Removing ABY oil sump - nightmare job !

[S2central.net]

I wish I'd never started this one

Access to the sump bolts on the radiator (left) side of the engine are just not coming out with the radiator fitted... so it turns into quite an episode.

- Car jacked up and supported on stands - NOT under the subframe as this needs to be dropped for access.

- Undertray off.

- Bumper off.

- Remove any and all clips and brackets attached to sump... Couple at front for aircon pipe (where fitted) and couple clips at left side for cabling

- Remove the fixings (M8 allen) where oil returns from turbo to the sump... Aircon cars have a sump extension for a bit more capacity.

- Remove air guides for radiator

- Drain coolant.

- Remove radiator fan... In order to do this, you need to remove the hydraulic pump - there just isn't enough physical access to bottom right area of radiator without doing this. So drain the hydraulics, remove all the PAS hoses, careful with O-rings, and get the hydraulic pump off.

- Remove main radiator... and I removed the aircon condenser as mine is utterly empty - just for improved access to this side. My oil leak was from sump gasket and that stupid oil pressure switch - the white one that pisses oil everywhere. Hadn't reckoned in this - cos you cant see the bahstid - need to find new ones ASAP.

- NOW the dog can see the rabbit...



- Working underneath the car, remove the two bolts at front of subframe. The manual says drop it 10mm on AAN but that is ****** - you need like 30-40mm of clearance on ABY for any real chance of doing this.

- There are four large bolts which go thru sump to bellhousing- tackle those first.

- Then 3 x M8 bolts at rear of sump

- Remaining bolts are all M6 allen (5mm key) which are easy enough. Access is restricted to some rear ones. Note there are five extra long ones at the sump extension / return area. Just loosen these all evenly... Leave one or two at each corner taking the strain until all are loosened.

- The tricky two are way up near the flywheel - the subframe has cutouts for access which is possible with a long 1/4" socket and 5mm key fitting. The engine needs to be in a position to give clear access to these - move by hand as required.

- Sump comes away with a gentle tap from a rubber hammer

- I removed the pickup pipe to renew the strainer and its O-ring



Photos, part numbers and details... What a ferking nightmare job... All liquids dumped except brake fluid because of a stupid little switch that costs a fiver. Time elapsed about 6 - 8 hours including lunch, plenty of coffee, two grumpy kids and the odd fight with the missus about 'that bloody car'.

Now maybe if I had some exotically jointed 1/4" drive with 5mm fitting I could have save the grief of removing the rad for sump removal.... But it all needed to come out to get to the oil switches (which I now know that I should have replaced when I was doing the water rail hoses in the dark distant past. Feckin car...



Paul

[Rusty]

Sounds like you had fun Paul...

[Fat Audi 80]

Love the last paragraph!

Good write up with all the emotion really well conveyed!

Cheers,

Steve.

[S2central.net]

Got the sump back on late last night... Photos to follow. I almost had to take it all off again - if anyone has done this before they will know about two bolts tucked up high near the flywheel. You need a long thin socket with 5mm allen key to access them. After tightening the last bolt up there I carefully slid out the socket and the damn 5mm key made that distinct 'tink' noise as it fell into the newly fitted, fully tightened sump. I cannot repeat the expletives that were uttered at this point.

I took a deep breath, fetched a lil torch and failed to see any edge or corner of the tool/key in the hope of trying to get it with a magnet of some sort.

Thanfully the sump is alloy so I dug out the 'magnastick' and offered it up to the god of oil sumps and to my delight (after some careful probing and sweeping) got another little 'tink' noise and the booger was out. Sigh.

Renewed the two oil switches (thanks to Pete @ Quattrocorner for speedy service) and just have the radiator and hydraulic pump to refit.

Bloody stressful working on these cars

[Azman]

Ar but one of the best ways to spend time too! Good write up sir. Hope I never have to do it

[EspenW]

There has got to be some kind of trick tool that can be made up in order to avoid this sort of procedure.

[S2central.net]

I actually had tape wrapped on the allen key to its lil socket holder to stop it falling out, but with oily surfaces it mustn't have stuck right... You can just get up there with a very long allen key as I later discovered - then use a spanner on the short end to provide sufficient torque to tighten it.

[bob321]

What is the correct bolt tightening order for sump refitting? Manual says M6 10nm and M8 20nm, tighten diagonally in two stages, but no actual order.

Usually I have seen scheme like this

but, I have'nt found exact order for Audi i5

[Mikes2]

There isn't an official sequence.

Working centre outwards diagonally makes sense - just like the headbolts

[mac2226]

I normally use a bit of cardboard like cereal box a little piece put it on the Allen bolt a push it with 1/4 ratchet extension with Allen key socket to make a snug but tight fit so it won't wobble of while it's up so high till it's nip up you can then wiggle the 1/4 ratchet extension to remove the socket from Allen head bolt done this many times to other cars with this method

[90/90qs]

for the radiator on a B3, I make sure it's loose and moves freely (relatively speaking), then remove the nuts holding the fan and allow it to slide inward toward the radiator, but not contact it. Then with one hand supporting the fan and lifting on the housing; the other somewhere you can grip, just heave it out. It takes some self trust and mild to medium brute force, but it works. Extra set of hands and you're even better.

[quattro-nick]

i had some oilpressure problems in the past and have removed my sump 4 times untill the problem was fixed
my car is a b2 with AAN engine and can remove the sump without removing the radiator
but like you said paul,the two bolts on flywheel side are a pain in the ***

[nribs]

I completed this job on my US 2.3 7A this summer. I did not find it necessary to move radiator at all.

The most difficult part of this job (removing the pan) is the 2 or 3 allen key bolts near the flywheel - they are right up against the subframe.

I removed front sway bar and two front subframe bolts, loosening the rear 2 so that the frame can be pulled down (with help of 1 meter prybar - necessary I found).

Additionally, two of the pan bolts are difficult to get at sunk way in at the flywheel. Magnetic tools help here especially when fastening.

As far as torque pattern, you can just first thread one at each corner of the pan so that it is held up without the need of a supporting hand. From there, finger tight the other 20 or so. After that, torque to spec bouncing around front to back and side to side. I strict pattern like that used for cams or a crank is not necessary...10nm is just little bit beyond finger tight.