OMG, another 6MT conversion thread.

[redwoodkiwi]

@jolio1994, your posted experience was a major inspiration for taking on this project myself. Cheers mate!

Question for you, and for others with conversion experience, what gotcha’s, tricks, tips, etc, can you share. I am still a little daunted by the entire procedure and I’d rather just do the motor-out-in thing just once.

Downpipes – leave as stock? Or what?

I do plan on doing a full timing belt job (car has 106k mi – last timing job was at 80k mi), valve cover gaskets, cam seals, etc. Am also considering replacing the tensioner guides while I’m in there (any one got experience with those guide found on eBay/AMZN guides? – they are cheap, but they are only plastic/resin after all). The oil cooler pipe issue has, apparently, already been dealt with (according to service records and receipts).

[redwoodkiwi]

A little more progress made yesterday:

Separated the trans from the block. A non-trivial process as the passenger side turbo had to come off, which meant a lot of faff had to be disconnected and/or removed along with it – and two exhaust/turbo flange studs refused to let go which meant having to resort to cutting/grinding them off. Nothing is ever simple.

Things may have gone a little smoother if I’d been able to get the exhaust manifold off. But I got completely stumped with removing the two fasteners that are deeply recessed into the manifold. What are they? They are not 10mm like all the others. They feel like they may be 12mm – as a 12mm socket begins to bite – but even my thinnest wall 12mm socket will not get over the fastener deep enough to apply leverage. I spent waaay too much time trying to figure it out. I remain baffled, and in the meantime the manifold stays on. Anyone?

This trans is a hugely biggly - heavy AF too. The 01E looks anorexic next to it.




Then, onto the next challenge: removing the flexplate.






Yup – sheared my m10. Seems like this is common occurrence for those that travel this road. So, outside she goes in prep for some cutting/grinding action.





Used a bolt extractor on what remained.

Then, removing the pilot bearing. I used the Kendrish method of tapping then winding in a bolt to push it it out. First had to drill it out a little to accept a tap.
Drill bit used: 21/32
Tap bit used: 3/4 10nc




Q: I had purchased a rear crank seal to replace while in here - but the existing one shows no sign of weeping, so I'm inclined to sleeping dogs lie. Thoughts?

[GreggPDX]

One tip I would share is to take a lot of pictures while you are tearing things down. I took tons, and found them useful many times. Regarding the tensioner pads, I used the Blauparts kit and it seemed to work well. I also replaced all the cam-cap bolts when I did mine, since technically they are supposed to single-use.

Another tip, I used 1stvwparts.com for a lot of the the various small parts (bolts, gaskets, seals, etc...). If you can get a part number for it, they usually have it, and their prices were consistently as good or better than most places. (For example, the cam-cap bolts are much cheaper here, and you need 52 of them!) They are up in Washington, so shipping is usually quick. I also compiled a list of part numbers, so let me know if you are looking for anything specific.

Will emissions testing be an issue? Do you have to pass a visual test? If not, I'd suggest removing the secondary air system. It free's up a ton of space in the crowded space behind the motor. Also, a good tuner (aka Nubcake) can tune it out while still showing it functional for an OBD test. I have to do the OBD test up in Oregon, and mine has passed several times now. I also gutted the pre-cats and used O2 "cheaters" to keep the rear O2 sensors working. This probably would not pass a visual test, however.

Have you tried to remove the flex plate yet? The bolts are usually a total bitch. You're welcome to try and loosen them with tools if you want, but most of us ended up grinding the heads off (which is actually not a big deal, since you are grinding on a part you're going to toss anyway.)

The SteveKen kit is really good, but I found a couple of the bellhousing bolts were shorter than I liked, so I ended up getting longer versions. You can check yourself and make the call, it's probably fine either way. Also, I messed around with oil line routing quite a bit. One issue you may have read about is starter heat-soak. I believe this is caused by the metal oil line being wedged between the exhaust manifold and starter solenoid, causing the solenoid to become a heat sink. I worked very hard to make sure there was a distinct air gap between the manifold and oil lines. I also wrapped the the starter in a heat blanket. Nothing fancy, just a piece of heat-shield fabric secured with a stainless zip-tie. I also ended up grinding down one of the unused metal "bosses" on the passenger turbo compressor housing. It was close to pinching the oil feed line, so grinding it down freed up space for the line to fit better. When you are fitting this stuff back together, you'll see what I mean. I probably spent more time getting the oil line where I wanted it, than any other single thing. Some people seem to have no issues, but not me!

Another thing while I'm brain-dumping, do you have the Elsa-Win software (aka factory service manuals)? It was invaluable during the whole process, I highly recommend tracking it down. There are copies floating around if you search.

Do you have a small torque wrench that measures inch-pounds? I picked one up for the cam-cap bolts and timing tensioner adjustment.

That's enough for now, good luck and ask questions, we are here to help!

[SteveKen]

The SteveKen kit is really good, but I found a couple of the bellhousing bolts were shorter than I liked, so I ended up getting longer versions. You can check yourself and make the call, it's probably fine either way. Also, I messed around with oil line routing quite a bit. One issue you may have read about is starter heat-soak. I believe this is caused by the metal oil line being wedged between the exhaust manifold and starter solenoid, causing the solenoid to become a heat sink. I worked very hard to make sure there was a distinct air gap between the manifold and oil lines. I also wrapped the the starter in a heat blanket. Nothing fancy, just a piece of heat-shield fabric secured with a stainless zip-tie. I also ended up grinding down one of the unused metal "bosses" on the passenger turbo compressor housing. It was close to pinching the oil feed line, so grinding it down freed up space for the line to fit better. When you are fitting this stuff back together, you'll see what I mean. I probably spent more time getting the oil line where I wanted it, than any other single thing. Some people seem to have no issues, but not me!

I actually listened to your feedback and have changed out all the hardware so that none of the existing bolts are used. I just needed to personally verify whether some of the 75mm long stock bolts could be swapped safely with 80mm ones among others. All shouldered bolts and nylon lock nuts as well so no need for washers.

Ordered a starter blanket. Thanks for the reco @nubcake and @boca_rat

The heat soak issues haven't been seen lately since I switched to the MSD starter. I was really unhappy with the quality of the Tilton unit and switched it out. The original factory in Japan that produced Tilton's starters was wiped out in the tsunami and after that, there were dimensional issues as well as the hot start issues. I personally never had any issues with heat soak. Since the ground is through the nose, the mating surfaces have to be super clean and also the same goes for the strap between the block and body.

[GreggPDX]

I see you figured out the flex plate, good job!

Regarding the exhaust manifold, you need to find a really thin-wall socket. I found a 1/4' drive, six point that worked. Once you get them out, I highly recommend replacing with new ones. The updated version that Audi sells is a much better design.

[GreggPDX]

Regarding the rear main, I left mine. It looked good and I was concerned that replacing it could just make things worse.