Audi A8 D3 3.0TDI ASB cylinder head removal
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Audi A8 D3 3.0TDI ASB cylinder head removal
Hi all, looking for advice.
I have a 2007 A8 D3 3.0TDI ASB 233hp.
I dropped something inside the injector port on cylinder 2 while doing injector seals. Can't fish it out or look for it with a borescope so I'm thinking of pulling the head out to remove it.
As per the repair manual I need to set the engine at TDC and lock the timing but since there is a foreign object in the cylinder, I can't rotate the crankshaft to TDC as to not cause damage to the valves or head.
My question is, can I remove the head without locking the timing and then redo the timing during the head installation? Do I need to set the timing on bank 2 while installing the head on bank 1?
On the bright side, perhaps it's an opportunity to renew all the gaskets and seals and to inspect things since it was never done.
Any insights will be helpful!
P.S. I know I'm dumb.. just looking for advice.
Thanks
I have a 2007 A8 D3 3.0TDI ASB 233hp.
I dropped something inside the injector port on cylinder 2 while doing injector seals. Can't fish it out or look for it with a borescope so I'm thinking of pulling the head out to remove it.
As per the repair manual I need to set the engine at TDC and lock the timing but since there is a foreign object in the cylinder, I can't rotate the crankshaft to TDC as to not cause damage to the valves or head.
My question is, can I remove the head without locking the timing and then redo the timing during the head installation? Do I need to set the timing on bank 2 while installing the head on bank 1?
On the bright side, perhaps it's an opportunity to renew all the gaskets and seals and to inspect things since it was never done.
Any insights will be helpful!
P.S. I know I'm dumb.. just looking for advice.
Thanks
AudiWorld Wiseguy
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Chicago
Can you not just remove all the glow plugs and manually turn the engine whichever direction you need to get the cylinder with the object in it to BDC? Then fish it out through the glow plug hole?
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Wouldn't that be a problem if the object is stuck in one of the valves? I did try to fish it out without turning the engine but couldn't do it. It seems that cylinder 2 (where the problem is) is close to or is at TDC.
AudiWorld Wiseguy
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 4,059
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From: Chicago
What is the object, and where is it stuck? If you dropped it through an injector hole, it being a direct injection diesel, how could it get stuck in a valve? Is it not just sat on top of the piston? You can rotate the engine clockwise or anticlockwise, which ever direction you need to get the affected piston to lower in the bore, and then fish it out through the glow plug hole.
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From: Chicago
You haven't told us what the object is, but compressed air (like the compressors for tools, not the stuff in a can) does a great job of bouncing something around (like a screw) and shooting it out of the path of least resistance. maybe compressed air into the glow plug port, and see if it pops out of the injector port or any combination of that. Something to try before taking of the head But, yah, I think I have the same curious questions as dvs_Dave.
Last edited by Sci-fi_Wasabi; May 18, 2026 at 02:19 PM.
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Thanks for the replies. The object is a small metal plug that is a part of an injector cleaning kit I bought. It's meant to plug the injector bore while cleaning it, so no debris fall down (ironic). When working on cylinder 1 I check the tolerances and everything was fine. The plug was sealing well, and I cleaned the bore successfully.
Moving to cylinder 2 I didn't check the tolerances (big mistake) and went straight to plugging the bore but for some reason the plug fell straight through (did it with the same plug I used on cylinder 1). I did try to fish it out with a magnet through the injector bore but that didn't work. Also tried with a borescope to see where exactly the plug is stuck but that didn't work as well. I'm not sure where exactly its stuck inside. If it's on top of the cylinder, I should've managed to fish it out with the magnet.
I might remove the spark plug and try to lower the cylinder then blow some compressed air inside and try to fish it out again rather than jumping to removing the head (maybe as a last resort) like dvs_dave and Sci-fi_Wasabi mentioned.
Moving to cylinder 2 I didn't check the tolerances (big mistake) and went straight to plugging the bore but for some reason the plug fell straight through (did it with the same plug I used on cylinder 1). I did try to fish it out with a magnet through the injector bore but that didn't work. Also tried with a borescope to see where exactly the plug is stuck but that didn't work as well. I'm not sure where exactly its stuck inside. If it's on top of the cylinder, I should've managed to fish it out with the magnet.
I might remove the spark plug and try to lower the cylinder then blow some compressed air inside and try to fish it out again rather than jumping to removing the head (maybe as a last resort) like dvs_dave and Sci-fi_Wasabi mentioned.
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Just as a conclusion to this thread in case someone looks through it.
In the end I removed the glow plug and with a magnet I lifted the metal plug up, so it lined up with the injector hole and with a second magnet I fished it out through the injector hole.
The metal plugs in the kit I bought have a ridge that is supposed to seal the injector hole and that is what is holding the metal plug.
It turned out that the ridge on the plug was malformed out of the box and it wasn't sealing right so that's why it fell through.
I examined the rest of the plugs in the kit and only 1 (the first one I used for cylinder 1) was not defective.
In the end I removed the glow plug and with a magnet I lifted the metal plug up, so it lined up with the injector hole and with a second magnet I fished it out through the injector hole.
The metal plugs in the kit I bought have a ridge that is supposed to seal the injector hole and that is what is holding the metal plug.
It turned out that the ridge on the plug was malformed out of the box and it wasn't sealing right so that's why it fell through.
I examined the rest of the plugs in the kit and only 1 (the first one I used for cylinder 1) was not defective.
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