Soul Sucker Build Thread. 99 PreFace AWM 1.8T GT28RS, 5sp Swap

[Mr Freeze]

Its been a while since I posted up in forums, but Ive google searched the hell out of this place over the last few years. 15-20 years ago I was on Jeep and motorcycle forums all the time, but havent done the forum thing for years. But Ive got a project going that I am going to need some advice on eventually and I havent done a build thread in a long time, so it sounded like fun.

To give you a background on the car, I got it about 6 years ago in a trade, sight unseen with 180K. I had no experience with B5's or Audis other than having wanted one since they came out. I got lucky in what I received. I traded an old, but very cool WWII Ford Jeep that I was having trouble getting a title for the car. Its a 99 Prefacelift care (late 98 build), 1.8T TIP, sport package, cold Weather package, and was in pretty good shape. Ultimately, I needed something I could get my old german shepherd into easier than a lifted jeep for occasional trips to the park or vet. The car drove well but would buck and act funny. I swore it had transmission issues and was slipping among other things. This was my first turbo vehicle so that took some getting used to. It turns out the pancake valve, pcv valve, n75, etc were all bad. Several vacuum leaks. I started going through the car and repairing the things that were failing or were likely to fail. I also learned that working on the car meant breaking some unrelated piece of plastic that you have to order a replacement for. So I slowly replaced all the plastic hoses with silicone, 2.0 coil upgrades, silicone tip, etc. The basics. I had a stage 1 tune on it and it was fun to drive, but the tune wasnt right, it was lean a lot. I found a small port gasket in my large port intake manifold and some other oddities that showed that the head had been off. I had replaced and upgraded almost everything on the outside of the engine, before something went wrong on the inside. I also went through 3 MAFs before finally getting one that ran right.

[Mr Freeze]

After getting the engine running fairly well despite a vacuum leak I couldnt find, I did wheel bearings and upgraded the front suspension. I also bought new hubs to hopefully make the process easier. When I got the first side done and the bearing swapped, I tried to put the axle in and it wouldnt go. Turns out the splines were pointed in the hub instead of flat like stock, so they wouldnt work. So I had to press it back out, get a new bearing, and put the old hub back in. At the time, I had cancer and was going through chemo. Not the most ideal scenario to be in. A few weeks later I replaced the suspension. The pinch bolts were rough, but with a little propane torch and a large hammer, stuff got done. Added wheels and tires and it was starting to look like something worth driving. It ran well, except during cold weather below 40*, the tip trans had to warm up for 5-10 minutes before driving or it would occasionally get unhappy. I added Bilstein B8 shocks and Vogtland Sport springs. URO LCAs, 034 adj UCAs. Didnt quite get the rear where I wanted it but still very happy with the results.

About now is when I started planning for a bigger turbo.

[Mr Freeze]

I decided last spring that I felt pretty comfortable with the car and that I had worked most of the major issues out. I knew the TIP trans would be a problem, so I started planning a 5 speed swap for the upcoming winter. I got lucky one day on craigslist and found a local guy selling audi parts from B5s and B6s. He had a 98 1.8 5 speed sport, that ran and I wanted to buy the whole car. He wasnt keen on selling whole cars because theyre worth more in parts, but he just bought a boat and his wife wasnt happy about it, so he sold me the car. Drove it on and off the trailer but it had a massive power steering leak. And the car was full of regular STP PS fluid bottles. So that system is junk! The car ended up being a treasure trove of parts in the future. It was an early 98 build, 98 model year and was as close to my car as I could get, but manual. Same color even. Which was good. My car came with an aftermarket front bumper that was broken, and the front end had a bad repray. My donor car had better paint and then a dude backed into me at autozone, so I needed the hood too. My fenders were hastily rolled when I dropped the car, so I took the donor fenders to do it the proper way with heat later. There is also one ding in the donor fender i need to fix. Eventually I will probably wrap the car, so Ill work out bodywork later. And after sacrificing this living breathing B5 in front of my car, it was appeased for a while and ran really well for a few months! I picked up a whole stage 3 setup on FB for a few hundred, it was a Gonzo stage 3 for k04/gt28, injectors, maf, FPR. I decided to pick up a xs power K04-15 XLC to keep me tied over until I could go to a Garrett. Installed it with a 034 manifold and the thing was beastly. Except the wastegate was way too tight and I should have checked it first, but I didnt. Also, I didnt have my FMIC installed yet. I babied it for a couple of weeks until I had the free weekend to get it done.

[Mr Freeze]

Something went POP, then whrrrrr. I was having a bad day, on my way to a doctors appt, cruising in the right lane on the highway, light right foot, almost there. On ramp to my right with a dingus driving into the highway abreast of me, will he speed up or slow down? I Whatever I do, he does, speed up, slow down, so I goosed the throttle for a little boost to get out of the idiots way. Pushed a little too hard. I think I saw 32psi on the gauge before the POP and loss of power, but engine running. Got over to the should and put the throttle body hose back on and thought id be fine. Car started up, pulled back on highway and Ive got a whirring gear noise. Got of the highway and was a few blocks from my stop and realized I was smoking, so I pulled over to find coolant leaking from the back of the engine somewhere. I proceeded to lose my shit at that point. Got it trailered home and I didnt look at it for a few weeks until my new meds had started to help. I decided I would use the engine and trans from the donor car and do a proper rebuild and build things right IMO. So I started down the rabbit hole. I planned to reuse the AEB head from my TIP engine since it had been rebuilt recently before I got it. So the donor AEB I kept as a spare to fully build later.




Donor engine and AEB head

[Mr Freeze]

Last summer, I started digging into the engine and could not find evidence of what happened or what went bad/broke/etc. No damage inside, head gasket intact, etc. Its a mystery. A stupid annoying mystery. I decided to do things right and to try to not cheap out on the build, but stay reasonable. I ordered a metric F ton of parts so I would have everything I needed. I tried to stick to as much OE or upgraded parts as possible. IE rods(20mm), IE timing parts, ARP bolts everywhere, etc. I dropped the block off at an American engine shop nearby with a really good rep and talked them into boiling and honing the block. I reused the stock pistons, but of course installed new rings. As this was getting done, I was breaking down the bad engine from my car. I already had the normal long triple square bit set and it didnt quite fit, so I tried the #10 polydrive, which replaces the triple square, didnt fit. A big torx almost did it, but rounded out a bolt a bit so i stopped. Turns out it was #9 polydrive head bolts. It took some trial and error to figure that out, and even longer to find a long enough #9 bit. When I finally got it, I had one bolt(the first one I stripped a little) that wouldnt come loose. I tried everything and eventually got it out by banging a #10 into it but in the process, it did damage to the head and cracked a bearing cap, so I had to scrap my recently rebuilt head and had to pony up and rebuild the spare head. It put a pause on the engine work but allowed me to transition to brakes and suspension.

[Mr Freeze]

My girlfriend didnt understand why I wanted audi head parts, but she got them for me for Christmas anyway. I didnt really need a PS4 Pro, my PS4 worked fine. She got me Supertech intake valves and all valve guides. I added the exhaust valves, IE valve seals, Supertech cam gear, all gaskets and plugs. New tensioner and chain, etc. Everything needed for a full performance head rebuild. The head is still pending its machine work, but I hope to get that done soon.

Around this time, I acquired a set of S4 steel uprights, HP2 calipers, and hubs. I rebuilt everything, cleaned the calipers up, painted, etc, new steel lines, bigger front axles. I had everything covered. And then my wheels wouldnt get even close to going on. I didnt realize the fitment issues with those wheels. So I cried a little, pulled them off and sold them to another B5 guy who swears he wants them for his A4. I ended up installing B7 calipers with powerstop Z23 ceramic pads and drilled and slotted rotors. In the rear, I swapped in S4 calipers and used the 034 big brake kit to fit B7 300mm rear rotors. Still fiddling with the ebrake cable fitment on these. Its not how I want it yet. The brakes are in, theyre bled, and theyre tested. One thing to check off the list.

:( Out of attachment space. More pics later.

[zatch_303]

The HP2's are a bitch and take up a ton of space. Not the best front calipers. Glad you switched to B7's. I am going to be doing the B6/B7 rear rotor 300mm BBK on my B5 S4 soon as well. I have heard with the ebrake cable, you need to break the plastic cover surround on the line in order to get more slack. Then wrap the line in some kind of rubber where it feeds through the metal carrier section so that it doesn't squeak or tear the line when being used and going over bumps etc. Just like a 2 inch section where it feeds through that metal section. Hope this makes sense.

[Mr Freeze]

Yeah, there is a plastic collar around the ebrake cable that snaps into the lower control arm. You have to break it apart so the cable can slide. A piece of garden hose zip tied around the cable will work to protect it. I ended up breaking one of my lines by over adjusting it and bought a new one. The trick seems to be to adjust the cable all the way down to its shortest to give more cable length, and then after removing the plastic sleeve, you physically pull the cable towards the back. The combination of extra cable travel and physical relocation of the cable makes it just barely fit. I havent driven it yet. It might be a hair too tight with new pads and rotors. Ive got it mostly done. When I figure out image hosting Ill get the rest of my build updated. Not going through that photobucket crap again. I think I have hosting through my ISP, I just never use it. So far, my pics have us caught up to last fall.

[zatch_303]

Look into tapatalk. I think they host pics for you IIRC.

[Mr Freeze]

Ok, let's try this. Brake pics and where my engine hit a speed bump and I realized my head was bad. Luckily I had the head from my donor but that meant a full rebuild. 220k and 2 bent valves. I got a new 120 alt from fcp while I was at it. I always wanted a new B5, I'm trying to make one now.



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[Mr Freeze]

So this brings us up to late last year. My A4 was taking too long to build and my gf started a new job so sharing a car was tedious and it wasnt really motorcycle weather in Colorado. In my brilliance, I decided to buy a basket case B5 S4 that had been sitting in a barn for 4 years to use as a daily driver while I finished the A4. It needed a lot of work but i thought i knew what i was getting myself into with it. The gf was not pleased with 3 B5s at home. Luckily i paid for the house. I spent most of the next few months getting the S4 going. It needed brakes, rear wheel bearings, and a tcm(flooded) and it was driveable. Some sensors, and a good tune up got me by for a couple of months but the torque converter was getting really cranky. Luckily COVID came along. I'm in a higher risk group so I've been working from home since late March and rarely left. I ended up pulling the engine, replacing the tc, upgraded the hoses and breathers and coils and timing and everything else. It should be a solid daily when I'm done.

I went ahead and picked up Maestro for the S4. I needed to code out a few things and set it stage 1. I almost licensed my aeb but didnt. I decided to go ahead and ditch the aeb and go awm.

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[Mr Freeze]

Then I got a really good deal on some aluminum C5 uprights. Since I robbed my A4 parts pile of some stuff like 034 mounts and I'd need new LCAs anyway, undecided to yank off the entire S4 upright, adj UCAs and LCAs and move them to the S4 to fix its creaks and bumps. I ordered new 034 lowers, and got new uppers since the previous ones were bought used. My gf decided she wanted to help and blasted them herself, then I primed and painted with vht aluminum engine paint and cured in the oven. Gf again not amused.

I pulled the rest of the suspension out and removed the shock mounts, blasted and painted them. Then I decided it was too dirty in there to reinstall without cleaning. I also removed the steering rack due to a leak and all the rest of the heat shielding. I meed to roll the thing outside somehow and power wash it before I start reassembly.

I dont recall, did I mention the 034 subframe pucks? Pain in the ass to install.

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[Mr Freeze]

Picked up an 06A valve cover to integrate into my catch can setup. I've also got the IE AN bung for the backside. The now wife decided she wanted to hand polish the valve cover. I was going to go wrinkle red but I'm curious to see how it turns out.

Then I scored a GT28RS off facebook for a few hundred and decided to refurb it and mate it up to the 034 manifold I have. Debating tubular though. I started breaking the turbo down to clean and refurb.

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[Mr Freeze]

I ordered all new hardware and orings for the turbo. ATP was cool to deal with, even though I bought the turbo used. I blasted the compressor housing, painted it, and polished the inlet and interior surface. I also managed to clean off most of the casting bumps out of the inside of the compressor and smooth out the inside.



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[Mr Freeze]

Then some days I just sit back and drink and consider all the mistakes in my life that have led me to this moment.



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[Mr Freeze]

Next came the AWM upgrade. I sourced an M box ECU, 2001 5 speed harness, 2.7 70mm tb, S4 pedal, brake, clutch, cluster connectors from 98 donor, white body pin from b5.5 passat. I'm working out my conversion harness on paper first. I have the threads and dbw conversion files and am using those as a reference. Also using Bentley and haynes manuals for reference. I do not plan on converting to a facelift cluster. I am however upgrading to a s4 center console and double din dash.

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[Mr Freeze]

Now we are getting caught up to now. Since I'm going DBW now and have tuning options with AWM I did some research and found the 70mm throttle body is ideal and Apikol is just down the street, so I plan on snatching up their 1.8 manifold soon. In the meantime, I am cleaning up the manifold from my donor.

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[xdewaynex]

Putting in some work. Your engine bay and suspension pics, I was just there myself. You start making one item look good, then decide its home is too dirty so you have to clean it up too. I had my uprights, subframe, engine mount brackets and several other things powder coated. I also installed the 034 billet subframe bushings, a pain in the ass but they look great, even though no one will really notice.

[Mr Freeze]

Putting in some work. Your engine bay and suspension pics, I was just there myself. You start making one item look good, then decide its home is too dirty so you have to clean it up too. I had my uprights, subframe, engine mount brackets and several other things powder coated. I also installed the 034 billet subframe bushings, a pain in the ass but they look great, even though no one will really notice.

Damn! I didnt even think about the engine mounts yet! Better get those blasted and painted soon.

[Mr Freeze]

This weekends project. Smooth and polish the head. First time polishing the inside of a head, but I've been practicing for a few weeks on other stuff and have a nice assortment of abrasives to use now. Doesnt look like too big a job, but there are some casting seams to sand down. I dont know if any of this polishing is going to be worth anything appreciable. It's still a wee eliminator. I really have no idea where I am going to end up power-wise, but I'm trying to maximize my setup to get the most out of it.

And today was sad, I posted my borla exhaust for sale. I love that exhaust and it sounds great, but it's only 2.25" and I'm going 3". I need some recommendations. I know of cxracing and I like the 42dd system but I think it's a turbo back and I need a catback since I have to run a cat. But it will be a hfc with e85 when I'm all done.



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[Mr Freeze]

Not bad after a few hours with the dremel.



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[Mr Freeze]

So, let's talk turbos and hp. Supposedly, a turbo is rated to a certain hp. Is that hp the best you can expect out of it under most circumstances? If my turbo(gt28rs) is rated @ 350 hp, is that it? The best I can expect? Is that with cams and upgraded manifolds, and all the goods? And that's assuming max power from e85. Am I doing a whole lot of work for something that's the same or less than my stock B5 S4?

[Mr Freeze]

This afternoon/evening is cloudy, a little rain, and cool, so perfect time to work inside a car sitting inside a garage. I already had the dash half apart so I pulled it all the way out. I figured if I'm going this deep, I might as well replace the heater core and this will make my rear battery relocation easier.

Luckily I had a box full of parts for a battery move for a jeep project that's been sitting on the shelf for about 10 years and now it should get some good use. I'm using 0 gauge real copper wire and these battery terminal caps. They have several size wire ports so I'll have no trouble waiting up an amp in the trunk with it. And I have a isolated distribution block and a ground block. I'm swapping in s4 rear door cards so I have a place to mount rear speakers. I'm debating doing full custom wiring for the sound system or keeping it relatively simple. I think I may go the component route. With the double din conversion, sky's the limit right?

I also am installing S4 illuminated vents and a driver side vent pod, so this will make wiring easy.

I need to remember to yank the tcu soon. Dont need that junk anymore.

I've heard that the air ducts under the hvac control under the console need to be replaced when going pre to facelift console. Is this true? I dont have any and will need to source them.

I get my last commission check from my old position tomorrow so I am ordering my cams and getting the head machined finally. Cat Cams 3665(3658 profile but modified for VVT). This head is turning out pretty well built but too adjustable. Imma meed some help getting things close so I can get it to the tune. The shop doing my head is who Apikol outsources to, so I think they can manage to assemble it correctly. I have the tools but I'm happy to let someone else do this one.



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[Mr Freeze]

Ditching the old preface vents. I picked up a set of s4 illuminated vents to put in when things go back together. Any body need em? I'm also gearing up for an oil pressure prosport gauge in the driver vent.

I have a set for sale too. It's the greyish/tanish color. When I bought them, the pics were bad and they looked onyx. I'll sell em cheap. HMU.

Pedals are out. Time to switch to dbw.

I realized I accidentally broke the elbow from the master cylinder to the clutch pedal. I had concerns about it, and it sat funny after doing the steel braided upgrade. I'll find a brass piece and do it right. Luckily my oopsie is handled with voice grips for now.

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[Hindra]

42dd has a turbo back with the option for a straight pipe or cat. I just ordered mine with a cat but they take a while to ship.

[Mr Freeze]

42dd has a turbo back with the option for a straight pipe or cat. I just ordered mine with a cat but they take a while to ship.

Yeah, I thought they might have that as an option and I confirmed a few days ago. Thats the most likely choice I will go with, but Im not in a hurry. I need to get the engine together first!

[Mr Freeze]

I managed to get the pesky insides polished. Now I need to figure out how to put manifold back together. Its gonna breathe so much better!

And my tools decided I was done when it exploded, flailed wildly, wrapped itself upon and froze the dremel. Enough for today.

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[Mr Freeze]

I dont want to create a build thread for my S4 refresh, but still want to share some progress. Picked up new shoes yesterday and this weekend I am refinishing the wheels. 10mm spacers inbound. Car already has studs.

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[Mr Freeze]

S4 update:
Got a new detail sander since my orbital wasnt getting where I needed it to. Got one wheel finished tonight and primered. Going to test out the paint tmrw and see what I think.ive got new shoes waiting. Hoping to have these ready bumpy next weekend.



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[Rmr1499]

Did you use self etch primer first before your
Main primer


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[Mr Freeze]

Did you use self etch primer first before your
Main primer


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Yes

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[Rmr1499]

Good my buddy didn’t... lol no he is reblastiing


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[Mr Freeze]

Good my buddy didn’t... lol no he is reblastiing


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I'm really hoping to not have to do that. Got this one painted, going to clear it in a few and then let it cure for a while in the sun. I'll work on the other 3 this week and get them mounted in a week or two



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[Mr Freeze]

More S4 work. I need to get emissions tested soon, then I can get back to the A4. Unfortunately rain and wind moved in and i was unable to go further. I will clear coat tomorrow.

I finally installed the rear rotors and studs. I thought these would work with the stock and winter wheels but they were too short for the aftermarket winter wheels. I stole the A4 parts(again). But at least my parts are consistent between vehicles Since the new tires should be purdy good in the snow, the winters gotta go soon. I'll post them for sale this week. I need to finish refinishing the wheels and let them bake in the sun for a few days to cure before I mount the tires.

I replaced my fuel line as well. It tore after replacing the fuel filter. My A4 did the same damn thing. Its 5/16 at the pump outlet for about 3 inches, but the stock banjo bolt is 1/4. I ordered a new banjo bolt and ran 5/16 the whole way. This isnt the first time I've encountered this issue.

1 more big thing on the to do list. Coming soon. Hopefully I can get the S4 road ready this week, then all my attention should be back on the A4.



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[Mr Freeze]

Painted and clear. Turned out not bad. Lesson for the next three: sand the primer, it gets bumpy. And it's taking a little more than a can per wheel of each, it would have been the same price the blast and powdercoat them. Hopefully cooking it in the sun for a few days will help it cure and harden.



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[Mr Freeze]

I ordered my cams today. Now hurry up and wait. Cat cams 3665. Its a 3658 made for VVT with a slightly shorter center intake lobe. Looking a 5-6 weeks for it to arrive. Then I will have every piece I need for the AEB head rebuild and retrofit. I need to give the head one more pass for polishing, and I just received a new pack of abrasive wheels. I also need to fine polish my intake runners, but since I bought cams, the intake manifold will have to wait a few weeks. lm also working on my custom wiring in the A4. Audio, lighting, illuminated facelift vents, S4 rear door cars for speakers, battery relocation to the trunk, amps, subs, etc.

I need recommendations for a good place to get Audi style factory connectors and also a good source for assorted auto wiring. Ive got a couple of B5 harnesses I can mangle, but I need to make some custom wires and need wire, sheathing, etc. Got shrink tube, but need something larger scale.

Whats the consensus on lightweight intermediate shaft pullies? I found this one looking for cams. I like lightweight pullies. I also like red. Ooh shiny. Is this a bad idea? My timing setup consists of an Autotech adjustable cam gear, IE manual timing tensioner, OE VAG belt. I dont really expect any issues out of something like this, or gains, but I think its neat. Should I not? Am I at risk of shearing the keyway or something in a 350-400hp arena?

https://autotech.com/passat/b5-1998-...50hp-1-8t.html

[Rmr1499]

You could get quality auto paint and spray it at home for probably cheaper IMG_2070.JPGIMG_2071.JPG
This is last one I did for a 70 chevelle
This was done with harbor freight gun

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[Mr Freeze]

You cousin get quality auto paint and spray it at home for probably cheaper IMG_2070.JPGIMG_2071.JPG
This is last one I did for a 70 chevelle


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I wish I had space inside for painting. It would make things a lot easier. Unfortunately my driveway has to suffice, but Colorado is dry and breezy. And I have two german shepherds. It doesnt matter how clean my clothes are or what I am working on, there is dog hair in it. Theres dogs hair in my engine, its in the paint on the wheel, its everywhere.

[Rmr1499]

I get it I go crazy because I hate wet standing dirt and crud in the clear everyone is locked out when I paint lol


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[Rmr1499]

Looks good though I was debating those or the b6 5 spokes


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