Need help on a decision/turbo lady

[Paulyworld1432]

Hey everyone, Just got a visit from the dreaded turbo lady. On a drive in the morning, oil temps up, got on it a tiny bit and all of a sudden i had ZERO boost. Drove home from where i was the whole time hearing a rattling coming from what sounded like the passenger side heatshield.

Got home, removed downpipes (first time, heatshields were very annoying and were destroyed, ASP's were supposed to go in today.) got under and took a look at my turbo and the passenger side turbo seemed to have a McDonalds toy stuck inside of it! nope... It was the impeller wheel attatched to the shaft just bouncing around! So the car is in my garage now, and im ordering parts today for stage 3.

What I am Currently trying to decide is whether I should attempt the engine pull/K04 install myself. I would like to consider myself fairly mechanically inclined. I would be using The_Jerbel's write up along with M3 to S4's recent write up with 80 pages of pictures haha . I got a quote from Chicago Performance Tuning, a very reputable shop for 2200 for turbos, clutch, and fueling.I know that this is a very reasonable price but I can't decide whether I should attempt this myself or not. It would be my first engine pull. I have a second car so time would not be a factor. I would label parts in plastic bags etc. but even with taking the utmost care is there anything I could really screw up? obviously a few stripped bolts but anything serious? Thanks



if i do decide to go for it, if anyone in Chicago or northwest suburbs wants to help with a motor pull I will provide food and drinks!

[Paulyworld1432]

Oh yeah PS the car had 45k miles on it so much for looking for a clean low mileage!

[Ber\/ani]

Oh yeah PS the car had 45k miles on it so much for looking for a clean low mileage!

thats a good thing imo. now you can have a stg 3 for days! now it will be a clean low mileage stg 3

[Paulyworld1432]

haha very true.... that is the only reason i am in good spirits about it. But does anyone want to Chime in about the motor pull? 100 percent doable? or should i drop the money to get it installed

[exorcet]

i guess it depends on several things. I mean, if you can get the DP's off then you at least have some decent wrenching skills. The pull is a just a long process of many small steps...

I think if I had a large enough garage to do it in, and a backup vehicle to drive, I would have given it a shot myself.

it just depends.. i mean, if it's not a financial worry it may be worth paying for the peace of mind of having a licensed, reputable shop with experience do it. on the same note, if you have the ability to deal with downtime and speedbumps - go for it!

[rick_chicago]

I replied to your AW post about possibly helping with the engine pull. I've got zero experience with it, but have done simple stuff like valve covers and starter motors on other vehicles over the years.

I'm not going to attempt mine, in part because I have a wife and kids (which = little time), and in part because I just find it daunting. I really don't have the garage space either.

But as exorcet states, you have some decent skills, and I have to admit, the few step-by-step guides sure makes it seem like if you take your time it's doable. Plus you have another vehicle. It's a tough call -- the $2200 quote from CPT does seem very reasonable for everything including fuel. I've been counting on $2k just for the turbos, engine and tranny mounts, and FPR for Stg 3-, so I am figuring all-in about 5k. (I already have the clutch and tranny done).

I should come up there just so you can hear the dental drill. Maybe your bad (read:good) luck will rub off on me!

[The_Jerbel]

Definitely do-able. There is nothing overly difficult about the swap, it's just TONS of small steps. You need to keep track of what you're doing and what you've done, label bolts and nuts in baggies, and be very meticulous.

I do all my own work not because I can't afford to have a shop do it, but because I don't TRUST a shop to do it. Nobody is as particular about my car as I am. If you need any parts (turbos, clutch, motor mounts, etc) or help, feel free to pm me or call me 1-403-690-7135.

[S4 in_lowplaces]

you can do it. Make sure you use proper torque specs. And yes that is a good price for the install. But wouldnt you want to keep your $2200? PnP your manis or somthing. GL

[Paulyworld1432]

Thanks for the responses, I am going to go for it myself... i have a buddy in my neighborhood who has done it before, and ample space and time. Jerbel, you will most likely be hearing from me in the next few weeks depending on when i can get started! Wish me luck!

should i jack up the rear and the front? or just the front? or could i do ramps in the rear and jackstands in the front? My car is very low and the extra room with the rear lifted would be niceee!

Also Jerbel, did you use a balance bar on your engine hoist? i believe you need to have four points to mount it to the engine in order to do that. Also, the friend that i know who pulled his engine removed the tranny from the engine prior to pulling it, do you believe it is easier to pull both together? I am replacing tranny mounts, so i most likely will just follow your write-up! thanks again!

[rick_chicago]

Thanks a lot, Pauly!!!! Now you're going to have me thinking I might be able to do it!!! ;P I guess I really will have to get up there and see this in action if you still want some help.

[The_Jerbel]

Thanks for the responses, I am going to go for it myself... i have a buddy in my neighborhood who has done it before, and ample space and time. Jerbel, you will most likely be hearing from me in the next few weeks depending on when i can get started! Wish me luck!

should i jack up the rear and the front? or just the front? or could i do ramps in the rear and jackstands in the front? My car is very low and the extra room with the rear lifted would be niceee!

Also Jerbel, did you use a balance bar on your engine hoist? i believe you need to have four points to mount it to the engine in order to do that. Also, the friend that i know who pulled his engine removed the tranny from the engine prior to pulling it, do you believe it is easier to pull both together? I am replacing tranny mounts, so i most likely will just follow your write-up! thanks again!

Definitely jack up the front and the rear. You will need the extra space when working on the drive axle bolts and the exhaust. Put both ends on jackstands, and if you have enough jack stands, even put 2 under each corner of the car (for extra safety insurance). You'll have to have someone put on the brakes or the ebrake when looseing the axle bolts, but that's not a problem.

I didn't use a balance bar. I just attached the chain to opposing corners of the engine and it was just fine.

It's DEFINITELY easier to pull engine and tranny together. Don't even consider doing them separately. Pulling the tranny from the engine once they're out of the car is a snap.

[Paulyworld1432]

well then that is what i will be doing! Thanks Jerbel. And yes i have probably 8 jack stands so I am going to use every single one. Especially after the recent thread about the kids car falling on him! =0 ah! you think it's worth my money to buy a snap-on impact gun for this job? i've heard it could come in handy. Thanks for the speedy responses, i think with the help from everyone this job will be a success.

rick_chicago, do you want to pm me your number so I can give you a call when I start working? or when I might need an extra hand (separating trans from engine, or reinserting engine)?

[Paulyworld1432]

Also Jerbel, are there any tools not on your list in the write-up that you would recommend purchasing? Also, when are the ball end allen keys used? allen keys correct not sockets? thanks!

[my01s4]

dam man sorry to hear about that. guess it wasn't the N75 after all.

got a weird ass message from you this weekend, what was that about?

Good Luck With The Install.

Pete

[Paulyworld1432]

thanks pete, I was actually pulling my downpipes and my phone called you in my pocket. sorry bout that

[B5stgIII]

good luck on the install. I'm out of chicago too, would love to help, I didn't do my install when i went stg3, but I have helped on about 3 other installs. I have fairly good wrench skills I'd say, so If you need a hand let me know.

[Paulyworld1432]

Thanks! PM me your phone number?

[Paulyworld1432]

one last question for the Jerbel or anyone else who has pulled a motor before, what hieght jackstands should be used? obviously the same on each four corners, but are 17 in good, or should i buy 2 more 21 inch stands?

[The_Jerbel]

Yeah, allen keys, for the turbo line bolts.

You don't need many special tools. You just need what I listed, plus, if you can find them, the following things are very useful:
- a mechanic's magnet
- a mech's mirror
- a flexible extension in 3/8 and 1/4
- a cordless drill with a socket adapter (for using sockets with the drill- which zips off bolts really quickly)

[The_Jerbel]

one last question for the Jerbel or anyone else who has pulled a motor before, what hieght jackstands should be used? obviously the same on each four corners, but are 17 in good, or should i buy 2 more 21 inch stands?

17inch should be plenty. 21inch would be better though. More height options are never a bad thing.

[Paulyworld1432]

Thanks jerbel, you might get a call this weekend i just got off work thus giving me fri sat sun and memorial day to work :)

[The_Jerbel]

No problem, man. Good luck!

[Paulyworld1432]

made my decision and 2 days later....



Weee! :) I'm happy, everything went very smoothly, thanks for all the help thus far Jordan.

Anyone know where to get new valve cover gaskets?

[The_Jerbel]

I can get a set shipped to you if you want. Also, did you call me last night sometime? I missed a call from a foreign area code...