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

[BaseDrifter]

Why are you messing with the hard lines on the rack? Did you not get a rebuilt unit?

The new rack for my car should be here Friday.

[RENOxDECEPTION]

Bought it for 100 while I was in sac one time, missing a hardline...

[BaseDrifter]

You sure it's in good shape? Replacing the rack sucks, having to do it twice is even worse. :(

[RENOxDECEPTION]

It showed no signs of leaking, put new inner and outer tie rods on it, boots, clamps, and crush washers.

[bhusted]

Getting it out wasn't bad...still have to put it back, turns out a difference between the s4 and a4 rack is the hardliners are flare nuts on the a4 and banjo bolts on the s4. My s4 rack was missing a hardline, get to braze my own together tomorrow.

My 2.8 rack uses banjo fittings. Strange that they changed it for the 1.8 cars.

[RENOxDECEPTION]

2.8 also has dampers

[BaseDrifter]

My car is finally aligned and driving again. I put the 2nd replacement steering rack in and the clunking is gone, so it was definitely the rack that was the problem.

I was going to ask them to use bhusted's alignment settings but forgot, this is what I ended up with.



There are still some issues with the car. The first is a clunking sound when shifting gears. I need to pull the center console apart and make sure nothing has come loose in the shifter linkage. I'll probably pull the whole linkage so I can properly tighten the JHM linkage on the bench. The 2nd potential issue is when I rev the car in neutral with my foot off the clutch it sounds chunky. It's not smooth, there's quite a bit of gear noise, more so than before. Doesn't seem like clutch chatter to me. The noise is decreased or almost gone when the clutch is pushed in.

I still have to deal with the driveshaft center bearing as well. I may be picking up a used Borla catback tomorrow.

Lastly, my company sent me to SEMA this year, you can check out my pictures here.

[BaseDrifter]

After some highway driving today I learned a few more things about this new strange noise. The grinding/chunky/whirring sound is most prevalent at low RPMs and almost nonexistent above 3k. It is also quite loud during engine braking. I wonder if the driveshaft bearing could really be causing such a racket. It sure sounds a lot like gears though. I may change the fluid and check it for metal.

The driving I did today was to go pick up a Borla cat-back exhaust system for $300. It's in decent shape, some dents in the resonator but it looks solid overall. Unfortunately where the downpipes connects to the cat is 2.25" ID, my 034 HFC has a 3" outlet, would be nice to have some type of taper there and be closer to 2.5". The rest of the system past the flex joint measures 2.40" ID. In any case, it will be a nice step up from the stock system. I'll most likely install it when I drop the exhaust to deal with the driveshaft.

[melomandn]

Did you have a video of your dual mass flywheel gone bad at one point? I thought it was you, digging through your thread and cant find anything though.

Trying to diagnose a possible problem, and help or a link would be awesome!

[BaseDrifter]

Yup, that was me. Noise is totally gone with the new clutch, so it was definitely the DMF.

[BaseDrifter]

I'm taking the long Thanksgiving weekend to finally replace my doors. I'm also taking the time to install Dynamat on the inside door skin (I think applying it to the outside door skin would look a little weird.) I was planning to swap to the Bose door cards as well but the previous owner of my car hacked the speakers in to the door cards and I'm not going to bother messing with those right now. The new door cards will go in when I re-do the sound system.

Dynamat!



Getting the door off is never a problem. Getting the new door on most certainly was. Just could not get the bolt to go into the threads cleanly.

In any case old scratched door off.



With the new door on this is the stock sound deadening I'll be replacing.



Top half of door done.



And bottom.



Just knocking on the door there is a huge difference in sound. The door sounds much more solid. I'm excited to see what the full results are.

In other news I still have grinding and clunking galore. I'm starting to worry something is wrong with the pilot bearing or throwout bearing. When revving the motor in neutral with the clutch engaged there is a distinct whirring noise. If I push the clutch in the noise goes away. :(

[RENOxDECEPTION]

with transmission in neutral and clutch engaged, the pilot bearing is not being used; it's spinning the same speed as the transmission. weird though,

[Bordom]

I'm taking the long Thanksgiving weekend to finally replace my doors. I'm also taking the time to install Dynamat on the inside door skin (I think applying it to the outside door skin would look a little weird.) I was planning to swap to the Bose door cards as well but the previous owner of my car hacked the speakers in to the door cards and I'm not going to bother messing with those right now. The new door cards will go in when I re-do the sound system.

Dynamat!



Getting the door off is never a problem. Getting the new door on most certainly was. Just could not get the bolt to go into the threads cleanly.

In any case old scratched door off.



With the new door on this is the stock sound deadening I'll be replacing.



Top half of door done.



And bottom.



Just knocking on the door there is a huge difference in sound. The door sounds much more solid. I'm excited to see what the full results are.

In other news I still have grinding and clunking galore. I'm starting to worry something is wrong with the pilot bearing or throwout bearing. When revving the motor in neutral with the clutch engaged there is a distinct whirring noise. If I push the clutch in the noise goes away. :(

Excellent! My S4 doesn't have those stock sound deadening pieces in the driver rear door. It sounds very hollow without them.

I want to do this when I get back. You should notice a quiter cabin while driving and increased sound clarity

Everything graciously mispelled by Android

[BaseDrifter]

with transmission in neutral and clutch engaged, the pilot bearing is not being used; it's spinning the same speed as the transmission. weird though,

Yeah, I'm not too happy about the noise. I'll try to get a video soon. Whatever it is it seems most likely that the engine or tranny is coming out again.

Excellent! My S4 doesn't have those stock sound deadening pieces in the driver rear door. It sounds very hollow without them.

I want to do this when I get back. You should notice a quiter cabin while driving and increased sound clarity

I finished the rear door tonight and the difference is already awesome just opening and closing the completed door with panels installed.

Here's the new rear door, no more key marks! Only 5 years later...



Before installing the Dynamat. The stock sound deadening was pulling up and away from the door, couldn't have been doing a very good job anymore.



And after!



I got the trim swapped over and installed the new Bose rear door card. There's no speaker hooked up yet though.

[RENOxDECEPTION]

Yeah, I'm not too happy about the noise. I'll try to get a video soon. Whatever it is it seems most likely that the engine or tranny is coming out again.

Don't you still have an issue with driveshaft?

do tranny this time, replace faulty driveshaft component at same time, bummer though, hopefully nothing major.

Probably some penicillium from that bread growing in the pilot bearing

[BaseDrifter]

Yes, center bearing is still totally busted. I'll be fixing that before I consider tearing into the clutch again.

[fR3ZNO]

How hard was it installing the rear door? I've got one that I'm waiting until I have some free time to replace. I'm worried that adjusting it so it lines up properly will be a pain.

[BaseDrifter]

It is a bit of a pain and definitely a two person job. It will take some playing with to get everything aligned properly. Thankfully you can use the paint markings on the hinges and bolts to get a baseline alignment that will be close.

Today I finished installing the dynamat on the driver side doors. I also installed the Bose door card on the rear door. I didn't take any pictures as it looked exactly the same as the pictures above.

I'm still on the hunt for a driveshaft, I really don't want to get one from the junkyard. I've got an inquiry in with Shokan, I'll see what their price is. It looks like I could get a completely rebuild OEM driveshaft for about $400 as well...decisions decisions.

In the meantime good deals keep coming my way. A set of Vogtland GT3 coilovers popped up in the classifieds that I had to swoop on. Paid $750 for a BNIB set. They won't be installed until all the strange noises going on right now are resolved. The last thing I need to do is add another potential problem part.

(Image from the ad.)



Speaking of strange noises, the clunking I hear when shifting only occurs when upshifting, there is no noise when downshifting. I might have to put the car up on jack stands and run it to figure this out. The clunking also only occurs when moving, upshifting while sitting still is silent.

[czum09]

Clunk when upshifting has got to be a mount. Are you still on stock mounts? Rear diff mounts could be worn. That is a common issue on Subaru's and Evo's (I did mounts on both of mine).

[BaseDrifter]

Nope, I'm running 034 SD motor and transmission mounts, Neuspeed snub mount, Apikol blue street rear diff carrier bushings, and an ECS poly front diff mount. Save for my driveshaft bearing my drivetrain is totally locked down. I think I'll try loosening everything up again and retorquing.

[czum09]

Hmm interesting. Yeah that's probably what I'd try. I've heard mixed reviews on the 034 mounts.

[19birel]

If you don't mind me asking, how much did all of that Dynamite run you? I've been wanting to get some to add a little more refinement to the car but It seems like it'd be expensive.

[BaseDrifter]

You know, I'm going to take the transmission mounts out and check them out. It's possible I damaged them when the engine was removed.

19birel, total cost was about $150 to do all four doors. Two of these and two rolls of the Dynamat tape. The tape is definitely not necessary in terms of sound deadening, but it will help to keep everything contained (and it looks nice.) I also have a bunch of small strips left over that could be used somewhere else.

[BaseDrifter]

I pulled both transmission mounts on and inspected them, they look good. No signs of ripping or tearing. I'm glad I don't need new mounts, but it also means my problem is somewhere else (still most likely the driveshaft.)

Speaking of which, I got a video of two out of the three strange noises going on. The first two clips in the video show the noisy sound when revving in neutral with the clutch engaged. The 2nd set of clips demonstrate the loud noise that occurs at low rpm and high load below 3000rpm.



On a brighter note, the coilovers arrived.



This is my list of things I'm going to try and get done before January 23rd.

Fix driveshaft
Install Borla Exhaust
Install APR boost hoses
Paint and install strut bar
Install Vogtland GT3 coilovers
Get the car tinted
Install new Blackvue 2 channel dash camera
Clear corner my headlights

I'm gonna be busy over the holidays.

[BaseDrifter]

Bump. Any ideas on the noises in my video above would be a big help.

[Tanzimur]

Sounds like a noisy throwout bearing... mine does the same but fainter noise but it was my fault for reusing it... And the thud is most deff the center carrirer bearing/ bushing dont ask how i know... bad news...

[BaseDrifter]

That's what I'm afraid of. I installed the brand new throwout bearing that came with the RA4 clutch kit.

In anticipation of the APR silicone TIP and throttle body hose arriving I ordered up a set of silicone turbo outlet hoses for $70 shipped on eBay.



Had to run by the hardware store to pick up this 3/4" male to male brass coupler to connect the turbo outlet hose and diverter valve hose.



Turbo outlet hose installed.



The cross pipe to intercooler hose had to be trimmed about an inch to fit, but it still has a little kink in it. I'll probably use another hose clamp to help the hose maintain a circular shape without ovaling.



And throttle body inlet hose (which will be replaced by the APR hose when it arrives.)

[Articus]

Out of curiousity were you satisfied with the dynamat? Is the car a lot quieter now?

[BaseDrifter]

I wouldn't say it's a lot quieter, but I'm glad I did it. The doors feel more solid when opening and closing and road noise sounds like it has been decreased at least a bit. I'm going to continue applying dynamat, probably to the rear deck area next.

[BaseDrifter]

Got a new pile of parts to install.

I picked up a modified strut tower brace that should be a bolt in item that will clear the AC lines. I'm gonna sand the brackets down, bead blast them, and paint them to match the exterior. All that work for a part that no one will see.



Of course nothing can ever go easy. Such is the game of modifying your car.

The APR throttle body hose is much nicer than the ebay special one; it clocks in at 0.340" thick compared to the 0.211" thick eBay special one. Too bad it doesn't fit, it's about an inch too short and doesn't reach the throttle body. Gonna have to call APR and see what's up.



Since I couldn't get the APR hose to fit I took the time to trim the ebay hose a little bit so it fits without kinking. Nice and straight now.



The TIP is also proving problematic.



I got it installed (which is not easy.) It took much fussing and squeezing to get everything connected. The DV, N75, pancake valve, and turbo coolant return line are all jammed together. I had to loosen the coolant line at the turbo to rotate it closer to the head to give some more clearance.





Speaking of clearance, there is none! I knew I was going to have problems with the headlight but it's pretty bad. Especially since I don't have the lower mounting tab for the headlight, the TIP wants to push the headlight to point right in the air. I'm going to have to rig something up to keep the headlight down into position. The downside is that it will be pressed tightly against the TIP. Not ideal. I can't move the air box and filter towards the rear of the car either because the Carbonio cover wouldn't bolt up.

[vwcatfish]

Nice write-up your work is top notch

[Wrath And Tears]

I ordered the APR throttle body hose / TIP like you did. Just ran out on my break to install it. At first it fit kinda like how yours looks, but after some bending and fighting I got it to attach fully. I gave the engine a rock and it still seemed like there was enough give in the hose to not cause issues.
That being said it could be that your hose got cut funny or something. Do you have an intake manifold spacer? Might cause additional issues.

If you want try attaching it to the throttle body first then the intercooler.

I have a pretty much full stock intake set up. Super envious of that nice fat intercooler you got there.

[BaseDrifter]

Nice write-up your work is top notch

Thanks!

I ordered the APR throttle body hose / TIP like you did. Just ran out on my break to install it. At first it fit kinda like how yours looks, but after some bending and fighting I got it to attach fully. I gave the engine a rock and it still seemed like there was enough give in the hose to not cause issues.
That being said it could be that your hose got cut funny or something. Do you have an intake manifold spacer? Might cause additional issues.

If you want try attaching it to the throttle body first then the intercooler.

I have a pretty much full stock intake set up. Super envious of that nice fat intercooler you got there.

Yeah there was no way the TB hose was going to hook up no matter which end I attached first. I have a Newsouth Performance intake manifold gasket, but that is only twice as thick as a stock gasket, not a big spacer. I sure wish it bolted up like yours though! Intercooler has been great so far, still need to do some logging and take some temperature readings though.

I took the TIP out tonight and will be returning it. My dad and I racked our brains today and couldn't see any way to make it work in a way that would be sufficiently permanent. The hose needs more clearance, I have to press too hard against it to make the headlight even close to fitting. I did some searching and found some unhappy who had holes rubbed in their hose from the headlight.



How far off it is.



It's pretty easy to see why there are such clearance issues when you compare the straight shot of the silicone TIP to the curve of the stock one. My solution to this problem is to make a custom TIP. I ordered up a silicone one off eBay that I will cut just above all the ports and make a tube to clear the headlight and connect to the MAF. I also have a 2.75" to 2.5" and 2.75" to 2" 45 degree reducer to give myself options.

Basically going to try and replicate the stock hose but with silicone and metal.

[BaseDrifter]

2:40am and my new dash camera, the Blackvue DR650GW 2 channel (front + rear), is installed. At 1am I decided I would just try to get the front camera mounted. I ended up mounting both cameras, hardwiring it in, tucking the wire to the rear camera in the headliner and trim pieces, tucking the slack behind the dash, setting the preferences, and formatting the 65gb memory card. Everything looks to be working properly (what a nice change!) Tomorrow I'm going for a longer drive than usual, so I'll see how it does.

[RENOxDECEPTION]

I was so jealous of that camera when I saw it in that B8 at JHM. Stoked to see some new dashcam vids.

[bhusted]

2:40am and my new dash camera, the Blackvue DR650GW 2 channel (front + rear), is installed. At 1am I decided I would just try to get the front camera mounted. I ended up mounting both cameras, hardwiring it in, tucking the wire to the rear camera in the headliner and trim pieces, tucking the slack behind the dash, setting the preferences, and formatting the 65gb memory card. Everything looks to be working properly (what a nice change!) Tomorrow I'm going for a longer drive than usual, so I'll see how it does.

It's now 7:45a. Why don't we have pictures of the new camera install?

[A1 A2 German]

Per your induction hose.


You cut sections of the tip where it mounts to the turbo, this way it sucks tighter and closer to the turbo placing it further back into the car away from the headlight. I also cut the dv bung in half, this way the dv doesn't stick ~4-5" in the air. On inspection you'll see the dv metal shaft (orm plastic shaft) does not protrude into the airstream so it's good to go.

[BaseDrifter]

I was so jealous of that camera when I saw it in that B8 at JHM. Stoked to see some new dashcam vids.

Haha thanks, I don't drive very much anymore so I don't come across interesting things very frequently.

I was looking at getting a rear view camera, but my G1W died at the same time which is why I sprung for the Blackvue. Has dual cameras, 64gb support, GPS, and is very discrete.

It's now 7:45a. Why don't we have pictures of the new camera install?

Because sleep. Here are the pics.

This is the view from eye level in the driver's seat, no camera to be seen! Except the rear view camera just visible in the mirror.



From the passenger seat.



I routed the power wire down the A pillar like usual, but this was the first time I had to route a wire to the rear. Initially I brought it across the windshield and then across the top slot of the A pillar to the inner door seal.



I ran the wire all the way to the back before realizing I hadn't taken up the extra slack. I pulled the wire back out and ran it down the A pillar like the power wire to the fuse box area where I stashed the extra cable. I then took it up the inner door seal and along the B and C pillar trim to the rear window.





And here's the rear camera looking at it from the backseat.



Nearly invisible when viewed from the outside.

Per your induction hose.

You cut sections of the tip where it mounts to the turbo, this way it sucks tighter and closer to the turbo placing it further back into the car away from the headlight. I also cut the dv bung in half, this way the dv doesn't stick ~4-5" in the air. On inspection you'll see the dv metal shaft (orm plastic shaft) does not protrude into the airstream so it's good to go.

At this point any hacking up I'll do will be on the eBay hose. APR hose isn't worth it IMO.

[BaseDrifter]

Merry xmas everyone!

Today I got a couple items for my car: a set of Meyle rear tie rods and a pair of 034 street density upper shock mounts.

If you've been following my thread for any amount of time you should know that if I receive an unfinished part it won't be going on my car unfinished. The modified brackets for the strut bar I received need a bit of cleanup done to them. Spent 45 minutes or so on the first bracket tonight with the air grinder.

Before picture (of the other bracket).



Here's what I got done, still needs some work though. It's tedious and I don't really miss doing this stuff. My hand is still tingling from the grinder vibrations. I'm going to skip the bottom on the other bracket, no need to clean it up like the top.





At the end of the day these brackets won't be seen, but I just can't help myself.

[BaseDrifter]

Made it to the PnP today and was able to find a driveshaft on one of the A4s there. The center bearing is in much better shape than my driveshaft. I have a replacement center bearing ready to install but I'm tempted to just throw this one in the car as is.





One of my rear door trim pieces got a gash in it at some point, the 97 I was working on today had the same trim so I snagged the rear door pieces.



Here's a closeup for anyone who hasn't seen what the OEM 97 trim looks like.



It also had a really nice set of black sport cloth seats, but they weren't heated and I didn't have time to consider pulling them out. I did pull the rear deck from the car as it has the black speaker grilles on it. I pulled a black deck a few months ago but it was missing the covers.



I did some more finishing work to the strut bar as well.

Here are the before pictures with some scrapes and sharp bare edges.





After sanding.