Allowencer's Build Thread - Stage 'X'!

[Allowencer]

After USPS couldn't figure out how to deliver the MIK oil pump for a week (was within 20 mins of delivery for 5 days and one day they shipped it 3 hours away to only return it back to the main distribution facility that same night....), I have it!

Here's some pics. It's a Pierburg OE made pump and they modify it. Stock sprocket is 22 teeth. The sprocket they put on this is 18 teeth. I'm half tempted to take it apart to see what internals have changed. I'm almost positive the pressure spring has been changed to a different pressure (prolly less). Do I think its worth the money? Not really. If someone were to figure out the sprocket they put on this, the spring changes are easy to figure out. Could easily make these for under $500.

Here's some pics.

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[Allowencer]

Update time!

Getting closer!

With the Cometic head gasket at 0.070" I had enough clearance. I do not recall what it came out to be off the top of my head, but it was enough for both distance and radial. I want to say radial was just over 0.055". Distance was a tad more than needed, but I wasn't going to drop down in side as the radial was too close but in allowable range. Could also be the case as I have +1mm valves so radial will be tighter.

I got the 034 rear main and installed that.

I posted above on the MIK oil pump, installed that. The chain they ship with it is 1 link shorter than the OE one due to the smaller drive sprocket for it.

Timing setup time; well, I guess I was installing it too many times (prolly the 11th or 12th time on this engine) and the threads gave-way. Good times... Helicoil time! That worked like a charm.

Got timing all set back up, rotated the engine over too many times to admit (good arm work out though) and re-verified timing. Should be solid.

Something interesting during the timing chain setup. The chain was SUPER tight, almost stretched to the max. I had to really push on the chain to get the top guide to slide into the valve cover side of the head. Then when I went to slide on the cam bridge, it wouldn't fit. Long story short, because of how tight the chain was, it was pulling the cams inward and down by a few thousandths of an inch. I had to slightly pry the exhaust cam over to allow the cam bridge to slide on. I left it that way overnight and came back to the chain stretched a bit and it allowed the cam bridge to install slightly easier. I still needed to push on the exhaust cam, but not as much.

Thinking this over, I believe it's cause I'm +0.005-0.008 on the deck height in the end. That means it's additional 0.016" more on the chain length. That could be it...? Or maybe Audi has made the chains a tad tighter? Who knows...20230527_141012.jpg20230527_161203.jpg20230527_181135.jpg20230527_181616.jpg20230527_182257.jpg20230617_183553.jpg20230617_190354.jpg20230624_145424.jpg20230617_162100.jpg20230617_162045.jpg

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[Allowencer]

Turbo installed, all lines connected, etc. That was after I cleaned and inspected it, but didn't touch the turbine shaft. I didn't want to open that can of worms. I poured oil into the turbo oil feed hole and used compressed air to push oil through and help prime it. I also didn't see any oil leak from the shaft seal, so that gave me some confidence that is ok too.

I replaced the oil control solenoid. Old guy was a tad crusty lol

Another great item I found left for me, thank you Audi dealership from when they did the pistons, check out the picture of the RPM impulse crank sensor... gee.. thanks. That got replaced.

I bought a FluidAmpr balancer as the crank is neutrally balanced now and this will greatly help with revs and harmonics. I wouldn't doubt if 10-15HP+ is gained with this on this build with this addition. Harmonics really matter to the rotating assembly in higher revs.

I then went to install my new clutch setup from Ringer Racing. I found my old slave cylinder just all whored out. The boot is stretched beyond usable anymore. Time for a new one! I ordered the semi-upgraded one from JXB Performance.

Clutch is installed and now the engine is ready to install!

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[Allowencer]

Here came the fun part. I got the engine mated, that was a good 1.5 hrs trying to recall the angle and everything as its even a hot minute since I've installed an engine on this platform.

Then I realized I forgot the starter. Mother..... I tried a few different ways to lift the engine and shifting it to see if I could get the starter in, not possible. So either I remove the passenger side motor mount bracket or pull the engine, again. Ya, I'm pulling the engine again. Not going to try and figure out how to pull that bracket with the turbo in the way and I'm for sure NOT touching the turbo. Well out it came and back in it went with the starter.

Got some of the bell housing bolts tightened down. Went back and re-installed the driver side half shaft, CV axel, put all the suspension back together as I had to take that apart to get the driver side intermediate shaft out of the trans to get the clutch out. For those wondering, I unbolted the strut tower from the frame, removed the sway bar end link, and the strut fork from the LCA to give me the room I needed to pull out the intermediate shaft.

I then moved to the drive plate bolts to the clutch adapter. Well, I couldn't rotate the clutch module. I then tried to rotate the crank, locked solid. Not moving at all. Wtf...

To make a long story short, after mating and unmating the engine and trans 4 more times, I came to the conclusion I might have the wrong clutch adapter. Got in contact with Ringer Racing on July 4th and during the holiday Mike corresponded back to me (wow... outstanding customer service). We came to the conclusion I do have the wrong adapter. He worked with his supplier the next day and they shipped out the correct one, over night too!!!, to me. I didn't even request that. I was blown away by this level of service!

The pics below are me measuring from the clutch flywheel face to the end of the adapter on my new and my old, SBC stage 2 advanced, modules.

I'm awaiting for a replacement intermediate plate as I wrecked mine up after all of this madness and my frustrations got the best of me top. And with that, new bolts for the drive plate to the crank as they have a loctite style adhesive on them and they are TTY. I don't want to go back into this engine so I'm playing it safe.

On more thing I need to figure out is my oil temp and oil pressure sensors. I want the pressure sensor to be right off the pump's feed. I've seen some guys install it on the turbo oil feed, but that's midway down the oil circuit. I looked into like an oil sensor manifold, but then read on many forums temp sensor won't work well that way and the most you'll see is 200*F due to it being external and not flowing with some type of a circuit. Open to thoughts if someone has a good idea :)

Let's see how far I get next weekend!

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[SNice]

Lookin’ good, Allowencer!
Got this one bookmarked as I’m about to attempt a similar undertaking! Contemplating if I should remove the crank or not. I see you did and upgraded to main cap studs. Did you also replace the main bearings or are you reusing what you had? Of course it will depend on what I find but hoping it’s okay to remove the crank for inspection and reuse the bearings if they are still in good shape. Interested in your thoughts.

Thanks for the great thread and awesome documentation!!!


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[Allowencer]

Lookin’ good, Allowencer!
Got this one bookmarked as I’m about to attempt a similar undertaking! Contemplating if I should remove the crank or not. I see you did and upgraded to main cap studs. Did you also replace the main bearings or are you reusing what you had? Of course it will depend on what I find but hoping it’s okay to remove the crank for inspection and reuse the bearings if they are still in good shape. Interested in your thoughts.

Thanks for the great thread and awesome documentation!!!


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Thanks!

If the bearings are good, and the thrust bearing, there's no reason why you couldn't reuse them. My bearings were in outstanding condition when I took it all apart. They looked brand new. I measured them and they were at size too.

VAG uses colors to size the bearings. There are markings on the back of the block and then on the back of the crank to let you know what colors to use. Each color is a different bearing thickness. I do not know what each of them are, sorry.

I went with a race set of bearings and my tolerances are slightly on the larger end of spec; this was done on purpose.

When you go with main studs, please, please, please have a shop check the crank's line. If it is not straight and I would say off more than 0.0005" from center, it will need a line bore. The issue then comes, how much material is needed to be removed and then obtaining that bearing set in an oversize.

If you go this far, do balance the crank. Obtaining a neutral balance is valuable and then match it with a FluidAmpr.


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[SNice]

Thanks!

If the bearings are good, and the thrust bearing, there's no reason why you couldn't reuse them. My bearings were in outstanding condition when I took it all apart. They looked brand new. I measured them and they were at size too.

VAG uses colors to size the bearings. There are markings on the back of the block and then on the back of the crank to let you know what colors to use. Each color is a different bearing thickness. I do not know what each of them are, sorry.

I went with a race set of bearings and my tolerances are slightly on the larger end of spec; this was done on purpose.

When you go with main studs, please, please, please have a shop check the crank's line. If it is not straight and I would say off more than 0.0005" from center, it will need a line bore. The issue then comes, how much material is needed to be removed and then obtaining that bearing set in an oversize.

If you go this far, do balance the crank. Obtaining a neutral balance is valuable and then match it with a FluidAmpr.


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Thank you for this! Appreciate the info! I am going to try and avoid taking out the crank. I saw red and yellow bearing sets for sale. Had a bit of sticker shock at their cost! I shouldn’t be surprised at this point - lol. I was already planning on the fluid damper. I hope I can repurpose some of my 2-stroke crank measuring tools to confirm if I need to pull the crank or not. Fingers crossed!


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[JLAllroad]

Let’s talk about the fluidampr…..

Stock the harmonic balancer is “tuned” to the RPM that it is believed the engine will rest upon for the longest duration, to reduce NVH and crank and bearing longevity.

The fluidampr is a “Jack of all trades and a master of none” can you see how this might become problematic?


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[Allowencer]

Let’s talk about the fluidampr…..

Stock the harmonic balancer is “tuned” to the RPM that it is believed the engine will rest upon for the longest duration, to reduce NVH and crank and bearing longevity.

The fluidampr is a “Jack of all trades and a master of none” can you see how this might become problematic?


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A stock balancer is built and balanced to 2500-2800 RPMs. On the EA888 engine, the crank is semi-balanced and the balance shafts take care of the rest. Cylinders 1 and 3 are offset by 180* from 2 and 4, which makes for a balanced rotation, naturally. The stock balancer, which is NOT a dampner, helps with counter forces on clutch or torque converter engagement, and natural firing off balances.

What a stock balancer (on this engine and many other engines) will NOT do is help with harmonics. Period.

You do know FluidAmpr balancers/dampners are made for many engines? They are also popular on Diesel builds too.

I would highly recommend you to research this topic much further because it seems you do not have a lot of knowledge and background on rotating assemblies.

FluidAmpr has a nice summary on their page: https://fluidampr.com/how-a-fluidamp...oaAtGbEALw_wcB


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[A4 Centaur]

Let’s talk about the fluidampr…..

Stock the harmonic balancer is “tuned” to the RPM that it is believed the engine will rest upon for the longest duration, to reduce NVH and crank and bearing longevity.

The fluidampr is a “Jack of all trades and a master of none” can you see how this might become problematic?


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Been running one in mine for what 8 years? No issues at all. I contacted them about one for my new S4 and they want me to buy 57 units. Ok. I stay with my Fluid Damper on the 2.0.

[A4 Centaur]

^ The Fluid Damper is the BOMB! Works great! Keep up the great work!

https://www.nhra.com/news/2019/why-y...monic-balancer

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/art...onic-balancers

https://www.onallcylinders.com/2015/...and-balancers/

https://www.performanceracing.com/ma...rmonic-dampers

[Allowencer]

Update time!

The weekend after the 4th of July, I got the correct adapter from Clutch Masters via Ringer Racing. Seems like there was a mistake or mixup and they over nighted the correct one to me to make it right. Really and greatly appreciated.

Pic to compare the 2. I believe there was only 1/8" or 3/16" difference between the two. Crazy to think that's how close tolerances are.

I take off the old adapter, line up the new one, hand thread in the bolts half way and then ratchet them down. I felt them stop and then grabbed the torque wrench. As I started to torque them down, it felt off. I flip the assembly on its side and noticed the surfaces weren't mated/flush with each other. A gap became apparent. As I looked at it more and attempting to turn the bolts, I knew something wasn't right. Took it all apart and some of them were stripped. What the fuck... it's the right thread and pitch, I don't know what happened.

I ship it back to Clutch Masters and they fixed it back up for me for $100. They blame me, I blamed them. Shame on me for not double checking threads or if they were free of debris. Who knows.... I know I'm confident in my work but, $100 later plus shipping, I get it back and it bolts down perfectly. Moving on...

Got the clutch back in. Swapped out the intermediate plate since I wrecked my old one and since I took off the drive plate / flexplate, I swapped out the needle bearing. I think the old one was ok, didn't feel bad but looked a little grody. Can't go wrong with a new one!

Put the engine back in, tightened down most of the bell housing bolts, went to check if the crank can rotate and... BAM!! I'm in business! Rotates perfectly!! What a relief!!!

The tolerances were so tight though with this clutch assembly, it was quite the challenge on my own getting the first flexplate bolt in. Once I got the first, the other 2 were easy (obviously).

From there I worked on installing everything else. Fresh set of Bosch injectors, and all the accessory stuff. That is where I ended up on Sunday.

What's remaining:
- I found 2 connectors that have wiring damage. The connector to the alternator, a wire is half cut through and there's a 2 pin connector on that same hareness with 1 broken wire.
- downpipe needs to be bolted to the turbo
- PCV to install
- throttle body and all intake piping
- do a leakdown test
- do a compression test after a starter rotation of the engine to prime the oil with break in oil I have
- driver's side suspension and driveline (took that all apart to swap the clutch, obviously)
- all front end stuff

Hoping to have the engine turn over this weekend and start break-in! That is, if the adapters I ordered for the oil pressue gauge fit as I hope and I can rely on the gauge.

My StopTech rotors have 3.5+ years of rust on them due to the car sitting outside for that long. I need to order new brakes and also do a fluid flush too.

Might even do a power steering fluid swap too since I'm right here.

Getting there!

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[Allowencer]

Small but BIG update!

Last weekend I fixed the 2 connectors that had wiring issues. Pulled the terminal out of the connector, twisted and soldered the wire, added shrink wrap and then taped it all up. Gotta do it the right way.

Throttle body and all sensors are hooked up.
Exhaust is fully bolted on

I then worked on installing my new gauges into one of the first 2 pod driver's side defroster vents. I got this before COVID, was one of the first and never had a chance to install it.

I got 2 decent M10x1.0 tee taps made out of aluminum on Amazon. They worked well. Not bad machine work on them. They needed a little brush clean on the threads, but far better from this supplier than another one I tried. The other ones I got were terrible in quality and were TAPERED! on the M10 threads. Like wtf?! Who does tapered!?

I ran my cables through the ECU wiring boot. Makes for a nice and clean install and straight into the cabin.

I made my own circuit in the red bus and then post install realized that bus is hot until ECU timeout and then hot when you unlock the vehicle. I need to move that now...

I then turned the engine over with the starter, no plugs. Check out the oil pressure with the clearances and the MIK oil pump!


What's remaining:

- need to drain the fuel tank

- PCV to install

- all intake piping

- do a leakdown test

- do a compression test

- driver's side suspension and driveline (took that all apart to swap the clutch, obviously)

- all front end stuff

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[Allowencer]

Drained the tank but trigging the fuel pump from VCDS -> Engine -> output test -> fuel pump Electronics. Only runs 30 seconds at a time and you have to restart it. Pumped out ~7.5 gallons of gas. To that to the local dump and then grabbed 6 gallons of fresh 93 to put in the tank.

I got other small things bolted on, most of the front end. Got a new radiator, transferred over the fans. I also got brand new rubber mounts for the radiator, installed those. The old ones were quite worn! I was surprised.

Did a leakdown and compression test on all cylinders. Compression looks great. Leak down on #3, I think I wasn't sealed all the way or #3 might not have been quite at TDC. I was ok with it once compression tested out fine.

PCV done. Coolant is filled. She starts tomorrow with break in procedure! For these rings, right after start, hold 2500-2800 RPM for 15-20 mins minimum. Then shutdown. Next run has to be on the street underload to help set the rings in properly. After 100 miles, swap out the break in oil (I'm using Amsoil break in SAE 30) and then go back to what we all put in these engines.

Till then....

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[Allowencer]

Well I have some fun updates...

I finished up a few small things, primed oil pressure one more time and also fuel pressure via VCDS one more time. I then setup VCDs for logging some key sensors and then bit my tongue and turned the key to start it for the first time. 8-10 seconds of crank and nothing... ok, wtf. I see misfires on VCDS, full high pressure in the rail and oddly no RPM value, but my tach was working. Hrm.. once over in the engine bay, didn't notice anything out of norm. Checked for codes, nothing.

Ok, let's try again. Another crank attempt and still no start. Not even a sputter or anything. Wtf! I check everything over again! Push on all connections to the coils, check HPFP, you name it, I find nothing wrong. I then look through VCDS and notice there's 2 different RPM signals. Ok, I turn the other one on. I also turn on the camshaft signal too to see if I see anything there.

Attempt number 3 crank - within 2 seconds it attempts to start. It's really rough, sounds like it's struggling almost like a bad vacuum leak. Quickly look at VCDS, I see camshaft signal, fuel values all look good, but no crank signal still! Wtf! I tap the gas slightly and the engine smooths out. Hrm, vac leak then? I then feather the throttle and it sounds really healthy. Ok, fuck it, break in the rings then! I grab a piece of wood I had ready and wedged it between the seat and the pedal. Had it hold ~2500 RPM.

I check the engine bay, everything looks good. No fluids leaking, no issues found. I check VCDS, things look healthy other than no crank signal still. Ok... I check codes, 2 codes:
1. Too high pressure in high pressue fuel rail.
2. Loss of RPM signal on G23

Well now, this is starting to make sense. Because of the lack of RPM signal, injectors didn't fire. That marked misfires and caused the high rail pressure as the HPFP is still gonna keep pumping being it's mechanical off of the cam. Threw me off that the tach worked though, but I guess it's using the camshaft sensor to assume RPM. Also explains why the 3rd key crank worked, the ECU skipped the RPM sensor and used what it has to try and figure it out. Now... why do I not have RPM signal!?

I replaced the reluctor wheel. Brand new RPM sensor too as the dealership damaged my previous one (scroll back up in the history to see that). Great.. what is it. Please don't tell me I need to pull the engine again.

Break-in went great. No temp issues. Oil pressure was solid the entire time. Coolant flowed well. I shut it down and let it cool off. Short video clip: https://youtu.be/E8z3uSzBQtI?feature=shared

Once cooled off, stuck my hand down to the RPM sensor connector, pushed on it and I heard a "click". Mother... you mean to tell me...

Cleared codes, started the engine, bam, RPM signal is there and starts up with zero issues. Idles perfectly.

Well, no one can be perfect :)

I then notice I have a very small oil leak under the turbo area. Great... I'll deal with that later.

Time to get the car road ready.

I have new StopTech brakes on order as these are all rusted out. But, it's 4-6 weeks. No one has them in stock. SOB... plan B, let's put the rotors through a rust strip. I got some really good review rust strip for parts and soaked each rotor for 24 hours. It did a pretty good job. I then used a medium grit pad on my air grinder and then a 80 grid pad to both the rotors and pads. Pads cleaned up nice, rotors, well, it will by me time I think. You be the judge by the pics.

Next issue - when I jacked the rear end up, something metal dropped out on each side. Well, take a look at the pic. The stock springs at the seat rusted out and broke completely off. Guess I'm doing my suspension now and not later. Thankfully I have a custom set of KW4s along with a ton of other goodies to install!

This past weekend, everything is back on and I'm ready to drive it! Goal to give it a few drives around the block to see how everything is. Been over 3.5 years since it's moved from the spot it has been and under its own power.

I put it in reverse (MT) and I can't feel proper engagement on the clutch pedal. Wtf... I lm feathering it anticipating a harder engagement with the clutch setup I went with and it's almost nothing. With like the last 1/16 of pedal throw left, I start to feel and notice engagement; the car starts to move. Give it a bit of gas abs it just revs free. I eventually figure out how to get it to move with barely any throttle. Get to the street, put it in 1st and I'm back battling trying to figure our engagement. At this point I've come to the conclusion the clutch isn't engaging fully. It's a partial engagement. I slow did 2 laps around my block which further confirmed my theory.

Back up the driveway, struggling to get it to move up the incline and it "hopping" in gear, I hear my wife "did you forget how to shift". Fuck off, I don't need your trolling shit right now and tell her the news of what I believe.

To make a longer story short, after emails back and further with Ringer Racing and JXB, running the JXB slave cylinder us causing this issue. The JXB is extended, something just over 1/4" more than stock. The clutch setup I have from Ringer Racing is built and designed so well, there's no need for this extension like on other clutch and OE setups. Well, at least we know what it is now and I'll be getting a USP metal one.

Big thanks and call put again for Mike at Ringer Racing, responding to me late at night via email on a Sunday night and Jay at JXB for helping too with this issue and also allowing me to return this slave cylinder.

I'm now figuring out every bolt I need to buy that needs to be replaced for suspension. I have the KW4 electronic dampening coilovers, all 034 motorsports front control arms, sway bars, etc. To install.

I have to figure out what is leaking on the turbo side

And for whatever reason, the car believes the right turn signal is bad, but it works. Odd...

Getting there in time...

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[Seal1968]

Wow...a ton of work there man. Nicely done. Way above my punching weight lol.

[cybernet99]

Looks great! So glad to see you got it up and running. Wow! 3.5yrs. I thought 2.5yrs was bad enough for me with my build!

Congrats!!!


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[SNice]

Great work here! WOW - I did not realize it was sitting for so long! Congrats and way to bring her back! Thanks for the great documentation too! Been using this thread as a reference as I make my way through my "refresh" too!

Looking forward to what you do next!

[Allowencer]

Whew lad, it's been some weeks and I've made a lot of progress. Not as much as I would like to, but that's what happens when you try to do it just on the weekend and have 3 kids too lol.

Per my last reply, i shifted focus and turned towards the suspension rebuild. I thought this would take a few weekends, but it turned into a month's worth. Between pinch bolt drama (See the pinch bolt thread for more details), needing more parts, having to use MAP gas on almost all bolts, and cussing up a storm, time was lost.

Anyways, to describe some of the pics.

Back in 2019 I was collecting suspension parts. I custom ordered the high end KW EBC with DDC coilovers and shocks. The DDC allows via BT to change settings via my cell too. There's 3 default settings, comfort, advanced and sport. In these, the module taps into the CAN network and monitors your speed too. It will adjust the firmness as you drive. Or you can custom set whatever you like via the app.

I bought 034's density line for the front lower suspension links. I also (I didn't take a pic of them in the box; I forgot) got the race spec upper links.

I also got 034's upper strut mounts. The material is more dense/firm than stock. One of the pics compares OEM vs theirs. Looks like 034 uses a OE core and has a better mold around it.

On both front sides, the lower transverse link's ball joint was blown out. No surprise with 164k+.

I'm showing all of the hell I went though on the driver's side pinch bolt. Lesson learned, don't try to turn it without heat and hitting it a few times to break up the corrosion. That was mistake #1. Then attempting a few other methods l, one by attempting to tighten the bolt more (thinking it was threaded all the way through; I did not do homework first); you can imagine what happend here.

With those lessons learned and armed with MAP gas, the passenger side was a breeze.20230821_193822.jpg20190617_192726.jpg20190617_193432.jpg20230909_145757.jpg20230909_194342.jpg20230909_195236.jpg20230909_195259.jpg20230910_131707.jpg20230910_134524.jpg

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[Allowencer]

For the driver's side pinch bolt, it was frozen. My air hammer, sledge, etc., didn't make it move at all. I then bought the Schawben kit that drills it out. Yep, that works great! Finally, fuck these pinch bolts. I cleaned up the areas I hit decently and also filed the inside of the upper knuckle where the pinch bolt goes through. Cleaned up as much corrosion as I could.

Anyways... I also got all 4 new wheel bearing units. I knew one of them was bad. Long story short, front passenger was bad; some rice grinding in it for sure.

Each knuckle got cleaned up. All mating surfaces, the wheel bearing unit area - got rid of all of the corrosion. The mating surface and housing ring of the knuckle, got a thin coat of antisieze. On that note, just about every fricken suspension bolt was coating in antisieze.

I decided to replace all wheel speed sensors too since attempting to get one out resulted in destroying it.i also cleaned up the wheel speed sensor bores with files.

Pictured is what the front suspension looks like once fully assembled.20230910_143224.jpg20230910_143235.jpg20230915_163400.jpg20230915_163411.jpg20230915_163429.jpg20230915_163452.jpg20230915_185148.jpg20230910_180520.jpg20230910_180528.jpg

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[Allowencer]

The rear tie rod essentric bolt that goes through the subframe is another MFer. After all these years in Northern climate, that is seized. The nut is in a very odd spot which you have to use swivels to get to. That was easy to take off, the bolt was seized and corroded within the tie rod. I tried all the tricks and it would not move much. Then realized, I'm not saving these; for the bushings and out came the MAP gas. That helped and I was able to get them out. Upgraded to the 034 Motor Sports adjustable tie rods.

Upgraded the rear sway bar to 034's along with the spherical end links. The bolt that goes through the end link and to the sway bar is a PITA to get to as well. You'll need swivels and odd angles to get to them. If you have access to a lift, use it for this. Many of these bolts to try to torque and then yield x degrees further is nearly impossible on your back/stomach with the car on just jack stands. I left the + degrees for a shop I'm taking the car to for an alignment.

Other pictures are how I routed and loomed the control wires for the shocks. Everything ran into the trunk. I cut small holes in the existing grommets in each rear wheel well and ran the cables for the shocks through there. Then used some 3M rubber adhesive to seal it all back up.

Next thing I attempted (looks like I didn't take any pics of it) was the ECS rear LCA support bar. You have to unbolt the back bolts on each rear LCA. Using heat and PB, I got the passenger side loose and out. Then went to the driver's side, broke the bolt loose, but then found out it was just spinning. Well, the threaded bung broke free on its [rusted] welds on the other side of the subframe. F me... well, add that to the list if items the shop is going to fix for me and do. I'm at my wits end now lol.

20230919_193635.jpg20230919_193644.jpg20230929_191631.jpg20231001_135913.jpg20231001_135921.jpg20231001_143448.jpg20231001_143504.jpg20231001_143521.jpg20231001_143533.jpg

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[Allowencer]

I then wired up the KW EBC suspension system. Both the control system and the BT module went into the trunk and on top of another existing module; velcroed together. Added a fused power line direct from the battery and added a ring terminal for the ground, which was placed on an existing chassis ground the rear modules use.

The suspension system taps into the CAN network and monitors speed and other body sensors to dynamically change the stiffness of the shocks for you. Pretty freaking cool!

Ran the button to the front interior and pulled out the coin sorter to put in the nice carbon fiber plate with the button selector that comes with the kit. You can quickly cycle through the 3 predefined setting with the button or use the app on your phone to dial it in as you like.

As noted previously, it was determined the JXB slave cylinder was the problem as to why the clutch was unable to engage and bite fully. I took a quick pic between a new Sachs (OEM) and the JXB one. You can see the JXB is over a 1/4" longer. Yep, this would be a problem!. Flushed the clutch line quickly and then took the car around the block.

Confirmed the slave cylinder swap resolved the issue with clutch engagement! This clutch setup I got from Ringer Racing is no joke! It BITES! There's no question the previous clutch I had was slipping a bit.

After a few laps around the block, brought the car back and I see a coolant AND and oil leak. Wtf now....

Pressurized the coolant system and using my inspection scope, I found the leak from the t-stat housing. Wtf, this is a BRAND NEW pump. Ok, rip that side apart, drain the coolant, pull the pump off, inspect and couldn't find anything glaring wrong. The t-stat housing's o-ring looked find. No rips or cracks. Pump housing is fine. Only thing I could think of was the t-stat housing bolts might have been a tad loose.

Put the pump back together, add coolant back in, repressurize the system and coolant is PISSING out of the coupler to the oil cooler. God dammit, that didn't sit right. Drain coolant AGAIN, remove the pump, AGAIN, pull the coupler out and then I dropped it in the bay. 10 minutes later I find it to only drop the mother ****** again. This pump almost became a rocket down my street. 10 mins later again, I find the coupler, put it all back together. Repressurize and and there's no leak! Let it sit that way for over a hour. Not a drop of coolant nor a drop in pressure. Call that fixed! Moral of the story, don't trust what comes brand new out of the box. Double check bolts.

Onto the oil leak. It was coming from the underside of the turbo right where the drain line fitting bolts and connects. I can see the metal gasket so I didn't forget that. I did some searching here and some guys had this happened to them so they got some Permatex high heat sealant and added that.

I pull the oil return line off the block and the turbo. That was after removing the coolant line to the turbo as you can't get to bolt bolts with the coolant line in the way. I got new gaskets, new crush washers, etc. Cleaned the surfaces and believed to identify the mating plate on the oil return line wasn't completely flat. I added some of the high heat sealant to both sides of the gasket. I did this on both the block and turbo side. Bolted it all back together and let it sit for 24 hours before starting the engine.

Next day, started the engine, no leaks. Got it to temp, no leaks. Drove it around, no leaks. Alright!
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[Allowencer]

I got a coupler for my oil temp sensor. The sensor couldn't bolt into the CNC T I got as the probe has some length to it. By adding a coupler, I was able to bolt it all up. Below are the pics of that install and it works great!

I then installed the 034 x-brace; their version of the alu kreuz. Very nice piece!

I gave the car a face lift with an RS4 honey comb style grill and matching fog grills. Added Ziza fog light bulbs so the color is almost a close match to my OEM HIDs.

I completed the engine break in procedure and then drained the break in oil. Oil looked great and had no sparkles in it! I cut open the OEM oil filter and inspected the filter itself too. No surprises and a confirmation of a great build!

The powdercoater finished a set of S4 brake calipers and brackets for me. I bought the ECS 2 pieces rear rotors for the S4 and plan on installing them this weekend.

I have some other small odds and ends to still fix. One was the wiring to the A/C compressor; line 1 was broken. I fixed that this weekend only to find the high pressure switch is bad; that threw a code. I tested 12v, gnd and PWM on the pins - all of that is good. So I ordered a new sensor from FCP.

Next issue: I have a small EVAP leak; threw a code. In addition, I cannot pump gas in the car for longer than 5-8 seconds. The pressure builds up and shuts the pump off. This seems to be indicitive of the charcoal canister. Good grief those aren't cheap. Ordered that from FCP too. Hopefully that will all be here by this weekend and I can wrap up these loose ends.

In the mean time, it's sooooo nice having my car back. I've been scanning and will adjust the tune.

Other items I have in boxes still:
- full MMI 3g. Looking forward to this to get all of those features.
- keyless entry and push button start. This will be nice but I know this won't be an easy journey
- I have the parking sensor module and rear sensors with the harness. I need to source the front sensors and harness, the button to turn on/off and then install that top.

The car needs a new windshield, which I have, and a paint job. Maybe see if I can get it in next month for those items.20231008_133805.jpg20231008_133816.jpg20231008_141907.jpg20231008_164639.jpg20231008_175734.jpg20231009_114507.jpg20231013_171203.jpg20230907_160933.jpg20231021_195657.jpg20231021_150503.jpg

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[SNice]

Nice! You’re making great progress!
I installed the KW system too and I love it. Although I rarely use it now - the app works great and really allows you to dial it in on the fly if you want to. It really transformed the car. Well worth the Investment!

The only issue I had was that the rear sat a bit lower than I wanted - even when raised to the max. I ended up getting the KW 30mm spacer for the rears. Seems to be a common complaint with the rear springs. I went with the spacer but I think a different (taller) spring is also another solution.


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[Allowencer]

Nice! You’re making great progress!
I installed the KW system too and I love it. Although I rarely use it now - the app works great and really allows you to dial it in on the fly if you want to. It really transformed the car. Well worth the Investment!

The only issue I had was that the rear sat a bit lower than I wanted - even when raised to the max. I ended up getting the KW 30mm spacer for the rears. Seems to be a common complaint with the rear springs. I went with the spacer but I think a different (taller) spring is also another solution.


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Yeah, I'd say I'm basically finished on getting the car up and running again. Now it's the continuous stuff lol

I didnt know you got the EBC kit too. It's really nice, eh?

I'm seeing the same thing where the rear is sitting lower than the front and I'm using the shim it came with. I wasn't looking to really lower the car and I'm kinda surprised how low the upper max setting on the coilovers provides. Is there a thicker shim than what it comes with?

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[SNice]

Yeah, I'd say I'm basically finished on getting the car up and running again. Now it's the continuous stuff lol

I didnt know you got the EBC kit too. It's really nice, eh?

I'm seeing the same thing where the rear is sitting lower than the front and I'm using the shim it came with. I wasn't looking to really lower the car and I'm kinda surprised how low the upper max setting on the coilovers provides. Is there a thicker shim than what it comes with?

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Well I’m probably not the best reviewer here because in all honesty, they are my first set of aftermarket and performance suspension. I was coming from the stock comfort ride. So it was night and day for me. I can dial it in if I want to via the app but the 3 modes (in my opinion) are set perfectly. Car stays flat and corners well. I haven’t even upgraded my swaybars yet! It tightens up the faster you go so very nice for highway driving. I really wanted an adaptive suspension that could be controlled from in the cabin. This was the only one that had all the bells and whistles with the most adjustability. No issues (besides the rear sag) - and that really only became an issue when I changed wheels and had passengers in the rear ( rubbing on dips).

This thread documents the issue pretty well:
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...light=coilover

I went the spacer route - never explored alternate springs. I tried the 15mm and the 30mm spacers. The 30 were the best fit. Before the spacer, my rear perch sat about 1/2” lower than the max in the KW instructions (first pic).

1C7D3083-7821-4762-9A0F-EE98D10BE9A7.jpegD5B9FD92-67D1-4131-95F7-BE2544ED8F5B.jpeg736ABDAF-D5E3-4454-991C-E207CF9501BC.jpeg