Well my sad story started 3 months ago when at a family track day, i spent hours on end out on the track and after the last session there was a large deposit of oil on the undertray. Being sensible i took the car straight home, and had it at my usually reliable mechanic the next day. It was the main crankshaft oil seal, so not a train smash but i hoped it didn’t cause any further damage.
so my instructions to the mechanic were:
- Attend to crankshaft and driveshaft seals as they weep.
- Give the head a porting while we are at it.
- Gearbox crunches going from 3rd to 4th and had since i bought the car.
- Check bottom end and assess if it will last for nexxt seasons racing, if not do not repair it i have a spare bottom end so we can rather just install that one.
3 months, a brand new crown wheel and pinion from Quaife, a new set of synchro’s, a new AP clutch, sump baffle and a head job later, i fetched my car as i had enough waiting and took it back before any mapping for the new head, the car wouldnot rev past 6000 RPM but i was really not interested in waiting another 2 weeks to put the rear clam on.
Cost for my troubles : roughly 2000 pounds
Sent the car in to be mapped and the alternator had been wired incorrectly so needed to be repaired, anyway that was done and the car went on the dyno in the hope of having gained a few extra horses, no 16 RWHP on the last run on the same dyno.
Took the car home and checked the cam timing, it was 26 degrees out on the inlet and 21 degrees out on the exhaust. So my 2000 pounds did not buy me cam timing apparently.
Car was now running ok and had to go for a dyno tomorrow, but low and behold on a short drive today an almighty knocking, big end bearings more than likely, we have established
I have stripped the engine out and we will be building this engine ourselves, as i should have in the first place.
What really annoys me is they had the engine out for 2 months can they not just have checked it for me and asked if i want to replace.
The only thing making me feel slightly better is that the GK racing exige which now lives SA also had some engine trouble this weekend, however we were debating sticking my spare bottom end into it if parts cant be sourced in time and now i am using it.
Rant now over, it occured to me on more than 1 occasion in the garage today, my S4 has a lovely motor, Audi make nice motors. I now fully underatnd someone with little mechanical inclination having to deal with mechanics going th Honda/Duratec/Audi route. I can do it myself and should have, but i fully understand the shift, especially if it’s a daily driver.
SOMEBODY PLEASE OFFER TO INSTALL AN AUDI TURBO FOR ME