B6 1.8T Cracked Cylinder Head Replacement Options

[Casselberry]

Ouch:

Been chasing a cylinder #2 cold misfire for awhile that started this summer. Checked for signs of coolant in cylinder head and found none so went down the rabbit hole of checking injector, coil pack, wiring, 30397 chipset with no success. Re-checked #2 for coolant again this week with cold weather and found some, so it is looking like I may be one of the many that has a cracked AMB head.

Car is a 122,000 mile A4 Avant USP that is in great shape and runs really well (K04-15, Milltek HFC, Milltek resonated exhaust, AWE intercooler and Motoza tune). Totally ignorant of potential options for head replacement and hoping for some help...

Thanks,

Jim Casselberry

[Brake Weight]

Pretty much any 1.8t head that came on a VW will work. But then there’s the ‘may as well while you’re there’ items of timing belt and water pump. I went with a manual tensioner while I was there, too.

[old guy]

I would recommend getting a rebuilt AWM that was cast in Germany.




I also recommend using the newer Litens timing belt tensioner. Clicky click®

[Kevin C]

I would also recommend the newer Littens tensioner. Crankcase vent tube since the head is off. Any of the newer small port heads will work. If your cam chain tensioner is a known good one it you might want to swap it over. Almost any used head will be a candidate for new exhaust guides.

[A4SoftWalker]

I also installed my first Litens tensioner this past summer. So simple and basic makes you wonder why they didnt think of this in the first place.

[Ben.Nesheim]

i would have to say second hand head is your best bet and agree with the litens kit recommendation.

[Mike Tries]

I just did this. I went to Autozone.com and got a remanufactured head from them. When I did it, it was 20% off and they did free shipping. Someone here pointed me that way (thanks, by the way!). The engine code was ground off the top, but it wasn't an AMB head like I had (though it fit an AMB car perfectly). I know it wasn't AMB because it has "GERMANY" cast into the side (and it's not cracked into oblivion). It was a couple hundred bucks after the core charge return--I think $500-600? Way cheaper than having one machined. Interestingly, it was missing a bunch of studs, so buy new ones for yourself for the exhaust manifold, valve cover, timing belt idler, etc. so you don't have to do the job half-way like I did by reusing studs that you shouldn't reuse. It already survived 2,000 miles of commuting to work and a track day at Summit Point Motorsports Park.

I don't know if it'll help you, but I'm doing a two-part YouTube series on exactly this job. The second part, which I am editing as I type this, should be up tonight or tomorrow. When I filmed the first part, I suspected that the head gasket was just blown, but I found the cracks when I pulled the head off. It's not meant to be a how-to guide, just hanging out with me in the garage and as often as I can, at the track. I run into a bunch of snags as I go along, so you can share in my frustration. I hope maybe you find it helpful. https://youtu.be/QUFDSOy1Q08

A4SoftWalker, what's a Litens tensioner? Is it reusable? I had to throw mine away after using it for 1,000 miles because of this head issue. That was an expensive mistake.

[Kevin C]

I just did this. I went to Autozone.com and got a remanufactured head from them. When I did it, it was 20% off and they did free shipping. Someone here pointed me that way (thanks, by the way!). The engine code was ground off the top, but it wasn't an AMB head like I had (though it fit an AMB car perfectly). I know it wasn't AMB because it has "GERMANY" cast into the side (and it's not cracked into oblivion). It was a couple hundred bucks after the core charge return--I think $500-600? Way cheaper than having one machined. Interestingly, it was missing a bunch of studs, so buy new ones for yourself for the exhaust manifold, valve cover, timing belt idler, etc. so you don't have to do the job half-way like I did by reusing studs that you shouldn't reuse. It already survived 2,000 miles of commuting to work and a track day at Summit Point Motorsports Park.

I don't know if it'll help you, but I'm doing a two-part YouTube series on exactly this job. The second part, which I am editing as I type this, should be up tonight or tomorrow. When I filmed the first part, I suspected that the head gasket was just blown, but I found the cracks when I pulled the head off. It's not meant to be a how-to guide, just hanging out with me in the garage and as often as I can, at the track. I run into a bunch of snags as I go along, so you can share in my frustration. I hope maybe you find it helpful. https://youtu.be/QUFDSOy1Q08

A4SoftWalker, what's a Litens tensioner? Is it reusable? I had to throw mine away after using it for 1,000 miles because of this head issue. That was an expensive mistake.

FYI, my 2003 AMD had a German cast head.

Littens tensioner: https://www.blauparts.com/audi-a4-ti...-amb-base.html The tensioner is built into the idler pully.

[A4SoftWalker]

FYI, my 2003 AMD had a German cast head.

Littens tensioner: https://www.blauparts.com/audi-a4-ti...-amb-base.html The tensioner is built into the idler pully.

Thanks Kevin for the link with included description from BlauParts. This is where I got my kit from. The Litens technology uses an actual coiled spring instead of a hydraulic tensioner to maintain timing belt tension.

It is very easy to reuse I was able to reset mine several times during the installation process. If anything it was nothing more than me being nervous I set it correctly and torqued it exactly.

If it was a traditional tensioner it would have been a lonnnng ordeal compressing the hydraulic pistion and resetting the tension. My last hydraulic timing belt tensioner was found to be leaking and the belt slack with tiny belt powder particles collecting in clusters while doing my timing chain tensioner on the back of the cylinder head.

That was scary. I had to rush order the BlauParts kit and prepare myself to do a timing belt job I thought was maybe due in the next 3 years at the soonest.

Anyways long story short Mike Tries: Litens = Life back in terms of timing belt wrenching headaches...

[Brake Weight]

I used a febi branded tensioner, reused the bolt/nut, and reused the hydro tensioner for the idler pulley. A new belt snd metal water pump. Based off a write up I found on Vortex. Easy peasy. Should’ve done this years ago.

[Kevin C]

I used a febi branded tensioner, reused the bolt/nut, and reused the hydro tensioner for the idler pulley. A new belt snd metal water pump. Based off a write up I found on Vortex. Easy peasy. Should’ve done this years ago.

Litens was the original designer of the sprocket tensioner and the company that was approved by VAG. The design has been out at least 16 years and the patent may have expired. In the past if you got that type of tensioner it was a reboxed Litens part, that still may be true. They have a crazy number of patents for tensioning belts.

http://www.litensaftermarket.com/timingbelt#sub12

[Brake Weight]

Litens was the original designer of the sprocket tensioner and the company that was approved by VAG. The design has been out at least 16 years and the patent may have expired. In the past if you got that type of tensioner it was a reboxed Litens part, that still may be true. They have a crazy number of patents for tensioning belts.

http://www.litensaftermarket.com/timingbelt#sub12

Not knocking this litens kit as this is something where quality is paramount. I believe I searched for a VW mk3 tensioner to source what I ended up buying. Which would be late 80s through 90s. I believe the latter mk3s had a hydro style so there may have been some trademark/patent squabble…or I may be just confused again.

[Gin+]

I just did this. I went to Autozone.com and got a remanufactured head from them. When I did it, it was 20% off and they did free shipping. Someone here pointed me that way (thanks, by the way!). The engine code was ground off the top, but it wasn't an AMB head like I had (though it fit an AMB car perfectly). I know it wasn't AMB because it has "GERMANY" cast into the side (and it's not cracked into oblivion). It was a couple hundred bucks after the core charge return--I think $500-600? Way cheaper than having one machined. Interestingly, it was missing a bunch of studs, so buy new ones for yourself for the exhaust manifold, valve cover, timing belt idler, etc. so you don't have to do the job half-way like I did by reusing studs that you shouldn't reuse. It already survived 2,000 miles of commuting to work and a track day at Summit Point Motorsports Park.

I don't know if it'll help you, but I'm doing a two-part YouTube series on exactly this job. The second part, which I am editing as I type this, should be up tonight or tomorrow. When I filmed the first part, I suspected that the head gasket was just blown, but I found the cracks when I pulled the head off. It's not meant to be a how-to guide, just hanging out with me in the garage and as often as I can, at the track. I run into a bunch of snags as I go along, so you can share in my frustration. I hope maybe you find it helpful. https://youtu.be/QUFDSOy1Q08

A4SoftWalker, what's a Litens tensioner? Is it reusable? I had to throw mine away after using it for 1,000 miles because of this head issue. That was an expensive mistake.

I believe I just read the review you left for it on autozone's website

[Kevin C]

As a reference, I bought a used head for at a pick and pull $70, new guides, cut valves, seats and resurface was about $350. I put the head together myself and did the porting.

20201213_215002.jpg
20201116_213117.jpg

[A4SoftWalker]

Not knocking this litens kit as this is something where quality is paramount. I believe I searched for a VW mk3 tensioner to source what I ended up buying. Which would be late 80s through 90s. I believe the latter mk3s had a hydro style so there may have been some trademark/patent squabble…or I may be just confused again.

I believe the VW Mk4 from 1997-2006 had the 1.8T 20v motor similar to our cars.

[Brake Weight]

I believe the VW Mk4 from 1997-2006 had the 1.8T 20v motor similar to our cars.

Yes. I have one of the 1.8t 6spd Jetta GLIs that got totaled recently. I used the claim money to get my B6 Avant. Already pulled the AWP head to replace the AMB. Robbed the coolant sensor two days ago, too. Plan on either refurbing that block or get a new block and swapping the forged internals and Wiseco pistons over for the B6. Looking to swap the return style fuel rail as well. Wish the BT tuned ECU would swap but I’ve read that it won’t work with the dash cluster.

[Mike Tries]

I believe I just read the review you left for it on autozone's website

Oh, haha, did you find that helpful?

[Mike Tries]

As a reference, I bought a used head for at a pick and pull $70, new guides, cut valves, seats and resurface was about $350. I put the head together myself and did the porting.

20201213_215002.jpg
20201116_213117.jpg

That sounds like a good way to do it too. A good deal, plus, you don't have to return the old one for a core charge.

[Kevin C]

That sounds like a good way to do it too. A good deal, plus, you don't have to return the old one for a core charge.

I had more time than money and or common sense. That and it was a spare motor that I was building as a side project.

[Gin+]

Oh, haha, did you find that helpful?

Fortunately I'm not in need at this time but I'm sure someone will definitely find it helpful.