New transmission and TC on it's way

[midwest1275]

Paying $5500 over a year ago for my Zurich warranty was painful, but it is now coming through for me big time. I've already gotten at least 4k in service (cam seals, valve covers, CV boots, etc) and now they have agreed to replace my TC and transmission. It's been ordered and en route. They drove it, tested the tranny oil, and after some back and forth with the shop they decided to do the full replacement. Pretty happy about this. TC and tranny going out at 60k is ridiculous but I knew that this was quite probable going into this car. So with the engine/tranny out I'm going to do handle a bit of preventive maintenance. I've read most of the posts on this so i'm hoping you all can help me with a plan to hit all the most important maintenance issues while they have easy access to them.

Car has 62K on it, so I'm going to do the 70k service early.

-Timing belt kit. How about the ECS tuning kit? Should I get the Blue Gates timing belt? I hear the water pump needs to be of the highest quality. ECS has a full kit w/ fluids for $549. But it only has a "Graft" water pump, never heard of it. Decent? I recently did my cam seals and valve covers (that comes w/ that kit0 so should I just get timing belt and water pump? Or are there alot of small pieces that come with it that need to be there?

-EGT's. The sneaky fix I did recently is still holding but I want to put new ones in there to be on the safe side. ECS has both of them (Genuine Audi) for $514.

-02 sensors. I'm not getting codes from these so I think I just want to do the hard to get to front ones. The shop said the rears are accessible. Is that true or do you think I should do all four (2 front and 2 rear) at this time? ECS has the front 02's for $162 each.

-Bufkin pipe. i'm not having any issues but is this a must do when the engine is out? Since I'm low miles, can I pass on this? I saw one on Ebay for about $30.

-Regulator for alternator. I'm not having any charging issues but I was thinking of replacing the regulator on the alternator. I saw one on Amazon for about $35.

-N75 valves. Not having any issues here but I hear it's a good idea to replace both of these. ECS has them for $113 each.

-While the engine is out I will have them retighten the steering rack bolts. I still get a little noise from the front end, even after I changed the DRC to yellow Koni's and changed sway bar bushings. They said control arms are fine.

-I'll make sure they clean the IC and hoses. Recently they cleaned some oil that was pooling in there. Will make sure the IC's are tight. Should I replace IC hoses? Recent tests showed that the IC was oily but not leaking.

-I'm considering getting an upgraded TC. Through Tozo, ACE, Level 10? The shop (Eurotech in Culver City) where I'm getting this done says that the new tranny and TC are improved (i've got an early VIN car) but I feel like I should upgrade the TC. Isn't only around $500? Can I just order one and have it shipped or do they need to get mine and rebuild it?

If anybody has any suggestions on other maintenance items I should do, please chime in w/feedback.

Once all this is done the car should be well sorted and good for some time. They will begin work this Monday so I'm trying to get all parts in ASAP.

Thanks!

[DHall1]

Ecs timing kit sucks. Dont buy it

Europa has a good kit

Leave turbos alone

Leave 02 alone

Yes bufkin

No egt

Yes regulator

No tc

[Dmb408]

Blau parts has a good kit and they were cheap recently (like had a mega sale but now I think it is over). I will vouch that I got my bad parts from ECS on their kit once.

I got a bad voltage regulator once, new out of box. So that one is somewhat of a risk, as long as the shop is guaranteeing the parts. Which many only do if you let them buy the parts and mark you up a bit.

[Dmb408]

Oh and the 10 dollar temperature sensor (for coolant) that will be so easily accessible with the car taken apart, and if you drop the clip with the car taken apart that much it will be easy to find/get too.

[lswing]

Blauparts for timing kit, link and list to what you should do in the Maintenance section of my website, in sig.

Bufkin pipe, yes, by a mile...

TC, no, new one will be just as good.

Turbos no. Rebuilt mine at 95k and they were basically fine.

[midwest1275]

Thanks for the feedback. The Blauparts timing kit is $503. Kit looks pretty good. Is the "Graf" water pump any good in the kit? The Europa timing kit is a little more expensive, it has a "HEPU German" water pump. Shouldn't I be looking for the Gates Blue heavy duty timing belt? Two people are saying no to the upgraded TC, why is that? I thought the TC was the weak link in the chain and upgrading it would help that. I hear the new TC's being manufactured are improved but I'm worried about my tune breaking the new one.

[lswing]

Blau kit can be ordered with gates blue and metal impeller water pump, just browse their site.

The early TCs were the only bad ones. Since Audi fixed it after approx VIN 905500, they have been fine. Only thing ACE or a custom builder will do different is adjust custom stall speed. I was happy with how stock stall speed works.

Edit; your tune will break the trans regardless if you drive hard enough. TC was only ever a worry due to original early defect from the factory.

[midwest1275]

Feedback was helpful, thanks.

Ordered Blauparts timing belt kit w/ a few extras ($580). They recommended to not do the racing Gates belt as they said it can be a bit loud and squeal. Kit came w/ a standard Gates belt.

Ordered 2 Diverter valves, 1 waste gate control N75 valve, and both EGT sensors (kit) from ECS ($175, $113, and $515).

Ordered a coolant temperature sensor and retaining clip from Europarts ($15)

Ordered a Bufkin pipe off of Ebay ($30)

The shop has as good deal on the front 02 sensors (only doing fronts not the rears) so they will have those.

Gonna leave the new TC and turbos alone (low mile-62K)

I have a question, I went to buy the voltage regulator with the part # the forum has mentioned as a direct replacement (0031546506)
When I went to purchase it at ECS they said the part # was for a Mercedes. They searched for the RS6 voltage regulator part # and found that the one that came up is $160. The part # the forum mentioned is around $40. Can anyone clarify which part # is correct for the voltage regulator?

They are going to begin pulling the engine this Friday, I'm excited to get a major refresh for this car.

[DHall1]

You need the factory gasket set for the oil cooler housing. O rings and gaskets.

Dealer only

[MaxRS6]

Rear main seal should be considered- I may have missed it being mentioned above.

[s8prtotype]

Wonder if they even ever heard the gates blue on a car, because it's on mine and it's fine.

[Dmb408]

Wonder if they even ever heard the gates blue on a car, because it's on mine and it's fine.

My gates belt on number 1 did exactly that. It scared the indy they spent two days tracking the issue.

[EINHORN]

Voltage regulator $36 from RMEuropean.com - Bosch # 0031546506

http://www.rmeuropean.com/Make/PartNumberSearch.aspx?pnsearch=0031546506

Works in mine

[s8prtotype]

My gates belt on number 1 did exactly that. It scared the indy they spent two days tracking the issue.

Well #becauseracecar lol

[midwest1275]

I went to the dealer and tracked down an O-ring/gasket kit for the oil cooler. I will remember to ask the shop to check out the rear main seal. If the engine and tranny are split and out of the car is the rear main seal a tough job? If it doesn't take too long I might have them do that. I got the regular Gates belt just to be on the safe side. This car has enough annoying creaks and sounds already, I didn't want to potentially add another one. EINHORN-I called ECS and they said that part # is only for a Mercedes alternator. Is it possible that Audi and Mercedes share the same voltage regulator? I hope so because the other one was quite a bit more. I'll call RMEuropean on Monday and see if it's a match for the RS.

[EINHORN]

Like I said it matched mine

See this prior RS6.com thread

http://www.rs6.com/archive/index.php/t-26526.html

[Aronis]

Rear main seal flange intersects with the upper half of the oil pan. In order to get that point properly sealed you have to remove the upper oil pan. The place flange with its horse shoe shaped gasket. The oil pan is sealed with liquid sealant from a tube. This allows proper amount of sealant between the upper oil pan and the bottom edge of the rear main seal flange.

[Aronis]

http://www.rs6.com/asset.php?fid=15855&uid=943&d=1456186898


Look at far left of picture.

[Aronis]

http://www.rs6.com/asset.php?fid=15803&uid=943&d=1454178308

See flat edge of real seal flange. Left side of photo.

[midwest1275]

17353
17354

17355

17356

[midwest1275]

Taming the beast appears to be a never ending process. If you look at the above photo the typical oil sludge in the bottom corners of the intercoolers is pretty bad. They are going to pressure test the IC's tomorrow but like most RS6's they are 99.99999% likely leaking. I don't want to get it put back together and have to deal with leaky intercoolers in the near future. I've read most of the posts going over the pros and cons of stock replacement of IC's, Wagners, SRM's from Silly Rabbit, or Apikol. I am probably going to get the full Wagner kit from horsepowerfreaks.com for about 1600 out the door. Pretty good deal I think. I need the kit ASAP as they need to get the car finished up by early next week. The can get it to me by this Monday. Silly Rabbit needs two weeks (at least) to get them welded up and they haven't even emailed me back. That looks like the cheapest option ($1000) but won't work with the short time frame. Apikol is fairly priced at $1300 for just the IC's. They need a few weeks to weld up the IC's. The Ven Air hose kit is a little over $200, so that would be a bit over $1500 for just the IC's and hoses. I found just the stock genuine Audi IC's at ECS for $1400 shipped. I really don't like replacing with stock when I could upgrade a bit. So with those options I am pretty sure I will order the Wagner kit tomorrow. My question though, is that even after looking at all the posts I saw no definitive objective DATA that the Wagner's actually improve HP, dyno results, 1/4 mile times, etc. I hear some concerns about turbo lag. For those running the Wagners has that been a problem? Any buyers remorse? Regardless, just having some new hoses and sealed IC's will make a big difference. I have a feeling the Wagners will keep the temps down and reduce heat soak issues at the very least.

[DHall1]

Wagners may be difficult to install w aux radiators in place.

I would delete aux rads even in LA

Heck I may can mine and I live in Phoenix. Lol

I guess my vote is Wagners and delete aux rads.

[mgmarsh39]

Just installed SRM intercoolers in mine. My mech had to do some slight mods to get them to fit behind the bumper, but nothing major. So far so good! They seem to be the most economical choice also. He should have my cores soon, so turn-around time would be fairly quick.

[HPO-DK]

aux rads




I need to know what the Aux rads are and where they are located

[midwest1275]

I just ordered the Wagner IC kit from 034 motorsports, $1630 total w/shipping. They should be here early next week. They pulled the original IC's and they were half completely clogged with oil/gunk. They degreased them and smoke tested them. Serious leaks at the core and everywhere else. Way beyond saving. They also noticed that the Aux rads were leaking as well. Dhall- U mentioned deleting them. Does that effect emissions, does it throw a cel, impact cooling etc? I saw a new pair for about $450 so I think I am just going to shell out a bit more cash and have those buttoned up too. Unless the delete is easy and is helpful (cooling, don't have to buy rads, etc)? mgmarh39-I would probably have gotten the SRM's but i'm in a time crunch and want to get it done. Plus the Wagner's look superior in every way to the other IC's. For only a few hundred more. I'm going to delete the fog lights and use the Wagner kit grill to get more air going to the IC's.

[DHall1]

Yes

delete those damn aux rads. Ez bypass and there was a thread showing a simple hose re route

does not effect emissions

[hahnmgh63]

HPO-DK, the Auxilary radiators were standard in N. America and with cars that came with the Hot weather package, and standard on the RS6+. They were not standard and I'm not sure if they were optional in Europe. They are small radiators that sit behind each Intercooler in the lower front fenders. Obviously since they weren't standard in Europe and a lot of cars over there have run without them for years we know if we're in a cooler climate of N. America we can easily live without them and get some better airflow to our Intercoolers by removing them. But the engineer in me wonders what the power increase limit is that would require the additional cooling that they provide?

[fukinavit]

HPO-DK, the Auxilary radiators were standard in N. America and with cars that came with the Hot weather package, and standard on the RS6+. They were not standard and I'm not sure if they were optional in Europe. They are small radiators that sit behind each Intercooler in the lower front fenders. Obviously since they weren't standard in Europe and a lot of cars over there have run without them for years we know if we're in a cooler climate of N. America we can easily live without them and get some better airflow to our Intercoolers by removing them. But the engineer in me wonders what the power increase limit is that would require the additional cooling that they provide?
All they do is add weight and add to heatsoak, delete and have one less thing to worry about.

[hahnmgh63]

Deleted mine a few years back when the engine was out. Uses some rubber Napa plugs to cap off the rest of the hoses but I guess the plugs will fail so now I've purchased Silicone plugs from 034 so I'm replacing the few plugs I did years back with the Silicone plugs since the engine is out again.

[DHall1]

That brings up a question. Did you bypass the flow or cap off the two pipes?





Deleted mine a few years back when the engine was out. Uses some rubber Napa plugs to cap off the rest of the hoses but I guess the plugs will fail so now I've purchased Silicone plugs from 034 so I'm replacing the few plugs I did years back with the Silicone plugs since the engine is out again.

[midwest1275]

So I'm intrigued by the delete your aux rads plan. Is there a delete kit that is sold or do you just cut a hose/install it to take the place of the radiators? Can you just remove them and plug the remaining hoses? If I get it done i don't want it to blow out or become a future problem with leaking.

[Other_Erik]

While you've got easy access, turbo blankets and exhaust wrap - get the heatsoak out of the engine bay!

Just my $0.02

O_E

[lswing]

My mechanic just completed the coolant loop. Instead of running through the auxiliary radiator on each side it's just running through a line in their place. I believe...

I've never noticed any heat issues, summer in Oregon, bit of extreme Texas heat, but always worried the reduced cooling, along with extra heat from my tuning, led to some higher temps that maybe helped cook my last transmission. Can't really say though. The performance with them out was noticeable, less heat soak.

The Wagners have worked well for me, just a touch more lag it felt like as there is more volume to fill.

[HPO-DK]

Ok nice info thanks




HPO-DK, the Auxilary radiators were standard in N. America and with cars that came with the Hot weather package, and standard on the RS6+. They were not standard and I'm not sure if they were optional in Europe. They are small radiators that sit behind each Intercooler in the lower front fenders. Obviously since they weren't standard in Europe and a lot of cars over there have run without them for years we know if we're in a cooler climate of N. America we can easily live without them and get some better airflow to our Intercoolers by removing them. But the engineer in me wonders what the power increase limit is that would require the additional cooling that they provide?

[lswing]

...and standard on the RS6+.


But the engineer in me wonders what the power increase limit is that would require the additional cooling that they provide?

Answered that for you:) The engineers seemed to have felt that the extra heat from the higher tuned RS6+ would require some extra cooling. With most of our tuned cars having power/heat numbers above the RS6+ I would be a bit concerned in a warm weather climate...

[DHall1]

Lswing

could you take a picture of the looped section on your car? It's over on the pass side front frame rail

[Aronis]

If you delete the auxiliary radiators you will void your warrantee!

:)

Mike

[midwest1275]

My mechanic wasn't too interested in deleting the aux rads so after some thought on the pros and cons I decided to just replace them. I found a pair for $490 shipped. With this money pit it seems like a drop in the bucket at this point. Los Angeles has been blazing hot in recent years so I think the extra cooling may be necessary. I'm interested in hitting a few track days close to LA and they are in the scorching desert. Will need extra cooling there for sure.

[lswing]

Lswing

could you take a picture of the looped section on your car? It's over on the pass side front frame rail

NO!!!

So you should share the details once it gets cleaned up, you know better than me....

[s8prtotype]

I had that picture in one of my threads somewhere lol