01 allroad 2.7t tip with issues

[62willys]

So this allroad is new to me and has a lot of issues.
I'm looking at;
Bad trans I assume (4th & 5th incorrect ratios, limp mode).
Badly Leaking steering rack (this is the 3rd rack in 2 or 3 years).
~150k miles
Otherwise unmolested.
Timing belt & wp service due as it was last done around 85k miles.
Got a deal on it I couldn't pass up but it's gonna need some work.
My current daily driver is a stg 3 plus APR mk4 GTI and it's just too much for commuting in.

I'm looking to build the allroad into a stout daily driver so no stage 3 turbos or 6 speed swaps. That said, I do want reliability upgrades and overall OEM+ improvements.

I'm assuming the rack is easier to get to with the trans out so the plan is to tackle them both at once.
Knowing I have the tb & wp service to tackle as well, is there anything else I should be looking at "while I'm in there"? I'm actually contemplating pulling the motor and trans as a unit (Worth it)? The turbos have 150k on them so the motor pull would allow access to them, but they don't whine and haven't been a problem.

I am totally unfamiliar with the c5 chassis and 2.7t, so what's the consensus from those with more experience?
Pull motor and trans together?
Rebuild or replace turbos? If so, suppliers for chra rebuild or reliability upgrades?
Used tip or rebuilt/remanufactured?
Torque converter (updated or "special sauce)?
Anything to watch out for with the steering rack?

I have searched (a lot) but I can't get a read on typical suppliers, prices, parts quality (especially with turbos), etc. any recommendations or horror stories to share with a noob?

I am leaning toward "Scotty" for the trans and torque converter since he seems to be active in the community and is knowledgeable about the ZF tips.

Otherwise, any advice for a c5 noob gettin ready to jump into the deep end?
Thanks all,
Tom

[achb5]

For sure pull the motor and trans together.

[62willys]

Think I should get into the turbos? What's the most economic solution for reliability? New CHRAs for existing or find new or rebuilt K04s? Any other cost effective turbo options? If you add up the cost of the trans w/ torque converter, the steering rack, the timing belt job, and the turbos, it's probably the value of the car. Not looking to cut corners here with Chinese eBay parts, just trying to pin down the most economic solution.
If I do get into pulling the motor, I'll probably have to budget for all the engine seals and gaskets as well, in addition to the std. tb & wp related seals, and rear main.
This is gonna get expensive.... Haha.
On my mk4 1.8t, the recirc and pcv systems are problematic. Should I be looking at these for the 2.7?

[62willys]

Oh boy.... Just drove this thing for the first time. The engine runs really nice. Smooth idle and no abnormal noises or drama. The air suspension was just gone through too and no sagging corners. Big pluses.
I can't tell if it's the trans or the torque converter, though. If driving slow in 4th or 5th, the idle hunts a few hundred rpm. From my searching, this seems like converter. After a full stop, it may or may not engage 1st... Pretty dicey when you're pulling into traffic. That could be converter or trans. However, when I vag-com it, it gives me codes for 4th and 5th gear, but none for the converter.
I think I might be able to get away with just doing the converter but that's a lot of work to gamble with. I'm still leaning toward doing it once and doing it right. If it's not going to be reliable enough to count on as a commuter, it's not worth anything to me.
More bad news, it smells like oil when it's warmed up. Probably the leaking steering rack dripping on the exhaust but I think a full gasket and seal kit will more than likely be necessary.
It's all around in pretty great shape though and has been cared for.
Here we go...

[Black-Forest]

Sounds like a bit of a project but for what you want to do with it should turn it into a great ride.

[62willys]

Thanks for the encouragement, forest. I hope so. It's clearly not an ideal car for commuting because the mpg is abysmal (By my std. as I am coming from years of mk 2, 3, & 4 dubs.) however, especially with 4 kids now, it's the perfect compromise between safety, room for the fam., and an enjoyable Quattro commute. It's certainly no suburban or Prius.

So does anyone have any input on the tip, converter, or turbo rebuild/replace?
I've seen 517 and they are not really what I'm looking for. The price is more than I'm willing to spend and the performance is not what I'm after. It looks like Scotty from advanced automotion is where I'm leaning but it's still just a little pricey. I just don't trust a used take out and I'd rather give my money to a shop that supports our community like scotty's. I'm actually considering rebuilding it myself mostly due to cost but don't know if I trust myself anymore than the local trans shop though. I'm pretty mechanically inclined as I used to work on helicopters. I doubt a simple ZF auto slush box is any more difficult than the 7 transmissions in a Blackhawk. It's just a matter of knowledge, facilities, and proper tools. Anybody here done that before with good results? Anybody double dog dare me to try?😉

[PaperToast]

fortunate for you, someone has already done a great writeup of a diy tippy rebuild click and weep
with the turbos, if they arent leaking oil, they should be fine for a while, but if your pulling the motor might as well get them rebuilt or throw a set of 'lightly' used ko4's.

important note about the steering rack, put the correct fluid in after it gets rebuilt; specifically pentosin chf 202 or similar euro made oil



i had mine rebuilt about 6 years ago, the 202 juice is all thats been in it, no issues with 100k miles on it.

[Black-Forest]

I saved the defective trans out of our 02' with plans on a rebuild as we currently have 2 Allroad's and would be nice to have a fresh trans on hand incase of the inevitable... I did the rack in our 01' and it was a bit of a challenge considering it has 3" down pipes on her so had to remove drivers side pipe to get at the 3rd mounting bolt...

[62willys]

Haha, my mk4 GTI has has a huge down pipe too (and a gt28rs😉) so I can relate to it being in the way al the time. I just did a 02m 6spd swap into it too so there's far less room for working.
The spare trans route might be the way I go too. That will get me back on the road faster and give me a chance to get the parts from ZF for the rebuild.
It all depends on parts availability and price tag at this point.
I'm going to call ZF on Monday and see about suppliers. I will not be putting anything but genuine parts in there and its tough to weed out the knockoffs online.
Any suggestions for the torque converter? I will be buying that outright since I haven't the facilities to balance one after being welded shut again.
Also leaning toward CHRAs for the turbos too for the same reason. Anyone have leads on genuine Borg Warner CHRAs?
Thanks again for the advice and support so far. i plan to take notes and pics and do a run through. I know there's already DIYs for all this stuff, but right now, I'm at the bottom of the learning curve and that's all I can do to contribute.

[tewnick]

If you are not looking for stage 2 or better I would not spend the money getting k04. I replaced the CHRAs on both my turbos in Dec. I paid $550 for both shipped. They are vsr balanced up to 160,000 rpms I think. Made in England. They looked good to me. OEam spec or better. The dealer I purchased them from has tons of knowledge. let me know if you are interested.

[Brandywine050]

If you are not looking for stage 2 or better I would not spend the money getting k04. I replaced the CHRAs on both my turbos in Dec. I paid $550 for both shipped. They are vsr balanced up to 160,000 rpms I think. Made in England. They looked good to me. OEam spec or better. The dealer I purchased them from has tons of knowledge. let me know if you are interested.

+1.

or Gpop shop offers rebuild kits and an optional upgrade rebuild kit for the k03's if you really want to keep on a budget.

[tewnick]

+1.

or Gpop shop offers rebuild kits and an optional upgrade rebuild kit for the k03's if you really want to keep on a budget.

I think rebuilding your turbos your self is a bit of a gamble. You could always have a turbo shop do the rebuild for you but when I was searching it cost more to have one rebuilt than it was to replace both CHRAs. And not all turbo shops can do the vsr balancing.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[Brandywine050]

I think rebuilding your turbos your self is a bit of a gamble. You could always have a turbo shop do the rebuild for you but when I was searching it cost more to have one rebuilt than it was to replace both CHRAs. And not all turbo shops can do the vsr balancing.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

its what you feel comfortable doing and what the application will be, I rebuilt an MHI 20g for a DSM I had and ran 25~psi daily without an issue. but afterwards I sent my rebuildable turbos to a shop here in Michigan "Superior Turbo" and had them rebuild my CHRA's. There is also Blouch, you may want to talk to. i'm unsure if there are rebuilding BW cores.

[62willys]

Not looking for stage 2 at all, but my stage 3 GTI started out as my commuter too and look where that ended up😏. Upward mobility is never a detriment. I am looking for reliability however, and was under the impression that k04s on stock tune were lasting far longer in this application. So if I can get the improved reliability and option of future hp & tq increase with a simple tune, I'll take it. If it going to significantly increase the budget, or not increase longevity, I'll pass.
Yes, rebuilding turbos is a gamble but no more than an auto trans. I've rebuilt the factory turbo from a 98 A4 1.8t, with very good results. It's been purring away for 9 years without a hiccup. In the interest of this project with "ultimate longevity" the primary goal, I'd prefer to do the CHRAs I think. It's certainly more expensive than a simple rebuild kit, but the added confidence it will inspire is Paramount. Ultimately though, it is a matter of cost. That confidence in longevity is worth something but not everything.

Tewnick- certainly, fwd me that chra source. That doesn't sound like a bad deal at all.
I'll look into g pop shop as well and cost / benefit the options.

[62willys]

I know the RS6 steering rack fits in the other C5 chassis, but I can't find any aftermarket. This car has gone through 3 racks in 3 years now and the pump and lines were replaced last time. It's leaking badly again from the boots which tells me most aftermarket rebuilders have a hard time doing a proper job rebuilding these racks.
Anyone have a good source / good experience with a replacement rack for their allroad or RS6? I'd prefer the RS6 ratio rack but I'll take whatever I can find as long as it will hold up.

Side bar; is there anything that could be over pressuring the rack that I'm not aware of?

[4rings2turbos]

It's all relative on the reliability of a K03, will you drive the car for 150k? You might consider something more robust than K03. If you don't think you'll keep the car 15 years then K03 won't let you down.

RS 6 rack is hard to find. I looked for a long time before I found mine. And I don't think anything is different besides the ratios, it's not 'stronger' in any way. So if you do find one the ratio will be different but that's it.

[62willys]

It's all relative on the reliability of a K03, will you drive the car for 150k? You might consider something more robust than K03. If you don't think you'll keep the car 15 years then K03 won't let you down.

Yeah, I agree it's all relative. Would I like to get this allroad to 300k? Yup. I bought my mk4 new in 2002 and still have it / use it as my daily. My philosophy on cars is a duality to say the least. Cars in general are the one major purchase everyone makes over and over again in their lives that is a "constantly depreciating asset". Cars will never make you money like a house or other investment. On the other hand, I am an enthusiast and enjoy driving VAG cars. If I didn't, I'd buy a disposable vehicle and drive it into the ground, then just junk it and start over.
With this in mind, I'm willing to put something into an enjoyable car and keep / maintain it for years within reason.

RS 6 rack is hard to find. I looked for a long time before I found mine. And I don't think anything is different besides the ratios, it's not 'stronger' in any way. So if you do find one the ratio will be different but that's it.

I understand it's no stronger, it's just one of those things that would make it more enjoyable to drive. An OEM+ situation. If I can't find one, I'll settle for the standard rack but if the cost is relatively similar and I've gotta do the work anyway, why not?
Where'd you find yours, classifieds?