[Brennan610]

These look sick!

 

[fletcher_w1996]

i watched the video and wow.. the most annoying this about shifting my car is the distance from first to second feels like forever! ive wanted to buy one but can't find myself having enough money to buy a JHM one, is the one i linked the same you purchased?

 

[CactusAvant]

Well this is long overdue. I finished the 4.2 swap a little over a month ago, then two days later started a new job in PA and put 2700 miles on the swap already in just one month. I'm very impressed/lucky how reliable its been. Only issue was the battery needing to be replaced. There is a tensioner that is getting a little noisy now too, but I will talk about that a little later. To be honest, I did a terrible job documenting everything as far as pictures and such goes. I was on such a tight timeline, I didn't even think about it most the time. I finished the entire swap in about 3 weeks.

Important notes from the swap:

- AEB to ART wiring is not well documented anywhere, but is almost exactly the same as AHA to ART which has been documented relatively well. The wiring takes a while and kind of sucks, but it's not terrible.
- Prefacelift cars need the entire pedal assembly swapped over to facelift for drive by wire. Honestly, this was probably my least favorite part of the entire swap, it sucked so bad lol.
- Radiator. I used the same setup that was on the red donor car. Apparently it is a 4.2 A6 radiator. I did not have to trim any headlights or anything to make it fit. Obviously the core support needed trimming, but that's the sam with any 4.2 swap essentially.
- Air conditioning. I am planning on installing air conditioning. I have everything installed except for the condenser and AC lines from the compressor. This is because I couldn't find the lines anywhere, but its going to be a very tight fit. I will make a post about it when I do it.
- Clutch and flywheel. I am currently using a stock 2.8 setup due to funds before starting the job. Honestly, haven't had a single problem with it. Seems to hold very well even when full throttle at high RPM. I'm sure the setup is very bad for launching the car, but I don't plan to be doing launches maybe ever. That being said, eventually if I replace the clutch, I will probably go with something a little stronger.
- Transmission. I am using the stock 1.8t 5 speed. Honestly, its not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Obviously it would be nice to have a 6th gear, but it would have been nice even in the 1.8t. Again, its one of those things that would be nicer to have, but definitely not necessary. The lower gears are pretty aggressive for the 4.2 and its kind of fun. Would prefer a 6 speed though, but doesn't bother me at all.
- Flywheel spacer. Make sure you have one if you are doing a dual mass flywheel.
- Check engine light code. Currently have like 12 lol. 4 are because of no cats and bad O2 sensors, but there are also codes for secondary O2, which I deleted, vehicle crash signal (tuns on flashers and shuts off engine is event of accident. Prefacelift never came with this feature apparently), EPC warning lamp (not sure what to do about this yet), right and left engine mount solenoids. These are all the CELs you can expect to have if you do what I did to a prefacelift car. You will definitely need to get the car tuned for manual trans, and have some of these coded out.


A final look at this neglected 4 cylinder engine bay
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Radiator setup from the red car
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Both engines pulled
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

These are electrical noise reducing grounding points that unfortunately broke off the wiring harness due to fragile wiring. They are a ground for the ignition coils and bolt to the fuel rail. I just replaced them with normal grounds because I could not find any cheap replacements to save my life, and apparently they aren't even needed. Didn't notice anything bad without them
Capacitors by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Wiring pictures credit goes to a couple guys on Audizine for a lot of the wiring.
V8 swap wiring by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap wiring by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap wiring by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap wiring by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Fan relay wiring
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
ART wiring harness
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

The flywheel/clutch situation was a little less than ideal. Originally, I had just planned on reusing the clutch and flywheel setup from the red car because it was brand new when the swap was done to that car, and *apparently* it only had like 3k miles on the setup. Which may have been true, however it doesn't look like these were easy miles. The car had three owners after being swapped and I'm pretty sure the car was not gone easy on.
Flywheel face not looking very well
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
New vs. old clutch disk
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
So turns out, whoever swapped the car or did the flywheel never put a spacer in between the flywheel and engine block. The flywheel was actually rubbing away at the rear main seal housing to the point where there were some tiny cracks and oil was leaking into the trans housing.
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
I decided to just make my own flywheel spacer since it was such a basic part and I was on a very strict timeline during the project and could not wait for one to come in.
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
New flywheel with spacer
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Rear main seal gasket came torn from ECS so that set me back a day or two which was touch on my tight timeline
New flywheel installed
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
New head gaskets. Inside of the engine doesn't look bad for 140k miles
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Did all new timing belt, water pump, etc
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Accessory belt tensioner was a different story. The one on the bottom is the original tensioner. As you can see, the pulley is smaller. Apparently this part went out of production in 2001 and they replaced it with the above tensioner with the bigger pulley. Obviously, with a bigger pulley, the stock ART belt no longer fits, you need to buy a belt that is apparently 32mm longer (which the part number is 077903137Q)
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

AWE twin 2 exhaust with x-pipe that came from the donor car
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Milltek 4.2 downpipes heat wrapped (mostly because I was worried about heat in the engine bay and close to the wiring and such)
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Had to buy a new DTS since the one on the car was bent up in the accident.
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Also swapped to an early S4 cluster (wiring was a huge pain) and added the new stalk with buttons
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Cluster is not in great shape apparently
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Engine in
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

How close the belts and everything are to the core support
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Car would start, but would not rev at all after initial pedal press. I chased this problem down for days and it turned out to be a poorly repaired cam position sensor that was on the motor
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Engine in and semi-buttoned up for a quick shakedown
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

More pictures and videos to come of course. A lot of changes to the engine bay to clean and dress it up. My only goal was to get the car running and driving reliably before I had to start work so there's lots of room for improvement. Valve covers are getting powder coated currently, and red top coils and adapters are in.


1 month review on the swap so far - I absolutely love it. Its a perfect amount of power for a B5 IMO. Even though I have an exhaust leak currently, the sound it SO good. Having torque is awesome. Its just so much fun. It just feels very cool to have a V8 swapped Audi too finally. Its not the fastest engine out there, but I think there's a cool factor to it. I'm so happy I was able to do it after all these years. Some of the little things I like are that I don't have to put 93 oct in it like I did for my tune on my 1.8. Gas mileage on the highway is about 21, which isn't bad I don't think. No worries about turbo problems, boost leaks, etc. Obviously there are some downsides too. Allegedly 124lbs heavier than the 1.8, gas milage isn't as good, and 4.2 parts are expensive man, lol. Also it hurts to buy things like the ignition coils and adapters because there's twice as many. Oil changes are more expensive too since this thing takes 8qrts of oil lol. Overall though, very glad I did it and it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Very excited to clean it up a bit and work out some of the little issues.

I'm sure I missed a bunch of things in this post, but if anyone has questions about the swap into an AEB or preface lift car, just let me know, I'd be glad to help.

 

[NeedingAnAudi]

Nice dude! Still waiting to get back to mine.

 

[CactusAvant]

Nice dude! Still waiting to get back to mine.

Thanks! I can see why you guys like the swap so much.

Quick video of the exhaust. Like I said, its an AWE twin 2 exhaust with an x-pipe, but has an exhaust leak currently, so it will sound a little bit different. You can also hear how loud the tensioner is thats going bad.
V8 exhaust by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

 

[xdewaynex]

Awesome job, looks and sounds good. Makes me wish I would have V8 swapped mine instead of dumping money into a turbo build.

 

[NeedingAnAudi]

Thanks! I can see why you guys like the swap so much.

Quick video of the exhaust. Like I said, its an AWE twin 2 exhaust with an x-pipe, but has an exhaust leak currently, so it will sound a little bit different. You can also hear how loud the tensioner is thats going bad.
V8 exhaust by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

It’s the perfect amount of coolness/acceleration/MURICA sounds. All in a 100% unassuming car.

 

[CactusAvant]

Slowly cleaning up the engine bay. Red powder coated valve covers, IE coil adapters, and red top coils. I decided to go with red because V8. Doesn't go well with green, but you only see it when the hood is open and it makes it look more ridiculous for a green station wagon to have, so I love it. Now if I can only clean up the paint on the intake manifold and get my B6 S4 engine cover to fit...

New car things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
New car things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
New car things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
On the left are the coils I used. The middle came off my 1.8 but were too short with the coil adapters. The right is the stock A6 coil.
New car things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Also, I got the AC to fit.... "fit". I haven't seen much information on AC for the 4.2 swaps other than "its possible". No pictures of it installed anyway that I can find. So here is some info and pictures from how I did it. And yes, I do have a 4.2 radiator and was still able to fit the S4 condenser without much of an issue. I used all S4 lines, condenser, drier, etc. Had to bend the S4 lines by hand which was a nightmare without a pipe bender. On the S4 both of the lines from the compressor go between the subframe and the oil pan. I was only able to fit one in there and had to run one in front of the engine too.
S4 AC lines (black) vs A4 AC lines (silver)
New car things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
AC stuff by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
New car things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
S4 and A4 drier mounts are different, so I just made my own bracket out of a piece of steel and mounted to the stock A4 mount location
AC stuff by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Condenser mounted
AC stuff by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Had to trim a bit more from the bumper bar to get the fans to fit
New car things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Liiiiittle bit of bumper trimming
New car things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
New car things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Also added a B6 S4 power steering cap because why not
AC stuff by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
AC stuff by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Also installed facelift tails a while ago
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
V8 swap things by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

 

[Brennan610]

Do you think you could get away with using the A4 drier and just get S4 ac lines that go to the condenser and the pump or do you actually need the full set up?
I also have the full ac setup from my C5, I wonder if that could possibly fit.

 

[NeedingAnAudi]

I appreciate the progress! From what I’ve researched, 2.8 a/c lines work great as well

 

[CactusAvant]

Do you think you could get away with using the A4 drier and just get S4 ac lines that go to the condenser and the pump or do you actually need the full set up?
I also have the full ac setup from my C5, I wonder if that could possibly fit.

I appreciate the progress! From what I’ve researched, 2.8 a/c lines work great as well

Thanks! more to come soon hopefully. I think next is moving the fuel lines so they aren't bend around and sketchy like they are now. Then I can fit my B6 S4 engine cover too hopefully.

I can tell you that if you decide to use an S4 condenser, you will need S4 or 2.8 lines for the compressor. I had a 2.8 compressor line that I decided not to use, but I think you could use them. They both run in front of the engine and have a little bend that I think was made to go over the snub mount(?). The problem I had was that they would take some more bending to make fit properly (for example, the snub mount bends would have to be straightened out) and that I didn't really have much room to run two lines in front of the engine. Might have to cut more of the core support. Like Alex said though, I definitely think you could make them work. Either 2.8 or S4 lines will need some pretty good bending though.

As far as the A4 drier, I don't really see why you wouldn't be able to run that either. I think you would run into the problem of needing to bend the line between the drier and the compressor, which might be tough. The only differences I've noticed with the two driers are how they are mounted, and where the inlets and outlets are. The A4 drier has the inlet and outlet on opposite sides while the S4 one has the inlet on outlet right next to each other, effectively on the same side, facing outwards of the engine bay. I'm not sure if they have the same inlet and outlet bungs or not, but I would assume they do. I think packaging/fitment wise, the S4 one would be better to use, but I think the A4 one could be made to work. I left my A4 drier and attached lines in the car for a while before I installed the S4 AC stuff and it wasn't in the way of anything.

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to run the A6 4.2 condenser. Its a little bit of a weird setup, but it seems like it could work. I haven't looked into it much or heard much about it honestly. Might be worth trying through, especially if you have the parts. I also don't know what all the hose connections are like and if they will fit. I don't see why they wouldn't be the same, but it is Audi, so you never know lol

 

[CactusAvant]

Well. Here it is. The final 'mod' Ive wanted to do to this car. I know I say that now, and then in a week I'm going to say "okay, last mod, I swear" while I'm installing RS4 pedals or something. And I know some people are going to say 'yEaH bUt ItS nOt PeRiOd CoRrEcT', I agree, but I don't care at all. This wheel has totally transformed the driving experience. It feels so good and I love the look of it. In my opinion, the most important mods are the ones that you touch and are constantly looking at while driving. Either way, its an 8V A3 S-Line wheel. I got it for very 'cheap' for doing some work on a friends B7. Install was super straight forward, just had to re-pin the wiring harness. No airbag light and the horn works, so we should be good to go. None of the buttons on the steering wheel work obviously, but it would be cool if the volume scroll wheel worked - thats really all I would use on the wheel.
730CA13F-C3C3-451F-8A26-17E79E8ACC3F_1_201_a by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
B483CA43-7DB2-4577-BA44-2076490F7BF3_1_201_a by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
A50D9BF0-2B4D-42CE-8618-3B1CBAC50026_1_201_a by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
998E939D-BC4F-45F8-97FE-FD2CB99ED463_1_201_a by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

 

[xdewaynex]

Looks awesome, and honestly doesnt really look out of place.

 

[CactusAvant]

Looks awesome, and honestly doesnt really look out of place.

Thanks! Yeah, I agree. I thought it would have looked a little more out of place than it does.

 

[CactusAvant]

Figured Id post a little update since its been a while. The avant hasn't been driven in a couple months for a few reasons. First, I have been working on the exhaust so its not leaking anymore and so terribly loud and I'm getting cats welded in. Its taking forever for the shop to weld them, but I just want to be able to pass inspection again and I'm kind of over the whole smelly car thing. Second, I bought a new car since I drive so much for work and the avant is not reliable enough. I have been enjoying every second of this car, but I do miss the avant dearly. I'll get it back on the road soon enough. I hope.

F679C4D5-B7DD-4F52-ADAE-E90956E8594E by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
B455D549-E990-434A-B14B-FF851956E71E by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
5EB5877A-1373-42DC-9E90-794537AB0B7E by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
B08E1FC9-97CF-4437-8A06-CAF27F00C48A by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
0620B8A3-F517-44DC-B66F-041D4A9BE180 by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
Woof
34D5D6E5-D41E-4BFC-8318-E7C9762DF463 by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
E5487E9E-4950-451E-92F4-67A934C53082 by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
782F33BC-76C0-4DA0-A2B0-A20FA1B12E46_1_201_a by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr
18942919-5E33-448F-9AE3-5AEC75FDDA58_1_201_a by Spencer Kohli, on Flickr

Obviously no S4 avant for us in the US, but I had to get a somewhat rare/interesting spec, so it took a while but I finally found one with (almost) everything I wanted. Its a 2013 Moonlight blue S4 with lunar interior and Aluminum optics package. Manual, carbon package, sport diff, B&O speakers, MMI package, and it came with an ECS intake and AWE Track exhaust, so I am pretty happy with it.

That being said, I will be getting back to the B5 soon. Not many (if any) more mods planned for it. Just want to clean it up a little and enjoy it.