Optimusglen

Doing the tensioner shoes on my S8 today. Did the passenger side first, got it squared away and the valve cover back on. Went smoothly.

Drivers side is near completion, tensioner is back in with everything timed right, but with the tool removed there's still a little bit of slack in the chain.

I don't think the other side was like that, but I can't be sure. Checking with you guys to see if that's normal or not or if it'll pump up once it has oil pressure.

What a PITA job.

silverd2

All the actual tensioning is done by the internal spring...oil pressure stabilizes, moves the entire spring loaded piston up/down (retard/advance) and releases the full-retard (engine off) locking pin. (see link below for dissected view)

I haven't done the driver's side yet, but had considerable tension on the passenger's side with the tool off. BUT, the driver's side is plumbed backwards of the passenger side, so one side pushes up on the chain for advance, while the other pushes down for the same function...so "maybe" the tension on the upper loop of the chain may feel looser(?)

If you haven't already, I'd hand-crank the engine a few revs (good idea to double-check timing, anyway) to see if it seems to snug up some...if the piston bobs up and down during hand cranking, then the piston was not locked in full retard position (common with any miles on em...major cause of start-up rattle)...the internal locking pin, I found, doesn't fail...rather, the leaking oil pressure from a worn piston (and hot oil) doesn't seem to push the piston far enough to reach full retard, for the pin to pop into the internal groove, as the engine is being shut off.

quattroworld.com Forums: Failed 40V cam adjuster dissected...disappointingly non-rebuildable >>>

Optimusglen

Don't I feel stupid... Hand cranked it over several times and it tightened up. Just finished buttoning it all up, going to start it up and hopefully it'll purr like a kitten.

silverd2

[QUOTE=Optimusglen;24670949]Don't I feel stupid... Hand cranked it over several times and it tightened up. Just finished buttoning it all up, going to start it up and hopefully it'll purr like a kitten.

Great!

Hey, I like your oil filler cap

ratbag

I'm not an idiot but cannot work out what PITA means.

Optimusglen

Haha, "Pain In The A..."

Thanks silverD2, the old one needed a seal and I figured why not dress up the bay a bit. I was very close to painting the valve covers red when I had them off, but opted against it, didn't want it too look too busy.

Car runs well, still some noise but for now I'm going to chalk it up as valvetrain noise. Nothing scary or loud.

Should also mention that the drivers side is near impossible without removing the timing belt or trimming the metal TB cover to clear the tensioner. That was my main sticking point. In the end, I trimmed the metal cover and after unbolting it (cannot remove it unless you pull the gear off that cam) and sliding it around a little, I was able to wedge the tensioner out.

I was fortunate enough that if there was any previous work in there that they didn't glob the sealant on. The book says just a little in the sharp corners. Last time I worked on an Audi of this vintage the previous owner put about 1lb. of goop on, it oozed all over and was so time consuming to remove.

Probity

Hello, I have a question. I have Audi A8 D2 1999 4.2 Quattro with 300k km driven. If i start my engine with cold weather it makes 1-2 sec kind of a irritating noise and then goes back to normal. I am assuming that I may face a problem with chain tensioners? I will try to get it on the video tomorrow. When engine warms up it sounds like this... is it how it should sound? I hope you understand me. Thanks

Gregg in the 603

Yep, camshaft chain tensioners. Mine did the exact same thing until I replaced it.

omarcarbomb

After much consideration of my skill level and the PITA factor I have decided to have my mechanic change out my tensioner pads, replace the valve covers gaskets and timing belt at same time.

$1300

The car has 180K.

What I need to decide is do I just to just do the tensioners, valve covers and timing belt or do I go bigger?

Blauparts has 3 kits that kind of give you an idea of all the parts you can replace while you are taking the PITA.

Audi A8 Timing Belt - Audi A8 Timing Belt Kit - 4.2L AKB AUX Base
Audi A8 Timing Belt - Audi A8 Timing Belt Kit - AKB or AUX Engine
Audi A8 Timing Belt - Audi A8 Timing Belt Kit - AKB AUX Enhanced


I just want to get another 50K miles out of this engine since the tranny has 35K on it.

Is is foolishly cheap to not just put in in the extra $500 and replace pump, thermostat, serpentine, seal's, etc while you are at it?

2001 S8

A lot of the guys in the D3 forum are not fans of the Blauparts timing belt kits because the belts seem to wear out/crack very quick. The link below is a well documented example.

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a8-...2881241/page2/

When I had my timing service done. My mechanic used the Continental kit. I've put on 15,000 miles since the timing service and all is good. Maybe that's do to using a knowledgeable mechanic. Maybe that's do to using quality parts. Or maybe it's a combination of both.

Good luck!