After watching all the B5 guys putting in timing belt V8s and knowing their reliability and cost vs. chain motors, how come no one swaps those motors in? The S6 makes the same power. Just curious if I’m missing something
I suspect it has to do with the reason these cars have chains in the 1st place. In order to get the V8 to fit Audi had to shorten the motor and did so by eliminating the front belt timing gear and replaced it with the chains. If I recall correctly this meant the motor is a mere 18 inches long. Simple as that really, just no room.
better question: why did Audi create a timing chain V8?
answer that one and you’ll answer your own question
damn…JPO pipped me by 13 seconds!
So the B5 engine bay has more room then the B6/7 engine bay?
dunno…I doubt it.
The B5 guys who may have done that 4.2 timing belt swap likely end up toasting the firewall to jam it in. When you start making all these sacrifices, you have to wonder ‘why the fuck am I doing all of this just to go NA 4.2 to maybe slightly stronger NA 4.2?’
Also clint’s comment of ‘all these B5 guys putting tbelt 4.2s…’ sounds like a bit of a stretch. What are there…maybe 3 on earth?
A little off topic but somewhat related…
I was in the Stealership yesterday to pick up another window regulator…(fack!)… and they were planning a timing chain install on a 3.2. I wasn’t aware those had the chains. Sounded like a very similar setup as well. Audi has a knack at keeping there dealerships very lucrative…lol
all of the newer motors are timing chain
what’s your avatar bmer?
The reason they went to chains is because the chains are a “lifetime part”. So much for that.
I wonder what thenother benefits of chain over belt?
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwkz7bT4Y31r2cw3n.gif
the option was
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_loazhyu3H61qede6xo1_500.gif
^^ Congrats new hero member lol. I fucking love that film. Brilliant. (Burn after reading, right?)
The amount of work it would take to fit a belt driven 4.2 into one of these S4s would out weigh the gains. It would probably take longer then the guy at RAI still trying to swap in a 2.7T into a B6 S4.
The 2005 3.2 V6s (A4s and A6s) had issues with the camshaft adjusters just like our cars. I replaced one set with timing chains, tensioners, and guides. It is a lot easier then our cars and they can do camshaft adjusters easily in the car because there is just a removable rear cover. If you think that is bad Audi can’t make a good engine right now to save their lives: the 2007-2009 A4 belt driven 2.0Ts have bad piston rings, the chain driven new 2.0TFSI engine built up too much crankcase pressure to the point that they need pistons, the 3.2 V6s in the A5s and Q5s get build up in the secondary air ports that require an engine pull to clean out, a few of the 4.2 V8 S5s have dropped valves into pistons, and the 3.0Ts (supercharged - stupid Germans) are just getting over all the leaking water pumps and stuck closed thermostats. Sadly I can go on and on if you like but that should be good for now and I still like my car a lot!
lol not sure if serious, but still lol either way
Oh the swap that he just drove 4 hours today? the one where the whole swap was cheaper than a timing chain V8?
Honestly all you would have to do is modify a little wiring and the front clip and call it a day. Have a motor that you do the timing belt on every now and then that doesn’t have cylinder wall scoring issues or timing chain failures
I think you’re dreaming regarding the timing belt motors. The reason they don’t have wall scoring etc. is because A6 owners just pound oil into them and don’t care. They’re not typically in the 21 year old online enthusiasts’ hands, so you don’t hear much about them.
So you have a theory that they’re much stronger and are immune from scoring problems and have great timing belt setups that never fail (lol). And you’re suggesting what? Buying a motor from a 10 year old A6 and shoving it in an S4…and then what? Then you have a 4.2 S4 again with an engine that you hope (with fingers crossed) can handle power a lot better. Great. Way to go! Then you’ll do it on three or four hundred cars so we can get a good sample size on the results, right? Then you’ll make your statements after examining all of that. Right? I mean you wouldn’t take the 10,000 B6/7 S4s that are out there, and extrapolate that because maybe 50 guys have had motor or timing chain replacements, they all need it…right? Would you? And you wouldn’t take the 7 enthusiasts with 4.2 belt motor A6/S6/S8s who have pushed some power and post on the forums as a suitable sample size for the some 40,000 of those cars that are in the states…would you?
Imagine if you were wrong? You go through all the hassles of swapping the motor across…not to mention time/cost/aggravation…and end up in the same boat you worked so hard to get out of? You could buy another B6 S4 and just wait for something to go wrong with the first one, then swap the second motor over, part out the car, and you’d probably make money…would have a good running B6 S4…and wouldn’t have to hack your firewall open or cross your fingers. You could do the motor swap in a weekend, and part out the entire car in 3 weeks. No hassle…and about an extra 200 hours of your life in your back pocket.
Right… These motors last a long long time when people “just pour oil into them.”
I’m not doing this swap I could care less about it, just suggesting an option instead of getting a $7000 used motor
these motors are the one your asking about…the belt motor. I know 3 guys with belt driven 4.2 A6 (1 guy at work, 1 guy at my dealership on staff, and one salesman at a Toyota dealer who liked my Rs4 when I was checking out an 4runner and showed me his fatbody 4.2…and none of those three include beemer) and exactly 3 of them put about a quart of oil in the car every 1000 miles. Why do you think they’re churning through a quart of oil every 1000 miles? Probably not all valve cover gaskets. Something’s wrong with them. But I thought they were immune from problems. Maybe the three guys I know personally are the exception to the rule.
oops
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/260348-4-2-oil-consumption
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/399658-4-2-Oil-consumption-question
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/429796-Oil-Consumption
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/398673-oil-consumption-and-a-long-road-trip!
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/364844-2-7t-or-4-2?p=5293922&viewfull=1#post5293922
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/469904-OIL-Munchin?p=7260475&viewfull=1#post7260475
There are HUNDREDS of these threads on the A6 (C5) section of Audizine. This thread feels more like a ‘let’s troll the B6/7 S4 4.2 guys’ than a 'I’ve thought of something brilliant. When you start replying to posts like jimmybones the way you did, it’s clear what you’re all about.
And WHERE THE FUCK are you paying $7,000 for used motors? I’ve seen guys get used motors for $1500-3000 on here a bunch of times. The people who pay retail for a motor are just unfortunately either stuck, or not trying, but they’re certainly not a great example to use for ‘here’s what happens when shit goes wrong with your car’.
No need to get so defensive, it’s an option
It is good to hear that he finally got it done. The guys on Audizine had been trying to pressure him to get it done. If you think it is just a little wiring and some minor modifications to the front clip then I wish you the best of luck and hope you try it out, starting now. We shall see how long it takes you.
Hold on, you can buy a NEW 4.2 V8 for $7K! A friend of mine did just that but that was the last long block that guy had so you will have to source it from another place. Just as saki said a used engine should be a lot less depending on how much the junkyard/person wants to bend you over.