Kimchee

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It tooks us 3 weeks total to do the install. Most of it waiting for parts and working at night for a couple hours at a time after work.

***You will most definitely need an engine hoist. but that'a duh! =) Take pictures as you go and before you take parts off so that you have a reference point if you ever get lost or can't figure out where what goes***

We pulled out the tranny as well because he was upgrading his clutch to spec 2 and refinishing his fly wheel. So the obvious: disconnect the exhaust and the drivetrain. Off with the wheels, drop the subframe and of course the front end and with the engine crane, it will come out. Cover up all your sensors in plastic baggies. Stuff the inlet pipes and all other pipes leading ot the turbos with clean towels. We disconnected the calipers when we dropped the subframe, but apparently we didn't have to. THis caused a big headache, because an air bubble got lodged in the master brake cylinder and moved the diaphram. Just hang the calipers so that you don't run into this issue. To disconnect the driveshafts, you need a 8 point star key bit... you can pick one up for cheap at your local hardware store.

WD40 will be your best friend when it comes to loosening some nuts and bolts. Always make sure you know which way to turn the ratchet.. as one of our buddies was tightening one of the subframe bolts and "POP" it broke off. We had to use an extractor to get that shizzot out. What a biotch!!

Don't forget to drain your fluids, coolant and oil. Replace gasket seals whereever you can, especially for the exhaust manifold. When you take off nuts and bolts, put them back on after the parts are pulled. Get new nuts for the exhaust manifold, as these are copper and will seize if the engine has a lot of miles. Always good to have fresh "parts". =) Pick up new clamps as well. Especially the little tiny ones that require a needle nose plier to pinch.

One situation you don't want to end up doing is finding extra bolts on the ground after the engine is back in. BIG BIG HEADACHE. Get all your torque specs before hand. If you need these, I can ask my friend to pass me the link to a "manual". Taking off the turbos was a breeze, but putting the new ones back on was a biotch! I dunno why. The driver side turbo was the hardest because of it's location. You'll see, especially when it comes to connecting the water and oil lines. ARRRGGH!!

Don't take off the AC condensor and the lines, just swing it to the side.

Will you be replacing the stock fueling kit with the RS4 fueling kit? If so, make sure you're on an empty tank of gas. You will need to get a special "fuel pump" tool to get it in and out. It's a real bitch. There are 3 notches on the fuel pump...2 are spaced equally and one isn't. So you have to line it up correctly. We ended up taking out the fuel level sensor to give us enough play room in the fuel tank. When you pull off the injectors, make sure you label which one goes where. If you're not doing this, no worries.

Putting the engine back in is actually a lot easier than pulling it out. OF course you will have to add all your fluids back in... Before you start the car, you need to prelube the turbos. Put the key in the acccessory position, don't start the car, this will run oil through the turbos and lube everything. You will need to add some more oil after this, as on the S4, it ate up almost a full quart of oil.

You will NEED to bleed the coolant. Do you know how to do this? Turn the engine on and on the firewall (closest to the cabin) there are 2 thick tubes that run into it. Pull the right side out (slowly, coolant is friggin HOT)..a little at a time until you see coolant bubbling out. So while a friend is revving the engine, you pull and then put back one... he lets off the gas, then repeat until you see a really strong steady stream of coolant shoot out. It's dangerously hot, so make sure you are protected at all times.

This is all I can think of for now. You won't really need any pecial tools other than that star key bit and the tools for the timing belt... I hope you have a torque wrench, breaker bar, all your sockets, open end wrenches, needle nose pliers, pliers, zip ties, flat heads, philips, allen keys, hex bits... aside from that.. it's really fun! Just time consuming. Good luck w/ the install, post pics and let me know if you need more assistance, I can put you in touch with some gear head friends of mine who are much more knowledgeable than I.

Cheers!!! =)))))
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2.7Twin

YGM

AudiForYou's 2.7T

Awesome! Thanks a lot!!! I will be in contact with you when I begin.

AudiForYou's 4.2

Good post. Very informative : )