Goosey built S4

[g00se]

Hi all - This thread will most likely be more for my own tracking purposes, as i don't suppose i'll be doing anything ground-breaking in terms of mods!!! But its nice to share, and i value tips, tricks and feedback

I picked up a 2014 B8.5 S4 Avant Black Edition in late Sept 21, with 55k on the clock.. supersports seats, B&O, drive select, sports diff, reverse cam, etc. It was already de-badged which im fine with as i would have most likely done that anyway.

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe (as 034 pipe is on 8 week backorder!)
Scorpion resonated downpipes (as stock ones were rattling)

TO DO:
Ghost immobiliser
Front and rear spacers
034 rear ARB
ECU & TCU maps
Bigger brakes
Suspension (maybe - i made my last car too firm, and the wife and dog hated it lol!)

I'll update this as i go, and add piccies where i can (as that's what everyone likes more than words )

Cheers
goose

 

[Simon]

in for the updates

 

[Dippy]

Are you aware that the crank pulley can fail on these cars?
If its a late 2014 then it may have the CREC engine. If so was the recall work done?

 

[g00se]

Are you aware that the crank pulley can fail on these cars?
If its a late 2014 then it may have the CREC engine. If so was the recall work done?

Yikes - car was first registered end of June 2014... is that good or bad?

Dumb question... How can i tell if its a CREC engine or not ?

EDIT - just checked.. I have a CGW engine code.. what do I need to be aware ?

Cheers
goose

 

[ninjag]

Are you aware that the crank pulley can fail on these cars?
If its a late 2014 then it may have the CREC engine. If so was the recall work done?

Is the crank pulley a recall or just something which (worryingly) fails?

The only recall work I've had done is the 24DP fuel rails.

 

[cmdv]

never heard anything about crank pulley being a weak point of the s4 b8-b8.5?!?
I had the same recall on the fuel rails in and out in a day.

To add I'm on 2015 s4 avant b8.5 with stage 2 MRC tune, the only thing that's gone wrong is oil filter valve/spring! tbf I really look after it and I'm not excessive on the right foot

 

[ninjag]

never heard anything about crank pulley being a weak point of the s4 b8-b8.5?!?
I had the same recall on the fuel rails in and out in a day.

To add I'm on 2015 s4 avant b8.5 with stage 2 MRC tune, the only thing that's gone wrong is oil filter valve/spring! tbf I really look after it and I'm not excessive on the right foot

I think my PCV valve is starting to fail, I'm sure there's a sporadic code coming up for it (will double check) and I'm getting hesitation under 2,000rpm and idling can be a mild touch lumpy sometimes. I'm planning on getting the supercharger fluid replaced and probably the thermostat as it makes sense I guess, but I'll ask them about the crank pulley and see if they know anything. I was hoping to get away from inherent design flaws as Jaguar had a fair few to deal with.

 

[Dippy]

Crank pulley failure - please post your mileage/year/tune

I've never seen a thread with a definitive info on this. I'm trying to determine when I could be riding a time bomb. I don't feel like dropping some cash and an afternoon on an install just yet, but once it goes, I know the pain is far worse. I was thinking it would be as simple as: Year...

www.audizine.com

B8.5 crank pulley failure at 57k. Time to upgrade? Need advice.

Crank pulley failure just recently. I haven't done any upgrades to the car but now since the pulley failed I figure it's time to make it happen. I'm thinking about either the 179 or 187mm pulley from JHM and the stage 2 ECU upgrade. I'm thinking of going with the 187mm but is it really worth...

www.audizine.com

3.0T Crank Pulley Failure

Cliff's Notes: 3.0T Crank pulley was failing causing drive belt to partially shred, and knocking belt half off supercharger pulley. Getting repaired under CPO warranty. Long version: I left work on Monday afternoon and began smelling burning rubber coming from my air vents. Once I determined...

www.audizine.com

Crank Pulley Failure - Replacement Parts List

My Crank Pulley unfortunately failed today... seems like it's a common failure point on these engines. Hopefully I haven't damaged anything else, but for now, I just wanted confirmation that these are the correct OEM part numbers for the B8 3.0 V6T: 06E903137AB - Supercharger Belt (7PK1275T)...

www.audizine.com

 

[cmdv]

ah well there you go seems a couple of people have had it. Though looking at the mileage on the first thread it seems north of 65k on average. But it's hard to tell the condition of car/parts, driving style, upkeep etc.
I always thought the main problem with the S4 B8 - 8.5 was the DSG gearbox and why I did the oil change at 35k

Anyways with that said just get MRC stage 2 as you get a new crank pulley with it, problem solved

 

[ninjag]

Crank pulley failure - please post your mileage/year/tune

I've never seen a thread with a definitive info on this. I'm trying to determine when I could be riding a time bomb. I don't feel like dropping some cash and an afternoon on an install just yet, but once it goes, I know the pain is far worse. I was thinking it would be as simple as: Year...

www.audizine.com

B8.5 crank pulley failure at 57k. Time to upgrade? Need advice.

Crank pulley failure just recently. I haven't done any upgrades to the car but now since the pulley failed I figure it's time to make it happen. I'm thinking about either the 179 or 187mm pulley from JHM and the stage 2 ECU upgrade. I'm thinking of going with the 187mm but is it really worth...

www.audizine.com

3.0T Crank Pulley Failure

Cliff's Notes: 3.0T Crank pulley was failing causing drive belt to partially shred, and knocking belt half off supercharger pulley. Getting repaired under CPO warranty. Long version: I left work on Monday afternoon and began smelling burning rubber coming from my air vents. Once I determined...

www.audizine.com

Crank Pulley Failure - Replacement Parts List

My Crank Pulley unfortunately failed today... seems like it's a common failure point on these engines. Hopefully I haven't damaged anything else, but for now, I just wanted confirmation that these are the correct OEM part numbers for the B8 3.0 V6T: 06E903137AB - Supercharger Belt (7PK1275T)...

www.audizine.com

Thanks, that was very helpful. Seems crazy to have made the pulley out of two parts.

Is there a way do tell if I have the revised pulley? Just wondering about this quote from one of the links:

Depending on production date, some B8.5's have the older, faulty crankshaft pulley that finally didn't stop production until sometime around late Sept 2012, with the inability to order the previous revision after Jan 1, 2013.


I would prefer to put a new one on myself so that I know for sure that part 06E105251F is used, but is this a straight forward job?


Thanks again.

 

[ninjag]

Came across this guy who had a failed one and you can see the movement:



I also came across an apparent CAT failure which can prevent exhaust gases from escapes and basically totalling the engine. I hope that isn't common.

 

[Dippy]

AFAIK most dampened pulleys are made that way. Who knows why our fail? It is certainly not guaranteed to fail as there are enough owners at higher mileage on their original pulley, but there are enough cases of failure - including some at relatively low mileage - with no apparent common cause. The fact that there are revisions to the pulley could suggest that Audi found issues and fixed them, however there remains a risk: How can you make such a pulley and guarantee that the "rubber" has no defects or won't degrade over time?

Whilst I have seen no reports of problems of replacing with an undampened version (e.g. the MRC single-piece pulley) that doesn't mean it wouldn't cause them, especially in the long term. But that's not so clear for cars with the CREC engine because there are not enough stage 2 CREC cars about. I decided not to take the risk and so have a Fluidampr pulley with a Vdamper overdrive ring.

Replacement officially requires service position but it can be done from below without. Doug @ MRC did mine and he showed me the work in progress. No much space but I could see how it was possible.

DIY: The guide to 30 minute crank pulley installation - go stage 2 or 2+ in a jiffy

DISCLAIMER: Dont work on your car yourself. You will hurt yourself and destroy your car. I am not responsible for you or your car. Also note this appears to work for most all solid crank pulleys such as JHM and Kustom Imports as well as the Fluidampr solution. It does not appear to work...

www.audizine.com

 

[ninjag]

Thanks for the detailed reply and apologies to the OP for the thread hijack, hopefully it's of interest though?

Is the latest 06E105251F part still a two part and potentially at risk or do you reckon it's definitely sorted? I had my two front belts done recently at an Audi indy and I would hope that they would spot play in the pulley and tell me when doing the work. I'll maybe see if I can get a thin bar down there and see if there's any play myself. I'm sure that there is a new noise present at the front grill since the belts were done, almost like a fast ticking noise. You've got me a little overly conscious of the pulley now! lol

 

[roberto.]

What's the OEM air box mod you've done?

 

[Dippy]

I've seen a video of a car whose crank pulley was likely on the way out and it was clear that there was a bit of movement. So I'd imagine that with periodic inspection you could be warned of a problem and be able to act before failure. As to the actual failure, there's a bit of luck there. If as a result of the damper material starting to fail the belt moves then it is likely to get damaged and shred. The collateral damage from that should be minimal and the ECU will go into limp mode. However bad luck would be a catastrophic failure of the damper material such that the two parts of the pulley separate. Then the risk of more serious collateral damage is higher, e.g. rad damage and/or damage to auxiliary items such as the waterpump.

 

[Dippy]

The airbox design on this car is used on other models and at least one of them has an additional air intake at the front. The actual box on our cars has this opening blanked off. It can easily be opened up by drilling/cutting the plastic and so increases the cold air intake somewhat. Apparently that helps reduce power drop-off at the top end, but probably only at stage 2 where the peak airflow through the supercharger is increased because of the higher drive ratio (as opposed to stage 1 which only changes the threshold of opening the bypass valve without any change to the peak airflow).

 

[g00se]

What he said ^^^

 

[g00se]

Updates...

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe
Scorpion resonated downpipes
Ghost immobiliser
10mm H&R rear spacers

TO DO:
Front spacers
034 rear ARB
ECU & TCU maps
Bigger brakes
Suspension

 

[ninjag]

Updates...

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe
Scorpion resonated downpipes
Ghost immobiliser
10mm H&R rear spacers

TO DO:
Front spacers
034 rear ARB
ECU & TCU maps
Bigger brakes
Suspension

What's your plan with the brakes and suspension?

 

[g00se]

What's your plan with the brakes and suspension?

Suspension-wise.. id love to say coilovers, but i suspect either 20mm Eibach springs or KW adjustable springs. I don't want "stance" look, just purposeful sleeper

As for brakes.. I've started a separate thread, as I'm keen to get peeps thoughts prior to my going stage 2 - the options seem infinite depending on your bank balance!!

Cheers,
goose

 

[ninjag]

Suspension-wise.. id love to say coilovers, but i suspect either 20mm Eibach springs or KW adjustable springs. I don't want "stance" look, just purposeful sleeper

As for brakes.. I've started a separate thread, as I'm keen to get peeps thoughts prior to my going stage 2 - the options seem infinite depending on your bank balance!!

Cheers,
goose

Aye I just noticed that other thread but I'd already posted. I'll be following it with interest.

I just put a full set of Meyle HD suspension on and so far so good, but I did notice that they do adjustable stuff for the front which was tempting.

 

[g00se]

Just ordered 5mm H&R front spacers, and HEL braided brake lines all round... all will be going on next week, along with fitting new spark plugs, and changing the oil in the sports diff

goose

 

[g00se]

Cheeky midweek update...

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe
Scorpion resonated downpipes
Ghost immobiliser
10mm H&R rear spacers
HEL braided brake lines all round

TO DO:
Front spacers
034 rear ARB
ECU & TCU maps
Bigger brakes
Suspension

goose

 

[Simon]

we need pics

 

[g00se]

we need pics

Haha the only one i have is from Unit82's social.. as they installed them whilst doing some track day prep for me

goose

 

[g00se]

Cheeky midweek update part 2...

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe
Scorpion resonated downpipes
Ghost immobiliser
10mm H&R rear spacers
HEL braided brake lines all round
De-badged

TO DO:
Front spacers
034 rear ARB
ECU & TCU maps
Bigger brakes
Suspension

goose

 

[g00se]

This weeks little update...

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe
Scorpion resonated downpipes
Ghost immobiliser
10mm rear spacers
HEL braided brake lines all round
De-badged
5mm front spacers

TO DO:
034 rear ARB
ECU & TCU maps
Bigger brakes
Suspension

goose

 

[g00se]

This weeks little update...

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe
Scorpion resonated downpipes
Ghost immobiliser
10mm rear spacers
HEL braided brake lines all round
De-badged
5mm front spacers
Full Trups LED kit
Honeycomb fog light grilles

TO DO:
034 rear ARB
ECU & TCU maps
Porsche Macan 4-pot Brembos / VBT J-hook disks / EBC Yellowstuff pads
Suspension

goose

 

[Simon]

My research threw up that the RS4/5 ARBs are a good upgrade and can sometimes be found much cheaper than aftermarket items.

 

[g00se]

My research threw up that the RS4/5 ARBs are a good upgrade and can sometimes be found much cheaper than aftermarket items.

Thanks Simon.. i had looked at the 22.5mm RS4 bar (£180 from Darkside), and initially dismissed it as it didnt seem that big.. however further research indicates that stock S4 bars are 21.7mm, and S4s with ADS and sports diff is only 16mm!! (i just measured with my verniers).. so based on the old hot rod skool of thought that each 1mm adds 20% stiffness, i may just go for a stock S4 bar to add (5.7mm) over 100% stiffness.. Any more than that may make it too drfity!!

TBH rear ARBs are normally the first mod i do to my AWD cars.. bang for buck the single best handling mod you can do without compromising ride height/quality. Over the years ive tried Neuspeed / 034 / H&R & SuperPro, and all were great.

That said, the 034 on my B7 S4 cracked its powdercoat and started to prematurely rust... but that was 9 yrs ago and 034 were pretty unknown here then and i had the very first one as there was only one UK importer then and they had never brought one in the UK).

goose

 

[Simon]

My plan was to go for rear RS4/5 ARB first before doing anything with the front, I just haven't got around to it yet. (My S4 has ADS and sport diff)

 

[RyanJonS4]

Mine has sports diff so is only 16mm. I’ve been eyeing up A4 bars so as to not jump up too far from what Audi put on it. You can pick them up off eBay used for peanuts and would be more of an experiment than anything just to see what difference it makes

 

[g00se]

And another... its been a productive week:-

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe
Scorpion resonated downpipes
Ghost immobiliser
10mm rear spacers
HEL braided brake lines all round
De-badged
5mm front spacers
Full Trups LED kit
Honeycomb fog light grilles
Porsche Macan 4-pot Brembos / VBT J-hook disks / EBC Yellowstuff pads

TO DO:
RS4 rear ARB
ECU & TCU maps
Suspension
Honeycomb front grille

goose

 

[g00se]

Mine has sports diff so is only 16mm. I’ve been eyeing up A4 bars so as to not jump up too far from what Audi put on it. You can pick them up off eBay used for peanuts and would be more of an experiment than anything just to see what difference it makes

The more i think about it, the more convinced i am that most RS4s came with ADS and a sports diff with the 22.5mm bar.. so why wont it be fine for us?!? My guess is Audi just "softened" up the S4 to keep it in line with its position in the model line-up as a slightly less hardcore RS4 :/

Either way, as you say.. its all a relatively inexpensive experiment

goose

 

[Simon]

Happy with the new brakes?

 

[g00se]

Happy with the new brakes?

Have managed to do circa 300 miles of gentle driving so far to bed them in.. will do another 200/250 before i really lay on them.. but initial thoughts are that they may need bleeding a few more times as initial peddle travel is a smidge longer than stock. They do firm up quick, and when they bite they feel a lot better than stock.

So, early days.. but looking positive.. oh and they look waaay better (not that anyone but me, and you good folks on here, will ever notice lol)

Cheers
goose

 

[Simon]

I am more of a fan of the hard and fast method of bedding brakes in, up to 70, brake hard down to 30, drive for a few minutes to cool and repeat 4-5 times then off you go.

 

[g00se]

I am more of a fan of the hard and fast method of bedding brakes in, up to 70, brake hard down to 30, drive for a few minutes to cool and repeat 4-5 times then off you go.

Haha - That would be my preferred method for bedding in too.. however the 300 miles I had to do I had the wife in the car, and 50kg Rhodesian Ridgeback in the boot.. so had to be on my best behaviour

goose

 

[cadguy77]

Where did you source your 4 pots from?

 

[g00se]

Where did you source your 4 pots from?

£578 brand spanking new, with clips and SS brake lines from the lads at Unit 82:-
https://unit82performanceparts.co.u...r-kit-with-brake-lines?variant=41178346061997

Then (as i am a stickler for OEM+) i shipped them to BCS Automotive for painting in Gloss Black @ a cost of £200 (as the calipers are new and do not need refurbing - they turned them around in 4 days):-
https://www.bcs-automotive.co.uk/

Then i stuck on my own high temp decals sourced from BCD @ £7.95:-
https://www.brakecaliperdecals.co.uk/Audi-Decals/Audi-S4-Brake-Caliper-Decals-Tri-Colour

I hope this helps.. when i get all the invoices together I'll tot-up the grand total for my "mild" big brake kit.

I know for certain i could have done this cheaper if i didn't get the calipers painted (or painted them myself), and got cheaper front disks and pads.. and didn't opt for matching rear disks as well at the same time! But hey-ho they're done now and should last for quite some time, so on to the next mod

goose