2005 Noggy Blue S4 - Project

[JimGreen]

MAY 2014 : Well, I thought it's about time I introduced myself after trawling the website for quite a while. And thought this would be a good introduction post....... LOL.

So here goes....... Hope you'll accept this as my introduction. Here's my recently acquired and honestly immaculate 2005 S4 B6 in Nogaro Blue - With 81k miles from new. I genuinely spent months looking for the best example I could find and after what seems like a very long time, I eventually found this one, complete with a nice registration.

As time goes on and I spend an awful lot of money getting it as I want it, I'm guessing a lot of people will question why I didn't just buy an RS4. Well, my excuse is that I love the B6 shape over the B7 (Sorry) and I love understated cars (Previous cars have been BMW's M5's). But my plans are to sensibly modify the car, first paying attention to the engine & transmission, then moving on to Suspension, Brakes and Wheels, but the engine and transmission will first. After that little lot, hopefully she'll be something a bit special, but a little forced induction would really finish it off........... Hmmm







Coming from mainly BMW's (BMW E46 M3 & E39 M5), and looking for an affordable performance car I suddenly realized what a lot a car you get for your money with the S4.

I started my search, fully aware of all the issues around the timing chain tensioners etc etc, but taking into account how much car you get for your money and the fact that I'm used to pulling engines (Mainly BMW's) I made the decision that even with the possible engine issues, this was still a great choice and at the end of the day I can pull the engine myself and get a specialist to do the timing tensioners, adjusters and if need be replace the chains.

I found my new purchase advertised inevitably on ebay, autotrader & pistonheads, so obviously the guy really wanted to sell it.......LOL.

I was surprised at the condition when I arrived, a gleaming Nogaro Blue, with perfect bodywork and a decent shine, with no car park dinks whatsoever and the only bodywork issues I could see was a small area on the roof, alongside one of the roof guttering's appear to have a little corrosion just starting, but this was very minor.

Checking the service history it revaled a full Audi service history from new until 2011, when it had been sold by an Audi Main Dealership for over £17k to the guy I bought it from. He had then had it serviced annually by just one specialist and the car had receipts totalling nearly £9k from new ! ! ! !

Timing Chain Rattle - Just a little on cold start up and a Little top end flutter on a warm start up, both of these don't happen every time I start from cold/warm, happens about once in every three/four starts. The warm start flutter I believe could be the inlet manifold Flap, but I will investigate this very soon.

So far I've replaced the two front tyres and brand matched them with the rears which were almost new. Given the bodywork a good wash, clay bar, polish & wax.

It goes into the body shop next Tuesday for a front bumper respray, few stone chips with a slight scuff and to sort out the paint issue in the roof guttering on the drivers side.

UPDATE : So......the body shop want to do the whole roof to ensure it comes out perfect, they were not willing to paint and blend, which is fair enough although more expensive. They're also going to "Micro Blast the affected area back to bare metal and then treat it prior to painting which they say should prevent further corrosion..... Really sounds like they know what they're doing.



JUNE 2014 : Well....... After two months of ownership, I get a smile on my face every time I go out (In the car.....LOL) just love that V8 Roar..... Goes with the registration plate.....

So far I've had the onset of corrosion sorted in the drivers side roof guttering all sorted by a specialist body shop. I just couldn't be bothered going to Audi and haggling over what percent I would have to contribute to what should be totally down to them as my car is well within the body corrosion warranty period and has a full service history. So I decided to go to a specialist body shop who went the whole hog in an attempt to ensure that the corrosion was removed and did everything to prevent it from returning. Micro blasted the channel back to bare metal, all bare metal treated with some type of rust inhibitant, sealed, primed, topcoat etc etc and the strip that seals the roof guttering had the rubbers replaced and the undersides treated with waxoil prior to being refitted. Whole roof resprayed, front bumper and front wings resprayed. Over the moon with the quality of their work (Mission Bodyshop - Gosport - Hampshire) total perfectionist.....

Here's the finished results - Perfect colour match, perfect finish match.













So pleased with it, I've decided to spend a little more on her, So I'll keep updating this on a weekly basis, first mod due to be completed this coming weekend.

Pics to follow :

Plan is : Wheels, Suspension, Exhaust System and full timing chain tensioner overhaul using "full" JH Motorsport kit.

http://jhmotorsports.com/shop/catalog/j ... -2311.html

All this will be done this month, yep I know it's a huge outlay, but I recently sold one of my toys and feel it's worth it, plus over the years with BMW's I've built up a good group of people in the trade who will help me keep other costs down.

Late JUNE 2014: Wheels should be here on Friday - BBS CH 19 x 8.5 et35 and Falken Tyres, Suspension mods will be limited to H&R Springs (25/30mm drop) as the dampers appear to be in good condition and damping ok. To finished it off.........and to match the registration "S4 ROR" it just has to have a decent exhaust fitted and I've decided on a Milltek Cat Back System (Non Resonated).

Hopefully I will get springs and wheels on this weekend, then starting to pull the engine & box out for the timing work and a new clutch while I'm at it, then I'll fit the exhaust at the same time.

Going to be a busy month, but just want to get it all done. Love my modern classics and this one is worth holding on too for quite a few years, hence my willingness to spend on it.

JULY 2014 : Wheels Arrived.......... But springs not yet fitted. Just before we were about to start pulling the engine, these arrived. I just had to fit one side and take a few pics. H&R springs not fitted at this stage.






END JULY 2014:


Well.............. Having got the engine out I decided to spend a little time tidying up the engine bay and replacing a few other items while I have an empty engine bay.

A few delays due to waiting for a few parts in addition to all of the timing chain/tensioners/guides/inlet cam adjusters etc etc etc which I have had for some time.

I decided that while the engine was out, I may as well replace the two non return valves and the oil jet after removing the inlet manifold, so had a week lost waiting for these.... but at least it will set my mind at rest knowing that I'm replacing every possible component to give me another 100k miles with minimal issues.





I purchased my H&R Springs from Goose a user on here and Audi-Sport.net and these are now on the car now but until the engine & box is back in place it's not worth putting up pics.

The 19" BBS CH wheels & Falken tyres were the first things to arrive and look great, but they'll look even better once the car is no longer on the lift in the air and sat on the ground...... LOL.

So I'm holding fire on those pics too......

Milltek Exhaust System (Non Resonated) arrived and is presently sat in my garage waiting to be taken to my buddy at Moorland Motors who are refitting the engine, but he's asked if I can hang onto it until mid week, as space is limited in his workshop, but at least I now have it in my dirty little hands, as this too delayed a few things as Milltek must be doing really well at the moment as they are now only building to order and it took them four weeks to produce. Very pleased with the quality of their work though and worth the wait.





The pictures below were taken about two weeks ago when I first started removing the engine........ More To Follow.

[Rick_RS4]

Nice motor mate, wheels suit it well and love the colour.

[neilparf]

Wow. Stunning. Nice work in the right places.

[MikeFish]

Those BBS look really nice in that close up shot. Can't wait to see the full view! so much better than those standard wheels!!

[JimGreen]

Well, after a few delays and my mechanic being a bit anal about cleaning parts (Many Thanks - Real Professional) as they were taken out and in some cases cleaning parts before they were taken off to prevent and debris falling into the engine, things are finally on the move. A few additional parts that I hadn't budgeted for have had to be bought as it would be stupid not to fit them now while the engine and gearbox are out. Those parts include a new flywheel, Clutch and Pressure Plate and taking the sump off to cure a few seeping areas, along with a few unexpected gaskets, but when your doing this much work it's not worth scrimping. I'm just dreading adding up what it'll have cost at the end, but this is a long term project and this is just making sure the mechanics of the car are perfect before I go even further.

I won't bore you with what a pain it is to remove the engine and box and how many components you have to move out of the way first, but just to say it's not for the faint hearted, but if your mechanically minded and have access to some decent facilities it is possible.

So now I'll just add the pics of a sorry looking car, that will be perfect once I've finished.

Here goes :













And lo and behold, I found the reason for committing to doing a total rebuild of the timing gear, every item is being replaced as recommended by JHMotorsports, and just as they state, most of the engines that come in for a timing gear rebuild, they almost always find one particular tensioner has failed........... Which is exactly what I found, luckily mine had only cracked and not broken up and fallen into any other moving components. Guess I was lucky, or my timing was perfect in doing this mammoth job. As you will see, the timing chain tensioner (The guide actually) had cracked in two, but was still in place.







Having checked all of the remaining guides/tensioners, everything else appeared in good condition, but showing signs of wear, this is an 81k miles car, so not a sky high mileage one. Just goes to show.















Well, I hope that's enough pics to keep you guys happy for a couple of days, the next pics will be when everything has been replaced.

And for anyone who's going to ask how much this is costing ........... DON'T.

[R Black]

Great looking S4, going to be quite an impressive Noggy once finished. Thanks for sharing.

[marc1]

Wow you've really got stuck into that straight away - and it seems just at the right time too. good preventative maintenance! Noggy's a great colour, and like you say a B6 S4 is is little under the radar to most.

You mentioned forced induction. And the engine is out at the moment...

I'd recommend when you are looking at suspension you go straight for these: http://www.larkspeed.com/index.pl?a=i&p ... ll-Bar-Kit

They're the H&R 32mm front, 24mm rear bars designed for the B7 RS4 and are perfect on the B6 S4 (both set to stiff). Some do the OEM 22mm rear only, some do aftermarket rear only. Personally I find the front and rear works best together. Really is a bang for buck upgrade and you'll appreciate it coming from M3's and 5's.

Also the servotronic is quite a bit too over assisted in my opinion. You can sort that out by pulling the relay behind the fuse box. It'll have a number like 638 on it and is a black box. Remove it and the steering is noticeably heavier. At first it may feel too heavy at low speed, but after a little drive you get used to it and it feels much better (IMO). Goggle 640 mod, there a few how to guides, but it's just behind the steering wheel, accessible via the fuse box entry to the dash.

Keep us posted with progress.

[JimGreen]

Well......... As the days tick past I keep doing all those little bits that while the engine's out you should take advantage of.

So, if anyone want's two pre cats from a 2005 B6 S4........... here they are, you just need to come and collect them :





And I'll keep the Piggy Pipes with both Pre-Cats removed.





So, the story so far...... "Full" timing chain component replacement, including every chain, every guide, every tensioner and both the mechanical cam adjusters...... everything. Milltek Cat Back Exhaust System (Non Resonated), Piggy Pipes (Pre-Cats removed from Down Pipes), a lot of gaskets replaced while the engine was out. New Flywheel, Clutch & Pressure Plate, H&R Springs Fitted, BBS CH 19 x 8.5 Wheels Fitted. Replaced Coils, Plugs, Air Filter and Full Oil (Castrol 5-40) and Filter Change. I've also fitted some 02 Sensor Spacers to try and eliminate the CEL light being activated (I'll see if that works or not). But once were up and running then I need a JHM Remap, but obviously being in England this will have to be done by a download.

I'm way off my target date of getting everything done in a month, but I'm hopeful she'll be back on the road by the end of this coming week.

Once I'm happy with how she runs, then we move to the next step.

[JimGreen]

I'd recommend when you are looking at suspension you go straight for these: http://www.larkspeed.com/index.pl?a=i&p ... ll-Bar-Kit

They're the H&R 32mm front, 24mm rear bars designed for the B7 RS4 and are perfect on the B6 S4 (both set to stiff). Some do the OEM 22mm rear only, some do aftermarket rear only. Personally I find the front and rear works best together. Really is a bang for buck upgrade and you'll appreciate it coming from M3's and 5's.

Also the servotronic is quite a bit too over assisted in my opinion. You can sort that out by pulling the relay behind the fuse box. It'll have a number like 638 on it and is a black box. Remove it and the steering is noticeably heavier. At first it may feel too heavy at low speed, but after a little drive you get used to it and it feels much better (IMO). Goggle 640 mod, there a few how to guides, but it's just behind the steering wheel, accessible via the fuse box entry to the dash.

Keep us posted with progress.

Too Late for the Anti Roll Bar Kit............ I've got this on it's way ...........



Your totally right about the steering being too light with little or no feedback...... MANY THANKS for the info on the fuse removal, I'll certainly be trying that mod.

Will certainly keep you posted.

What I have been impressed with is the underside of the car, once all of the under trays were removed to get the engine out, exhaust off and the suspension changed, I was really impressed just how clean the underside is. A spray with some truck cleaner and a steam cleaner and this looks like a one month old car underneath, totally no corrosion at all, just the alloy components have a little oxidisation on, making them dull....... So of course I had to give it a coat of polish.......... Ok, So I'm a bit anal but happy. Pics to follow.


Regards Jim

[marc1]

Looking forward to the pics. That 034 bar will do the trick. I think it's 25.6mm IIRC, so will be a marked improvement over stock.

[R Black]

Can the pre cats be got with the engine in situ?

[JimGreen]

Yes, they can.

Obviously need to lift the car up on stands, and then remove the exhaust, then the down pipes.

Once you've done this which should take about an hour, removing the pre cats is about thirty minutes work on each.

Well worth it from what I've read, still got to get my engine back in to verify though.....LOL

[ASC]

Nice work!

[JimGreen]

Not a lot to say about the pictures below, this is with the "Full Plus Kit" fitted (All timing components replaced).

Just getting ready to put it back into the car.































Well, I hope that makes up for not posting for a few days, just looking forward to getting it back into the car, hoping for a bit of a performance increase as now the timing will be spot on, as the variable cam timing adjusters were both worn and not timing the inlet cam accurately, the Milltek (Non Resonated Exhaust System) will give a little extra, along with the piggy pipes (Pre Cats Removed on the down pipes). Once it's up an running again it will be treated to a JHM remap, downloaded into the ECU.

http://jhmotorsports.com/shop/catalog/j ... p-381.html

Yep it's taken longer than the month I intended, but cleanliness is next to godliness...... LOL, and every inch of the motor and transmission has been cleaned to perfection and I've treated to cam covers to something special to brighten them up....... Pics to follow once she's all back together.

It's been a huge job and VERY expensive, but to me it's worth it. I've replaced every timing component, plus all of the chains, plus the flywheel, clutch and pressure plate and a load of gaskets were replaced to play it safe, I've also replaced a load of other items, engine front snub mount, a couple of sensors and the serpentine belt will also be replaced, the tensioner was replaced about a year ago so this should be ok. To be honest, I've lost track of some of the other minor items I've replaced........ So many.

Once I get a spare moment, when the car is back up an running, I'll post some pics of the old components so give an idea of where the wear occurs and which items appear to fail first and show the failures....... this is on an engine that has a full Audi service history from new, was owned by two previous owners, the first of which was 68yrs old, so I doubt he thrashed it. The second owner who I purchased it from had looked after it like it was one of his children......... so it just goes to show that even the pampered cars can still suffer with the timing issues.

But at the end of the day, I think this will be one of the best B6 S4's in the UK.

[Ben337]

This is one epic Thread and I am only a quarter of the way through but have sub'd and will continue to read avidly. Fantastic, very detailed and informative and a "must" for me as I have also taken recent delivery of my S4 B6 (like you I love this over the B7 etc) and adore the V8 sound. I also am planning some subtle updates which I have started on, and also some more ambitious plans around the exhaust system, remap and brakes, so this thread is just perfect for me.

Much appreciated - keep up the excellent thread updates, pictures etc and expect some PM's form me with questions!

Cheers for now
Ben