Using 5.2L as a donor for project

A6 All/ S6 All
#1

Hi,
I spent some time over the last few nights and tonight again searching for some of these answers and haven’t really had much luck.

I want to transplant and use the 5.2L V10 and it’s ZF trans in a project car. The project car will be RWD. I have physically seen the ZF trans and it looks pretty simple to eliminate the front driveshaft and diff. Or conversely, a RWD trans that will bolt up.
Besides stealing the wiring harness and ECU. Is there any other issues anyone can come up with? Sometimes factory security systems play havoc with this sort of thing.
I’m not expecting to retain the traction control or any of the ABS. I am hoping JHM can provide me with a tune that can eliminate or “turn off” a lot of that. Might be wishful thinking though.
I would like to retain the factory style shifting.
If this forum is the wrong place for these kind of questions, could you point me in the right direction. Thanks!

#2

Your on the right site. We are all car guys over here.

Its hard to give a direct answer to your questions but its possible and JHM would be the company of an ECU place I would ask for help.

A few things to keep in mind. The ZF transmission has its own TCU unit in the transmission it self. so you don’t have to just get past the ECU you have to get past the TCU as well that means your going to have to bring over a bunch of sensors if your doing the swap.

There is an advance immobilizer system that will be a big issue but if you can use the dash and oem key you will be in good shape.

If you are looking for a much eaiser conversaion it would be to not use the ZF transmission as they don’t play nice without the front input

What car are you trying to swap this into. That would be the next best place to start

#3

Hey thanks for the reply, can you suggest another auto trans that would bolt up?
The car is all on paper at the moment but would like to stay away from the typical V8 stuff. Just imagine a kit car I guess with it’s own tube chassis.
My last car was a Viper and I got kinda hooked on the raw power but missed the scream of the Gallardo. The Audi 5.2L V10 will cover both those bases in a car that weighs 1500 pounds less than a S6-S8

To be honest I’m still in the feasibility phase hence why the questions here :slight_smile:

Thanks!

#4

If you had a complete donor car available, I would say grab a Bentley manual and dig in.

Beings you do not, I wonder why you would choose this particular platform for a donor engine. Is it that you can get a wrecked S6 or S8 for relatively cheap?

I understand not wanting to do just another V8 project. Have you considered other older model V10 and V12 powered vehicles that are RWD and do not have the relatively sophisticated electronics to deal with? An early to mid 90s M120 V12 comes to mind.

If you are determined to go this route, I know you will need:

The keys, the access start control unit (J518), ecus (J623 & J624) and the TCU(J217) out of the same vehicle in order to avoid a trip to the dealer to have an online adaptation done.

Years ago, I did a much simpler engine swap in an old Nissan I had and I spent a lot of time hunting around trying to find a wrecker that had the keys, steering column (for the immobilizer module) and ecu out of the same vehicle. It was a manual tranny so there was no TCU.
Before I even started turning wrenches, I wired all the electronics up on a bench and hooked up battery power to make sure the immobilizer light went out. It was only at that point that I knew I was good to go and start the mechanical portion of the swap.

Feel free to ask questions, but get access to a service manual with all the wiring diagrams if you have not done so already.

#5

Hey thanks for the reply’s
Here in Canada I can pick up a complete runner for 10-15k but now someone has brought up buying a long block directly from Audi. Sounds good now but when you factor in all the accessories and so on, that would be more than a complete car and engine work.
I guess right now it’s more of a feasibility study than anything else. I know I can get the engine running out of the car but my concern is the transmission and it’s brain. Like I said, if I could find a RWD trans that would bolt to this engine then that might simplify things.

#6

Have you looked into the rwd version of our transmission (zf 6hp26)? It was used on quite a few BMW models as well as the 4.6L V8 Hyundai Genesis. You may be able to swap bell housings and fill in the open areas iwhere the input and output shafts would normally pass through for the front drive portion.

#7

The bmw version would work as it’s already RWD but does anyone know if it will bolt up?
Does ZF make their trans for each manufacturer or does the manufacturer just use that particular ZF trans… I highly doubt Range Rover, Jaguar, BMW, Audi and a few others all have the same block bolt pattern.

#8

Same transmission, different bell housings.

The Audi transmission is the 6HP26A which is the awd variant of the rwd tranny.
You will need to use the Audi bell housing on the 6HP26 rwd transmission.

#9

Ok.
After countless hours looking into this, i think i may pass on the Audi 5.2L V10.
Its theoretically exactly what i want but the aftermarket just isnt there (or for most Audi engines honestly)
I looked into going to the 4.2L V8 instead thinking that a V8 would have more of an aftermarket and didnt find much again.
I mean, spacer gaskets, tunes, light weight balancers and test pipes seems to be it. (headers for the 4 door S4 but not the S5?? come on) I want to stay NA also. For such a massive production run, which spans the entire world, there is sadly zero real aftermarket support which surprises me. I work in Europe so i have access to their market and no one seems to care here either.

I appreciate the M120 option and i had never considered it. Shockingly, no one cares about that engine either! Unless you go biturbo you can get huge power but then i lose the NA sound im going for.

My idea of aftermarket support is atleast some sort of rebuild kit, thinner head gaskets, cam regrinds or cams in general, aftermarket pistons (CP will make them for $3000 USD for V10) No one makes a proper aftermarket intake manifold either? Crazy.

So at this point, im slowly drifting to the LS market as a donor even though its literally cookie cutter stuff. There is no originality there and they sound like a typical V8.

Can someone give me the actual differences between the S6/S8 V10, the R8 V10 and the Lambo V10?

(Lambo V10 used intake manifold seems to go for around 4000-7000 USD…)

#10

Aftermarket wise I don’t think your going to get much thinner head gasket wise not enough to really bump compression.

There is some fun stuff available
http://audirevolution.net/videos/198/audi-v10-s6-w-headers-and-catback

Your fighting low production numbers with the V10s its thousands not even tens of thousands over the years that they were made. So its a low production car. On top of that an expensive car that is just now in the hands of owners who are getting into modding them

So cams pistons and those other big rebuild things are as you noticed not available.

The S6/8 and the R8/lambo share many parts in common but things like cams intake and some rotational things are different. If you put a R8 intake on a S6 its a dog because the cams are not meant for high rpm they are for low end tq and the high rev V10s are not.

#11

Thanks for the reply.
I emailed JHM about those headers a week or so ago and their reply was they will not be making them or supplying them or know of anyone who will. I’m aware of Brilliant in Japan.

The intake manifold swap VS cam profiles is interesting as the S6 won’t be the final home for this engine.