My very own update thread - AZ edition (picture heavy)

[BaseDrifter]

I'll be going to pick up the correct crush washer for the oil pressure sender from the dealership tomorrow. For future reference, the part number is N 013 811 5.



Thank god for the VAG catalog, makes finding part numbers for small things like this really easy.

http://www.auto-parts.spb.ru/webcat/...ycat?SelVh&cl=

[BaseDrifter]

Cut out the driver's vent for the gauge today. Not the best results, but acceptable for a first attempt. I'll probably cut up another one a little later but this one will work for now.



Starting to get there..



Much better.











A little white for contrast.

[kraylon]

I used a hole saw that was slightly smaller than my boost Guage to mount it in my vent, filed a little to clean it up a little came out pretty good actually

[BaseDrifter]

From my searching it seems most people go the hole saw route. None of my hole saws have fine teeth and I expected them to just rip up the vent so I went with the coping saw. Next time I may pick up a fine tooth hole saw and try that method. My biggest complaint is that the slats don't touch the gauge right now, they're about 1/16" off, but it's not really noticeable.

I also wish I could black out the GlowShift logo and disable the start up sequence, but I don't think either of those are doable.

Now I need to finalize the wiring under the dash and figure out why it's not dimming with the headlights.

[kraylon]

I didn't use a fine tooth hole saw I drilled it slowly from the back, a small file will clean up the burs and such

[BaseDrifter]

I didn't use a fine tooth hole saw I drilled it slowly from the back, a small file will clean up the burs and such

For sure, I'll give that a go next time.

[catbed]

118-4 seems to monitor MAP pressure which stays at 870mbar at idle, and jumps up to 900ish when I gas it in neutral, block 113-4 stays at 850mbar no matter what I do, it must be something external since it doesn't change with engine RPM

Baro sensor on the ME7 cars are located on the ECU board itself.

[BaseDrifter]

The proper crush washer seems to have done the trick and the fitting is leak free now. Now for some numbers.

Cold idle: 80psi
Hot idle: 20psi

I'll get more definitive numbers in the coming days, but it looked like about 70psi at 4k while hot.

I also logged intake air temperature and was seeing 31.5°C at hot idle, after doing a pull to 4k it would rise to 33-34°C before dropping back down to 31.5. Ambient air pressure is 1029.6mbar (~14.9psi) and altitude correction is 1.6%.

Oh and here's a little video I put together from the NorCal Audi Club drive this past Saturday.



As well as some pictures.

[BaseDrifter]

Just got my Dad's A4 up on jack stands to start his brake job and found this.



Other side for reference.



Looks like that plastic ring holds the boot up in place, but hasn't done its job so well. Not happy to see this considering the suspension has less than 200 miles on it. Guess I'll try to slip the boot back into place.

[BrucexL33]

Mr.Lukas, how old is your go pro camera? I never realized this but it produces high quality videos.

[delldroid]

Are you running a fmic or smic?

[BaseDrifter]

Mr.Lukas, how old is your go pro camera? I never realized this but it produces high quality videos.

I wish I had a GoPro! It's on the list of things to buy. My dash camera is a G1W.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Full-HD-1080...item485a485bb3

Are you running a fmic or smic?

Still running the stock SMIC. I'm actually running an AWM SMIC since my AEB one cracked, but they're the same with the addition of the MAP port that I have blocked off.

I removed the driver's side caliper to replace the bushings and found that the dust boot is ripped, so I guess I'll be doing a full rebuild on both calipers.

[BrucexL33]

oh damn! that's a really good camera! Thanks for the link!

[BaseDrifter]

Looks like the car will be on stands until Monday at the earliest. None of the dealerships around here have any caliper rebuild kits in stock right now.

Here are some photos from swapping the reservoir.



Nasty old fluid.



Empty tank ready to remove.



Some nice sludge sliding down the side.





As I was pulling the caliper apart I noticed something looked a little strange.



Well that ain't right!

[RENOxDECEPTION]

I didn't even know you could separate the tank and master cylinder, is it easy to take apart?


Edit: just read the first line, nevermind.

I went to autozone and oreilly's and was able to piece together a caliper rebuild kit a while back, but I know you like to use OEM stuff.

[BaseDrifter]

Just unplug the low level sensor and it pulls right out. It's in there pretty good and it takes some effort to remove, but it's an easy deal.

Yeah, I'm gonna get OEM seals hopefully Monday..may not be until Wednesday, but it doesn't really matter right now since my car is on the road.

[RENOxDECEPTION]

Just unplug the low level sensor and it pulls right out. It's in there pretty good and it takes some effort to remove, but it's an easy deal.

Yeah, I'm gonna get OEM seals hopefully Monday..may not be until Wednesday, but it doesn't really matter right now since my car is on the road.

damn! and that can hold 35psi?? wow.

[BaseDrifter]

The steering rack was leaking at both banjo bolts so I ended up dropping the rack again to tighten them up. Dropping the rack is slightly more difficult with the tie rods still connected. What I ended up doing was removing the upper control arm pinch bolt on the driver side to give the suspension some side to side slop and was able to push the rack forward 3" or so. Tightened up the 19mm bolt and realized it had rotated the "curl" too close to the rack, preventing the cabin boot from sliding back over the spire flange (where the steering wheel connects to the rack.) Had to go back and loosen it up, clock it, and tighten it again. I did the same thing the first time around, won't happen a 3rd time, I swear.

I finished rebuilding both calipers and installed ECS' stainless steel brake lines. Just have to bleed the system tomorrow and should be back on the road. Hopefully with no leaks. I will not be a happy camper if the rack still leaks…



In position to pop the piston out.



Piston out.



Caliper stripped.



After hitting it with a brass brush.



Getting the dust boot into position.



After seating the dust boot in the lip of the piston, I slipped it all the way down to the bottom to seat it in the caliper. Note that the piston is flipped 180.



Dust boot seated, ready to press the piston in.



Halfway.



Dust boot back seated in the piston's lip.



Piston in and new bushings installed.



I hit the sliders with some fine steel wool to clean and polish them.



Sliders greased and carrier reassembled.



Caliper reinstalled (minus the spring.)



New lines installed.

[BrucexL33]

Good work Lukas. I would highly suggest you go to mechanic school (for certification obviously you know what you're doing) and eventually open up your own shop. I'd definitely take my car to you for service!

[coolgraymemo]

You should hit the calipers with a coat of paint to keep them looking fresh. Paint 'em black or silver.

[BaseDrifter]

Good work Lukas. I would highly suggest you go to mechanic school (for certification obviously you know what you're doing) and eventually open up your own shop. I'd definitely take my car to you for service!

Thanks man, appreciate that. I'm always down to help other people with their cars (like Memo's timing belt job.) Would have no problem knocking that out.

I love working with my hands and doing physical hobbies, but I don't see myself making a career out of it. Using my brain to fund my hands is a better long term plan. My dad spent his career as a stagehand working on and building sets for movies. He is paying the price for it now at 60 years old. He has had five shoulder surgeries and is still recovering from his last one. Don't know how he's gonna make it another 3-4 years before he can retire. The last thing he wants is for me to go into a career that depends on my body, there's no need to.

Opening up a shop would be cool, but it is a highly capital intensive and risky investment to make. My experience is also limited to B5 A4s right now, a lot of what I've learned can be applied to automotive work in general, but there is still much to learn. I'd rather be an expert in one car than a general hand on many cars.

You should hit the calipers with a coat of paint to keep them looking fresh. Paint 'em black or silver.

Yeah we were talking about that. Couldn't decide which color would look better so we decided to leave them stock for now. Might paint them black at some point...

[MetalMan]

Thanks man, appreciate that. I'm always down to help other people with their cars (like Memo's timing belt job.) Would have no problem knocking that out.

I love working with my hands and doing physical hobbies, but I don't see myself making a career out of it. Using my brain to fund my hands is a better long term plan. My dad spent his career as a stagehand working on and building sets for movies. He is paying the price for it now at 60 years old. He has had five shoulder surgeries and is still recovering from his last one. Don't know how he's gonna make it another 3-4 years before he can retire. The last thing he wants is for me to go into a career that depends on my body, there's no need to.

Opening up a shop would be cool, but it is a highly capital intensive and risky investment to make. My experience is also limited to B5 A4s right now, a lot of what I've learned can be applied to automotive work in general, but there is still much to learn. I'd rather be an expert in one car than a general hand on many cars.

I definitely agree with you here. It's "fun" to work on cars from time-to-time but I imagine making it a full-time job would make it less "fun".
For example I work full-time as a Mechanical Engineer, but spend lots of time on my "hobby" (Audi B5s). I've got a local guy's Nogaro S4 Avant (too bad it's an automatic...) currently doing some stereo work.

[Cgoon009]

Nice pics, my rear caliper seals are leaking, so I will have to do this soon.

[kraylon]

I definitely agree with you here. It's "fun" to work on cars from time-to-time but I imagine making it a full-time job would make it less "fun".
For example I work full-time as a Mechanical Engineer, but spend lots of time on my "hobby" (Audi B5s). I've got a local guy's Nogaro S4 Avant (too bad it's an automatic...) currently doing some stereo work.

Copy that, I always loved doing car audio as a teen and decided to take to make a career out of it thinking I would love doing it more, I made good money doing it, but after doing it 40+ hours a week it no longer became fun and I lost interest in it, now I'm a stationary engineer / maintenance guy and I found my love for car audio again, but now I just do it for a little extra money here and there, so trying to turn a love for something fun into a career doesnt always work out as well as it seems.

[BaseDrifter]

Yep, sometimes it can work out, but I think you're often best leaving hobbies at just that.

Well, the power bleeder was a total failure. I had the tank filled with fluid, the tube connected to the cap, pressurized the system to 15psi, opened the RR bleeder and 2" of fluid moved down the hose then stopped. The reservoir was now completely filled and spilling out from between the reservoir and cap. Said screw it and bled the system manually. Not sure where I went wrong with the power bleeder, I'll give it another go whenever I bleed my car's brakes again.

[RENOxDECEPTION]

:( 100psi!

[bhusted]

Yep, sometimes it can work out, but I think you're often best leaving hobbies at just that.

Well, the power bleeder was a total failure. I had the tank filled with fluid, the tube connected to the cap, pressurized the system to 15psi, opened the RR bleeder and 2" of fluid moved down the hose then stopped. The reservoir was now completely filled and spilling out from between the reservoir and cap. Said screw it and bled the system manually. Not sure where I went wrong with the power bleeder, I'll give it another go whenever I bleed my car's brakes again.

Did you seal the rubber gasket into the cap? I cleaned up the inside of my cap with brake cleaner and then squirted in some RTV and squished in the rubber gasket. If you look closely, there is a small channel used by the reservoir to breathe. Without sealing that passage, you'll get some leakage.

[melomandn]

Interested to know how the brakes feel after the stainless lines

[BaseDrifter]

Did you seal the rubber gasket into the cap? I cleaned up the inside of my cap with brake cleaner and then squirted in some RTV and squished in the rubber gasket. If you look closely, there is a small channel used by the reservoir to breathe. Without sealing that passage, you'll get some leakage.

I used an o-ring between the nipple and cap, but I didn't use any sealant. I didn't hear any air leaking from there though. I did use a hot nail to melt the little breather hole on the cap closed.

Interested to know how the brakes feel after the stainless lines

Just took the car out for a spin..it drives. I can't say I notice any difference in pedal feel with the SS lines, I didn't expect to since I didn't notice a difference when I put them on my car either. Maybe I'm not noticing anything because I've left the rear lines stock? Dunno, in any case, the old lines had cracked coverings and dirt was starting to get into the braid on the stock lines, they were due to be replaced. Can't go wrong with ECS' front lines for 50 bucks.

[B5A4coastie]

The whole stainless kit was pretty cheap I thought. I'm still waiting to do mine, sometime when the weather actually feels like spring.

[kraylon]

I did the ss lines all the way around on my car years ago and I don't remember feeling much difference afterwards.
After I did the a8/tt brake conversation there was a big difference with braking

[BaseDrifter]

I picked up two more N75 valves the other day, swapped one in and saw no change in my boost. That's four N75s I have tried with no improvement, yet all signs still point to the valve itself.

I've had a set of satin silver gauge rings sitting on my shelf for a few months and decided to put them in today. I had a set of chrome rings on my old cluster but didn't like how they reflected the red light, shouldn't have that problem with the satin set.

Before:



Removing the cluster's plastic front.



Installed!









I also threw a Mandalorian armor sticker on the rear window, not sure if I'll keep it yet. Always had mixed feelings about stickers, but I think it's kind of cool.

[kraylon]

Those satin rings look really good.
Mmmmmm I don't like stickers but to each their own.

[bhusted]

I like those satin rings in the cluster. Link to where you fetched them from? How bad is the install other than needing a bunch of hotel key cards?

[kraylon]

I've seen those rings on ebay before at least for my cluster I have, thought about getting them but never did.

[BaseDrifter]

Thanks guys.

The install is annoying, but not hard. In addition to the 6 clips you need to keep open at the same time, there are two torx screws on each side that hold the plastic in place as well as two smaller clips. Once everything is depressed and the screws removed the cover will come off. I initially only removed one screw from each side and struggled with it until I realized there were two more.

Once the cover is off, clipping the rings in is not too bad. The top two small rings are the worst since you don't have much space between the frame and clear plastic. I slipped the top edge in, walked one side in with a small flat head screwdriver, then pulled the other side into place. Smaller fingers will vastly help here.

If you search "A4 B5 satin gauge rings" on ebay you'll find them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AUDI-A4-B5-A...ecce97&vxp=mtr

[BaseDrifter]

For the past couple of days I've been tracking down a misfire that I didn't even know was a problem. In my quest to recover my lost boost I did some logging while monitoring misfires. I got VCDS up and running, fired the car up and had 15 misfires within 30 seconds of just idling. Took the car for a spin (everything felt like it has for awhile) and got more misfires, all on cylinders #1 and #3. Swapped coil packs and the misfire didn't change, tried a spare ICM and it didn't change, swapped fuel injectors last night and the misfires followed the injectors. Went from #1 and #3 to #2 and #4 after swapping them around. I went to the PnP today and none of the cars there still had their injectors. If I don't find some when I go to another yard tomorrow I'll get a set from RenoDeception at the JHM meet next weekend.

Since I live in CA, every two years we have to get our cars smogged. They don't like things such as HFCs and tucked emissions lines. If you recall, a few months ago the flange broke clean off on my catalytic convertor which is why I went with an 034 HFC. I was going to swap in a spare stock cat I had, however it is missing the heat shield. Without the heat shield it looks a lot like an aftermarket cat and doesn't have the Audi/VW logo on it anymore. Instead of risking getting failed because it's missing the heat shield, I decided to get the flange welded back on to my original cat for $25 at the local Midas. It is not a pretty weld, but it get's the job done and doesn't leak.

Here's the stock cat missing its heat shield.



And my rewelded flange.



034 HFC removed.



Old cat installed again.



"Stock" looking and ready to be smogged (I passed.)



I've also started to get a clunking from the right front side. Inspected the suspension and found a ripped control arm boot and cracked control arm bushing. The front end was rebuilt with a 12 piece Meyle HD kit 3 years ago.



And a nice picture of my FUBAR'd steering rack, can't wait until I get to replace another rack.



When I was putting the stock cat back in I broke one of the clips that holds the O2 sensor harness to the firewall so I picked up a replacement at the PnP today.



Gross! How could I let such dirt exist in my engine bay?



Cleaned.



I also picked up a new fuse panel cover to replace mine that was cracked. As an added bonus it has a nifty fuse diagram on the inside panel.

[bhusted]

I wish my fuse panel cover had a list like that on it. I hate having to look though the owners manual to find what fuse does what. That steering rack looks nasty. Now that you've gotten your dad's done, you should be a pro at it. Ever done the clutch master cylinder? I'm off to do mine today and it looks like it should be a barrel of laughs. I've looked through a couple of DIY's and none of them make it sound like I will enjoy it.

[ray4624]

Lol your car passes emissions but the front end it about to fall apart and kill you. Gotta love priorities haha.


That bay is so clean. I'm jealous.

[BaseDrifter]

I wish my fuse panel cover had a list like that on it. I hate having to look though the owners manual to find what fuse does what. That steering rack looks nasty. Now that you've gotten your dad's done, you should be a pro at it. Ever done the clutch master cylinder? I'm off to do mine today and it looks like it should be a barrel of laughs. I've looked through a couple of DIY's and none of them make it sound like I will enjoy it.

Seriously, the new cover was worth it for that list alone. What's annoying about the steering rack is that the PO had it replaced, whoever replaced it though put the wrong size boot on each side. They put the short boot on the long side and the long boot on the short side, so one side is ripped to shit and the other is way too compressed. Nice work. It won't be nearly as bad this time since I know the technique and have the tools, still not fun though.

Nope, haven't had to replace a clutch master cylinder, where is it located?

Lol your car passes emissions but the front end it about to fall apart and kill you. Gotta love priorities haha.

Ha, I still have 100% confidence in my front end. A little ripped boot and cracked bushing ain't no thang. Shoulda seen/felt the front end before it was rebuilt. Before I rebuilt my dad's front end you could rock the steering wheel 20 degrees in each direction before the wheels would move at all. Everything was blown out.

I can't remember right now, but if I'm lucky the ripped boot and cracked bushing are on the same rear upper arm, I'll just throw a replacement in there, all the other arms look fine.

I do think it's silly that we have such strict emissions testing but no safety inspections. I wouldn't mind having a safety inspection every other year, even if it's just for the brakes. Hell in the UK they check to make sure every seatbelt's backing plate is structurally sound during inspection.

That bay is so clean. I'm jealous.

Thanks man, weekly wipe downs help keep it looking clean.