jbrentd's 2nd Chance CQ

[Jaswan]

Well done on the sills, I found then physically impossible to remove intact from my car!

[jbrentd]

I bought them from Pete a few weeks ago and am just prepping them to go on my car.

Someone did a great job of getting them off without damaging them! My old ones were cracked and chipped and I don't see how it would be possible to get them off this clean.


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[jbrentd]

So, I started digging in to replace the lifters and found something bad. After removing the valve cover, I discovered that the machine shop I used put the cam caps on the wrong sides. They are in the proper order (front to back) and in the correct orientation...just on the wrong side. I am so mad at myself for not noticing this when I installed the head.



Here’s what the all the caps look like. I don’t feel any ridges when running a fingernail over the surfaces.




The cams.







The head sans cams.




And I found this in the process. Sometimes I feel like this thing is a ticking time bomb.



Here’s a look at the lifters. I tried pressing on the plunger (or whatever it’s called) with a wooden dowel and none of them would budge.





I only really noticed this one on the left that looked different than the others. Thinking this is the source of the lifter ticking.



I shared those pics with Jeff Gerner and some others and they were surprised the head wasn't junked. I am hoping things are okay.

The plan is as follows. Please let me know if you think I am forgetting something.

• Install the cam caps correctly and check the bores for any sharp edges between the caps and head
• Install the cams and caps correctly without the lifters and rotate the cams to see if they rotate smoothly
• Install everything (including the new lifters) correctly and time the head.
• Drain the oil, change the filter
• Rinse the head with some cheap oil and let it drain straight out the pan.
• Fill with fresh oil (maybe something with some higher zinc content) and send it
• Change the oil/filter again after 500 or so miles

[Tractor Dave]

This is precisely why i rebuild my own engine this time around. When i paid a so called expert to do it for me he also broke the key on the top pulley ( probably using a ratchet gun or not supporting the sprocket when removing or replacing) causing me a whole load of grief and extra work. At least you found these things now before serious damage was caused.

[jbrentd]

This is precisely why i rebuild my own engine this time around. When i paid a so called expert to do it for me he also broke the key on the top pulley ( probably using a ratchet gun or not supporting the sprocket when removing or replacing) causing me a whole load of grief and extra work. At least you found these things now before serious damage was caused.

While on the subject, what is the proper way to support the sprocket when torquing the bolt down with a torque wrench?

[Tractor Dave]

I made a tool. You need to be careful you dont damage the hall sender ring. The official way on the Ur (Bentley Manual) was to use a large flat bladed screw driver. I will dig out a pic.

[Tractor Dave]

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[jbrentd]

Thank you! That jogs my memory from some past timing belt jobs.

[jbrentd]

Going back together...

Over the weekend, I was able to check the rotation of the cams with the caps installed correctly and no lifters. Everything seemed to rotate just fine. It's back together and I have rotated everything several times to check the timing. I ran out of time, but I should be able to try starting it soon.

New lifters


Cam timing marks before installing the cam caps


Cam timing marks after installing the cam caps


Cam caps on and some assembly lube on the lifters and cam lobes

[jbrentd]

So, it appears that the new lifters resolved the noise issue.

As for the issue I had with the cam caps being on the wrong side, it seems as though the engine is doing fine. I don't know if this speaks to the quality of Audi's engineering or just dumb luck that the caps were close enough on both side to not do much (if any) damage. I did a fresh oil/filter change last night and used some oil with some zinc content. When I started it for the first time, I would say most of the lifter noise was gone within a minute or two. I drove the coupe to work today and it seemed even more quiet after the 20 mile commute.

[Tom_]

The head looks really clean and nice. I built my engine myself, because of those engine builder "mistakes". I think you should consider swapping to an aftermarket ECU like MaxxECU, you will be really pleased and also you will also get rid of all idle hoses/parts...Keeps the engine bay clean

[jbrentd]

The head looks really clean and nice. I built my engine myself, because of those engine builder "mistakes". I think you should consider swapping to an aftermarket ECU like MaxxECU, you will be really pleased and also you will also get rid of all idle hoses/parts...Keeps the engine bay clean

Thanks Tomi. My first goal with this swap was to get it running in stock form and make sure everything was was in good working order. I did consider going stand alone, but I have no experience with that stuff and I didn't want to introduce so many variables all at once. Some day down the line I might get rid of the distributor and switch over to an AAN ECU or possibly a stand alone. For now, I am loving the extra power from the 3B vs the 7A and I recently acquired a 3B Lehmann chipped ECU to throw in there.

[ottawa coupe]

My recommendation as someone who has casually played with standalones for a road car: don't.

Power is easy, daily driven refinement? Not so much. More specifically, it's a giant pain in the hoohaa....

[jbrentd]

My recommendation as someone who has casually played with standalones for a road car: don't.

Power is easy, daily driven refinement? Not so much. More specifically, it's a giant pain in the hoohaa....

Yeah, I'm not after huge hp or anything. I drive like a grandma 95% of the time. Switching away from the distributer and to an AAN ECU is an path that interests me since it does open up some more options.

[jbrentd]

Long time, no update! I've just been driving the coupe on nice days, but I'm glad to see Spring is here. Last weekend, I put some new wheels and tires on. I back and forth on black wheels, but I still have them for when I might want to switch it up again.