip on as well. So I would pull the car in pull the clip. remove the intake check for carbon pull the injectors at that time and do everything at once if its in your budjet as you will save a lot of time and hassle. Its also a good idea to pull the front clip anyways as you don’t know when the last time the coolant was changed and that is again a good change to refresh everything.

#4

You’re right justincredible, looks like all this stuff can be done in one fell swoop.

Any thoughts on going OEM parts vs non-OEM? Some things (water pump, PCV valve) are wayyyyy cheaper on the non-OEM side. Just wondering if it’s worth the cost or not. OEM PCV is $250. Non-OEM is $50 ??? ???

#5

So far I haven’t heard much issue from the few guys that grabbed the cheaper PCV. The water pump I think the OEM unit might have the edge due to the updated design with the wheel. Its hard to say because even the old units with the water pumps were not too bad.

#6

I bought the Vaico PCV and the oring to the intake manifold leaked off the hop (simple fix, just replaced it) but the diaphragm failed in under 8,000kms of use. Just FYI.

#7

just checked my cheapie oil separator when I replaced the intake and it’s all appeared to be working - it had ALOT of oily sediment in it, doing it’s job I reckon but it’s definitely an item that’ll need regular maintenance or replacement.

#8

Interesting to know. something to keep an eye on.

Its good to see they work. It might be something to check every few oil changes. This might be a case of they work but they need to be replaced every so many oil changes.

#9

couple of questions about maintenance items

accessory belt - the bentley manual does not explicitly state you have to pull the front end. it just shows removal of the underbody. can the belt be changed without removing the front end? Obviously it’s infinitely easier in the service position.

thermostat - same deal, the bentley manual just shows a coolant hose and a connector being removed and then the thermostat being removed. am i crazy or are there a few steps before that (pull front end, radiator, alternator, then water pump)?

i ordered some stuff to address the oil pan leak so i am going to knock that out later in the week, hopefully.

#10

Yes you can replace the belt and not pull the front end. Its a bit of more work but its possible.

If you can take a screen shot and post the part for the thermostat that would help shed light on exactly what your talking about. The thermostat however isnt something you generally ever really change.

#11

anyone got the part number for the panel clips / pop rivets that go from the underbody tray to the noise insulation? the ones i’ve found online don’t appear to match what’s on the car so i want to double check.

also, favorite way to remove them? ;D >:(

had the car up the other day to take a look but i hate those damn things, and if i end up ripping them all out (and destroying them in the process) i’ll need to get replacements.

#12

They are not the push twist metal ones…

Usually on the christmas tree clips I use a body trim panel tool. You can get them at any auto store or hobofreight

#13

good news - my accessory belt is being fixed. bad news, it’s not by me. i feel like i’m cheating yall :stuck_out_tongue:

took the car down to the shop to have the accessory belt replaced since that’s easier to do on a lift than in a garage. turns out the tensioner is frozen, so that is getting replaced as well.

still planning on tearing into the car around christmas to do everything else - water pump, oil pan gasket, plugs, carbon clean, intake spacers, etc.

#14

the thermostat is held on by 5 bolts (IIRC) and you can remove it from under the car. It’s on the drivers (left) side of the engine. The housing comes with the thermostat and oring.

I had my thermostat fail and cause an overheating situation. It’s a $65 part from Genuine Audi Parts (079121115BF)

#15

BTW, what type of fastener head are on those weird bolts?

#16

Its odd I didn’t have anything like that in my tool box but I used a 1/4 SAE and it worked just fine. I’ll post about this in the S6 motor thread later today.

#17

it’s an E-torx bolt. E-8 I believe, basically a male version of the the Torx/Star fastener.

Probably a good idea to pick up a set of them. Home Depot has them for like $24

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-1-4-3-8-1-2-in-E-Torx-Socket-Set-HETX13PC/206031060?cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|G|0|G-BASE-PLA-D25T-HandTools|&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgZTRBRDmARIsAJvVWAstejUI_3ESmfgvTG5HfDIXR752644OxPmtrQPMlFI-VU57RVEE7p4aAul0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CP_Kg-XX8NcCFZdGNwodrf0ILg

#18

Thanks for the info! I found tools I don’t have…I must buy them now!

#19

story of my life…

#20

Not that anyone would question murph but it was an e torx I pulled off the thermo housing and used a 1\4 in SAE socket but the correct unit is e torx