My metal mistress is having a mid-life crisis - mighty big K04 build thread

[MongoMcG]

Finished buttoning up the install today and got the car on the road for its maiden voyage.

On the initial drive everything seemed okay while rolling through the neighborhood. But when I pulled onto the main road the car threw an EPC error and went into limp mode. DTC Code P023400 - turbo over boost (at 3240 rpm, according to OBDeleven). Went around the block and came back home to ask the smart people in the Big Turbo support thread, "where do I go from here?"

If you have thoughts, please post them there.

[MongoMcG]

I was surprised the stock tune was tossing an over boost error (P0234) on the initial drive with the new K04X turbo. Not an unheard of condition, but surprising in that I was driving gently and still got the error. I've been looking at the install and found the turbo blanket is interfering with the waste gate arm. I'll modify the blanket position today but still wait for the first custom tune file from WPT before I drive the car again because the K04X will over boost, even without the help of an interfering turbo blanket.

In this pic you can see the adjustment bracket/actuator arm and how it catches the wire mesh on the blanket (this was after I untangled the blanket from the arm).

[MongoMcG]

I took off the heat shield and undid the turbo blanket. Three of the springs that hold the blanket in place were hooked on the three hooks on the lower edge of the blanket (the part that wraps under the turbo), then run up through the three gaps in the exhaust manifold and hooked to the three hooks on the top part of the blanket. But this setup caused that lower interior part of the blanket to be pulled up next to the wastegate actuator arm (see pic in previous post in this thread), and it interfered with the actuation of the wastegate causing an over boost. So I changed how the springs are routed to hold the blanket in place.

The wastegate actuator arm now has plenty of space to actuate:


Working on the lower part of the blanket first - a spring routed around the wire harness heat shield connects two hooks, the rearmost one of the thee hooks that previously fed the top hooks, and a fourth hook:


The center hook of the three that previously fed the top hooks (pink arrow points to the unseen hook) is now fed down and hooked at the bottom of the turbo (the fifth hook).
There is a sixth hook on the bottom part of the blanket (unseen, about where the yellow line terminates) with its spring finagled around the turbo bracket and hooked to fifth hook.
Tip: Getting those springs to stay on their hooks when you are feeding them to their destinations will have you cursing in no time. Use a piece of Gaff tape or Gorilla tape firmly stuck to hold one end in place, and use bailing wire, wire hanger, and/or picks to pull the springs - and don't let go.
From below the car,


Routing that center hook spring down instead of up pulls the center of the blanket away from the wastegate actuator arm, evidenced by the depression in the blanket (and I think the depression to the right of the yellow circle is the sixth hook being tugged down, too):


The forward most of the three hooks on the lower part of the blanket that previously fed the top hooks is now not connected - mostly because I didn't have another spring. If I did have another spring I wound probably route something from that hook down to the bottom as well.

The forward-most part of the lower blanket is the bulkiest part of the blanket. It needs to be spread out and tucked away using a long screwdriver from whatever angles you can get - on the engine side it is tucked under the wedge blocks that hold the bottom of the exhaust manifold in place - on the turbo side it is tucked under the turbo housing.

Here's 30 seconds of video on how it looks down there now:
https://youtube.com/shorts/1OcPYCfVkL8

Moving to the top of the blanket...

The rear most part of the top of the blanket has it's two hooks connected by a spring routed around the rear runner of the exhaust manifold (can do by hand):


And the two forward hooks on the top of the blanket have a spring routed down through the 1-2 and 3-4 gaps and under the exhaust manifold (use a fish tape of your choosing, mine was a wire hanger bent in a semi circle the same diameter as the distance between the gaps.


And last, where the forward, upper blanket folds over it gets a nice tuck between the coolant return line and the #1 runner on the exhaust manifold.


I like the extra layer of heat protection for the starter. If this blanket helps the K04X spool faster then it'll be worth hands and forearms full of fiberglass and the joy of working in incredibly tight spaces. I took a billion pictures and video to engineer this one because there no way to see what's happening down there without an electronic eye of some sort.

I'm curious to see if the turbo still flutters during the second half of a cold start. I'll get the heat shield and belly pan installed tomorrow and find out.

[MongoMcG]

I discovered an ever so slight drip at the oil return line from the turbo where it meets the engine block. I reused the gasket which was silly, and now have created a bit of work to fix it. That gasket is one of those parts that you tell yourself to catch on a bigger order so you can get free shipping, but you don't remember to order it. Dag nabbit.

[MongoMcG]

The turbo still makes the chittering noise during cold start, so it wasn't the blanket. I am so anxious to get this tune done. The car sounds like Predator is under the hood chasing down Schwarzenegger.

[MongoMcG]

I've learned a couple of lessons to share with cats like me who love to wrench; who have built, restored, or maintained old cars and hot rods; who have tuned for power using purely mechanical devices; and who have decided to no longer shy away from tweaking their modern sedan.

Lesson 1, do it.

Lesson 2, line up your custom or OTS tuner before you buy any bolts.

Notes about lesson one:

• You get to buy new tools
• Even if it's an 11 year old Michigan car, for the most part you do not need to pray every time you loosen a bolt
• An amazing percentage of bolts are accessible without removing other parts
• You get to buy new tools
• Documentation is not a 7th generation photocopy, and it's digital, and it's indexed
• Original and OEM parts are still being made, and for the few that are not, the salvage yards are still stocked
• Factory specs are much tighter, so fitment for aftermarket performance parts and bolt-ons is awesome
• You get to buy new tools
• You finally get some of that computer learnin' everybody's talking about
• Forced induction freshens your enthusiasm for the hobby
• And perhaps best of all, you get to buy new tools

Notes about lesson two:
If you've only tuned a car with a dwell meter and a timing light then your inner tuning Dante will benefit from having a Virgil when you begin the journey through the 9 circles of tuning. After you've designed your build and before you buy anything, you need to share the modifications from stock with your tuner, including part names, numbers, spec sheets and any data that might help them tune. Perhaps most importantly, let them know your goals for the car, such as HP and torque numbers, track or DD, drivability, driving style etc.. They will let you know if they have the ability to tune for each of those parts and the system as a whole. Before you shell out any cash your tuner may have an idea or two which might affect your budget, such as adding new fuel injectors or eliminating an unnecessary mod. Some may suggest changing parts because it will make the tune easier or because it will make the tune more explosive.

So the earlier you engage a tuner in the process, the better. Remember, though, that tuners are there to tune your car, not engineer it - that's your job, unless you pay them for it; besides, it's kinda' why we do this hobby. Tuners are kind of like the car's psychiatrist - they write prescriptions to make the car's systems work together. But the car has to want to change, and that depends on your bolt-ons and mods working as a system to help the car want to make more power and be more acceptable in polite society, or at the track. This makes you the car's therapist.

But if you start deep diving on tuning you may soon need a therapist. Just think of the software changes as mechanical changes, but you click a touch pad instead of turning a wrench. Instead of physically swapping springs in the distributor you swap values in a timing table. You are just telling the car to use math to react differently to the springs already there. Not only that, many software tables are each a matrix of comparative values to help achieve max performance or efficiency across a range of engine load scenarios. Now that's getting pretty deep - like 7th circle stuff, or like playing Spock's chess game, or like Neo seeing 0's and 1's instead of walls and bullets. The tables allow you to redefine what a part's physical characteristics represent in the newer world of engine control by calculation instead of rotation. This way, for example, if your spring identifies as a different spring rate, the tables will bring things back to a reality in which the car can operate most efficiently. The physical parts still need to fall within a spec range, however. For example, if a spring is not strong enough to cause a delta in a sensor, well, zero times anything is zero, so no table of corrective numbers is going to change that; or if the table is for an additive correction, the the correction will always be added to zero.

I, however, did not line up a tuner, which is why I call it a lesson learned. I've contacted four tuners since finishing the bolt-ons and mods. One has completely ignored my inquiries; another told me they didn't want to do the 1070X Hybrid Turbo; and two others initially replied enthusiastically, but subsequent communications have been ignored. This is very frustrating. I'm still hanging on to hope that WPT will come through, but I'm beginning to feel like my buddy, who, after his third divorce said, "After three you begin to wonder if you're the problem."

[19birel]

This is what has scared me away from going with a customer tuner. There's not a ton out there to begin with and even if you do get one to tune for you, if you have an issue they could very well drop off the face of the earth and then you're out of luck.

I think when the time comes to go K04 I'll end up just getting a CTS 1070 and stick with IE for an OTS map and use my JB4 to up the ante as I've done with the stock turbo.

Hopefully you can get connected with WPT though as he seems to write some great tunes!

[MongoMcG]

I need to be less anxious. Just got a note from WPT - it was vacation week for them. I blame the other three tuners for making me nervous. :)

A speed package from IE, APR or many other vendors is a path with more certainty and proven performance, and it is a perfect choice for a lot of people. I have a lot of my dad's hot-rod brain cookin' in my head, so I like putting in the research and the work to build something a little bit unique. And I expect to be relatively fluent in tuner-ese at the end of the process - not expert, but also not uncomfortable making changes - like many on this forum. In that sense, I consider part of the cost of my first custom tune to be tuition money, but I still plan to work with a pro tuner into the future.

[19birel]

I need to be less anxious. Just got a note from WPT - it was vacation week for them. I blame the other three tuners for making me nervous. :)

A speed package from IE, APR or many other vendors is a path with more certainty and proven performance, and it is a perfect choice for a lot of people. I have a lot of my dad's hot-rod brain cookin' in my head, so I like putting in the research and the work to build something a little bit unique. And I expect to be relatively fluent in tuner-ese at the end of the process - not expert, but also not uncomfortable making changes - like many on this forum. In that sense, I consider part of the cost of my first custom tune to be tuition money, but I still plan to work with a pro tuner into the future.

Nice! Glad to hear you connected with WPT!

I understand the desire to do something a little unique for sure! I was the first B8/8.5 to run a JB4 (beta tester) and seem to still be the only one running one stacked on an ECU remap. Not the conventional route but a fun learning experience!

If you can learn enough through the tuning process and research you could even get to the point of being able to tweak your own tune as needed which would be super cool.

[MongoMcG]

Let the tuning begin!

For those uninitiated to the tuning world (like me), I'll take you along for the journey and hopefully elucidate some of the unknowns about remote tuners. Some of this journey will be HPTuners and WPT specific, but the general concepts should be similar.

Overthought and overwrought describes me beginning the process of working with a remote tuner. Thousands of new dollars are tied up in this car and I didn't want to blow it up or brick it. A lot of that worry is generated from working with someone hundreds of miles away. No handshakes, no face time - just, "Here's the brain from my car. Make it smarter please." and a lot of trust. Maybe I have control issues. Regardless, it's way easier than I thought.

To start, after contacting WPT and agreeing to the job, create an account at HPTuners and purchase the MPVI2+ dongle for the car's OBD II port from HPTuners (or wherever you can find one). After receiving the dongle, register the product in your account at HPTuners. Note: Your tuner may use a different dongle.

Download the free VCM Suite Beta software from HPTuners. They also have a free stable version release, but my tuner requested that I use the beta. Again, your tuner may use something different.

Follow the instructions in the 'Help' menu of VCM Editor to get your first "read" from the car. The software will have a look at your ECM and pull whatever information it is allowed to see. For the Audi B8 not much is accessible for reads from the ECM beyond make, model, year, operating system, and VIN. When VCM Editor and the dongle see the B8 ECM, VCM Editor downloads a stock file from the HPTuners servers and adds those few details to it. Save this file! and email it to your tuner.

Your tuner uses this first read file as the starting point for the tune. After you pay, the tuner sends a new file to write to the car. Speaking of payment, Tyler wanted to have a look at the first read file before taking payment, which I thought was cool. Writing the new file to the car requires the car's VIN to be licensed in the MPVI2+ unit. HPTuners licensing is done through "Universal Credits" which, at the time of this writing, are 50 bucks each. Also at this time, HPTuners website lists the Audi A4 B8 as requiring 6 credits, but... when I began the write process using VCM Editor (before any credits were purchased) the software gave me a pop-up indicating my car was not yet licensed, and that I needed 4 credits (not 6). Perhaps this is because I have a manual transmission? Whatever. Close that pop-up and open a web browser; log into your account at HPTuners website. Then go to the user dashboard and select 'Devices' in the stack of options on the left side of the screen. Find your device on the right. Note: If you have not registered your MPVI2+ with HPTuners it will not show up in the list of devices. Within the description of your device there is an option to add credits - click that, purchase the required credits and exit the browsing session. Back to VCM Editor - under the help menu click "Resync Device" and the dongle will look to the HPTuners servers and download the just purchased credits to itself. When complete (very quick) start the write process again, and now when the licensing dialogue pop-up appears there is an option to use the credits that were just loaded. Use your new credits and write the file. The instrument panel will blink, beep, and show a bunch of lights - scary, but normal. The software will show a pop-up (hopefully) that the write was successful. The write took exactly 5 minutes on my car. Regardless of how long it takes, put a battery charger on the car because the write drains the battery a surprising amount, and failing electrics while writing can brick the ECM. Tuners recommend a regulated 20 amp charger, but I got away with my standard 10A charger on a fully charged almost new battery.

It should be noted that the car is licensed on the MPVI2+ unit just once. Once licensed you can write to the ECM as many times as you'd like.

Tip: After the write is complete you must cycle the ignition. The car is in KOIO (Key On Ignition Off) state for writing (press the start button with no brake or clutch applied). After write completion wait about 15 seconds, then power down the KOIO state by pressing the start button. Remove the dongle from the OBD II port, make sure your battery charger is disconnected or otherwise out of harm's way, then start the car. The new file is now ready to go.

After flashing comes data logging. Go for a nice drive to warm up the car, then capture 3 logs - a few minutes of normal driving and a couple of WOT, 3rd gear, 2K to 6K RPM pulls. (I'll do 2K to red line pulls when the car is more dialed in.) You need a pretty good stretch of blacktop to do this, and red line in third gear is over 100MPH, so pick an appropriate location away from other people and cars (and deer). Starting and stopping a log is as simple as pressing the space bar on the laptop. When you stop a log you can save it where you'd like it, or you can skip the saving for now and use the autosaved file that VCM Scanner stores in your Documents folder (C:\Users\Username\Documents\VCM Scanner\Logs, or whichever drive and directory contain your Windows "Documents" folder). The auto saved files are convenient because you do not need to fiddle with saving files and typing file names while stopped on the side of the road. After the drive session, move the autosave files to a new folder (named YYYY-MM-DD) and then rename the the files with your favorite syntax.

Tip: My filename syntax is: yy-mm-dd_Log#ForTheDay_DriveStyleDescription_TuneFileNam e.hpl.
For example, the file for my first 2K to 6K pull today is:
22-08-17_03_Pull01 to 6000_MongoMcG-8K2907115AG_0002-Stage3+0%WGDC.hpl

Don't toss any logs or tunes. Keep them, keep them organized, and develop a naming convention that works for you and your tuner.

Data logging is easy. Same laptop and dongle setup in the car, but the other half of the VCM Suite, called VCM Scanner, is what you use to capture live data. The software's help file is pretty decent. This software looks at data streams that are distributed via "channels" in the car's ECM. Which channels you log is important. Your tuner should provide a "channel configuration" (a .xml file) for you to use for data logging. Tuners do this to insure they get all of the data they need and none of the data they do not.

When your logs are complete, renamed and organized, send them to your tuner. Rinse and repeat with the next iteration the tuner sends to you. Your car will get dialed in after a few of these cycles. The early adopters were going through 40 revisions or more, so we should appreciate their efforts and experimentation.

We received the first file from WPT yesterday. I flashed the car last night and went for a quick spin around the block. Today I did data logging. I am assuming this first WPT file is pretty safe, so no major magic yet.

The graphs from VCM Scanner are pretty. I don't yet know what they are telling me beyond the individual measurements, so I'm glad we're working with Ward Performance Tuning who can see the relationships between the values and tweak accordingly. I'm learning as much as I can as fast as I can, but I've got two big visual effects gigs happening right now and possibly a 10 episode TV series starting in September. I'm not paying Tyler to teach me, but I sure hope some of his tuning smarts rub off. I'll never be an expert, but I like to know as much as I can to make working with an expert easier.

Here are two of those pretty graphs from today's two pulls. The first is 2,000 to 6,000 rpm, the second is 2,000 to 6,400 rpm:


22-08-17 Pull 1 to 6000



22-08-17 Pull 2 to 6400

Tip about laptops: You don't need much. I'm using a cheap Dell Inspiron 11 I3180 with 4GB memory and 32 GB of eMMC flash storage, running WIN10 Home, driven by a 2 core 1.6GHz AMD A6-9220e (from 2018), and the storage is compressed (my choice, since the storage is so limited) which robs precious CPU time. But this toy has no problems running the VCM Suite software, and if someone steals it from the front seat of the car its no great loss. I bought it to use as a TV remote, but it was horrible and the laptop has been on the shelf for three years. You can find refurbished units for less than $200.

[MongoMcG]

So, here's a silly thing I did when building out the car, and forgive me because this is gonna sound like a humble-brag: I'm blessed with a heated, well-rigged space to enjoy the car hobby year round, but I did this build in my home garage, and it tied up the stall for 3 times longer than expected. The main reason for deciding to do it at home instead of the hobby garage is, I'm an old car guy - not me - the cars. Okay, maybe me, too, but the newfangled B8 and forced induction are new platforms for me, even after 11 years of ownership. I knew I'd be taking advantage of this forum (thanks to all!) and other resources very often, so I wanted to be near the desktop computer. I also knew I was going to be very deliberate (slow), avoiding mistakes that new platforms bring, and late nights were inevitable.

But having gone through it, I will note that there were so many delays for studying, researching, engineering, waiting for parts, rinse and repeat ad nauseum, that I don't think it would have made a difference. I'm well aware of project creep, and have a pretty good handle on expectations for the old cars. But the Audi was too much fun to dig into and the creep kept creepin'.

I have been aware of project creep since helping dad build hotrods almost 5 decades ago, but especially since I replaced the lifters in my first car (with pop's supervision), a one year old '77 F-100 Custom Step Side Pickup, w/ a 302 Windsor V8 - Cinnamon Brown with a nice flake and a factory orange pinstripe scheme. I bought the truck for $3,800 at the beginning of my junior year of high school after a full year of looking at step sides. To pay for and upgrade this beloved truck (and the tickets) I worked as a paper boy for tips only, 26 customers, 2 mile route, 4 miles if you count the driveways. I made $25.35 per week - thanks for the quarter and dime under the rock every week Mr. T.; a bus boy for $1.35 per hour plus tips from stingy waitresses, but one of them was a girl two years older than me whom I had a crush on since 5th grade, so...It was a 4 mile bike ride in summer, walk in winter but worth it. I also mowed 2 acre lawns for $11 and pushed snow off of long-ass driveways for $8 with dad's blue and white Craftsman 12HP tractor that he re-rigged for all of his green attachments from the old Bolens 8HP that could do pretty good wheelies. Dad signed a bank loan for the $1,100 that I didn't have in my pocket (I think because he loved the truck too), then handed me the payment book and forgot about it. We were in the beginning of the sharp rise of the Jimmy Carter interest rates, so the payment was $106.86 a month for 12 months. I paid it in six. Then I got the break of a lifetime just as my junior year of high school ended when I was hired at an advertising agency and I could afford the joy of bolt-ons. The truck looked a lot like this pic, and I had mine rigged almost exactly like this: same chrome grill guard, but clear driving lights, minus the front splitter (that's where the yellow fogs were!) and no stone deflector; the roll-bar and tonneau cover were white, the bed rails were chrome, the sliding back window tinted, not louvered; shoes were white wagons for winter, Polished 15x8 American Racing Outlaw w/ wide BFG Radial T/A's RWL all around for summer; and I had awesome sounding headers and side pipes instead of runners. I actually ran open headers until I got a ticket.


1977-ford-f100-1317043109

Here's the factory pinstripe scheme and chrome rails. The brown and orange colors were closer to the pic above. This survivor is pretty faded:


1977-ford-f-150-custom-stepside-survivor-nice-7

I had speakers in the bed of the truck, and we'd have a dozen people crammed in back there heading to the lake (it was legal back then), or dancing in the bed in the parking lot at McDonald's after football games.

Okay, that was an unexpected but awesome flashback.

If you'll indulge me an actual brag about the hobby garage...it's a decent version of a rich guy's garage without the dress ups.
Standalone, heated, 3 car garage, built into a quarter acre hill that needs mowing (3rd stall has a people door, no side entry because of the hill) and there is a full upstairs that walks out to the back yard. It's about three miles from the house. I installed a four-post lift and a high capacity air compressor for pneumatics, jacks, blasting cabinet, media blasting and spraying (so far I've only sprayed the John Deere 316 restoration that mows the lawn there ). There's even a rotisserie. I wired 220v for the compressor and a couple of 220v drops for the mig welder/spool gun. It's a restorer's garage. The upstairs is storage and some metal work stations. It's located on a dirt road on a quite less than average private lake in a rural area, so nobody really knows it's there. I am blessed, but honestly do not really know why.

[MongoMcG]

First runs with the first WPT file - I peed myself a little bit.

The first file that WPT sent was a 0% waste gate file. This file is more of a tool for WPT to gather baseline parameters. From there WPT develops their first iteration of an actual tune (but it's technically rev 1).

I wrote rev 1 to the car today, opened VCT scanner, and went for an adventure. Those who have experienced this transformation in their own B8 know what I mean when I say, "you gotta be kidding me!" This sedan is heavier than a dead priest, and I never expected it to give my heart some exercise, but it got an adrenaline workout today. Some of that may have been me waiting for bang-clang-clang-rattle-rattle, but mostly it was the excitement of feeling this car whomp like I've wished for 11 years.

However, after the second pull pictured below the CEL was flashing for about 15 seconds, then stopped flashing shortly before I got the car to a stop. I'll pull codes tomorrow. Maybe it was caused when I pedaled right at the end.

Two of today's logs:

[MongoMcG]

There were three misfire faults - #3 (P30300), #2 (P30200) and then random/multiple (P30000), all reporting to the ECM within 1 second. But the faults occurred a few seconds before they were recorded.
75 to 80 miles on the new plugs and new coil packs. Plugs are NGK BKR8EIXKT gapped to .024”, and coil packs are APR Upgraded MS100208. Gasoline is 93 Octane BP invigorate, 10 days in tank (tank was 1/8 full during the build). There are no injector faults, and high and low fuel pressure look okay to my uneducated eye. I think the random/multiple fault was a weird reaction to the inadvertent pedaling right at the end of the pull. But I think cylinder 2 & 3 happened for a reason.

I'll pull and check the new plugs first, do a leak down test, then check resistance on primary and secondary windings on each new coil, then check for vacuum leaks and/or intake manifold leaks.


Zoom to Misfire

In this pic the cursor/play bar from VCM scanner is parked in the middle the fault recording, indicated by the yellow highlight above the graphs, but the faults actually happened a few seconds before. Looking at the data log the first indication of misfire is indicated by the pink vertical line - the count jumps to 15. Then 0.88 seconds later, at the red line, the count jumps to and holds at 56. That means the first misfires happened still under WOT, 6500 rpm, and just past a little bump in the calculated torque number and during a dip in the short term fuel trim; and the random/multiple misfires happened when I inadvertently bumped the accelerator back - 60% to full - at the end of the pull.

Or...the recording resolution in VCM Scanner is slow, and the progression from 0 to 56 misfires was more linear over time (but I expect it's faster than 0.88 seconds).

[19birel]

That sounds like a pretty small plug gap, I could be wrong, ultimately the tuner should know, but that could be something to check.

Not apples to apples considering I'm on a smaller turbo, but for reference I run .028

[MongoMcG]

WPT is aware of the spark plug gap (all components, really). I owe them a report on the plugs, coils and leak tests before the next revision. I've been jammed up with work for two long days and unable to wrench.

[schwiz23]

Awesome thread. Thanks for documenting and sharing!

[sicerr]

This is excellent! Thank you for sharing, very greatly appreciated. This is very well written and detailed. I almost feel as if I was working along side of you. Thank you again for sharing.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[MongoMcG]

Awesome thread. Thanks for documenting and sharing!

This is excellent! Thank you for sharing, very greatly appreciated. This is very well written and detailed. I almost feel as if I was working along side of you. Thank you again for sharing.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

Thank you both for looking. This thread is born of gratitude for this and other car forums that make this hobby more enjoyable for me. I really appreciate the knowledge and opinions shared for everyone's benefit and from everyone's perspective. I'm certainly not an Audi expert, but I can wrench well and write half-decently, so I hope I'm adding to the mix here.

[MongoMcG]

Taking a break from work during some render time to share thoughts about installing the turbo-side catch can from ECS. There are many comments and opinions about using oil catch cans (CC) on the B8. There is also plenty of marketing hype to sell CC's, but is it snake oil? Worse, could it be venomous?

I installed the ECS turbo-side CC which leaves the original breather/PCV/oil separator (breather) in place but blocks the port to the intake manifold. I received a couple of comments from respected members on this forum that prompted me to look deeper into the vortex of 2.0T crankcase pressure. The breather system on this car is unlike anything I've worked on, so it took a minute to get up to speed. What I found was that, yes, indeed, these vendors are selling snake oil, and it could be venomous enough to blow the rear main seal or some other seal or gasket.


ECS Turbo-side CC

I call it snake oil for one simple reason - it's all about fresh air. Any CC that modifies the fresh air (purge air) supply into the crankcase necessarily interrupts a critical function of the breather. The fresh air (rather, the moisture within) is what absorbs the blow-by gasses and combustion contaminants so they can be carried away by the breather system (fresh air is drawn into the crankcase through the turbo-side of the breather). Forget all of the supposed benefits of the CC if you don't have fresh air and a constant, slight vacuum in the crankcase, because positive pressure in the crankcase could push oil where it doesn't belong, including past the valve seals, thus (potentially) increasing oil consumption and carbon build up which defeats the purpose most installations were sold and bought as. Weak seals are preferred prey for positive pressure, so if your engine is older and weaker, be wary.

This is a no-no if you want your crankcase to breath.


My research also confirmed that there are some pretty smart cats on this forum. I found a billion threads and sales pitches on CC's, but there is one which was very informative, and from which I based my decision to keep the ECS turbo-side CC and reconnect the breather port to the intake manifold. But wait, it's snake oil. Why am I keeping it? As designed, it is snake oil because it blocks the connection to the intake manifold, which is the breather's source of vacuum, which is what the breather uses as an on/off switch for fresh air to the crankcase. So, reconnecting the intake manifold port will restore original functionality to the breather, which will keep slight negative crankcase pressure, which will keep the rear main seal in place. The CC is now just a third oil separator with full stock breather functionality. A perusal of the link above with special attention to what old-guy teaches will clarify things.

However, my planned set up means fresh air for the crankcase will be flowing backwards through the CC. The ECS can has no obstructions that would prevent air from flowing both directions. But this makes it especially important to be assiduous about emptying the CC. If that can gets full enough to block the flow of fresh air, that means it's full enough to send crud instead of air into the breather and crankcase while under vacuum, and full enough to send crud into the turbo when under boost.

Freezing temperatures could also wreak havoc. In the winter I'll go back to a modified stock set up, using a flexible, short AN10-F to AN10-F hose to bypass the CC. I will need to remove the coil pack harness to reach the upper fitting, but that's easier for me than remembering to order six new gaskets for the turbo inlet fitting every year (because I've forgotten where the five left over from last year's order were stored).

Okay, I thought of another reason to call it snake oil - just look at the hoses..and what does the system catch? Maybe it's a cruel inside joke by evil vendors.

[SNice]

Great follow up on the catch can setup! That is precisely why I inquired about it earlier! In my research, I have reached much the same conclusions as you have. I connected mine without the block-off too. I hope to eliminate the oil deposits going into the intake - intercooler - turbo inlet etc.

On the same front - I’m now trying to figure out how to make the connections on the back side so I can achieve a dual catch can setup - all while keeping the pcv functioning as it was originally designed. In my mind, that is the best of both worlds. We shall see. For me - a big part of this is testing a theory…and I love to tinker!


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine Forum

[19birel]

I like your catch can solution! To make sure I'm understanding what you've done correctly, instead of blocking off the breather port you leave the hose in place that goes to the intake manifold?

This approach might have me reconsider a catch can setup. Based on what I'm understanding it would basically make the catch can act as a filter for the OEM PCV system with, theoretically, no increase in crankcase pressure.

[MongoMcG]

I like your catch can solution! To make sure I'm understanding what you've done correctly, instead of blocking off the breather port you leave the hose in place that goes to the intake manifold?

This approach might have me reconsider a catch can setup. Based on what I'm understanding it would basically make the catch can act as a filter for the OEM PCV system with, theoretically, no increase in crankcase pressure.

Well, it's not really a solution for the problem of blow-by gasses passing over the intake valves, which is why most want a catch can on a direct injected engine. The way I have it set up it's really just an in-line filter for the turbo side of the breather. At least it will keep the new turbo, hoses and FMIC a bit cleaner for a while.

But it is a solution if you are looking for a way to keep a 500 dollar part on your car because you can't let your wife see it sitting on the old stuff shelf.

Leaving the intake manifold port of the breather connected to the intake manifold means blow-by gasses still pass by the valves while the intake manifold is operating under vacuum (idle, steady state driving, i.e. most of the time). It's a necessary evil of the breather design - it must have a vacuum or boost pressure provided by the intake manifold to properly manage crankcase pressure.

The hose the breather uses to blow crankcase vapors out to the turbo-side is the same hose the breather uses to draw in fresh air (purge air) to the crankcase (not at the same time). So you can't block off the fresh air supply either if you want the crankcase to breath. The ECS turbo-side catch can does not block the fresh air supply to the turbo-side of the breather because it has no check valves and air can move both ways.

I don't see why a second catch can would not work on the intake manifold side of the breather if it was similar to this turbo-side set-up - just an in-line filter with no check valves to get in the way of original functionality. The can and hoses would receive the same boost and vacuum present in the intake manifold. I'm no fluid dynamics expert, so I do not know what issues that might cause, if any.

[MongoMcG]

Great follow up on the catch can setup! That is precisely why I inquired about it earlier! In my research, I have reached much the same conclusions as you have. I connected mine without the block-off too. I hope to eliminate the oil deposits going into the intake - intercooler - turbo inlet etc.

On the same front - IÂ’m now trying to figure out how to make the connections on the back side so I can achieve a dual catch can setup - all while keeping the pcv functioning as it was originally designed. In my mind, that is the best of both worlds. We shall see. For me - a big part of this is testing a theoryÂ…and I love to tinker!


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine Forum

Hoping you have great success. I'll keep an eye out for results. I have a couple of other issues to address before I can further experiment on the breather: valve stem seals this fall; rods, rings, pistons and clutch next year.

[19birel]

Yeah I really like the idea of using the catch can as a filter. Perhaps after I muddle through the maintenance stuff I don't particularly feel like doing I'll consider picking an ECS catch can up and and setting it up like this.

[MongoMcG]

Got back under the hood a couple of days ago to explore causes of misfires caught while data logging hard pulls to red line. I checked plugs, coil packs, compression and leak down. Everything looked good, which brings us back to gasoline - did my local BP sell non 93 octane from their 93 octane pump? Maybe. I finally burned out that tank and filled up at the well-respected local Sunoco and will be doing new logs tomorrow for WPT's next revision. Before the new gasoline I did a couple of half-fast pulls over 6000 rpms with no misfires, but still got 6° of knock retard. We'll see tomorrow if the new gasoline helps.

Test results:

Compression test: PSI's of 185, 186, 190, 185 for cylinders 1 through 4 respectively.

Leak down test: 90 psi of test pressure showed 1.5 psi loss in #1 and less than 1 psi loss in #'s 2, 3 and 4. Using my "mechanics stethoscope" - a length of fuel hose held up to my ear - I heard a slight leak for each cylinder via the dipstick tube, which is normal (slight leakage past rings). There was no sound or evidence of leaking into the intake (intake valve leak), exhaust (exhaust valve leak) or other cylinders (cracked block); and there was no bubbling in the coolant which you can get with a bad head gasket or a cracked head or block.

So the engine is buttoned up pretty tight. These results are nearly identical to the pre-build tests which gave me confidence that I wasn't wasting time with this engine in the first place.

Coil packs: I could not find a procedure or specs to measure resistance on the primary and secondary windings in the new APR Upgraded coil packs. Their condition is assumed to be okay at this point because they are new. I re-installed to original positions.

Spark plugs: looked mostly good with slight signs of concern. The electrodes on all four had a nice burn around the bend, but not quite close to the threads, so they could run a little hotter. I re-gapped the plugs from .024" to .025". Plugs from 1 and 4 looked fine while 2 and 3 have some slight carbon coating and 2 was a teeny bit moist. Given the good compression test results I believe I'm blowing oil past the valve stem seals (esp. 2 and 3), and that brings us back to the catch can set-up from ECS Tuning for the turbo side of the breather/pcv.

The ECS turbo side catch can design blocks the intake manifold side of the breather, which means the breather is not getting the proper feedback from the intake manifold it needs to keep the crankcase at a slight vacuum. Indeed, the crankcase is likely operating at positive pressure which can push oil where it doesn't belong (and/or blow out the rear main seal). There is a safety valve in the breather that opens when the crankcase has more than 2 or 3 pounds of positive pressure, but a constant 2 or 3 psi is plenty to push around the synthetic dead dinosaurs. My oil consumption doubled in my limited testing with the original catch can design, which makes sense considering the positive crankcase pressure and bad valve stem seals. The bad valve stem seals are a pretty good educated guess at this point. We'll know in about 500 miles if there was positive pressure helping to push oil past the seals due to the catch can design, or if I'm misremembering the oil consumption.

As noted in a previous post, I reconnected the port from the breather to the intake manifold because the breather uses the vacuum and boost pressures from the intake manifold to: a) open and close check valves within itself that keep the crankcase at a slight negative pressure; b) expel blow-by gasses and combustion particulates into the intake manifold (under vacuum) or into turbo-side ECS catch can (under boost); and c) open valves to draw fresh air through the turbo side of the breather into the crankcase.

Here's what I found...
After reconnecting the breather to the intake, the catch can is catching a lot less - like, almost nothing. Previously it was catching a bit more than a teaspoon of clear, water-like condensation with some yellowish solids per 100 miles. I assume these are now being sent into the intake manifold. This tells me that the previous set up (w/ blocked port) allowed those condensates and particulates to hang out in the crankcase until the car was under boost when the breather could then expel them through the turbo-side. Not cool.

It seems the ECS turbo-side catch can system will end up being under-hood bling and nothing more if I want to keep the breather's factory function. The catch can is a 500 dollar rhinestone that holds no value beyond how it looks. It does look cool, but not 500 dollars cool. It's 500 bucks that are way better spent on go-fast or stop-fast parts. And I'm not picking on only ECS's product - all the catch can systems available at the time of this writing have the flaw of interrupting critical functions in the breather for proper crankcase ventilation. My new rhinestone won't be doing much, but at least it's connected in a way that won't get in the way of breather functionality.

[MongoMcG]

Still chasing down engine knock...

Pulling out of the neighborhood a couple of weeks ago we were treated to a very brief percussive symphony of sound from the engine bay - the dreaded shaking marbles in a metal coffee can sound - uh oh. It could be engine knock from detonation or pre-ignition, or a heat shield rattling, or the EGR system failing, perhaps even the flywheel banging around. There are too many reasons for engine knock and/or similar sounds to list here.

The sound manifested as the engine was still coming up to temperature and under light acceleration around 2800 RPM's. I lifted immediately and the sound subsided just as quickly; I turned the car around and coasted the 200 yards back to the driveway, opened the hood and found coolant level was suddenly slightly below the minimum mark on the coolant reservoir. Then I pulled the dipstick and thought the oil level seemed higher than when I checked it just a few minutes before. Freak out time - is coolant making it into the oil pan?

No. The oil was not milky and showed no signs of contamination. I believe the reason the oil level seemed higher is because the first check was while the engine was idling, and for the second check the engine was not running and the oil settled back in the pan.

Looking deeper into the engine bay, there was evidence of coolant on the belly pan. This is another possible reason for what sounds like engine knock, that is, if the serpentine belt gets contaminated by oil or coolant it can cause the belt tensioner to freak out and clatter.

I assumed the coolant was coming from the newly installed K04X turbocharger, but it didn't take long to find the radiator was dripping. One wonders if the new, heavier FMIC from Wagner put too much stress on the radiator's plastic end caps. For insurance I will replace the six rubber bushings of the radiator mount - each side has one at the top and two at the bottom.

The rate of coolant loss was increased while cranking the engine for compression tests. Compression and leak down were done to eliminate the possibility of a blown head gasket, burnt valve, etc.

Leak down test results were still great - less than 2 PSI loss with 90 PSI test pressure at TDC for each cylinder, and the only leaking sounds to be heard through the mechanic's stethoscope was a wee bit of air escaping past the piston rings - none past the intake or exhaust valves (burnt valve, bad valve seat, more) none in other cylinders (cracked block), and no bubbles in the coolant reservoir or radiator (cracked head or blown head gasket).

The standard compression test was done with the engine cold and the pipe to the throttle body removed - so they came out 5-8 PSi lower than the previous tests. I'll do the tests again after the new radiator is installed and everything is warmed up. The TB pipe was removed to examine the newly installed water pump and union to the oil cooler for leaks (none).

Low coolant can cause engine knock. If the head and block are not cooled as efficiently as designed, then temperatures can be too high in the combustion chamber and cause pre-ignition. I believe that's my case, but not all of it.

I think the gasoline is fine, but the effective octane in the combustion chamber is being lowered by the oil that is squeezing by the valve stem seals. It's also fouling the plugs with quickly building carbon deposits. I'm sure some oil is making it past the rings as well, but my gut says the majority is dripping in from above. This causes carbon and oil build up in the combustion chamber which increases the effective compression ratio, thus increasing the temperature that is created with pressure. This, combined with inefficient cooling is causing pre-ignition. Add to that the possibility that the spark plugs (NGK BKR8EIXKT @0.025"), although one range colder than stock, might still need to go one heat range colder. The spark plug is responsible for a surprising amount of heat dissipation.

So this 136K mile engine needs new valve stem seals. I will be installing seals from Integrated Engineering while the head is still on the engine. IE sells one type for intake and another for exhaust, unlike most vendors. The front of the car will be disassembled for the radiator job, so access to the timing chain, etc. required to do the valve work will be greatly improved. Since I am in there, I will also install new Audi genuine lifters and roller rockers, and IE performance valve springs/retainers and Super-Tech cotters. This should eliminate any chance of valve float at high RPMs. If/when I do the pistons and rings I will also have the head hot dipped and new valve guides installed at the machine shop along with shiny new performance valves. The engine will then be fully built to handle more than the K04X can dish out, and I'll stop having anxiety attacks every time I see the tach approaching 7000 RPM.

All the parts are on the way. Had to use 5 different sources to find parts in stock. These parts were like a hockey player's summer teeth - summer here, summer there - you just need to find them. The cylinder head work, even while leaving it on the engine is a huge task compared to non-overhead cam cars where you simply remove the rocker cover, rockers and springs. For OHC, the cams need to come out, the timing chain gets messed with, and you need a bunch of new bolts (TTY) and parts beyond seals/springs/lifters/roller rockers. I will document and post both jobs on this thread, hopefully by week's end with pics, parts list, tool list (including specialty tools) and steps required.

However I have three paying video gigs stacked on top of the car tasks, so we'll see if I can find 20 hours to get it done this week. That time is estimated, and yes, I am slow. But dad always said, "If you don't take the time to do it right, you'll find the time to do it twice."

Here's the small radiator leak. This is on the passenger side, about 10 inches up from the bottom of the radiator and mostly hidden by the fan shroud - the camera was positioned between the radiator and the turbo outlet pipe. I bought a Nissens OEM replacement rad at less than half the cost of genuine. However, I noticed on the new rad that the aluminum fins that wrap around the plastic end caps to hold the caps in place has individual tabs that fold over instead of the continuous perforated piece depicted here.
[/url]20221002_183610

[MongoMcG]

Hard to believe it's been eight weeks since I've been able to get at the car, but we are finally able to get some hours in the garage. A fair bit of those weeks was spent researching parts because the front of the car is off for the radiator job, and it's a great opportunity to also:

• Upgrade the upper valve train with
  - IE valve stem seals
  - IE performance valve springs
  - New Audi genuine lifters
  - New Audi genuine rocker arms
• Clean the valve cover
• Upgrade harmonic balancer to a Fluidampr
• Replace rusty idler pulley
• Clean up the alternator/PS/AC units and bracket
• Refurbish and paint exhaust manifold heat shield
• Clean and paint exhaust camshaft adjustment actuators
• Upgrade engine mounts to 034Motorsports Street/Track Density line
• Upgrade transmission mounts to 034Motorsports Density line
• Replace the three nasty looking, rusty oil pressure sensors
• Replace rusty bolts and hose clamps
• Refurbish the headlights - new lenses, all new bolts and clips nuts
• Restore lock carrier - paint, all new bolts and clip nuts
• Restore hood lock - paint, new bolts
• Restore the power steering reservoir bracket

It took a bit of research to get all of the correct bolts and clamps. It also took a bit to keep them organized when they got here. Just for nuts and bolts I've ordered 70 different part numbers totaling 566 bolts, nuts and clip nuts thus far. Here is a clip of the spreadsheet I made to keep track of car projects. I won't attempt to explain it except to say that (on the bolts sheet) the white rows are incoming inventory and green rows are bolts going on the car; there are separate sheets for parts, bolts, fluids, supplies and tools; the yellow boxes are jobs in the queue - they'll be un-highlighted and filled with the date they were installed. I can sort by anything, search, and I have a single source for information. Overkill and more work than it's worth? Maybe, for most. But when I get these 8 week breaks between sessions in the garage, it sure comes in handy to have an up to date source to remind me where I left off. Besides, I hate the maze of FSM's to find torque specs and such, and with my spreadsheet I only need to do it once.

[StuckAntichris]

Love the detail on that spreadsheet. I started putting the torque specs on my spreadsheets recently and it has been amazing. Great job!

[MongoMcG]

Valve stem seals are taking more than a day because I'm paranoid of my spring compression tool, and my old hands aren't as steady as they used to be for putting those bloody little valve keepers in their bloody little grooves that I need a freakin' jeweler's loupe to see.

For popping the seals off and on, I kinda' wish I bought the slide hammer seal remover instead of relying on the brute force of the valve stem seal pliers that came in the kit. Twice, those silly pliers slipped off the seal causing a flash of violent upward movement that resulted in knocking loose the air hose that provides pressure to stop the valves from falling into the cylinder. Awesomely lucky that the valves stayed put both times. Also lucky that the loud expletive that sprung from my lungs pushed my left eardrum back in place after the explosive decompression smashed it into my nasal cavity.

I got half done tonight and walked away. I already have a premonition of dropping one of those little keepers at a bad moment, and now I need to make room to worry more than I should about dropping a valve. The first thing I need to do tomorrow is swap out that cheap, garbage quick connect that came preinstalled in the valve spring compression toolkit.


I am a bit disappointed Integrated Engineering did not include the little plastic straw installation aid with their fancy little valve stem seals. I'm lubricating and carefully pushing the seals over the valve stem and the three grooves for the keepers - that's a lot of edges. Fingers crossed they really are premium seals that can take a touch of mild abuse.


The IE performance valve springs look nice, but I find it interesting the stock spring rates are different for intake and exhaust while the IE springs are uniform. I've not yet looked into why Audi engineers have two springs rates. Perhaps it has something to do with the skinnier rockers and lobes on the exhaust side, or the two lobe sizes, which makes one wonder if the IE springs will stress the exhaust cam to rocker connection point. And how about that fine looking factory cleanup of the casting behind and above the spring in this pic - looks like they used the tip of a garden shovel or something.

[MongoMcG]

Valve stem seal, valve spring, lifter, rocker replacement detail post

Intuition told me we were getting oil past the valve stem seals, and the seals were slated for replacement when the rest of the cylinder head is upgraded. As fate would have it the radiator popped a leak, so the front of the car was going to come off for a radiator replacement. It was time to accelerate a few projects to take advantage of the unexpected access to the front of the engine. Those projects include a Fluidampr, engine mounts, and more, but the biggest project we could get out of the way was upgrading the upper valve train. The job can be done without removing the cylinder head and without removing the lower timing chain cover. We will miss out on new valves and guides until/if/when the engine is torn down for rods/pistons/rings, and maybe not even then if there are no issues with the stock valves.

Fair warning: this is a major project, and there are risks involved. Potential side effects include catastrophic engine failure, anxiety and death. This mini blog is in no way intended as a substitute for for proper procedures, service manuals, and safety precautions. This project is fraught with peril, from smashing pistons and valves, to dropping little metal parts into the heart of your engine, to your heart dropping with dread when you wonder if you missed a step, or dropping a valve into the cylinder, and, certainly, dropping more bucks ahead of schedule. Lastly, if your garage door is open there is a chance you will offend your neighbors with colorful language when installing the valve keepers, and if your close-up vision is not excellent, a closed garage door probably won't help you.



Our upgrade includes:

• IE valve stem seals
  - 8x intake-#IEVTUU3
  - 8x exhaust-#IEVTUU4
• IE performance valve spring kit
  - 1x #IEVTVC3
  - IE titanium spring retainers incl. w/ spring kit (16x)
• Supertech valve keepers (triple groove cotters)
  - 32x 036109651A
• New Audi genuine lifters
  - 8x intake-#022109423D
• New Audi genuine roller rocker arms
  - 8x intake-#06E109417P
  - 8x exhaust-#06E109409K
  - Note: exhaust rockers include the lifter

We are installing performance valve springs to prevent valve float at high RPMs; and new lifters/rockers are being installed as insurance. The 136K mile original lifters/rockers will probably end up in a box of used, good spares.



Bolts/parts/torque specs required: We are replacing all with new, just because they are 12 years old. But many are re-useable if you're not as weird about it.

• Assembly lube - lube lifters, valve tips, cam running surfaces, cam journals
  - Red Line assembly lube - 4 oz. - #80312
• Engine oil - a bit to lubricate seals and O-rings
• Anaerobic sealer
  - VW valve cover sealer - 100 grams - #D154103A1
• Valve cover bolts (TTY)
  - 22x #N10554005
  - M6 X 35 - T30
  - Torque each bolt, in sequence, to hand tight, then in sequence to 8 Nm, then in sequence to +90°
  - The valve cover bolt tightening sequence begins in the middle of six rows and works toward the front and rear in steps.
  - Starting at the front of the engine the rows are numbered 6, 4, 2, 1, 3, 5 - with row 1 being the first row of bolts tightened in each step of the torqueing sequence.
  - Note: Row 6 only has 2 bolts while rows 4, 2, 1, 3 and 5 have 4 bolts.
• Cam bearing (bridge) bolts (re-useable)
  - 6x #N10470703
  - M6 X 50 - T-30
  - Torque to 9 Nm
  - Note: lubricate cam bearing mount with engine oil before install, and install straight, without any tapping from a tool.
• Cam bearing (bridge) bolt (TTY)
  - 1x #N10572403
  - M8 X 16 - MP10
  - Torque to 20 Nm +90°
  - Note: other models may use a M6 bolt which is torqued to 8Nm +90°
  - Note: lubricate cam bearing mount with engine oil before install, and install straight, without any tapping from a tool.
• Cam bearing (bridge) washer (re-useable)
  - 1x #WHT003198
  - M8 heavy washer
• Timing chain cover - upper bolts (re-useable)
  - 5x 06J103831
  - M6 special
  - Torque to 9 Nm
• Cam adjuster magnet bolts (re-useable)
  - 3x #N10196103
  - M6 X 18 - T30
  - Torque to 9 Nm
• Dipstick tube bolt (re-useable)
  - 1x #N10196103
  - M6 X 18 - T30
  - Torque to 9 Nm
• Cam position sensor bolt (re-useable)
  - 1x #N10196103
  - M6 X 18 - T30
  - Torque to 10 Nm
• Vacuum pump bolts (re-usable)
  - 3x #N10739401
  - M6 X 90 10mm hex
  - Torque to 9 Nm
• Vacuum pump seal (replace if damaged or for peace of mind)
  - 1x #06H103121J
• High pressure fuel pump bolts (TTY)
  - 2x #N10572403
  - M8 X 16 - MP10
  - Lubricate cam follower with oil
  - Torque to 20 Nm in steps after hand tightening each. Alternate bolts to prevent tilting the pump and getting it stuck.
  - Note: other models have an M6 bolt which torques to 8 Nm +90°
• HPFP O-ring (always replace)
  - 1x #WHT005184
  - 31mm X 2mm
  - Lubricate with oil
  - Insert fuel pump (by hand) into the vacuum pump past the O-ring before installing bolts
• Camshaft plug
  - #06B103113C
  - Install without sealant
• Seal - O-ring - Camshaft adjuster magnet
  - #WHT007212B
  - 52mm x 3mm
  - Lubricate with oil
• Front camshaft seal
  - #06H103483D
  - Lubricate with oil
• Gasket - Upper timing cover
  - #06H103483C
• Plug - lower timing cover (peep hole)
  - #06H115418AA
• O-ring seal for exhaust cam adjustment actuators
  - 8x #N91020001
  - 17.3 mm x 1.5 mm

There are some specialty tools required for this project. These include a camshaft service tool kit and a valve spring compressor. Knock-offs of the VW camshaft tools can be found on various web retailers. The valve spring compressor can be found at the same places or borrowed from your local auto parts store. No knock-off of the VW valve spring compressor could be found, so we went with an Audi compatible tool for BMW's. The only specialty tool we did not buy was the lever thing that gets bolted to the head so it can push the timing chain tensioner back for pinning the tensioner in a service position. Instead, with the free access to the front of engine, we went through the tensioner peep hole with an upholsterer's tack remover to grab the guide and gently pull it in to close the tensioner. That's not a recommendation.


Our valve spring compressor tool kit, purchased from a large online bookseller, was just adequate.


Made of mid to lower grade chinesium the compression action was fine, but the air system left a lot to be desired. The air hose quick connect fittings that came pre-installed on various kit pieces and the air pressure regulator were garbage, and that's where they ended up - in the garbage. Also, the O-rings on the component that screws into the spark plug hole tended to leak if lateral force was applied and the leak would not stop until the pipe was removed and reset. That brought an end to using that pipe (as designed, and pictured earlier) as a very convenient mast for the swing-arm that holds the business end of the compression tool. The air pressure being fed through those quick-connects is what is stopping the valve from dropping into the cylinder, so the heart beats a little faster when you hear that hiss, and you either work faster to lock the valve in there, or you tear everything apart as quickly as you can so you can get some padding and some needle nose vice grips on the top of the valve before it falls into the engine. Thrilling? Yes. Desirable. nfw.

The camshaft (timing) tool kit was also from the online bookstore, and it was quite decent.

Though, we did need to do a bit of grinding on the edge of the specialty socket that removes the VVT spool valve. It grabbed the two holes in the spool valve just fine, but the thing was off center by just enough to catch an edge on the way into the cam bearing (bridge) where the spool valve lives. The rest of the kit was spot on.

We are not going to cover a step-by-step here, but a basic outline is below. Detailed information can be found in the factory service manuals. This is one of those projects that has you bouncing around to different sections of different FSMs, which is annoying, especially when the FSM is covering multiple models or options. For a project of this size we cut and paste the FSM's into a new document as they bounce us around. In the new doc we can line everything up into a step by step that is project specific and trims away all of the other models and options. We can also add any information from other sources. There is a big monitor in the garage to view FSMs, project spreadsheets, hockey, and sci-fi.

Servicing the upper valve train - basic steps

1. Access to the front of the engine helps a lot
   - Luckily we already have the radiator, headlights and lock carrier removed. Honestly, the process is not that bad. We lose $50 in coolant, but save a spine; and there's a lot of good to be said for being able to put hands, tools and eyes on your work at the same time.
   - Alternatively, you can put the car in service position
2. Remove coil packs, move harness aside
3. Remove exhaust cam adjustment actuators
4. Remove PCV
5. Remove purge line to turbo
6. Disconnect/remove cam position sensor
7. Remove cam adjustment valve N205 (that round thing on the upper timing chain cover)
8. Remove upper timing chain cover
9. Set exhaust cam position using drift pins from cam service tool kit
10. Remove spool valve
11. Remove cam bearing mount
12. Pin the chain tensioner with pinning tool from camshaft service tool kit
13. Install camshaft locks from camshaft service tool kit
14. Remove bolt for tensioning rail and slide it downwards to give the chain more slack
15. Remove the timing chain from the cam sprockets
16. Remove valve cover
17. Remove cams
18. One spring at a time - compress, remove keepers, uncompress, remove spring, remove seal

Then go backwards and change the word remove to install.

You can see from the blue tape in the pics just how paranoid of dropping a valve keeper into the abyss. After all, the keeper is just a little piece of steel dangling by magnetism off the tiny end of a pick as you send it soaring over the valley of doom. Good news - we found the screen from the cam bridge in one piece sliding down the face of the cylinder block after removing the cam bridge. It was a perfect little circle trying to crawl its way down into the oil pan.

Glad to say we came through with no issues but a couple good adrenaline rushes. Fingers crossed for the Fluidampr install - another nerve wrack due to the newer torque spec of 100 Nm +180° for the (newer) grade 10 crank pulley bolt. I may invest in a torque multiplier for that one because, after twice experiencing the 90 Nm +135° for the 6 much shorter bolts that hold the x-brace, we think chances are high for an artery to burst or going into vapor lock using the breaker bar on the crank pulley bolt. But the next post will probably be about the headlight refurbishment. They turned out great, and it was easy-peasy except for the 12 year old bolts.

[MongoMcG]

Well, rat farts. I was prepping everything for rocker arm and cam install, feeling that momentum gain that happens when things start to go back together; but when I opened the 6 exhaust cam roller rocker boxes from FCP Euro, the lifters were not included as they were in the 2 from ECS Tuning. The two from ECS were the last in stock, so I went to FCP Euro for the remaining 6 for $3 more per piece. Anyway, Audi Parts also shows the lifter as included in the part #06E109409K, which is the same part number ordered from both ECS and FCP Euro. For some reason, FCP Euro charges the $12 premium price that other vendors charge for the rocker/lifter combo, but FCP does not include the lifter. I sent them an email and asked them to match the product other vendors are offering by sending the lifters, or send an RMA so I can return them and order from another vendor. This is the first disappointment with FCP Euro other than the inventory glitches from which every online parts vendor seems to suffer. FCP handled two of those inventory problems without any issues, and I am hoping for continued good customer support. The project is on hold for a couple of days until this is resolved.

In the meantime...got the timing chain back to the perfect spot (I think). Did you know... to get the copper links to line up with the marks on the camshaft AND TDC again takes a bit of synchronization between all the gears. This timing mechanism is new to me, and I'm paranoid of smashing valves. I knew I was going to be rotating the crank with the cams removed for the valve stem seal/spring upgrade, so I wanted the copper links to line up when I pulled the cams and again when the cams were installed. I didn't count how many times I rotated the motor before cam removal to get copper links and TDC, but it was a lot. I was curious to see how many cranks it actually takes to go from perfect timing marks to perfect timing marks, and wanted to find out without developing Popeye forearms...so I did a little math with gear ratios and found out I was probably pretty lucky to land the marks as soon as I did.

If my math is right...
Given: 23 teeth on the crank gear, 46 teeth on the camshaft gears, 85 links (2 holes for gear sprocket per link, so a 170 tooth gear, effectively)

The chain to crank gear ratio is 170:23, or 7.391304348, or the crank turns 7.391304348 times for every lap the chain makes. With this ratio the magic link covers the magic crank tooth every 23 laps of the chain, equaling 170 rotations of the crankshaft (and 85 rotations of the cams).

The chain to cam gear ratio is 170:46, or 3.695652174, so the cams turn 3.695652174 times for every lap the chain makes. With this ratio the magic links cover the magic cam teeth every 23 laps of the chain, equaling 85 rotations of the camshafts (and 170 rotations of the crank).

So, when starting with the copper links on the crank and cam marks, the chain need to make 23 laps (170 crank rotations) to land on both the crank and camshaft marks again (while everything is attached).

For doing the valve work on my car the cams were out, but the chain was still on the crank gear. Since I moved the crank 4 rotations (without cams) during the valve work, I needed to rotate the the crank 166 more times for the magic link to land on the magic crank tooth, and the cams can be installed in their TDC position with the copper links already lined up. I didn't want the chain to skip a tooth on the hidden crank gear, so I provided some tension on the chain with my left hand while cranking the engine with my right hand. Honestly, I did all this math after I got the chain in place and did not really count how many actual rotations I made. I am relatively confident the link is on the correct tooth on the crank gear, but since the upper valve work was done without removing the lower timing cover, I can't be 100% certain until the engine is more buttoned up and cranked by hand to check for interference. If interference is found the lower timing chain cover will need to come off and the chain reset.

Edit: I know the colored links are for install and not removal. But, a) I don't have a lot of confidence in paint markers; b) not having the lower timing cover off adds to the mystery; c) starting from a known, indexed position increases confidence in the re-install; and d) I don't know this engine well, and anything I can reasonably do to minimize mistakes is a prudent choice for me, and I consider cranking this motor 170 times reasonable (for me).

What I don't know, and will be asking in the general forum is: Since the chain did not come off the crank the balance shafts should still be synchronized, yes?

[MongoMcG]

FCP Euro's exhaust rocker arm part number (the same as other vendors' part # that include the lifter) does not include the lifter. And I forgot the two I bought from another vendor (with the lifter) were bought during a limited quantity sale for less than the rocker-only price. I am waiting for deliver of 6 more lifters.

I took some pics of the headlights today (not installed), but they're hard to get a good picture of. I'll try again tomorrow.

[MongoMcG]

The headlight detail post is still in the works. There are a lot of little details and the amount & variety of bolts and screws takes a bit to get through - especially when life keeps interrupting my write up. There are plenty of YouTube videos covering the basic steps of using an oven or a heat gun to unseal and seal the butyl rubber that holds the lens on the housing, so my write-up does not include a step by step; but it does cover a few gotchas and items specific to the Audi headlights. For example, the bolts on these headlights were actually the toughest to remove (so far) during this restoration due to rusting/seizing and the threat of breaking the plastic of the housing's mounting points. I did break one of those mounting points but fixed it up.

New headlight housings were not in the budget (new Audi Genuine housings are $2500/pair w/o bulbs) so my goal was to do a headlight restoration for as little cost as possible. By replacing only the lenses and all of the bolts, plus a few hours with some Simple Green and a micro-fiber towel, I have new-looking, freshly restored headlights for about a hundred bucks & some elbow grease, and the results speak for themselves. A detail post with part numbers, bolt numbers, tips and tricks is coming as soon as life gets out of the way for a few hours.

[AudiTLC]

I replaced the clear covers recently as well. Makes such a big difference!
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...1#post14749116

[MongoMcG]

Headlight Restoration

For reference, my 2011 model year headlight details: w/ Bi-Xenon and w/o directional beam (the side to side motor that engages when turning) - aka part #'s 8K0941029AS (left) and 8K0941030AS (right).


I have been all over this car in the last six months, and I think it's safe to say the headlights showed more signs of 11 Michigan winters than just about any other parts on the car.

The clear headlight lenses were pock-marked, pitted, stained, streaked and cloudy. Inside the right headlight the 'eyebrow' - or whatever the plastic trim piece is called that is situated over the parking light scoop - anyway, the eyebrow was somehow plucked, and it was bouncing around in the headlight.

The oodles of nooks and crannies in the headlamp housing hide dirt and hold onto moisture, and the headlight's bolts/screws were corroding and frozen, which led to breaking one of the mounting points on a lower headlight bracket last summer.


I shopped new headlight housings. Prices range from $2,550/pair (on sale right now for $2K) for Audi Genuine, to $500/pair for aftermarket that looks like OE, to $250/pair for aftermarket junk. The headlight restoration was not part of the budget for this car, so $2,550/pair for Genuine was out of the question; but I don't trust the cheap aftermarket offerings because I tried them in the past on two other cars with bad experiences every time. I felt stuck until I decided to repair the broken mounting point, replace the clear headlight lenses, and replace all of the bolts, screws and clip nuts on the original headlights. I get to keep all of the original guts, bulbs, controllers and rear housing. I save more than 2 grand over new Genuine, and it's only 1/5 the cost and risk of cheap knock-off housings.

The Audi headlights use a surprising amount of bolts, screws and clip nuts - it's about 50 pieces of hardware between the two lights, brackets and mounting the assemblies to the car. Most of the headlight bracket bolts were quite seized (but not the screws). Surprisingly these bolts were the most difficult on the car to remove so far. While installing the CAI last summer one of the lower headlight bracket mounting points sheared off due to the torque applied to loosen the bolt (in car). To prevent a repeat during the headlight restoration we gave the bolts a few days soaking with PB Blaster (two shots per day with the headlights out of the car), and then we used the small impact driver (Rigid R86230) to break them loose. But you can't just pull the trigger on the impact driver and let it rip - several short bursts kept the torque below the plastic shearing threshold and eventually coaxed the bolts out.

I ordered aftermarket headlight lenses ($80/pair) and some butyl rubber in a round rope extrusion (about 3/8" diameter) sold specifically for sealing headlights. (A parts list, including bolts and torque specs, is below.) The butyl rubber sells in a 13 foot length, and I used about two-thirds of it to do two B8 A4 headlights. About the lenses - the "stampings" on the lenses are an exact match to the originals (hmmm). The fit was spot on, but tight tolerances aren't exactly required here, so the fit better be good to excellent. At this price I can't say how long 'til these knock-offs turn yellow or cloudy. I think I'll apply clear UV protectant film on the lenses to delay such problems. But honestly, this project was so easy and cheap ($100 plus 8 hours) I would do it every few years without hesitation, and would likely be done in half the time next time. For now, the headlamps look fantastic with new lenses, thoroughly cleaned, and all new bolts/screws. I think I'll do the clear protective film anyway.


Baking the headlights:

• I preheated the oven to 250°F, placed the headlight on two blocks of wood to keep the plastic off of the metal rack and set the timer to 7 minutes.
• Before baking I removed the mounting brackets, LED and HID control boxes, the bulbs and the six metal clips around each headlight lens. Removing the parking light bulb was tough. You need to reach into the housing with two fingers from each hand to twist it loose.
• When the housing comes out of the oven work quickly to remove the lens while the rubber is soft. I used a plastic panel removal tool to get the separation started at the outer corner, and then I used my hands to pry the pieces apart. The rubber will stretch and pull during the separation. To keep the sticky, staining substance off of the interior parts - cut the stretchies with a knife (or just run the shaft of a screwdriver between the two pieces.
• Clean all of the old rubber from the groove in the housing. This is a tedious, boring job to do while watching Hockey Night in Canada. You get a few minutes of working time with the heated butyl rubber to clean it out of the grooves, which are a deep u-channel. I began by running the utility knife along the insides of the groove, working in 10 to 15 inch sections. After slicing the sides free of the groove i scooped out the rest with a screwdriver. This leaves a few chucks in the groove, which I leave for now.
• Butyl rubber sticks to itself pretty well. Have you ever used tape to remove tape residue? That's how I got the leftover chunks out of the groove. I reheated the housing for 3 minutes, then used a ball of the old rubber to press into the groove and pull out the chunks. I was able to remove nearly 100% of the old rubber.

Gotcha: Avoid touching the chrome plastic inside the housing. If you need to wipe any of the chrome pieces, use water and the softest micro-fiber available. When working with the butyl rubber do not let it contact the chrome pieces or the inside of the lens. It is difficult to remove evidence of the rubber without damaging the chrome. Avoid touching the inside of the new lenses. Inspect the new lenses, then wrap them up again until time to install.

I was forced to do a tiny bit of black-out inside the housing. The chrome plating on the loose eyebrow piece mentioned earlier was scratched - it looked like center ice before the Zamboni makes laps. I figured the chrome was pretty thin on the plastic, so I found the gentlest metal polish I have (Mothers) and gave it a wipe - the chrome disappeared. After removing the eyebrow from the housing I masked off the bottom and front facing chrome portions and sprayed a high gloss black acrylic (Krylon Fusion) on only the top surface of the eyebrow. I was disappointed for the need to paint it until I saw it in the housing and discovered I dig it. I did the same to both sides. If the car was any color but black I would have considered swapping out the amber reflector for the RoW marker, but I like the little flash of color.



Installing new lenses

• Temporarily dry-fit the lens to check fitment, then remove, re-wrap and keep in a clean spot for now.
• Give the new butyl rubber a slight stretch while laying it in the groove. This (and the heat to come) get the rubber ready to mold around the new lens. I'd guess my stretch was 5 to 10%.
• The round rubber extrusion I used fills the groove to near the top, but it's round, so at the edges it is about half full. Too much rubber causes messy squeeze-out (both inside and outside of the housing), and if the rubber is too thin the housing will leak. Sorry, no pics for this detail. My squeeze out was very minimal, and on the outside of the housing it cleans up easily enough.
• I started laying in the rubber with a tapered stretch (about 2 inches long) and finished is off with the same for a 2 inch overlap at the lower inside corner of the housing. I did not come across any information about where to do the overlap - this is just the spot I chose.
• Warm up the new rubber in the housing - I did 6 minutes at 250°F.
• Press the new lens in place. Finding angles to get leverage to press on the lens is tricky.
• Use spring clamps around the outside edges (start with where the meal clips are normally installed). I tossed the assembly back in the oven with the clamps on for a few minutes. I stated with the bottom edge because I can't fit the housing with a full complement of clamps in the oven - 250° for 3 minutes. Remove, add metal clips to bottom edge, clamp top edge, 3 more minutes at 250°, add clips to top and side.

Re-assembling headlights and brackets
All metal to metal contact gets a coating of Boeshield T9 anti-corrosion protection. This includes nuts, bolts, metal hardware captured in the injection molded plastic, etc. I also coated the LED and HID aluminum control boxes. Torque specs, bolt part numbers, and more info below:

Lenses, butyl rubber and replacements for all of the rusting hardware ordered:


Excerpted from Electrical Equipment; Rep. Gr. 94; Overview - Headlamps
Get your Factory Service Manuals with a one day subscription at https://erwin.audiusa.com/

Parts ordered:

• Lenses - "MINPART Headlight Headlamp Lense [sic] Clear Lens Cover Replacement for Audi A4 2009-2012 1 Pair Left Right Side headlight lens cover" - sourced from a large online book store
  
  - Note: The shipping box for the lenses was pretty weak and showed a couple of tears and bumps, and though the lenses were wrapped only in plastic wrap they survived without a scratch.
• Butyl rubber - "ZXMOTO 13Ft Headlight Sealant Retrofit Refit Butyl Rope Rubber Glue Reseal for Car Headlamps Window Door Windshield (1 Piece)" - sourced from a large online book store
• PPF or paint protection film - still deciding between the 3M product and the WeatherTech product. Both are custom cut for the B8 headlights.

Bolts/Screw/Clip Nuts ordered:



Tools and supplies:
T30 and T20 torx drivers
Small flathead screwdriver (to pry off the clips that help hold the clear lens in place)
PB Blaster
Cleaner of choice
Glass cleaner
Boeshield T9 or similar corrosion protection coating (optional)
Shop towels
Utility knife

Other pics:




The repaired mounting point:

NOTE: The plastic used in these injection molded housings is not friendly with JB Weld. I used a utility knife to roughen the surfaces to give some tooth for the epoxy.

I also needed to add a piece of flat plastic to the lower bracket's mounting point (the place where the repaired headlight mounting point is bolted) because that spot on the bracket has been worn away.


That made the clip nut need to be installed over two layers of plastic (old and new), which it handled just peachy.

[19birel]

Great progress! I didn't know IE offered those valvetrain parts for our cars, I hope not to cross that bridge, but it's nice to know an upgrade is available should I have to! Fluidampr is a nice touch, I installed one as well early last year when I did my timing refresh.

The headlights look fantastic btw! I highly recommend protecting them with clear Lamin-X film, I gave my B8.5s headlights a similar treatment, and the Lamin-X ensures that the new lenses don't start pitting form road debris and adds some UV protection as well so they continue looking fresh even longer

[MongoMcG]

Great progress! I didn't know IE offered those valvetrain parts for our cars, I hope not to cross that bridge, but it's nice to know an upgrade is available should I have to! Fluidampr is a nice touch, I installed one as well early last year when I did my timing refresh.

The headlights look fantastic btw! I highly recommend protecting them with clear Lamin-X film, I gave my B8.5s headlights a similar treatment, and the Lamin-X ensures that the new lenses don't start pitting form road debris and adds some UV protection as well so they continue looking fresh even longer

Nice! Thanks for the tip and info. I've perused your helpful thread more than a few times. That's a good build that keeps getting cooler. Thanks for the effort, bud.

[MongoMcG]

I replaced the clear covers recently as well. Makes such a big difference!
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...1#post14749116

Yeah! Those look great. Pretty satisfying change, innit?

[MongoMcG]

Been watching Snice's thread on his dual catch can set-up because I have the same ECS turbo-side catch can already installed, but had problems with how it is designed to work with the PCV.

Snice's experiment looks like it is working well, and I'm already socking some cash to do this in the spring.

[eyab689]

Headlight Restoration

For reference, my 2011 model year headlight details: w/ Bi-Xenon and w/o directional beam (the side to side motor that engages when turning) - aka part #'s 8K0941029AS (left) and 8K0941030AS (right).


I have been all over this car in the last six months, and I think it's safe to say the headlights showed more signs of 11 Michigan winters than just about any other parts on the car.

The clear headlight lenses were pock-marked, pitted, stained, streaked and cloudy. Inside the right headlight the 'eyebrow' - or whatever the plastic trim piece is called that is situated over the parking light scoop - anyway, the eyebrow was somehow plucked, and it was bouncing around in the headlight.

The oodles of nooks and crannies in the headlamp housing hide dirt and hold onto moisture, and the headlight's bolts/screws were corroding and frozen, which led to breaking one of the mounting points on a lower headlight bracket last summer.


I shopped new headlight housings. Prices range from $2,550/pair (on sale right now for $2K) for Audi Genuine, to $500/pair for aftermarket that looks like OE, to $250/pair for aftermarket junk. The headlight restoration was not part of the budget for this car, so $2,550/pair for Genuine was out of the question; but I don't trust the cheap aftermarket offerings because I tried them in the past on two other cars with bad experiences every time. I felt stuck until I decided to repair the broken mounting point, replace the clear headlight lenses, and replace all of the bolts, screws and clip nuts on the original headlights. I get to keep all of the original guts, bulbs, controllers and rear housing. I save more than 2 grand over new Genuine, and it's only 1/5 the cost and risk of cheap knock-off housings.

The Audi headlights use a surprising amount of bolts, screws and clip nuts - it's about 50 pieces of hardware between the two lights, brackets and mounting the assemblies to the car. Most of the headlight bracket bolts were quite seized (but not the screws). Surprisingly these bolts were the most difficult on the car to remove so far. While installing the CAI last summer one of the lower headlight bracket mounting points sheared off due to the torque applied to loosen the bolt (in car). To prevent a repeat during the headlight restoration we gave the bolts a few days soaking with PB Blaster (two shots per day with the headlights out of the car), and then we used the small impact driver (Rigid R86230) to break them loose. But you can't just pull the trigger on the impact driver and let it rip - several short bursts kept the torque below the plastic shearing threshold and eventually coaxed the bolts out.

I ordered aftermarket headlight lenses ($80/pair) and some butyl rubber in a round rope extrusion (about 3/8" diameter) sold specifically for sealing headlights. (A parts list, including bolts and torque specs, is below.) The butyl rubber sells in a 13 foot length, and I used about two-thirds of it to do two B8 A4 headlights. About the lenses - the "stampings" on the lenses are an exact match to the originals (hmmm). The fit was spot on, but tight tolerances aren't exactly required here, so the fit better be good to excellent. At this price I can't say how long 'til these knock-offs turn yellow or cloudy. I think I'll apply clear UV protectant film on the lenses to delay such problems. But honestly, this project was so easy and cheap ($100 plus 8 hours) I would do it every few years without hesitation, and would likely be done in half the time next time. For now, the headlamps look fantastic with new lenses, thoroughly cleaned, and all new bolts/screws. I think I'll do the clear protective film anyway.


Baking the headlights:

• I preheated the oven to 250°F, placed the headlight on two blocks of wood to keep the plastic off of the metal rack and set the timer to 7 minutes.
• Before baking I removed the mounting brackets, LED and HID control boxes, the bulbs and the six metal clips around each headlight lens. Removing the parking light bulb was tough. You need to reach into the housing with two fingers from each hand to twist it loose.
• When the housing comes out of the oven work quickly to remove the lens while the rubber is soft. I used a plastic panel removal tool to get the separation started at the outer corner, and then I used my hands to pry the pieces apart. The rubber will stretch and pull during the separation. To keep the sticky, staining substance off of the interior parts - cut the stretchies with a knife (or just run the shaft of a screwdriver between the two pieces.
• Clean all of the old rubber from the groove in the housing. This is a tedious, boring job to do while watching Hockey Night in Canada. You get a few minutes of working time with the heated butyl rubber to clean it out of the grooves, which are a deep u-channel. I began by running the utility knife along the insides of the groove, working in 10 to 15 inch sections. After slicing the sides free of the groove i scooped out the rest with a screwdriver. This leaves a few chucks in the groove, which I leave for now.
• Butyl rubber sticks to itself pretty well. Have you ever used tape to remove tape residue? That's how I got the leftover chunks out of the groove. I reheated the housing for 3 minutes, then used a ball of the old rubber to press into the groove and pull out the chunks. I was able to remove nearly 100% of the old rubber.

Gotcha: Avoid touching the chrome plastic inside the housing. If you need to wipe any of the chrome pieces, use water and the softest micro-fiber available. When working with the butyl rubber do not let it contact the chrome pieces or the inside of the lens. It is difficult to remove evidence of the rubber without damaging the chrome. Avoid touching the inside of the new lenses. Inspect the new lenses, then wrap them up again until time to install.

I was forced to do a tiny bit of black-out inside the housing. The chrome plating on the loose eyebrow piece mentioned earlier was scratched - it looked like center ice before the Zamboni makes laps. I figured the chrome was pretty thin on the plastic, so I found the gentlest metal polish I have (Mothers) and gave it a wipe - the chrome disappeared. After removing the eyebrow from the housing I masked off the bottom and front facing chrome portions and sprayed a high gloss black acrylic (Krylon Fusion) on only the top surface of the eyebrow. I was disappointed for the need to paint it until I saw it in the housing and discovered I dig it. I did the same to both sides. If the car was any color but black I would have considered swapping out the amber reflector for the RoW marker, but I like the little flash of color.



Installing new lenses

• Temporarily dry-fit the lens to check fitment, then remove, re-wrap and keep in a clean spot for now.
• Give the new butyl rubber a slight stretch while laying it in the groove. This (and the heat to come) get the rubber ready to mold around the new lens. I'd guess my stretch was 5 to 10%.
• The round rubber extrusion I used fills the groove to near the top, but it's round, so at the edges it is about half full. Too much rubber causes messy squeeze-out (both inside and outside of the housing), and if the rubber is too thin the housing will leak. Sorry, no pics for this detail. My squeeze out was very minimal, and on the outside of the housing it cleans up easily enough.
• I started laying in the rubber with a tapered stretch (about 2 inches long) and finished is off with the same for a 2 inch overlap at the lower inside corner of the housing. I did not come across any information about where to do the overlap - this is just the spot I chose.
• Warm up the new rubber in the housing - I did 6 minutes at 250°F.
• Press the new lens in place. Finding angles to get leverage to press on the lens is tricky.
• Use spring clamps around the outside edges (start with where the meal clips are normally installed). I tossed the assembly back in the oven with the clamps on for a few minutes. I stated with the bottom edge because I can't fit the housing with a full complement of clamps in the oven - 250° for 3 minutes. Remove, add metal clips to bottom edge, clamp top edge, 3 more minutes at 250°, add clips to top and side.

Re-assembling headlights and brackets
All metal to metal contact gets a coating of Boeshield T9 anti-corrosion protection. This includes nuts, bolts, metal hardware captured in the injection molded plastic, etc. I also coated the LED and HID aluminum control boxes. Torque specs, bolt part numbers, and more info below:

Lenses, butyl rubber and replacements for all of the rusting hardware ordered:


Excerpted from Electrical Equipment; Rep. Gr. 94; Overview - Headlamps
Get your Factory Service Manuals with a one day subscription at https://erwin.audiusa.com/

Parts ordered:

• Lenses - "MINPART Headlight Headlamp Lense [sic] Clear Lens Cover Replacement for Audi A4 2009-2012 1 Pair Left Right Side headlight lens cover" - sourced from a large online book store
  
  - Note: The shipping box for the lenses was pretty weak and showed a couple of tears and bumps, and though the lenses were wrapped only in plastic wrap they survived without a scratch.
• Butyl rubber - "ZXMOTO 13Ft Headlight Sealant Retrofit Refit Butyl Rope Rubber Glue Reseal for Car Headlamps Window Door Windshield (1 Piece)" - sourced from a large online book store
• PPF or paint protection film - still deciding between the 3M product and the WeatherTech product. Both are custom cut for the B8 headlights.

Bolts/Screw/Clip Nuts ordered:



Tools and supplies:
T30 and T20 torx drivers
Small flathead screwdriver (to pry off the clips that help hold the clear lens in place)
PB Blaster
Cleaner of choice
Glass cleaner
Boeshield T9 or similar corrosion protection coating (optional)
Shop towels
Utility knife

Other pics:




The repaired mounting point:

NOTE: The plastic used in these injection molded housings is not friendly with JB Weld. I used a utility knife to roughen the surfaces to give some tooth for the epoxy.

I also needed to add a piece of flat plastic to the lower bracket's mounting point (the place where the repaired headlight mounting point is bolted) because that spot on the bracket has been worn away.


That made the clip nut need to be installed over two layers of plastic (old and new), which it handled just peachy.

I actually did my headlight lenses on my 09 A4 and I actually took a box and used a heat gun and put the headlight in the box and closed it up and left it for about 5 mins and it came right apart. When I installed the lenses I did the same thing I put the light back in the box and wrapped a bungie cord around it then took it out and put the clips on it while it was still hot and put everything back in the lights and it's been almost 2 yrs and the headlights still look like new even though I live in the snowy upstate NY area. So far so good no leaks and they are still shiny everyone thought I bought new 1400 bucks each headlights...lol...really nice thread very informative great job!

Chuckb

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