Never really did an intro but I’ll say my first Audi was a new 100 in 1989. Divorced and followed by a 5000 & urS6. Got a 2003 Audi RS6 in 2005 and still have it but now it’s a 6spd manual, a real Tq animal compared to a RS5 or Stg2 S5. Had a Stg2 TT convertible for a daily driver for 10yrs but recently replaced it with the '13 S5. RS5 w/98k, was a purchase as not running by clean title. You’ve probably seen a thread here or there on my RS5 motor that I discovered had a seized bearing.
So here I am, RS5 now sports a 26k motor and 25k transmission. It’s also getting a complete suspension refresh, E-codes, Headers and exhaust, Ask Carbon diffuser, ECS Carbon fiber rear spoiler, Forged wheels, and just some new parts here and there that show wear.
Here’s a question for those with E-codes, any chance next time you log in with Vagcom would you be able to tell my what you changed the long coding too? I can figure it out over a little time but if somebody has it easy. I installed E-codes in my S5 and figured the coding out but they are non-AFS Xenon’s.
I’ll take a look at some point this week Mark!
Mark, any chance you know where to look? VCDS keeps updating their program and everything’s changed. Just went to find the throttle body adaptation function and it’s no longer there! Headed over to Ross-Tech forum now to see what happened, LOL.
Thanks, but I figured it out and good to go. It is under 5F Information Electric. Getting one little problem after another solved. Maybe get it to the dealer next week if they have time to do the transmission coding. Back bumper has some pretty good scratches so I’m going to pull it off and get it painted, besides I have the AskCarbon diffuser on it’s way. Also have some exhaust welding to be done, I’ll find someone who’s better at Stainless than I am for that, get the X-pipe in and move the Resonators farther back.
About to start a frustrating rant. '13 RS5 purchased with 99k miles and seized engine, body and interior almost excellent.
26.3k 2014 motor purchased off Ebay and mileage confirmed with Copart photos
25k 2015 transmission (recoded immobilizer and works great)
JHM Stage 2+ software (Headers, SAI Delete)
JHM full Headers, Downpipes, X-pipes, exhaust
JHM Aluminum DSG Flywheel
JHM Lightweight Crank & Alternator pulleys.
Carbon FIber Hood (Seibon), Rear Spoiler (ECS), Engine cover, and front radiator cover.
Minor paint work
RS Nav Carplay install
All new suspension bushing and most Powerflex products.
Antigravity Battery
E-Code Headlights
Forged 20" wheels
Probably more that I can’t think of at the moment. But car started the first split second after the install and ran great…for 300miles. The other day I got home and it had a fairly loud ticking sound, too loud to be an injector. Tried to isolate it, not a HPFP, sounded like it was coming from the back but upper block area. Pulled both valve covers and the valve train looked good. Pulled all the plugs and video inspection showed all cylinders, pistons, and valves looked good. Compression test on all cylinders was good and even.
Now I’m thinking timing chain, guides, etc… issue. Started it up and data logged the cam timing for both all 4 cams and both banks looked consistent. I revved it up to about 2500rpms and there was a large miss but it recovered. Data logs looked good and no Engine fault codes??? Checked fuel pressures to but they all looked good and started to log the cams again and this time the engine had another large miss and died. Now it won’t crank over. Starter engages and tried to crank but quickly gives up. Below you will see what I found on the Magnetic engine drain plug I had installed when I changed the oil during the install. No chunks but a lot of shaving for only 300 miles?? I am sending a sample to Blackstone for an analysis. I did prime the motor with oil before initial start as it had been sitting in a wrecking yard for 2yrs, also fogged all of the cylinders with oil before craking it over to prime. I’m also beginning an engine pull as no matter what it is it can’t be fixed in the car. I found out with the seized motor that nobody in N. America will touch a RS5 motor unless somebody knows something I didn’t find? 3rd Motor? I’m seeing $$$$ again. Thought I had a strong 25k~26K car between the tranny and the engine.
OMG WTF… DUDE… What shit…
from what I’ve seen. Cars that have front end or bad rear end collisions can seriously damage the thrust bearings. The motor is running when there is a hard front and or rear impack the rotational assembly in the block shifts and destroys the bearings.
So this is something that i have seen before.
Wow. This is my worst fear. To stomach 2 blown motors is more than I can handle. Sleep on it and consider your budget. This may be outside your “I can swing it, again” zone. Also consider your sanity…
Oh Mark, I’m so gutted for you buddy.
After doing everything you have done to her and having to remove the engine once already 
I can’t believe the amount of metal particles you have on the sump plug it must be bearings that are the cause of this !
I just can’t believe you are looking at having to get another new engine !!
You have done everything to make sure this is a perfect car and now this WTF !!!
Thanks to everyone for listening to my whining. Hopefull I’ll have the engine out by tonight and and then a few days of grief before I pull the bottom end off to see what I can find and decide if it’s salvageable. Cheapest I can find a new Long Block from Audi is $22K, there is a 5k motor on Ebay for $12k, with an independent shops leakdown test report done in the last few weeks? I’d probably want to pull the bottom end off that now and check the Thrust bearings/washers as justincredible said, couldn’t hurt to throw a new set in. I don’t have that cash sitting around right now and really don’t want to charge it so either way I’m going to sit on it for a while.
My S5 is benefiiting from it as yesterday it got the Antigravity battery 18lbs compared to the OEM 64lbs. Was going to order a new Antigravity for the S5 this month from Redmist but I guess it can wait now. I also pulled off the RS5 20" Daytona’s that my S5 has been riding on and replaced them with the RS5 Forged 20" 10 spokes for another 8lbs savings per wheel. So the S5 shed 75lbs or so yesterday. I’ll keep the post updated on what I find in the motor.
if you know how to time the motor and strip it down and can find a very competent motor shop. between all the motors you have you should be able to salvage parts into one good motor. the overall cost of that would be roughly 5k. and at that point you can get new rings new bearings etc… at that point you’re further along than you would be for 12k.
the internet sucks sometimes because searching for a good motor builder can be VERY hard. but if you find one that can do this work. It will be one of the best things that came out of this. We have a ton of really good motor guys here in the tri state area. I know that’s not super helpful to you but I’m just saying there are great shops out there that can do this.
We’ll see what happens when I pull the bottom end. The seized motor that came in the car at 99k looked pretty good cylinder wise but it had bad oil or just oil contamination from the way the #4 & #8 Rod bearings looked. I know these motors will not last if you don’t use a really good oil (8K+) rpm’s and if you stick to Audi’s Maintenance intervals (10K) just aren’t going to do it for the long run.
If the Rod journals and the Main bearing journals are ok I might proceed with it, if anything of the journals are scored like the other motors I think I might be out of luck at a reasonable cost. Audi only sells stock bearing sizes. There are multiple companies in Europe that rebuild these, just not enough motors over here to create that market.
If you get to the point you need bigger bearings. You can look for companies that coat the bearings. We’ve done good chunk of motor refreshes that have required bigger than OEM bearings due to wear. The coating has worked or been enough in almost all cases.
Really sorry to hear about this for you. I do think there is hope is saving and making at LEAST one good motor out of what you have.
Thanks, a good Moly Coating on the Mains and the Rod bearings would definitely be in the plan if I continue with this motor. I’m looking at prices for the OEM bearings and they aren’t too bad. I separated the Engine/Tranny last night and got the engine on a rotating stand, now just need to start pulling the bottom off of it.
I am very interested to hear (and see!) what you find, and I am sure many others are as well! For all your hard hours of labor to get the first engine swap in, and have it fail in such short order has to be massively heartbreaking…
So far I’ve only pulled off the lower oil pan, need to take the engine off the stand and put it on the hoist as I forgot I need to remove the flywheel to get the upper pan off. A few more metallic flakes in the lower oil pan, a fairly metallic silvery oil coming out of the oil pump, took a video but didn’t realize I couldn’t upload a video here., a lot of metal there. Not a warm fuzzy for a few bearing and calling it good. Damn.
Was out of town for a couple of weeks but got home yesterday and pulled the upper oil pan off today. What I found it #3/7 Rod bearings are spun. Kind of strange it’s like they spun off the bottom cap and overlaid with the top bearing, kind of double stacked. Once again, sounds like a lubrication issue. I know I pre-lubed the engine before start so maybe from the accident it was in or the almost 2yrs sitting/storage, moisture? I might have a better idea when my oil analysis comes back, Blackstone must be busy as they are usually much faster than this. Rod journal on the crank is not as bad as the first engine for sure but not sure if it can be polished out or would need to be turned. Need to dismantle the next stage on the Block to double check all of the Main bearing journals. Why 3/7 Rod journal? The other 3 Rod journals (6 bearings) showed signs of wear, more than a 26k motor but a lot less than say a 100k motor. Maybe during the accident the car ran without oil for a short time? Maybe coolant in the engine? Maybe just moisture from sitting for almost 2yrs?
that’s not moisture that’s friction. The bearings should be basically soaked and saturated in oil so no issues should happen from that. That looks like almost no oil or even contamination.
You mentioned coolant. That could have been a thing. Or too much fuel in the oil.
Yea, still waiting for my Blackstone analysis but wish I had some of the oil the engine showed up with but they “drained it for shipping” which I hadn’t heard from before and I think Blackstone requests a minimum of 4oz for a analysis. Also the engine that came seized in the car had rod journals 4/8 seized bad, this is rod journals 3/7 with all 3 others looking fine. I would say the other bearings showed signs of wear, maybe what I would expect from a 50~60k engine and not what I would have expected from a 26.6k engine, so even the others were somewhat affected by a poor oil, loss of pressure, or contamination. Although I haven’t seen the rod bearings/journals from any other RS5 engines.
I may attempt a rebuild of this motor over time, try to do it right, Rod & Main bearings, new rings since I’d have the heads off, and save it for a spare. For now I’m search for an engine or whole wrecked car. There are a few cars out there on Insurance auctions sites that say you can start the car and hear the engine run which is a plus…but with my recent history I would still be tempted to pull the bottom apart now and inspect, and then replace all 8 rod bearings since I’d have the caps off.
Anecdotally, it is terrorising to start up the engine at subzero and it warns to not rev over 6000. If a previous owner was a moron could do it perhaps. Second thing I noted thanks to @Ape_Factory was the seals intake manifold. Changing them the car sounds a lot more sealed. Maybe partly due to the carbon clean but that could be the issue perhaps. Those are very alternative explanations, I know but could have contributed combined with some other things. I always put an egg between my foot and the gas pedal until the car is hot no heating on so on in the cold weather. I wonder if could be heat soak but doubt it. As a rule with GERMOBILES any missed maintenance etc does it in. I generally will put it down to the service workshops before or previous owners. Assuming you changed the oil after installing the engine again.
And I guess mileage does not matter based on the above