New B6 S4 owner here .... Water on clutch disc? Common?

[Juncura1]

Hello everyone...

New to the forum, but not to Audi's or wrenching in general. I've put a little over 1,100 miles on the car since I brought it home and I'm loving the experience. It's just a really nice place to be while driving. It's a mint 05' with 58k miles.

Here's a question for the guys who really know these cars:

It's been snowing here the last two days so I decided load up the Audi with the family and drive to Thanksgiving dinner. The drive was drama free until I pulled off the highway and downshifted on the off ramp. CLUTCH JUDDER! So my immediate reaction was less than PG family friendly, but I held it together and stopped at the store for some things we forgot. While my wife was in the store I decided to do some tests.

1. Accelerating from dead stop=clutch judder
2. Down shifting during deceleration=clutch judder

So, it's pretty obvious I've got something on the disc/friction surfaces but I would have thought there we be some type of seal between the trans and engine. Is it common for moisture to find it's way in on the B6/B7 platform?

I'm not looking forward to dropping the trans if I have to, but it would be a good way to sell the wife on some upgrades :)

Anyway, good to meet you all.

-Benny

[jakeoboy67]

does it judder when you just "touch" the engagement point when stopped too ? (handbrake pulled)
does it slip in high load situations ? watch your rpms as you accelerate at highway speeds in 6th gear

[Juncura1]

does it judder when you just "touch" the engagement point when stopped too ? (handbrake pulled)
does it slip in high load situations ? watch your rpms as you accelerate at highway speeds in 6th gear

Those were the first things I checked. On the way home the pedal stuck to the floor so I lifted it with my toe. After that, no more judder. Looks like the slave is leaking so Ill be spending some time under the car in a nice, cold, workshop. At least I have other vehicles to drive. I've read soooo many posts about B6 owners opening their wallets for repairs soon after purchase, but I was hoping to get lucky. 58k miles and immaculate with all service records and history. I thought my wife would be upset, but all she said was, "it's okay, you needed another project." I love that woman.

Why doesn't it seem like the B7 owners have as many overall issues? I know the clutch was updated, but there seems to be fewer issues with the cars overall. Maybe I'll let the wife have the S and I'll move into an RS. It's okay to dream, right?

[Bonz099]

You sir have the EXACT same issue I had about a month or so ago. The dual mass flywheel was starting to separate. It will get worse, it will slip more, and you will need to replace the flywheel, do it before it comes apart and blows apart the transmission bell housing..... Sorry bro, your gonna need a clutch and flywheel. I went with JHM stage 3 with L/W Flywheel, it really woke the car up. If cost is an issue, then I recommend you get the B7 flywheel and stock flywheel from rock auto. Good luck man, its a very large job. If you have any issues dont hesitate to reach out, I just did mine.


Edit: I also recommend getting the delrin stabilizer link, and spherical bearing shift linkage upgrade either way. You'll have easy access to everything since the transmission is out.

[Juncura1]

You sir have the EXACT same issue I had about a month or so ago. The dual mass flywheel was starting to separate. It will get worse, it will slip more, and you will need to replace the flywheel, do it before it comes apart and blows apart the transmission bell housing..... Sorry bro, your gonna need a clutch and flywheel. I went with JHM stage 3 with L/W Flywheel, it really woke the car up. If cost is an issue, then I recommend you get the B7 flywheel and stock flywheel from rock auto. Good luck man, its a very large job. If you have any issues dont hesitate to reach out, I just did mine.


Edit: I also recommend getting the delrin stabilizer link, and spherical bearing shift linkage upgrade either way. You'll have easy access to everything since the transmission is out.

Yeah, the car is in the garage now on stands. It's either on the floor in the cold or I'll try and rent a lift... I know the owners of a few shops around, but if I do it in the garage I can take my time. If I rent shop space there's no room for 'oops, i need another part'. The downside is that its about 30-40 degrees in my garage. I have a propane heater but I have to crack the door to vent and when you're on the floor its not much help. Lots to think about. I've already got the stock B7 clutch and PP to update it and the JHM flywheel should be on the way shortly. I pretty bummed about the whole deal, but my wife has been super cool about all of it... even though she's not over joyed since we just brought it home.

[Bonz099]

Well, good luck man. Ive only had my car for about 3 months and ive already put 3600 bucks into it, so I can totally relate. :/

[Juncura1]

I was hoping that with the low mileage I could put off the expensive stuff for a while. At least I had a couple of weeks to enjoy it... Looks like it's going to be parked a while.