First start: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vyA8ZVVxnu3pDpav7
Update!
Started it up last week and it seemed to be great, at first, then I realized the loud tapping wasn’t going away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK6F7jcsTtE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhtwxjQp6fI
After a lot of consultation the consensus said it was likely collapsed lifters that haven’t pumped up yet. I got a mechanic’s stethoscope and turned it back on for the first time since Friday and let it idle twice for a total of maybe 5 minutes combined. Couldn’t exactly pinpoint the noise but it is definitely most pronounced in the back of bank 1 and there is some noise in the front of bank 1. Bank 2 is fairly evenly quiet across the cylinders. Definitely not the same ruckus as bank 1. The noise is most pronounced around the cam sprockets and cylinder 4 rockers/lifters/valves. Pulled the oil cap to check and make sure oil was flowing around and it began to idle very rough and almost die out. I put the cap back and turned it off. Bank 1 spark plugs are brand new and still look brand new. Noticed first leak of the job - a coolant leak around the passenger side aux radiator. Haven’t investigated it yet but it was enough to get my distilled water and remnant coolant mixture to boil (or maybe just a strong simmer) in the overflow tank.
Bank 1 valve train looks somewhat fine from what I can tell without removing the camshafts. There is maybe heat scoring on the edge of some of the intake lobes:
How they looked right before the VC went on:
Bank 1 timing chain is taught as can be and at least both the intake and exhaust cams are aligned - haven’t taken off the bank 2 VC yet to confirm timing hasn’t jumped. I can’t find anything that looks off when I stare down into the timing chain cave from the top of bank 1.
I was hoping to find some obvious mistake, and maybe it’s still there and I’ve missed it. I guess there is still the possibility that the lifters haven’t pumped up? I took a closer look at some leftover lifters and I guess I don’t really understand how this issue of the lifters needing to fill with oil really applies to our particular setup. Can anyone help explain or have any thoughts?
Couldn’t get to the bank 2 VC tonight (stupid oil dipstick bolt)
Will test your theory on cylinder 4 piston to see if it’s anything obvious on the bottom end.
Also, the pcv is new.
Open to any and all thoughts!
Ok watched the first start video and you have either a loud injector or a lifter still not up. I helped a friend recently that had his car parked all winter start the car and get all the small maintenance done. When we started it… it sounded just like your car.
Get the vag com and if there is one or two cylinders that are missfireing now check them with the vag com. ITS NORMAL for motors that haven’t been started in the past 6 months to have a lifter that leaks down.
On the car I worked on it took almost 1/2 an hour for the lifter to pump back up and then the car ran fabulous.
How long did the car run for.
Your wife sounds very supportive.
Hey good to hear from you - hope you’re doing well!
Total run time is roughly 10 minutes by now, 2 minutes of actual driving and it felt great with minor pulls to 4-4500rpm (last Friday). Would it be able to count misfires with this little of run time? I know it is groups 15, 16, 17 for misfire counts. (newb questions 
)
I took VC off and dry cranked it a few times, posted a new video to YT. Can’t really hear it with the VC off, everything looks and sounds like it’s moving well. Oil is pumping out of the rocker levers. No metallic noise.
https://youtu.be/N2tj4iZfN5E
Was given a good thought to look into from Vinny on AZ that it could be the new chain tensioner. In this video I’m focusing on the bank 1 timing chain tensioner.
The tensioner moves around quite a bit but I don’t know that I’d call it noisy. Other than this, I’m at a bit of a loss other than, like you said, it being a lifter that hasn’t pumped back up. This replacement engine sat for over 18mo by now and they were installed and head bolted down about 1mo prior to starting (assembly lube was used!) There is a good thread here with a brand new bank 2 tensioner failing but that moves around quite a bit more. Doesn’t mean mine isn’t bad. https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/757695-Do-any-timing-chain-experts-have-advise
Ran it with the valve cover off. Tensioner looks stable and taught. Not sure where the sound is coming from if it’s timing related. Could still be a lifter…? Does the exhaust cam sprocket cap/bolt look concerning or is it just the optical illusion from the cap not being perfectly centered? i quadruple checked the timing with the T40047 setting gauge several times after everything was torqued down. no issues installing torquing this cam bolt. I did find that one of the new bolts I received was bent from the factory but that was caught and replaced.
https://youtu.be/hLDZbPOPRMQ
Suggestions? thoughts? I’m willing to test just about anything before pulling the engine. Including putting it back together and just driving it I really don’t want to blow this one up so if driving it is questionable, that would be good to know.
Dry crank video for quick reference and comparison:
https://youtu.be/N2tj4iZfN5E
YT playlist being updated with videos.
Just took the timing covers off after pulling it. Everything looks perfectly normal, just the same as when I installed it. The mystery continues…