I currently own a 2008 RS4 with 107K miles which I purchased a few years ago. I had one previously back in 2010 Grey/Red and sold it for the same that I purchased for the following year 53K. I’m a big Audi fan and have owned most of the fast models RS5, A8, R8, S4 etc etc. There is something about the RS4 that I can’t explain that I enjoy over Ferrari’s, Porsche’s and just about everything else I’ve owned over the course of my life.
A few thousand miles ago I started getting a coolant light. My recollection is that it would show up every 500 miles and seemed to be getting less miles each time the light came on. I looked for coolant and didn’t see any so just assumed a very small leak that I didn’t have to worry about. The last time I added coolant and dye and then drove around for a few days. I couldn’t see any dye but you know how tight it is in there. The last time I drove the car I saw my first CEL ever and when I returned home there were some misfires in 4/8 so I decided to dig deeper. I decided to check the oil to see if any coolant was present and sure enough there was and the cap looked like a milkshake. In all honesty this is the last place in the world that I thought the coolant would be going. I came across a thread which talked about the coolant pipes inside the timing covers and knew my goose was cooked. I performed a compression test and while they were all relatively the same. It was nothing to write home about. I also saw some oil in 4/8 and assumed the valve seals had had it.
In any case I knew that the car probably had a lot of deferred maintenance and at 107K miles it didn’t make sense to pull the engine and then fix one issue only to have to pull it later for additional issues.
I decided to rebuild the engine as opposed to finding a used engine that I could just drop in. I think best case after shipping would be 6000-7000 without any real warranty. I’ve also seen remanufactured engines overseas for 8500+ so thinking $9000 by the time it arrives at my door. I felt the best first option would be to just rebuild the entire long block locally. The labor for block, heads, set timing is going to be $4000 plus all the parts (rings, bearings, seals, bolts). I’m also planning to replace a lot of wear item like hoses, injectors, wiring harnesses, all new clutch assembly, potentially get rid of DRC, update all the suspension etc etc. I’m keeping track of all the costs and will post them periodically with part numbers in case someone else decides to go the same route.
I haven’t done any real mechanical work since I restored a 71 Mustang back in 02. I’ve tinkered with Ferrari and Porsche engines and brakes over the years but nothing really intrusive. When I started pulling the engine it was very intimidating. The further along I got with the disassembly the more confidence I’m building that I can put it back together. I am taking many pictures and have the technical manuals and plan a subscription to all-data for this VIN. I’m not in any hurry either so hopefully by taking my time I’ll be successful. There is always that tribal knowledge missing from not having a lot of experience but much of that is in the step by step guides.
Currently the engine is out and everything disassembled ready to go to the machine shop with exception of the injectors. I just received the tools to remove them and plan on doing that this coming weekend.
The only hitch to this whole project would be some type of unexpected damage to the cylinder walls, which you know can’t be fixed in the block unless you sleeve and that’s another level of craziness. The carbon buildup was significant but hopefully all will be good with my block.
I’ll post pics and updates as I progress.
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Originally Posted by rimoore
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