Johns' Introduction/Build Thread

[Johns]

Hello to the Audi community! I just recently purchased my first car about a month ago after months of research. I found my car locally owned by a very conservative couple who were selling the car as they just purchased a Prius to replace it. The car is a black/black 2001 A4 1.8t Quattro 5-Speed with 175k miles.





(the dash cup holder is missing as I was repairing it, I can post pictures of how I did so if anyone's interested)



Since the owners had no documentation on the timing belt/water pump, replacing that was my first order of business. I had never worked on cars before but after all of the research and tutorials I had read, I felt confident enough to take on the task (also being a broke college student I couldn't justify spending the cash to have someone else do it). During the replacement I threw in a new air filter, cabin filter, changed the oil and oil filter, new spark plugs, and of course did a complete coolant flush.




I was extremely relieved when the car started right up with no check engine light. Feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders as I no longer have to fear it breaking anytime soon. However, there's still so much to do, the list seems endless. Here's some pictures of how she currently sits (I did the clear corner mod until I have the money for newer projectors)




She's in dire need of new paint, but that's not near the top of the list. Next is to replace the passenger rear bearing which should take care of the mechanical flaws (for now). I also plan to shave the lower door moldings as they're completely rusted out, which will lead to the cheaper option of covering the holes with adhesive door molding.

Since I'm a college kid on a budget, I plan to put her on Solo-Werks S1 Coils. Still have no clue what type of wheels I plan to run, I think I want a staggered set (18x8.5, 18x9.5) but we'll see. For the lights, I plan on getting some black Depo housings and retro-fitting them with Morimoto Mini H1 projectors. But until then I'm just taking care of all the odds and ends (infamous drivers seat tear, dead lcd screen, lower grilles, black front grille, carbon fiber mirror housings, front window tint, replace all speakers with infinity kappa's). The most frustrating part of all is finding parts around the driver's door. Apparently whoever installed the stereo ran a mic up near the sun visor and completely tore up the interior A pillar, but I can't seem to find a replacement anywhere. I'm also looking for the upper and lower interior B pillar, just need to pull the trigger on one on ebay.

Hopefully I can register the car by the end of the week but I'll have to see where my funds are at (juggling college and junior hockey it seems like my paychecks vanish instantly). Until then I'm driving the car my parents let me have (2001 VW Passat Wagon Vr6 4motion with 195k miles and climbing as I drive 150+ miles a day to and from work/school/hockey). Let me know what you guys think!

[Bordom]

Nice pick! Don't know what's going on with your monster truck in the rear there , but Solo Coils sound like a good replacement!

[viceprp]

You play Junior A or B hockey?

When you do CO's, don't go too low since you don't have documentation of any control arms being replaced. 25" GTF wold look good. Don't fall into the sub 24.5" hype...

[R490]

Control arms are probably a good idea also, as viceprp said.

Otherwise, Looks like a pretty good car!

[Johns]

Nice pick! Don't know what's going on with your monster truck in the rear there , but Solo Coils sound like a good replacement!

Thanks! I haven't measured the GTF yet, but I'm pretty sure it's just an illusion considering the 15" wheels and stock suspension. I can't wait to replace the old struts/coils!

You play Junior A or B hockey?

When you do CO's, don't go too low since you don't have documentation of any control arms being replaced. 25" GTF wold look good. Don't fall into the sub 24.5" hype...

I'll dig into the little documentation I do have to see about the control arms. 25" Sounds like the perfect height as she'll be my daily and the roads in North-Eastern CT aren't very kind to 'stanced' cars. I play junior B, it's my first year in the juniors scene and I'm loving every second of it (I'm a goalie).

Control arms are probably a good idea also, as viceprp said.

Otherwise, Looks like a pretty good car!

I'll start doing my research on control arms. Is there any symptoms of them needing replacement? Any recommendations for brands? Thanks!

[redline380]

Kudos for tackling the tbelt without having ever worked on a car before. It took me quite a while to work up to that kind of in depth work.

Nice pick up regardless. You'll be running a big turbo in no time, I'm sure

[Doke]

Just be careful with staggered wheels, you'd have to run staggered tire sizes as well to get the same final diameter. Quattro does not like different final diameters

[redline380]

Just be careful with staggered wheels, you'd have to run staggered tire sizes as well to get the same final diameter. Quattro does not like different final diameters

Well, you have 3% to work with, but I agree, staggered setups are best left for those vehicles that come equipped with them from the factory, and there aren't many Quattro vehicles that do (only one I can think of is R8). I'd just get a nice set of 17's or 18's if you want a little bigger, and be done.

[Johns]

Well, you have 3% to work with, but I agree, staggered setups are best left for those vehicles that come equipped with them from the factory, and there aren't many Quattro vehicles that do (only one I can think of is R8). I'd just get a nice set of 17's or 18's if you want a little bigger, and be done.

I just really like the wide look of 9.5's in the rear. But I'll more than likely end up running 18x8.5 all the way around. I've got to roll the fenders and look a bit more into tire size as I don't want to be rubbing once I finally lower her, but that'll probably just take some trial and error. In due time.

Also, could someone give me a brief explanation of the offset terminology? I've searched but I can't find anything that describes like 'et35, et45' if that makes any sense.. Thanks!

[redline380]

Also, could someone give me a brief explanation of the offset terminology? I've searched but I can't find anything that describes like 'et35, et45' if that makes any sense.. Thanks!

It basically states where the center of the wheel is placed in relation to the barrel, but kind of reverse.

Let's take et35 and et45. The et35 will sit 10mm closer to the fender than the e45 will because the center of the wheel is further in on the et35 than the et45.

And you guessed it. Once you go past a certain point, you will get into negative offsets.

Edit- If my lack of wheel knowledge left you scratching your head, play with this until you figure it out for yourself. I'm bad at describing things. http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Wheel-Offset-Calculator

[rodgertherabit]

im on 17x9s all around and fit great! im over 8.5in wheels lol

[Johns]

It basically states where the center of the wheel is placed in relation to the barrel, but kind of reverse.

Let's take et35 and et45. The et35 will sit 10mm closer to the fender than the e45 will because the center of the wheel is further in on the et35 than the et45.

And you guessed it. Once you go past a certain point, you will get into negative offsets.

Edit- If my lack of wheel knowledge left you scratching your head, play with this until you figure it out for yourself. I'm bad at describing things. http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Wheel-Offset-Calculator

That definitely cleared it up for me, much appreciated.

im on 17x9s all around and fit great! im over 8.5in wheels lol

Rolled fenders I'm assuming? What's your GTF?

[Johns]

Haven't had much down time lately, but I did begin to shave my lower door moldings. Driver's side came off without much issue aside from the rusted mounting screw. However, the passengers side is an absolute mess. I guess one of the previous owners decided it was a good idea to glue it on and man was it a PITA to get off. Not to mention it took nearly all of the paint with it, so I'm going to have to hit it with some primer before I can slap on the door trim I picked up from pep boys.

Also, has anyone on here tried this out?? http://www.ebay.com/itm/AUDI-A3-A4-A...7e2c85&vxp=mtr

LCD fix with only a screwdriver.. Seems way too good to be true

[BaseDrifter]

Sounds like complete BS to me.

[Johns]

Finally got around to getting the door trim on. Here's a picture of the damage the OEM door moulding did





And the culprits themselves



I prepped/sanded/primed the areas before applying the trim and I think it came out looking pretty nice in the end. Almost OEM. sorry for the phone pics, ignore the dirt (I live on a dirt road).





And I figured I might as well dip my grill surround in the mean time



I also fixed my rattling glove box by putting a piece of foam on the mount for the dampening cylinder.

I've got to get this rear wheel bearing replaced and the new bearing has just been sitting in the backseat for a couple weeks now. I do have access to a press but I really don't want to take the entire knuckle off and have to go for a re-alignment after. I've done some research and read up on an article that used the Harbor Freight kit to do the entire process on the car (with exception of removing the hub). I've read many mixed reviews on the kit, any opinions?

[Bruch]

I've changed a lot of B5 rear wheel bearings, and I can't imagine that "on the car" tool could have ever gotten the bearings out on any of mine. Schwaben makes a tool too that may be better quality that the HF. I live in the rust belt, so that may be the cause of my experiences, but you live in CT where they use lots of salt too, I imagine.

The biggest problems I've run into when removing the knuckle were the lower control arm bolt and the ABS sensor. I would recommend having a new bolt with eccentric washers on hand for the re-assemble. 99% of the time, I can't get the ABS sensor out of the knuckle. I've found that its safer to unplug it under the rear seat and leave the sensor in the knuckle and bring the entire ABS wire harness over to the press.

[Johns]

I ended up getting the HF kit for next to nothing so I figured it's worth a shot, we'll see how it goes.

But in the meantime I've been looking for a set of 18" wheels on craigslist and came across a set of rs4 wheels with tires (alright tread). I have no clue if they're genuine or reps but I'm assuming they're reps because he has no idea either. The 5th wheel is a gunmetal finish unlike the others. However, he wants my 15" stockers that have new tires along with $300 on top of them for trade. Would this be worth it?
Here are the wheels:




This one has some bad curb rash

[Bordom]

Those tires look to be about 60-70% tread yeah? I would do the trade but not for $300 extra. Those RS4 wheels have too much curb rash for my liking. Talk him down to $100 or less and it should be a good deal.

[Johns]

Those RS4 wheels have too much curb rash for my liking. Talk him down to $100 or less and it should be a good deal.

It's not like my wheels are in perfect condition either. As you can see in some of my pictures, they're pretty beat up. Maybe $200?

[Articus]

I ended up getting the HF kit for next to nothing so I figured it's worth a shot, we'll see how it goes.

But in the meantime I've been looking for a set of 18" wheels on craigslist and came across a set of rs4 wheels with tires (alright tread). I have no clue if they're genuine or reps but I'm assuming they're reps because he has no idea either. The 5th wheel is a gunmetal finish unlike the others. However, he wants my 15" stockers that have new tires along with $300 on top of them for trade. Would this be worth it?
Here are the wheels:

If he paid for OEM RS4 wheels...then he would remember... (unless they came with the car when he bought it) Pull the hubcap out. Part number/ Audi logo should be in there if it is OEM. I suspect they are reps as well.

Yeesh that curb rash is ugly...With rash like that, I would wonder if any/all of the wheels are bent. Pass!!

[R490]

I ended up getting the HF kit for next to nothing so I figured it's worth a shot, we'll see how it goes.

But in the meantime I've been looking for a set of 18" wheels on craigslist and came across a set of rs4 wheels with tires (alright tread). I have no clue if they're genuine or reps but I'm assuming they're reps because he has no idea either. The 5th wheel is a gunmetal finish unlike the others. However, he wants my 15" stockers that have new tires along with $300 on top of them for trade. Would this be worth it?
Here are the wheels:




This one has some bad curb rash

Not from an Rs4, Those are more staggered. Looks like possibly Reps, I've got similar ones in 17' if you want to take a look at my build thread.

[Johns]

Much appreciated guys. He's giving me a huge hassle saying they're OEM but doesn't have anything to prove it. His argument is 'I own 3 s4's, I think I know what's OEM and what's not'. So I guess my search for wheels will continue

[Johns]

Pull into my driveway the other day, shut the car off and a few seconds later all the interior lights went off (before any of the doors were opened). I checked the fuse panel and surely enough the fuse for the interior lights was blown. So I bought a 2 fuses and when I put the few one in, sparks. So I figured it was because the lights were in the *on when doors open* position and switched it off. I went to plug in another new fuse and the same thing happened. Not having interior lights is becoming quite an inconvenience, I'm assuming it's due to some type of short in the circuitry but I have no clue how to go about checking this. Any help would be appreciated.

[Articus]

Weird. Are you sure you don't have water where it shouldn't be?

[BaseDrifter]

I'd definitely start by checking if the central locking pump is submerged in water. It's in the right rear corner of the trunk beneath the carpet (it's in a foam block for noise insulation.)

[Johns]

I didn't think the central locking pump had anything to do with the lighting. I thought it was just door locks, sunroof, and alarm. The pump was bad when I purchased the car and haven't gotten around to replacing the graphite disk. My locks/sunroof/alarm still work (locks are very slow and the whining sound from the pump is quite loud, sunroof is quite temperamental as well). Also I should note that when I lock/unlock the car with the key fob, none of the lights flash but I still hear the horn when I lock it.

[Johns]

So there's no signs of water around or in the central locking pump, anyone else have any ideas?

[Johns]

Replaced the wheel bearing yesterday. The HF kit didn't pose any problems, I applied a very generous amount of grease on the bolt every time I went to used it so that probably helped. Didn't use an impact because my tiny compressor just couldn't keep up with it so I just took my time and used a breaker bar and crescent. The hardest part was removing the upper control arm bolt after years of New England winters. I'm definitely happy that I was able to keep the knuckle on the car and avoid having to get an alignment. Now I'm just waiting for my short shifter and evap canister to come in. I'm looking forward to filling my tank without the pump stopping every 5 seconds. I'm still looking into why my interior lights don't work but I'm just assuming there's a short somewhere hopefully I can track it down.

[Bruch]

So I understand: You remove the top link bolt in order to get the axle out, right? Otherwise everything is still attached.

When you re-install, the order is still bearing into knuckle, then hub into bearing? When you press the hub in, does the tool support the inner bearing races? Or does it support the knuckle/outer race?

Sorry for the interrogation, but I never thought those on-car setups would work. I'm saving some money for one, now.

Thanks

[Johns]

So I understand: You remove the top link bolt in order to get the axle out, right? Otherwise everything is still attached.

When you re-install, the order is still bearing into knuckle, then hub into bearing? When you press the hub in, does the tool support the inner bearing races? Or does it support the knuckle/outer race?

Sorry for the interrogation, but I never thought those on-car setups would work. I'm saving some money for one, now.

Thanks

After breaking the axle bolt free (while the car is on the ground) removing the brakes (not stressing the lines), there are 2 bolts you need to remove to free the upright in order to get the driveshaft out of the way. But other than that, everything stays untouched.

Re-installing the bearing is the same process: bearing into knuckle until it reaches the seat and can't be pressed in any further, then hub into bearing.

When installing the Hub, the way I did it, I used one of the smaller presses to support the inner bearing (making sure it only made contact with the inner bearing).

This write up helped a ton http://forums.quattroworld.com/s4/msgs/126569.phtml but I wish he included the sizes of the bearing presses that were used as it took me a lot of trial and error. Other than that, just make sure everything is being pressed in straight and you just saved yourself time and money.

[BUK_DAA]

interested in some parts? i have the oem exhaust off my s4 that i recently had replaced and a 96 laser red a4 trunk that i'm willing to let go for cheap.

[ModdedEuros]

always love seeing first time car buyers taking initiative in working on their own cars. keep up the good work

[Johns]

interested in some parts? i have the oem exhaust off my s4 that i recently had replaced and a 96 laser red a4 trunk that i'm willing to let go for cheap.

My trunk is fine and an s4 exhaust won't fit an a4 so I'll have to pass

always love seeing first time car buyers taking initiative in working on their own cars. keep up the good work

Thanks!

[Johns]

Replaced the evap canister and decided to tackle my interior lights today. Whoever installed the head unit decided the mic had to be placed by the rear view mirror and threaded the wire up the A pillar and across the headliner. They did an absolute hack job with it and when they pulled down the headliner to wedge the mic wire in, they pinched the wire harness for the dome lights . Man I missed being able to see at night.

Noticed all the damage around the driver's door so anyone has an driver's side A pillar or felt door trim, shoot me a pm

[adam044]

Replaced the wheel bearing yesterday. The HF kit didn't pose any problems, I applied a very generous amount of grease on the bolt every time I went to used it so that probably helped. Didn't use an impact because my tiny compressor just couldn't keep up with it so I just took my time and used a breaker bar and crescent. The hardest part was removing the upper control arm bolt after years of New England winters. I'm definitely happy that I was able to keep the knuckle on the car and avoid having to get an alignment. Now I'm just waiting for my short shifter and evap canister to come in. I'm looking forward to filling my tank without the pump stopping every 5 seconds. I'm still looking into why my interior lights don't work but I'm just assuming there's a short somewhere hopefully I can track it down.

Ah so that's why the pump shuts off multiple times sometimes. Evap canister hmm, oh well.

[Johns]

So... Evap canister swapped and I've topped off twice without a problem, but today while filling up, my tank overflowed... This happened before the evap canister swap once, is it possible this canister is bad as well? It was pulled off an allroad with 104k. I always use the same gas station. btw.

[Johns]

Took my fender liner out to diagnose my leaking washer fluid tank and noticed a significant amount of rust inside my fender (under flaking paint). But what's interesting is this



Looks like my driver's fender isn't original and was replaced with a very poorly painted one.

Something else caught my eye while I was underneath the front end. Right behind the intercooler there were 3 hole that lined up and look like something should be in them.. I also saw an arm/bushing that should definitely be mounted to something but wasn't... My phone died at the shop while I was trying to take a picture so I had to wait until I got home to stick my arm under and attempt to take a picture. This is the best I could do on several attempts, I could only get a shot of the arm/bushing. Can anyone tell me what's missing here?

[BaseDrifter]

That's the bushing for the lower intercooler mount. There should be a plastic nub that sticks out from the intercooler that locks into that bushing. Wouldn't be surprised if it's broken off though.

[Johns]

That's the bushing for the lower intercooler mount.

Thanks

I was on the highway last night just cruising and noticed the car pulsed pretty hard, all my gauges looked fine and no CEL so I just hoped it wasn't anything serious. Got back on the highway this morning and felt the same thing a couple more times. At this point I started babying the throttle and became a bit paranoid as I thought the car wasn't accelerating as usual. I assumed it was either a bad fuel filter or my fuel pump was going. Later, I went to move my car so I could plow my driveway later and I got a CEL. So I drove it for a bit just to get it up to temp and it seemed to be driving fine (hard to tell on the snowy roads). So I scanned for codes and the only one that came up was p0321. Then I blipped the throttle really lightly and the car died instantly. Started it again and it took a few seconds to start. Then my RPM's hung at 1200 so I waited as usual for it to drop back to 800 and after a few minutes, it still hadn't returned to the normal idle. So I scanned for codes again and it gave me p0321 and p0322. So it looks like I'm getting a new CPS. ECS seems to have the best price, doesn't say what make it is but it should do the trick.

[Johns]

Quick update, found time to replace the CPS today and got cured my CEL. Old one was pretty damn bad. Also noticed my head gasket could definitely use a replacement so hopefully I can get to that within the week.