Bobby Singh's Audi S2 avant project

[bobby singh]

Childhood dream car becomes reality
Growing up the in the 80's the dream has always been to own some flavour of the 5 pot turbo engine.
Looking around the Audi S2 avant in the Ragusa green became the target, after viewing a few I settled on this:

Engine - RS2 spec
Engine rebuilt in 2013
RS2 turbo
Wagner intercooler
Wagner Exhaust manifold
Bosch 440cc injectors
RS2 Miltek exhaust
RS2 downpipes & CATS
RS2 air box
Roose boost hoses
Bosch 044 pump
SRE clutch

Gearbox
Stock

Brakes
Porsche 996 monoblocks - 314mm A8 discs DS2500 pads
Braided lines
Stock rears

Interior
Factory fitted cloth Recaro electric seats
3 spoke airbag steering wheel

Air con working
Heater matrix replaced
Headlining replaced

Wheels
S8 mk1 18's with 15mm spacers

Suspension
Bilstein B6 sport with RS2 springs

Body work
Decent enough condition with Audi 90 rear panel and Zender sport spoiler

More pics and details to follow as I've been working on this since August this year...

Cheers
Bobby

 

[Gazwould]

 

[bobby singh]

September 2021

Sony head unit out and replaced with a Blaupunkt Bremen Sqr 46 DAB
No pictures taken but used this opportunity to clean up the wiring for the
Boost gauge
Alarm
Head unit
Replaced the broken alarm sensors

While installing the Head unit noticed the Radio had poor signal - soon became apparent the connection had seen better days:

Aerial itself was in bad condition:

New aerial from a benz sprinter van has the perfect angle - pn 2D0035505 so installed that with fresh connections and finally had signal

Replace the driver side door seal:

Managed to get one from an Audi 80 avant at decent price

Side repeaters and Boot interior light
All new items to replace the old parts

All new door switches to get the interior light working

Broken sunvisor clips replaced with Audi A8 (same colour etc)

All boot trims removed and refitted with fresh new clips

Misfire

So it seems at around 4.5k rpm there is a strange misfire and after speaking with a few people they suggested upgrading to the TFSI coil packs. But I didn't want to give up so easy on the OEM ones.

Fresh plugs

Fuel pump voltage check drop
Turns out I'm losing approx 1v from the wiring but still getting around 12.8v to the pump should be good enough

Decided to remove the pump from the tank to check wiring condition

As you can see the wires look burnt out so its possible the car was running lean causing the plugs to blow out

Fresh wires

more to come.....

 

[B5NUT]

Good tip on the aerial, also having the same issue so have just ordered the MB one.

 

[bobby singh]

Amp bracket refresh

Sanded down, painted with heat paste

Fresh Mann fuel filter (complete pain to do this job)

After all this the misfire is now fixed and quick check with a lambda probe in the exhaust tips showed the ECU is pushing plenty fuel in the top end with lambda 0.8 to 0.74

Broken gearbox support bracket
Seems to be a common issue so rather than replacing with another stock alu item I went the steel route. These brackets were not direct fit but the seller sold them to be unwelded so I could position it correctly and weld in place.

Replacing the bodge repaired hose with a silicone hose OEM pn 034133367E

Decat pipes

OEM RS2 CAT removed and stored away

 

[NHN]

Loving watching this

 

[Sandra]

Car looks amazing Bobby. Great work as always.

 

[bobby singh]

Thanks for support - to be honest everything has already been done to these cars over the years but adding your own refinement is so rewarding

 

[bobby singh]

Bulb replacement

So some switches and cluster bulbs have not been working and I suspect they have been like this for years.

New window switches for driver side (and all other doors) and full service kit

Mirror switch bulbs

Diff lock

In addition to this all bulbs in the roof lining all working again.

While replacing all the boot clips etc I noticed the wiring in the boot hinge had been repaired in the past but not very well so redone them all again. Ideally the roof lining needs to come down with fresh wires in this section but didn't want to touch that as it look pretty decent.

18" wheels and my thoughts
Ok I know people love the 18" wheels on these cars but the ride quality was terrible. Issues I've been experiencing are like torque steer, tramlining, harsh ride etc etc - Plus in order to run these wheels they need 15mm spacers and I hate spacers

Stock 16" wheels and tyres 205/55/16 - ET37
18" A8 wheels and tyres 225/40/18 - ET48

I decided to hunt for 17" wheels in the Avus design as a good middle ground.

Audi B5 have the same design but again the off set is wrong at ET45.
Turns out the Audi S6 wheels from the C5 with part numbers 4B3601025B & 4B3601025N run ET35 so much more suited.
However, finding these wheels is not a easy task, but I managed to secure a set in German but need to do a road trip at some point.

For now I reconditioned the stock 16" and wrapped them with fresh rubber.

Ride is much nicer but it does feel alittle boaty so 225/45/17 should be perfect combo (I hope).

 

[B5NUT]

100% agree on the ride quality steering effects with the 18" wheels. It helped when I replaced the steering damper as the one on my S2 had about 3" of play in it before any damping affect was felt. However I hope the 16" wheels make the car ride better that the 18" wheel currently fitted.

 

[bobby singh]

100% agree on the ride quality steering effects with the 18" wheels. It helped when I replaced the steering damper as the one on my S2 had about 3" of play in it before any damping affect was felt. However I hope the 16" wheels make the car ride better that the 18" wheel currently fitted.

Yep I also have some play but not as bad as 3" - would you have the pn handy for the steering damper?

 

[bobby singh]

Deep cleaning

Decided to remove all the arch linings and give the underside a good inspection and clean.

The rear arches were pretty solid apart from a small hole (approx 20mm) where the screw fitting for one of the liners goes. I treated these with rust treatment then filled them finished with underseal protection. I must have removed approx 4kg worth of dirt and dust - well worth doing

Fronts

Again very clean for the age of the car, found the drain was actually blocked so glad I did this.

Boost leak test

Ran my boost leak tester on the car and found some leaks

Ordered a fresh throttle body boost hose too as a few layers of the silicone have worn away.

But for now no more leaks.

 

[B5NUT]

Yep I also have some play but not as bad as 3" - would you have the pn handy for the steering damper?

My steering damper had very little oil left in it as most appeared to be over the engine bay and on the damper. I got a Stabilus 6784HX this was almost identical to the Audi one. There are others about but they need slight modification as one end has a ball joint setup rather than a sleeve rubber bush at both ends.

 

[bobby singh]

S4 B5 rear brake set up

So it would appear the S4 b5 rear brake set up is a direct bolt on (almost).
Managed to secure a set with carriers.
S4 B5 are 300mm x 22mm vented
I ended up getting them coated and rebuilt them

S2 Vs S4

Against stock 16" wheels

Rebuilding

Custom rear brake lines (410mm) & Front lines

Front lines fitted

Also fitted fresh handbrake cables - BC2455 Quinton Hazell 1722mm long

However, the new brake set up will not go on with the stock 16" wheels as the handbrake spring hits the inside of the wheel.
For know they will have to sit on the shelf until the 17" wheels are fitted.

 

[bobby singh]

Aux gauge faces

So part of the deal when I purchased the car was new faces for the aux gauge (only need the oil temp was bad). True to his word they finally turned up:

Breather pipe refresh

Replaced with silicone 90deg 22mm

New Febi one way valve

New Pressure Relief Control Valve

New fuel tank straps (stainless steel)

Old

Installed

 

[bobby singh]

Driver side repair parts

So the driver side has been poorly repaired in the past. Spoken to someone local who is able to repair the seat if I could get hold of the foam:

Some additional bushes and clips etc too

Driver side door strip:

Centre console replacement (had to cut out the diff lock) - the previous one had a chunk missing from it as per picture below:

 

[bobby singh]

Dyno day - went for a power run to get a base line and to confirm what a RS2 turbo can actually do:



Power - 351hp / 486nm

AFR check - 11.5:1 - perfect

Boost - 1.8bar peak

Bottom line is the turbo is maxed and set up is safe

 

[B5NUT]

Nice work. I had forgotten about the fuel tank straps. I hope mine are in good condition!

How easy were the handbrake cables to replace?

 

[bobby singh]

Nice work. I had forgotten about the fuel tank straps. I hope mine are in good condition!

How easy were the handbrake cables to replace?

Thanks mate - the fuel tank straps are very common so I ended up paying alittle too much but the product is good and I never have to worry about them again.
Here is a link in case you need them - You can have a deal with the guy so drop him a message

Audi 80 B4 Quattro Tank Strap Bands Stainless Steel New 8A0201654D 8D0201654Q | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Audi 80 B4 Quattro Tank Strap Bands Stainless Steel New 8A0201654D 8D0201654Q at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[bobby singh]

As for the handbrake cables they are relatively easy with the correct tools to slacken the tension above the propshaft

 

[Double V]

Nice work.

 

[B5NUT]

As for the handbrake cables they are relatively easy with the correct tools to slacken the tension above the propshaft

Well I'm planning to remove the propshaft as I'm removing the diff. So planning to get the propshaft sent away to be refurbished so will that out of the way it should be easy enough.

 

[bobby singh]

Parts keep on coming...
Engine mount right side is available but no aftermarket left:

Left side has been ordered from Audi Tradition (AT)

New bumper grills

Some printed cup holders (unsure about these currently)

Decided to open the ECU to see the spec of the MAP sensor:

Seems we got lucky - 4bar sensor already installed

If anyone has a spare ECU for a ABY I'd be interested - thanks

Cheers

 

[Charlie Farley]

Brilliant car chap, and brilliant project work too....respect.
will be following this closely.

 

[bobby singh]

Been doing some research on tuning the stock ECU and it seems there is a wealth of knowledge on this site:

M232 Wiki

m232.org

I know its easier to fit a aftermarket ECU but from the information I've seen the stock ECU will do the job nicely for further power upgrades.
I have no real power target but I've started collecting some parts:

Emulator (used for live tuning):

Attached to a ECU with which it came with

Engine parts

Head bolts are 12.9 tensile:
Based on this I don't see the need for stud and nut kit for high power outputs

New Bonnet strut installed:

Seat Repair
So apart from the driver seat the rest of the interior is in very good condition so decided its time to get it repaired.
I supplied all the requiared foam and used AJ trimming http://www.ajtrimming.co.uk/ to install it.
What he found inside was unreal:

I did try to get new cloth material however it was the wrong colour so decided it would be best to use the old one to keep it original, he also found the base had a damaged diaphragm which explains why the previous owner had stuffed the base with extra foam.

End result:

 

[NHN]

Tbh duck tape & suitable foam is perfectly adequate, however not when its done like the previous owner lol, you'd think after taking the time to strip the seat, they would of done a better job of the repair, like your guy has, does make the mind boggle at times.

 

[bobby singh]

ET35 17" wheels
I managed to sell the 18's that the car came with and as mentioned above used the stock 16" wheels but found the 205/55 tyres are alittle too soft around corners so purchased the 17" version and went with 225/45/17 tyres

Redone by https://www.thewheelspecialist.co.uk

Cheers

 

[bobby singh]

December 2021 to Jan 2022 Bodywork

So when I purchased this car I knew the roof and few other parts needed some work:

Roof - Old paint and showed signs of delamination
Both rear arches has small (really small) rust spots
Bonnet - small damage in the corner
Driver side door moulding was aging
Door mirrors had seen better days
plus some other extra's which they done for me

Here are some pictures:

Mirror bolts

They called me midway and said they have spotted some rust behind the rear bumper and if I would like it repaired, yes was the reply:

Stone chip followed by paint

Discovered some more bodge repairs to the sunroof drip tray:

Not sure if the arm were ever connected to the drip tray

Got a new tray on order from Germany along with the arms and clips

Excellent work by Darran and his boy at BodyTech.

 

[bobby singh]

Jan 2022

Rear Suspension work

While the weather is still crappy I decided to freshen up the rear suspension:

All bolts cleaned

Freshened up:

S4 b6 calipers with 300mm vented disces on, even with 17" wheels the handbrake spring is very close but works fine

In other news more parts from Germany:

New dip stick

Seat adjuster springs

Seat bushes

Heated mirrors now working:

Two layers of mirrors didn't help

Engine parts keep coming

Main bearing bolts 12.9

Cheers

 

[bobby singh]

@Sandra
@desertstorm

Guys seems the site is being spammed could you delete the above message?

 

[Sandra]

Sorted @bobby singh

 

[bobby singh]

Rear boot lid lock
So since owning this car I could never get the key into the barrel and at first I thought someone in the past has broken a key in there.
After stripping it out it was clear the barrel pins were seized:

Finally managed to remove all the pins and cleaned it all up ensuring the springs were working:

Here is a video with it working
Discovered there is an oem alarm which is activated with the rear lock, plus there is a bulb within the fog light switch.



Cheers

 

[bobby singh]

Speedo jumping around
During hard driving I noticed the speedo would cut or sometimes jump around
Removed the speed pick up and it looked fine but the wiring had a poor repair with twisted wires etc.
I ended up running fresh wires to the terminals with heat sleeve protection

Fire extinguisher installed

First wash since being painted with 17's

Anyone had any experience with KW v3's?

 

[Sandra]

Car is looking amazing Bobby.

 

[bobby singh]

Car is looking amazing Bobby.

Thanks
In two minds add some coil overs or keep it at this height - suspension is a little on the soft side when braking etc but does mean it rides well over the humps and bumps.
Cheers

 

[Sandra]

Thanks
In two minds add some coil overs or keep it at this height - suspension is a little on the soft side when braking etc but does mean it rides well over the humps and bumps.
Cheers

Run with for a while Bobby, see if you can live with it, if not then change to coil overs.

 

[B5NUT]

Agree with Sandra keep it standard, however that may change if you want to up the BHP.

 

[bobby singh]

2x2 to OBD
So it was annoying me that you have to lift the bonnet to connect VCDS etc

OBD plug with pins MOLEX 51116-1601

Perfect location

Audi gave k line terminals in the fuse box so connected there and took power from inside:

Sunroof work

Old Vs New seal

The drip tray seems to slide from the back which involved a lot more work and I bought a whole B4 sunroof which I'll make perfect then install when Im bored enough.

New seat covers (decent quality and good protection)

 

[bobby singh]

Stainless Steel front bumper clamps - stock ones either rust away or bend out of shape

Done my best to straighten out the jacking points on all four corners - sealed and protected

Air Recirculating - So I noticed the vac line to the air box had come off as some point

Checking with a vac gauge it was clear the plumbing for the controller was incorrect - now working as it should:

 

[bobby singh]

Nice exhaust manifold turned up recently - looks decent quality