Oh boy. Where do I start.


If the engine idles fine the noise you're hearing isn't the pistons hitting the valves. Once that happens it won't idle worth crap and you might as well go out and get real drunk before getting the estimate bill. Both cylinder heads to be removed, rebuilt, and/or replaced and reinstalled ... I see $7000 easy ... why so much? Step one: remove engine. Step 2. Remove turbos. Step 3. Remove cylinder heads. ... you get the idea.


So. Lets hope that didn't happen.


Ok. First off, the teeth on the timing belt are meaningless on the 2.8/2.7L engine. Audi knows that belts vary slightly from maker to maker, so why let the teeth limit the calibration? The cogs on the cam are infinitely adjustable in relation to the camshafts actual position. Once you put the new belt on, you SYNC them to be exactly where they need to be.


The cam lock tool (the big huge bar) actually /positions/ the camshafts in relation to the cam cogs. The cogs are not keyed. They can sit on the camshaft in any position, but the "washer" with two holes in it which you keep parallel to the ground? Those /always/ are in sync with the cam since -they- are notched. Yes, FRICTION holds the cam to the cam cog. No kidding here. It's always been sufficient and no one I know has seen one slip so it's a good design and don't worry about it.


First things first-- time to get the cams in sync.


1. Roughly line up the crank/cams so that the smaller holes on the cam washers are facing towards each other (towards the center of the engine) and the TDC mark on the crank pulley is at the notch in the cam belt cover.


2. Remove the crankshaft position sensor down on the front drivers side of the block and insert the special audi crankshaft lock tool (purchaseable at your audi dealer). As it threads into the hole the crank will get budged a little and is now exactly where it needs to be and cannot move.


3. Take the belt off. I know, this isn't what you wanna do but you gotta.


4. Take off the bolts that hold the cam cogs on to the cams.


5. Now, using VAG tool xxxx (or your favorite hammer) give the cam cog washer (that thing with the holes in it under the cam bolt) a few good whacks. Act like you're trying to bend it towards the engine. One sharp one should break it free and it will fall onto the ground into the bucket of used oil you left there on accident from earleir. Don't worry about it now, we'll fish it out later. Next put a rag over the cam cog and give it a good whack on the forward facing edge. It too will fall off. If your driveway is on a hill make sure to chase after it before it ends up on the street. Repeat on the other cam.


6. Lay the cam cogs back onto the cams and the washer/bolts back on, and tighten the bolts by hand down to the point where the cam cog can rotate freely from the camshaft with only minor interferance. The cam is tapered. The cog should be sitting on the cam rather loosely right now for this to occur but tight enough that it can't rock much back and forth.


7. Take the special audi VAG camshaft sync bar tool (or your favorite substitution) and slide it into the holes of the "washer" that's under each cam bolt. THIS SYNCS THE CAMSHAFT-- it is critical that it locks into the camshafts perfectly. It's laying across the engine essentially 'connecting' the two camshafts to one another and resting parallel to the ground. You will have to slightly turn one cam to get the bar to stick into all four holes perfectly and in doing so the cams are now perfectly in sync, and the crankshaft is still locked and exactly where you want it.


8. Put the belt back on with this bar still in place. Let the cam cogs rotate as they need to during this process. Remember, they are capable of turning, the cams cannot.


9. Release the tensioner. Give the belt a few tugs, the cogs will turn slightly to let the tension complete.


*** A note about the hydraulic tensioner- compress it using a vice NO FASTER than 5 minutes. That is you will sit there slowly turning the vice at sufficient speed that it takes 5 minutes to fully compress the piston. Any faster and it ruptures internally and you've toasted your timing belt tensioner. Once it's fully compressed stick a hex key or drill bit through the holes to get it to lock like you would put a pin into a grenade.


10. Torque the cam bolts down to spec. 45 ft/lbs if memory serves. Do not use loc-tite.


11. Remove the cam position bar and the crankshaft lock tool. Finish putting things back together.


12. Poof. You're done. Drink German beer- I suggest Gordon Beirsch Pilsner. :)

> - Keman
(post archived from the Biturbo S4 list at Audifans.com)

The ABS failure is not all that uncommon o­n these cars.  (Various Audi/VW models suffer the same failures.)

Changing the ABS controller is probably not something you want to attempt yourself.  Also, it can be difficult to find these ABS controllers.  There are two units to choose from.  The first is 8E0 614 111E which is for models with electronic differential lock (EDL).  The second is 8E0 614 111AT which is for models with ABS, Electronic Differential Lock, and ESP (Electronic Stability Program).  Audi dealers seem to be about the o­nly place to find them lately and at considerable cost (~$1,000). 

Bentley Publishers does produce a manual for these cars o­n CD-ROM.  It is available here, and through various other o­nline sources.

It isn't nearly as hard as you might think! 

1.  Remove the 2 bolts under the cover (by the fog light grills).
2.  Remove the 3 screws (per side) from the wheel liner.
3.  Push towards the rear of the car o­n the driver side bumper and pull the corner near the wheel outward.  It will likely require a fair amount of muscle but should pop free.  From here it should be easy enough to carefully pull the cover off of the car.

5.9 sec (6.5 automatic)

I must admit that I am not familiar with the TEIN suspension for the S4 Biturbo. TEIN is better known for Japanese models if I am thinking clearly here.

Your clunking sound could be attributed to something being loose OR it could point to some other wear item failure. You don't say how long you've had your suspension o­n the car or whether you replaced any of the other suspension bushings etc. during the install.
There is a nice write up showing the rear suspension removal within this thread at Audiworld.

Please drop us a line at support@s-cars.org and perhaps we can try to shed a little more light o­n your particular situation.

Power loss on S4 models.

AUTHOR: S-CAR Members
DATE: 10/5/00

Symptoms:
Loss of boost above 4000 RPM. Loss of power.

Resolution:
The rubber throttle body intake hoses on the new S4 can split and cause a drop in boost, especially above 4000 RPM. This problem does not seem to be mileage orientated and can happen to any car, but cars running higher boost (i.e. chipped cars) tend to experience this problem more frequently.

SUBJECT: Wheels and Scratching

AUTHOR: S-CAR Editor
DATE: 10/5/00

Symptoms:
Scratched wheels (curb rash). Question: I've got a new S4 and I have already scratched my wheels on curbs! Can anything be done about this?

Resolution:
Yes, park carefully! ;-) Actually, the problem seems to be that the actual face of the wheel protrudes just far enough that the tire rim protectors are of little use. Sadly, this is often a fact of life for low profile wheels. Park carefully and you won't need to have a wheel shop restore your wheels. In some cases, Audi has replaced damaged wheels but don't count on them replacing yours.

SUBJECT: Trouble with OEM Bridgestone tires.

AUTHOR: S-CAR Editor
DATE: 1/31/01

Symptoms:
Having problems such as bubbling and/or cracking with the stock Bridgestone tires on your Audi S4? The dealer claims the problems are due to road hazards and will not replace the damaged tire.

Resolution:
You are not alone. I rarely hear about tire problems but for some reason I've heard quite a few concerning the Bridgestones on the new S4. It seems that Audi of America is finally catching on as well and they have sent a letter out to owners of the new S4s. In they letter they state, "We promise to replace, free of charge, any original equipment tire or Audi approved replacement tire on your Audi S4 with a remaining tread groove depth of 2mm or more that has been damaged due to impact with a pothole or obstacles in the road surface, and not as a result of other road hazards or abuse or negligence. This service includes the cost of installation and balancing and will be performed free of charge as long as your Audi New Vehicle Warranty remains in effect..."

This is a relatively common problem, especially with the 2000 models. www.Modulemaster.com comes highly recommended for the rebuild and it is ~50% of the cost of a new one so you might want to give it a try.

Audi of America Sale Figures - S4 Biturbo
updated: 1/18/04

Source Scott Edge, Audi USA Marketing
Acknowledgement to Hank Nisiewicz

Well, diagnosis via internet isn't an easy thing to do, so I am not going to sit here and tell you that your problem is "X".

There are potential sources for a humming sound:

1.  Tires (uneven wear I.E. cupped tires etc.)  Given your description of the noise as an "electric car" I would tend to look elsewhere.  Tire noises usually sound more like a groan or an old dump truck driving by.

2.  Wheel bearing:  Does your sound change with vehicle direction as when loading the suspension in o­ne direction or another?  Bearing noise isn't typically a high pitched whine.

3.  Fuel pump or fuel transfer pump:  A bad fuel pump can whine pretty loudly.  The S4 Biturbo also has a transfer pump which moves fuel around inside the tank.  Do you notice any change in the sound from high fuel level to low fuel level?

4.  The rear end:  Let's hope there isn't some internal problem inside the rear end itself, but never say never. 

As far as dealerships are concerned, I have no personal experience with either HBL or Rockville as I am in the midwest.  Dealer service has left many owners wishing for more.  Also, most times people comment about their bad experiences o­n the internet and very few take the time to write their praises.  Let's hope things go well for you at Rockville.

-Ed

The photo below should help.  See air intake sender G42.

Welcome to the wonderful world of automatic transmissions. ;-)
It does seem odd however that the car would shift at such a low RPM while in manual mode. I have not experienced that during my time behind the wheel of Tip equipped Audis.

I would like to know this as well but whenever I would pose the question to a contact at Audi I was given the "We don't have that information" response. I find that hard to believe in this day and age. I suspect it is more a matter of them not wanting to take the time to look into my requests. If you ever happen to find out via a reliable source please let me know. ;-)

Believe it or not, the slim trunk lid spoiler you have seen very likely may be the actual BMW M3 trunk lid spolier. Check with some BMW parts places for pricing, or with a place like LLtek for some other alternatives.

Camshaft position sensor?