newbie purchasing an a4

[Castor Troy]

well, i've been a saab guy all my life, but i found a deal that i'm not gonna pass up. it's a 1998 a4 2.8 quattro, black on black. it's got about 100k on it, for $1200.

only downside: it needs a clutch

not a big deal, i can do that. what else should be done when I have the trans out? any engine seals? i know i need to check the control arms; what other stuff should I go over while it's on jack stands?

is there a step-by-step guide somewhere online for dropping the trans on a quattro?

[lawnferie]

timing belt needs to be done if it hasnt already

[eurotecknik]

^^^ +1

[Castor Troy]

ya. i'd planned on doing the timing belt as well.

[tdn]

Welcome.

Along with audizine and it's search feature..

www.audidiy.com
http://www.audiworld.com/tech/
forums.audiworld.com/a4/msgs/2299748.phtml (more geared towards the 1.8t, but still plenty of useful info for you).

[lawnferie]

www.a4mods.com

[fikes]

keep that snaab. I own an audi but will always have true love for the volvo+saab.

[Castor Troy]

oh i'm keepin the saab. who'd buy a 95 900se with a holset hx35 on it anyway?

[geeky]

along with the tbelt, do the Waterpump/Tstat while you're in there and flush the coolant system (you HAVE to use G12 for coolant)

[Castor Troy]

I plan on getting the big timing belt kit from ECS; how necessary is the cam locking tool??

[geeky]

i've heard that people can rig up their own cam locking tools. I'm a 1.8T so no idea about that part.

edit:
here's a DIY Tbelt job for a S4 but the cam lock is shown:

http://www.audi-forums.com/b5-forum/...-belt-diy.html

D5. Install cam lock bar. [you could get away without this special tool if you are especially careful and make numerous reference marks on the cams to be sure that you get them exactly where they are supposed to be. There is no 1 tooth margin of error. It needs to be right.]

[Castor Troy]

just thought i'd bump this thread. i did get the car, and it sat for a year while i worked on other projects. got the clutch out this morning....

[biketsai]

If you're doing the clutch, do the rear main seal too.

[joeporto]

have you driven it yet or did you buy it with a burnt clutch?

"trany related"
how does the reverse sound?

[Castor Troy]

i bought it with the clutch like that. was not drivable.

[Flash]

I have a 98.5 30v qm myself. Also black on black :). I replaced the clutch with a southbend stage 2. It's kevlar and grabs a bit more than stock and I like it.

I also changed my timing belt without the locking bar. Got the JHM kit with the DVD and it went very smooth. If you make good marks, it's no problem. Also replaced water pump, thermostat, coolant temp sensor and accessory tensioner.

Also, I had to change the valve cover gaskets as they were leaking and the cam chain tensioner gaskets. Seems like they seem to go on everyone's 30v. My valve cover pcv tubing was also super brittle and snapped so I replaced with silicone and put an inline catch can. There was some oil in the throttle body, so I wanted to keep it clean after all that work cleaning it out.

Recently I went for a drive and one of my rear wheel bearings is making noise, so lol, I'm on a roll!!!

Oh yeah and check out your oil cooler while you're under the car. It's the rounded square box that you screw the oil filter to. It basically has coolant going through one part and oil in the other so if it starts leaking, it needs to be replaced.

Soon though, I will have it back to 100% shape.

[HeymyAudi]

well, i've been a saab guy all my life, but i found a deal that i'm not gonna pass up. it's a 1998 a4 2.8 quattro, black on black. it's got about 100k on it, for $1200.

only downside: it needs a clutch

not a big deal, i can do that. what else should be done when I have the trans out? any engine seals? i know i need to check the control arms; what other stuff should I go over while it's on jack stands?

is there a step-by-step guide somewhere online for dropping the trans on a quattro?

Damn sounds like my Deal ! Nice find!