was in IL again this weekend and checked out the Audi Exchange in Highland Park (where I had my old B5 A4) and saw this:
glad to see the B5s are still being shown off a bit by Audi.
I also saw an RS6 parked in front of my local SBucks, not too rare in these parts but I still love those cars.
I also raided my old parts bin from my A4. Sadly there wasn't much left, just some old badging, a battery cover, clay bar kit, and the trunk cargo hooks.
I FINALLY got my package from ECS (2.5 weeks) with the $5 cargo net and trim renewal kit. Here are the goodies from my weekend
so I had an overheating problem that I thought was the Thermostat going bad. Turned out the wiring for my EFK has shorted out and burned the motor out so it didn't even function anymore. So, long story made short, did a full timing belt/T-Stat/Water pump/tensioner/pulley/acc belt about 70k early as well as replacing the OEM fan and fan clutch (the previous owner had deleted the fan). So now I have a more or less new TB, T stat, etc sitting around.
Had new issues (I hate loving this car):
-AC Compressor wouldn't kick on (its been 90 in DC lately, kill me)
-Exterior ambient sensor was reading waaayyy wrong (like -50 degrees)
The two ended up being related. The previous owner had ripped the exterior sensor off the harness behind the bumper and the open wires were just sitting there getting exposed to air/water/road debris (why? no idea, most likely accidental during the stage 3 install). Anyway, just spliced a new one in and zip tied it inside the driver's side of the front bumper. This allowed the exterior temp readings to be accurate and, since the car didn't think it was -50 outside, the AC compressor would kick on (sometimes these cars are too smart for their own good). So just an FYI, your AC will not kick on if the temperature is reading below a certain degree.
Just wanna say very nice info in this thread KNaudi. I just recently picked up a 2000 noggy and am swapping seats/door cards/belt-line out. Your write up on the front seat and dash trim pieces are exactly what I need. Thus my addiction begins, and I can thank you for showing me how to shoot up properly ;-). And yeah, feels like the DC summer is getting its foot in the door ..
Just wanna say very nice info in this thread KNaudi. I just recently picked up a 2000 noggy and am swapping seats/door cards/belt-line out. Your write up on the front seat and dash trim pieces are exactly what I need. Thus my addiction begins, and I can thank you for showing me how to shoot up properly ;-). And yeah, feels like the DC summer is getting its foot in the door ..
glad my experience can be put to use. knowledge is no good when it isn't shared!
another FYI; was having some idling issues and intermittent rich codes which I knew were my NGK plugs going bad. Apparently when they say they last 5k miles, they really mean it. I had barely 6k on these and they were already causing issues. Replaced them and idle is back to perfect. Maybe next time I'll spring for the expensive side fires.
I know changing plugs is no big deal but the Audi geeks sure made it tough on the 2.7 motor. Removing the coolant tank is easy enough but getting the air box out and getting to the front passenger side coil SUCKS. I dropped one of the coil pack bolts down into the engine bay trying to get to that one coilpack. Need to find another one somewhere. Never have I had a car where changing the plugs takes over an hour. Changed the plugs on my Honda jet ski this past weekend and that took all of 15 minutes.
and while replacing the exterior temp sensor, I took the bumper grills off for a more menacing look (inspired by bimmerchop)
1 - Got another bolt to replace the one I lost for the coilpack.
2- Headed down for a weekend on my buddy's boat so I found this decal in a drawer and tossed it on for the weekend. it'll be coming off after, don't worry.
well I decided on keeping the S4. Just too much time and money has gone into it to let it go right now. Hopefully it will be bulletproof with all the work I've put into it.
List of Priorities for the next few months for the S4:
1) SouthBend Stage 5 clutch and OEM flywheel to replace Fidanza LWFW and SPEC 3+
2) Rear rotors
3) Rewire RNS-D unit so that the GPS actually works
4) Fix the paint imperfections
5) Find a decent place for the rear 02s to be tied back to
6) Either find a quieter exhaust or put a hi-flo cat in the APR exhaust
#1, #2, and 3 I want to get done before Labor day. The others are just 'meh', as they happen.
from DC to Pittsburgh and back for work in 20 hours, S4 ran perfectly.
ever see this kinda mileage? that's what coming down out of the PA hills will get ya:
rando shots:
have the following things coming up;
-SouthBend stage 5 clutch, RS4 Pressure Plate, and OEM flywheel go in tomorrow courtesy of New German Performance Racing (NGP)
-Have Bosch Sidefire plugs waiting to go in, may get around to that next weekend along with rear rotors
-Touch up paint from Paint Scratch arrived, will probably end up taking the doors off to do the touch ups properly.
After a few days of driving with the new clutch, I thought I'd contrast the old combo (SPEC 3+, SPEC PP, SPEC LWFW, and metal throw out bearing) with the new (SouthBend custom 'stage 5' feramic clutch, RS4 PP, OEM FW, and OEM TOB).
The old set up:
LWFW:
SPEC 3+ Clutch
PP and TOB:
New SB Clutch:
Comparo:
The SPEC setup was, in comparison, pretty heavy and extremely grabby. The engagement point seemed inconsistent and, on inclined 1st gear starts, the clutch would actually grab and spin the front wheels on occasion it grabbed so hard (which sucks when you have an inclined exit to your parking garage that you use daily). The only thing that I liked about that setup was the faster revving that came with the LWFW (as you can see above, it only weighed 12lbs.... its for sale if anyone wants it). There definitely is a difference in the way the revs hang with an OEM FW and the LWFW.
The SouthBend set up is HEAVEN compared to the SPEC. The clutch feel is completely different, its SO much lighter and requires 1/4 of the effort that the SPEC required. The clutch itself is the SouthBend FE Stage 5 clutch with feramic material on both sides. Here is their description of it: The FE SS series is the ultimate when it comes to delivering maximum torque to the street and strip driven car. With Feramic on both sides of the disc, the clutch delivers a more positive engagement.
Because Feramic clutch material displaces heat extremely fast it will give you maximum clutch life and a consistent feel each time you shift.
Anyway, like I said the pedal feel is significantly lighter but also the engagement is more predictable and more like and on/off switch than the SPEC was. I'm still getting used to how fast the pedal moves now, I am still letting it up WAY too quickly as I'm expecting it to take more effort to move. The pedal feel might actually be lighter than OEM but its been so long since I've driven an OEM S4 clutch that I can't say for sure.
I've read about people having problems with the RS4 pressure plate's SAC mechanism that went in with the SB. I'm still worried about it but I don't drive the car very hard and I really never launch. I also had a competent shop do the install (NGP Racing in Lorton, VA) and the issues seem to crop up from installer error so I'm not too worried. The car is my daily so I try not to abuse it too much so hopefully I won't even really test the pressure plate (pretty sure my conservative APR tune won't push it too hard).
All in all, I'm extremely happy with the way things feel now and, if I had driven another S4 with this combo awhile ago, I would have made the change MUCH sooner.
Backstory of how I came across this custom clutch: My SPEC 3+ started slipping in 4th, 5th, and 6th going from no boost to full boost intermittently a few months back. It came and went depending on conditions but, the last 2 weeks, it was obvious the clutch had to go. So late one night I was searching the AZ classifieds after a longass happy hour and saw the screaming deal (~$400 for the SB clutch, mated OEM FW, TOB, and clutch alignment tool) so I bought it right then and there. Apparently people were offering to outbid me for the clutch but I called the buyer and sealed the deal within 15 minutes of the ad being posted. It was slightly used and came out because the TOB bearing had let go which he had assumed was a problem with the clutch. Normally I wouldn't buy something used that requires so much labor to install but this deal was too damn good (otherwise I would have probably bought a VAST clutch). The clutch retails in the $900s so I got a pretty damn good deal.
I feel like a real B5er when I see this and it doesn't scare me. A heater circuit failed in one of the rear 02s again. Apparently 02 sensors don't respond well to being open to the elements.
well I decided on keeping the S4. Just too much time and money has gone into it to let it go right now. Hopefully it will be bulletproof with all the work I've put into it.
List of Priorities for the next few months for the S4:
1) SouthBend Stage 5 clutch and OEM flywheel to replace Fidanza LWFW and SPEC 3+ done
2) Rear rotors not required
3) Rewire RNS-D unit so that the GPS actually works
4) Fix the paint imperfections
5) Find a decent place for the rear 02s to be tied back to
6) Either find a quieter exhaust or put a hi-flo cat in the APR exhaust
#1, #2, and 3 I want to get done before Labor day. The others are just 'meh', as they happen.
Updated To Do List In the Near Future
1) Rewire RNS GPS antenna
2) Touch up paint
3) Replace failed rear 02 sensor and move them
took the rear rotors off the list after checking them and seeing they don't need replacing yet.
1300 miles (DC to Indiana and back) for Labor Day weekend. The night before leaving, I managed to bottom out or hit something which resulted in a clunk noise when going over larger bumps. The sound seemed to come from the front left so that's where I started looking. I pulled the wheel off and checked all the CA bushings which turned out to be fine. I did, however, see this:
I didn't know what it was and doubted that it was making such a loud noise but figured that it wasn't supposed to be just hanging there. After asking around, I learned it was the headlight leveling sensor. I bent it back into place and attached it back to the control arm. I did this about 8 hours before having to drive 1300 miles in the hope that it would solve my clunking.... it didn't.
Ended up driving 650 miles with the clunk happening every so often. When I got to my parent's place in Indiana, I decided to figure out what was going on. By this point, the noise seemed like it was coming from the front right. When I checked the fender, a bit of the inside of the metal fender had gotten bent down and was contacting the wheel face over large bumps. A buddy of mine and I took a towel, a piece of wood, and a hammer and straightened it back out. No harm to the wheel or paintwork shockingly.
Also my terrible job tying the coded out rear 02 sensors up finally failed me and they ended up dragging on the ground a bit. I tied them back up to the DTS for the ride back to DC. Luckily, I got 2 more 02s and I am going to finally wire those ones up correctly so they reach the bungs on the APR exhaust. One of the heater circuits failed again so time to replace them.
matt, its the one from Mike@Ringer-Racing. The studs themselves are good but the lug nuts are painted or coated in something that just flakes off. Pretty hard to beat the price tho.
And I'll let you know when Clint and I get together...... if his car is ever running that is.
I haven't been paying as much attention to the S as I would like but I was studying for the LSAT and now its over. But now its October so time to get ready for quattro weather.
Today was oil and filter @ 109,2xx miles. Used M1 0w-40 and the standard Bosch filter.
Next on the list are plugs. Sidefires are replacing copper NGKs. I'm tired of replacing them every 5-10k miles.
After that, some paint chip repair and then put the RS4 reps with Blizzaks back on.
October 17th, 2010: Bosch Sidefires went in today, replacing the copper tipped NGK BKR7E. If anyone is still using those pieces of garbage, stop it. They suck and foul far too quickly. Idle is significantly smoother now.
NGKs after ~4,800 miles. Weren't misfiring yet but idle was fluctuating more and more each week. Gapped @ .028
On another note, part of the cupholder broke so I just pulled that part out. This bit was stopping it from moving properly until I removed it. One of the springs is lost forever.
October 23 2010: Washed both the RSX and the S today. First time in 3 months I've been able to wash it thanks to studying for the LSAT. The car was absolutely filthy, the water coming off the car was black.
October 25th: A few developments: (1) some C-sucker hit my car in my own garage and left no note (the damage was just scuffing that I got mostly rid of with buffing/polishing), (2) I'm in the middle of filling rock chips on the hood, one of the doors, and one of the 1/4 panels (will have pictures later), (3) pulled the RNS-D unit for fellow AZer dla79 (he's been bugging me to sell it to him for quite some time and I finally gave in), and (4) I attached the old style S4 badge to my RS4 grille (a small mod but I definitely dig it).
you can see the new badge here and you can also see that there is little no visible damage to my front driver's side bumper after my diligent buffing
here's a closer look @ the new badge, hopefully it will hold at speed
cleaned up the VMR V710s before putting them in storage for the winter. I'm happy that they made it through this spring and summer and are still in fantastic shape (including the PZero Neros). I did find that a shop curbed one rim ever so slightly so I need to get some gunmetal touch up paint from VMR. They are currently out of stock sadly. Note to self: ALWAYS check the car over before leaving a shop, even if it was just for a wheel bearing.
Bought some new snow tires from Tirerack. Blizzak WS60s to replace my worn-ish LM25s (see a few posts up). Bought 4 WS60s in 235/40R18 spec for $64x (cheaper than in the past b/c Bridgestone is trying to move towards the WS70 instead). they were shipped and arrived at my apartment in 15 hours.... talk about fantastic service. There tires look SUPER aggressive with massively deep treads. I will probably wait until Christmas or maybe even after to mount them. DC got something like 40" of snow last winter so I wanted to be ready to get these things mounted really quick if need be. I figure I can get through this entire winter with the LM25s if its a mild season but if I end up driving back to Indiana/Illinois or we get blizzards in DC like last year, I'll definitely need the WS60s. To be honest, I hope we get double the snow we got last year just so I have an excuse to use these things.
November 20th: Changed out the rear rotors, lubed up the squeaky rear pads, touched up some undercoating that got torn up a bit from using a regular jack, and tossed some new wiper blades on.
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Originally Posted by DertiS4
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