Maintenance time!
As I am becoming familiar with the Q7 community I notice it is more challenging to find technical information, DIY threads, and people getting their hands dirty. Especially in regards to the 4M chassis and EA837 Evo engine since it's such a small part of the market. I assume less people are wrenching [on their Q7s since they are either in warranty or once out of (Audi's very short 50k) warranty people trade them in. At any rate, Q7 4M and EA837 Evo information is sparse so I hope my thread can be a useful reference for those who are looking for information and pics as they look to tackle some projects themselves.
After having more time behind the wheel of the Q7 and getting it up in the air for inspection I was able to construct my maintenance plan. This vehicle was "dealer maintained" which leaves a lot to be desired and with the higher mileage of our Q7 there are some additional items I want to address. I categorize maintenance into a few categories.
1. Items that can have a critical failure and leave you stranded (ex. H20 pump imploding, belt shredding)
2. Items where performance degrades over time (bushings, struts, clutches)
3. Unknowns (often fluids when you aren't sure of the maintenance history)
Going back to lack of EA837 Evo information, most of the EA837 issues I read about are based on the 2012-2015 engines and many of these items were addressed with the Evo update or there were supersessions with improved parts. Since the Evo engine and is only 3 years old there isn't much long term reliability info out there since the engines aren't that old. For some of the problematic EA837 items like thermostat, water pump, CCV, harmonic balancer, ignition system; I added all these to the To Do list. When in doubt, replace. This was then same mentality for the fluids, even if they were recently flushed (unknown to me) and the fluid was clean, now after I flush the fluid it will be REALLY clean and I will know with certainty when it was done and the condition of the fluid.
Yes..... get on with it! *Monty Python voice*
Here is the list of initial maintenance parts, not all parts are pictured below as some are still in transit. Also, most items were bought through FCP so this will be the one and only time I need to buy them moving forward.
Oil Flush + Filter
Transmission Flush + Filter
Front & Rear Diff Flush
Transfer Case Flush
Supercharger Oil Flush
Air Filter
Supercharger Clutch
Crank Pulley, Tensioners, Pulleys, and Belts
Ignition Coils & Spark Plugs
CCV
Water Pump
Thermostat
Oil Pressure Switches x2
Engine Mounts
Many o rings, gaskets, and bolts
Struts w/Bump Stops Front & Rear
All new control arm bushings for front suspension
End Links
Transmission and Rear Differential mount inserts
Air filter
Supercharger Belt has seen better days
Before diving in
Here is a picture of how to mount the Harbor Freight engine support, I could see some people struggling with this so I wanted to share what worked for me. Put the foot on the driver side as wide as it will go in the support bar and then position the rubber foot as far back towards the firewall as it will go. Position the passenger side foot behind the headlight and slide it as far toward the engine as it will go so it's less likely to fall into the crevice between the headlight and unibody.
I didn't really notice any NVH or clunking from the engine mounts but they were clearly compromised and leaking hydraulic fluid. These electro-hydraulic mounts run about $350/ea new. Ouch. I was able to find a friendly chap in Germany parting out an A7 and I was able to score a pair of mounts with 10 kilometers on them for $230 shipped from Germany. Less Ouch. Replacement of these was pretty smooth but you do have to drop the subframe.
I thought we had a ZF 8HP55a but it turns out we have the 8HP65A.
All pulleys and tensioners removed (sans blower).
Crank hub seal looking a little old but not leaking, you can see this engine was pissing coolant from the valley, likely from the thermostat.
Engine Oil + Filter
Rear Diff (new fluid clear)
Front Diff (new fluid clear)
Transfer Case (new fluid gold)
Always clean as you go! Not only is wrenching on a clean vehicle 10x more enjoyable, having a clean engine and undercarriage helps you diagnose leaks and issues.
Transmission Flush
Transmission pan old vs new
Transmission Fluid @ ~90k.
Using VCDS to observe ATF temp while filling.
Supercharger oil change
If you want a bad ass set of expanding pliers go to ExpandingpPliers.com they are amazing for many things but especially for electrical connectors, coolant hoses, etc.
Fuel lines were steppin' so they got capped. lol
Air guides for the intake valves were a little dirty so they got a soak in the Super Clean
I was happy to see the port injection was making carbon build up a thing of the past. As someone who has walnut blasted multiple BMW N54 engines carbon cleaning isn't an enjoyable activity. Nice job Audi.
Fun, I am having fun? This is fun?
I forgot to drain the radiator (doh) so the CCV went for a swim when I removed the upper coolant pipe.
All cleaned up. Lower intake manifolds, MPI fuel rail, FSI fuel lines, fuel pressure sensor all had to be removed to get the CCV out. It's a bit of a challenge getting it past the FSI fuel rails but it's possible. I just fumbled with it for 5-10 minutes like a monkey playing with a square peg and a round hole, then all of a sudden I black out and the CCV slips past. I don't remember how I did it, just know it's possible. lol
Good time to swap oil pressure switches. Again, not sure if these are still an issue on the updated Evo engine but they are cheap and an easy "while you're in there" item.
Assembly
Up next was supercharger clutch. Symptoms were poor throttle response, a delayed surge of power form the blower where it was late to the party after you pressed the throttle and the engine was already responding (much like drivetrain slop or a loose torque converter. There was also a small amount of mechanical screeching, and also a mechanical *tink* of the clutch disengaging when coming off power. Essentially blower response was extremely poor.
Monkey see monkey do. Checking the tolerances of the new clutch.
The clutch has to be energized during the install/mating process. Non problem when you spend $100+ on a tool you will likely only use once. lol
Up next is ignition system. Easy enough. Cylinder 1 & 3 showed some oil contamination, valve cover gaskets will be added to the To Do list.
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Originally Posted by itsudhay
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