bought an S3 (again) couple of niggles

[jasongtr]

so i just bought myself another S3, this one was bought cheap so i expected a few issues, most are easy and obvious the main one I'm worried about might not be.

The seller called me today (before i was going to collect it) to say he thinks a wheel bearing has gone, no problem ill come with a trailer and collect it, he said it went on the way back from a longish journey. When i got it back i put it on a ramp and theres no play in either front wheel, the osf wheel doesnt seem to freely rotate quite as well as the other side but that could be a sticky caliper more than anything (brakes are pretty good though)

So you drive down the road and theres a sort of deep pulsing/humming noise, can't really say what side its coming from and it does it in gear and neutral/coasting, theres no difference when going around left or right corners that i can tell.

So could it be a bearing, if so ill change both as i have a press, or could it be what i dont really want it to be and the gearbox/transfer box, now i have a couple of S3 gearboxes buit its going to be a royal pain in the backside to remove the engine etc.

any ideas before i start spending money (on a side note if the bearings happen to be the same as mk3 golf vr6 ones i have 4x brand new ones for my 4wd mk2 golf project so that would be handy but i doubt that they are the same.)


thanks in advance

 

[jasongtr]

edit, just checked on eurocarparts site and they list the same part numbers for mk3 vr6 front bearings and Audi S3 front bearings

 

[Greg-S3]

Could be the diff. That's a constant when the car is moving
They have a roll pin in the diff holding a bearing in and it's to small for the job! My friend repairs gearbox's and he has done a few with duff diff bearings

 

[jasongtr]

i assume you mean the diff in the gearbox as opposed the the haldex as I'm certain its from the front

 

[Greg-S3]

Yes mate front diff

 

[jasongtr]

cheers, i just found a good guide where the transfer box is taken off so the gearbox can come out easily without dropping the whole engine, i have a very good s3 gearbox in my unit - and as i really dont think the issue is my wheel bearings due to what i said in the 1st post i guess ill be driving the car until my ramp is free in a week or so then swap the boxes over, might even get this one rebuilt so future use in my mk2 golf.

Best go and ask whats a decent clutch to put in whilst its all apart.

many thanks

 

[Greg-S3]

Mate I've been looking at this as I'm changing my gearbox. I've decided standard gear is the way forward, Sachs or luk I reckon. Maybe have you "good" box re furbed before it goes in, save you doing the job twice! That's what I'm doing, purchased another box and sent it in for a refurb!

 

[jasongtr]

yeah thats what someone has just suggested eurocarparts one, they are luk or sachs too.

Im pretty confident in the gearbox i have, it was in my old S3 that i broke up

 

[jasongtr]

update on this.

Changed the gearbox to the one i knew was a good one, at that time i also fitted a brand new LUK flywheel, LUK clutch and central slave, and..... the noise is still there, if i had just changed the gearbox i would be might miffed now, but as the clutch was knackered it needed to come out anyway. Also fitted my B5 billet TIP and hose, and a missing front xenon level sensor!

So i changed the NSF and OSF wheel bearings and its sorted. There was no play or weird noises when the car was on the ramp which is why we ruled out the wheel bearings to begin with, but the drivers side was very loose once the hub was off the car.


So the car is sorted (well that part is) only to be told today that a mate is now selling his car, i did ask him to let me know as he was thinking of selling it before, a totally different car from the S3, but it needs consideration due to the price.

Its a 2001 Mercedes CL55, a little old man (but then I'm getting there) AMG rims, all the toys and a 5.4 V8. Mine for £2k (same cars on auto trader are up for anything up to about £5k+)

So do i break the S3 which is pretty much the reason i bought it, but having just spent over £400 on it this seems mad, having said that there is more money to be spent on it, map, new front bumper or painting mine, 3" DP if i kept it, so thats several hundred quid right there.


What to do....

 

[Greg-S3]

Mate those v8's are amazing! But the rest of it is a little poo. What's it like for corrosion? Chances are the sills and inner arches are going/gone the electrics are known to fail, and the fuel cost! It'll make your S3 look super economical! My opinion... Stick with the S3

 

[jasongtr]

doesnt seem to be any corrosion - and next door to my unit they have a few in from time to time and some of them are pretty shocking, one is a genuine AMG one - so cost around 100k 10 years ago and its ****** body wise.

I do love a big engine, my mate has owned it for 7 years and done anything that needs it, but i know if anything is needed its pretty much a scrapper at that value, shame its not a proper amy one - but then it wouldn't be 2k. Fuel wouldn't bother me though its only a second car like the S3 is, and even then i did less than 6k in my main car last year.

Just had a look for insurance and its over 600 a year which i won't be paying, the S3 costs me £260/year.