2002 S6 Automatic to Manual conversion [Completed!]

[rhenthar]

Pictures are here, in order from oldest to newest, top to bottom:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vpmZXfzNkuoFKnZv2

There's 300 or so.

I suppose people might appreciate this:


image000000 (1).jpg20180429_185244.jpgimage000000.jpg

The happy ending is shown (AND HEARD!) in these videos, and due to legalities I can't confirm that this is my car. I will say the beeping is just the system complaining about the LED conversions in the back, which I've since wired in resistors to fool the bulb-out system.

https://youtu.be/Al8fwbMYIxo

https://youtu.be/aAJay_VPX90

https://youtu.be/4jseXrYM_GY

That's a stainless system I pieced together from straights and bends ordered from summit racing. About $500 in parts, with magnaflow 14" case length oval straight-throughs. I'll replace everything from the cats forward once the original stuff rusts a little bit more, that's what the v-band clamps are set up to connect to now. And yeah you should wear better protection from welding but I just use sunblock and let the metal bounce off my skin. I've had some bad experiences with protective clothing holding the stuff in against my skin, and only use it if I have to. I was only tacking those things in place else I'd never just wear shorts while under an active weld.

In all it's been a fantastic success. The ECU took the code from the European S6 Manual, and I don't have any check engine lights or anything. ABS and ESP works great. It passed smog here in california a couple of weeks ago, and no one was the wiser about it being a manual instead of an automatic. I'm getting about 15 MPG but that's with my foot in it constantly. The new exhaust pops and growls and burbles "way better than it has any right to" but with 340 hp stock, this thing is no slouch!!!

In all, a fantastic conversion that drives like OEM because it's all parts from OEM. Not many people know this, but the automatic brake pedal is usable, you cut off the welds for the cover that makes it wide, and underneath is the manual base, which a manual rubber pad clips onto like it was supposed to be there. I think that formed the theme for this whole build, which is that these things were made to be a manual and I have only corrected the condition that sadly shackled this awesome engine to a horrible transmission, the 5HP automatic.

The engine has 150k miles on it, but it's not burning any oil and the chain tensioners don't even have a groove in them that I can catch my fingernail on. It's run synthetic all its life. I don't have any leaks, all the gaskets are new. Some of the coolant hoses are original, the rest I pieced together from various silicone aftermarket universal stuff. Especially the hard to reach things in the back.

If anyone is considering this swap, I have two words for you: GET OFF YOUR ASS AND DO IT.

:)

- Keman

[SteelyS6]

Awesome, great cars and I love to see them improved and made to last another 150,000 miles!

[julex]

Awesome!

I chuckled on the sunblock comment. I once got a bad case of welders sunburn myself so I appreciate the comment

[JMURiz]

Super cool, congrats on getting it running!
I really need to put my wheels on soon (have the same set, they are sooo light)

[charlatan]

Good job man! Now I want eggs/hashbrowns.

Also, can you explain what the pieces you fabricated were about? Necessary? What is different about what you did vs. let's say the dude that does it in Arizona (www.audis4parts.com)? Where did you get the exact silicone hoses you needed? It would be awesome (And time consuming) if you would post comments on each of your photos to explain what is up at certain points. :)

[moclakens]

I need that silicon U hose for deleting my aux radiator... I don't want to delete it but its starting to leak...

Very cool swap though, I love the exhaust!

[Gogeees]

Welcome to the club! I have had mine done for almost 6 months now and it is great. Really jealous of that exhaust.... Want to make another?

[rhenthar]

Those are the trans mounts I made. I couldn't find the ones I needed (Allroad Manual Trans) in any reasonable length of time or low cost, so I visited a metal scrap yard, and about eight hours later was torquing them down. The trans is aimed at the rear diff with them so spacing is important, otherwise it'll wear out the CV joints in the driveshaft right quick. They're really simple in design, nothing complicated, with most of the fasteners on the same plane, both sides. Two on the passenger side had to be stepped off from the trans, so I just ground down some rod stock and put it over extended length bolts, with the heads cut off to turn them into studs.

You can buy them aftermarket now, I've found, for around $250. They're all pretty and laser cut and whatnot. These cost me $10 and some sunblock. It was really about the time more than the money, because I had to get the car off my friend's lift ASAP. I couldn't wait weeks for another part to arrive, there had already been too much of that and I was wearing out my welcome.

-- Keman

Good job man! Now I want eggs/hashbrowns.

Also, can you explain what the pieces you fabricated were about? Necessary? What is different about what you did vs. let's say the dude that does it in Arizona (www.audis4parts.com)? Where did you get the exact silicone hoses you needed? It would be awesome (And time consuming) if you would post comments on each of your photos to explain what is up at certain points. :)

[rhenthar]

LOL. I was telling my friend "We could make five of these almost as easy as one, you know."

My welds aren't the greatest. No cracking so far, but I'd feel bad if I made something for someone and it broke.

There really isn't anything available on the aftermarket-- some nebulous magnaflow kit that no one actually has in stock, for about $1300, and there is some "sprint racing" brand that's available for $3999 but I've never heard of a catback system that wasn't titanium costing that much. It's probably not actually real.

I'm sure the state of california would be rather unhappy with me if I started making these, but I can tell you that if you talk to any speed shop, on a scale of 0-10 for difficulty, this exhaust system is at a solid 3 for easy, they should be able to do it for you for less than a grand. The stock "A" shape makes it so easy, there's nothing to go above, it's 100% put in from below. I can take higher resolution pics of the plans we drew up, that has dimensions written down along with angles and was made to-scale, if you want.

-- Keman

Welcome to the club! I have had mine done for almost 6 months now and it is great. Really jealous of that exhaust.... Want to make another?

[rhenthar]

A note on those silicone hoses:

They're around 7/8" I.D. which makes them rather unique in the silicone hose world. They're a big 7/8" which is what Audi's need. Most silicone hoses are "universal" and they'll ship 5/8" I.D. hoses to fit both 5/8" and 3/4" heater cores but you'll never get them over a 7/8" end, it's just too much of a stretch.

I got them for $37 for the whole kit, they're the main cooling lines for a Yamaha Rhino 850/750 ATV. All those bends, the U, everything, shipped. Amazon prime, yo. :)

It's not a perfect match for what the car wanted (and there sure are fewer bends) but once I really looked, I saw that the stock hoses had bends that weren't even needed. Maybe to fit on another model, or around the assembly line equipment or whatever. In the end it was two Z shapes, and call it done. You can get fancy and cut the hoses here and there and rotate it this way or that, but it's adding another possible location that will leak, and getting it through the floorpan behind the primary firewall and up into the heater core is not a fun prospect.

I cut the steel bands off the stock quick-lock connectors with a cut-off wheel, you have to be careful not to go through the hose and into the connector itself, they're only plastic. Nothing else can cut these bands, not tin snips, not wire cutters, they're very thick stainless steel. I rebuilt them with new O-Rings ordered from McMaster. They had viton and silicone, I wasn't sure which was better for this application. Big thing is not to overlook thickness. You want the 4mm ones, and that's thicker than any universal O ring kit will sell you, ie Harbour Freight. Don't even try it.

You want 4x22x30mm, McMaster P/N 5233T229. $6.63/10.

There's a removable ring inside each quick-lock that just pulls out. Grab it with a hook but don't scratch the O-Ring land or they'll leak! Get the ring out, and the O-Ring is behind it, just pull that out and clean the connector out real well, apply some di-electric silicone grease, put the new O-Ring in, and slide the retaining ring back in front of it. Pop it back on, the metal retaining clip has two positions: on and off. Don't apply pressure to them while installing or removing, or you're doing something wrong and one leg of the clip will likely wind up not engaging. That'll make it leak later.

With those O-Rings, I originally went with 3mm thick 23mm x 29mm, P/N 1295N327, but they were a little loose and leaked about 1 drop of coolant per 30 minutes when under operating pressure. It was barely a leak, but thicker will work good.

With the money saved, you can buy some really nice stainless steel hose clamps that are wide and have smooth edges. Audi wanted WTFNOWAY$$$$ for all the heater core lines and radiator hoses etc. Hundreds of dollars each.

-- Keman

I need that silicon U hose for deleting my aux radiator... I don't want to delete it but its starting to leak...

Very cool swap though, I love the exhaust!