Home > Upgrades and Enhancements > Engine >2.3 4000q Engine Swap

2.3 4000q Engine Swap

Question:	"How can I make my 4000 quattro faster?"
Answer:	"Well, if you want to leave your turbo dreams behind, you'll learn about having more displacement, bigger valves, higher compression and a more aggressive cam profile."

Level of Difficulty:

Hard, but easier than a turbo swap

Time:

Months by weekends, weeks by day

Pictures:

ETKA diagram of piston

ETKA diagram of the head

ETKA diagram of the head -2

ETKA diagram of the block

ETKA diagram of intake manifold

ETKA diagram of intake hoses

ETKA diagram of intake hoses - 2

ETKA diagram of exhaust manifold

ETKA diagram of oil pump

ETKA diagram of camshaft

ETKA diagram of pre-'85 camshaft

December 26th, 2000

Tomorrow, I am sending my check off for R & L Engine for the work they've done on rebuilding my engine. The final cost breakdown went something like this:

Cost so far $950 engine work + $225 engine purchase = Right on budget

Cost Description Where P/N

225 Engine purchase & delivery Force5 N/A

95 clean & mag block R & L N/A

48 Deglaze cylinders R & L N/A

45 crank polished R & L N/A

30 Dismantle & reassemble R & L N/A

80 Head stuff R & L N/A

190 valve job R & L N/A

32 head stuff R & L N/A

30 head stuff R & L N/A

12 head stuff R & L N/A

47 head stuff R & L N/A

300 port, polish & gasket match of IM R & L N/A

0 Blood, sweat and lots of tears Brendan N/A

Cost	Description	Where	P/N
225	Engine purchase & delivery	Force5	N/A
95	clean & mag block	R & L	N/A
48	Deglaze cylinders	R & L	N/A
45	crank polished	R & L	N/A
30	Dismantle & reassemble	R & L	N/A
80	Head stuff	R & L	N/A
190	valve job	R & L	N/A
32	head stuff	R & L	N/A
30	head stuff	R & L	N/A
12	head stuff	R & L	N/A
47	head stuff	R & L	N/A
300	port, polish & gasket match of IM	R & L	N/A
0	Blood, sweat and lots of tears	Brendan	N/A

December 3rd, 2000

We were getting too close to Christmas, and with the backup at the engine rebuilder, it had to be today or wait a few weeks for my schedule to clear up. So, I had to finish stripping the engine tonight.

This procedure is in the Bentley (4000 & Coupe Edition) but a few things were mighty helpful in the Haynes crappy little book for the 4000 non-quattro. Also, engine illustrations from the 5000 Bentley were nice to look at for orientation. Keep them all on hand if you can. If it wasn't obvious before, let me say it now, this is for an engine on an engine stand, doing this upgrade on a sitting car is very similar, except completely different. Bag and mark all parts, including nuts and studs! You NEVER know what you'll need later.

removed timing bolt by locking the timing with a special audi part and turning against a funnny-looking bracket attached to the block and A/C compressor.
Removed pulleys and harmonic balancer from front of block by alternately prying from one side, then the other, with crowbars. Be gentle.
removed hex-head bolts in timing mounts
removed all 10 mm bolts on timing cover
removed covers
unscrew idler pulley bolt
gently pry idler pulley out with crowbar
remove all 10mm nuts on cam cover
remove cam cover, exposing camshaft
Remove nuts for brackets holding camshaft down
Screw brackets to piece of wood in order, marked ?FRONT? in big yellow letters.
remove camshaft and big gear as one piece, carefully set aside
remove water pump
drain oil
remove grey alloy bracket that blocked access to last 2 oil pan bolts
remove (24) 10mm bolts from oil pan
remove pan
scrape oil pan gasket away
remove oil pump on front of block
remove head bolts, using a triple-square bit, in a 13mm socket, 1/2 driver locked in a 4-foot long breaker bar.
- Be careful of extremely sharp edges inside head when you reach in to grab them.
Head needs to be jerked off, will not come off if you don't use a very sudden pull. Be gentle.

Examine your valves. Intake valves are the bigger ones. Looking for deposits on the intakes, that shouldn't matter and will come off in the rebuild. Exhaust valves that are burned or look really ratty and fried will have to be replaced. Mine were all fine, and since the engine looked pretty beat up, this just shows you how the outside of the engine rarely correponds with the stuff inside.

At this point, I just took the head, block and crank and gave them to R&L. It took awhile to get them back, but eventually I did, and the crowds rejoiced.

Putting it back together:

I bought a whole MESS of parts to go back on the engine when I replaced it. New parts last a long time, and powdercoated parts look nice, and last a really long time against corrosion, so why not take this opportunity to replace some of those old, ratty parts AND have a slick-looking engine that will stay that way for a long, long time (with proper cleaning)?

Battery in the Trunk

I also chopped out the battery tray and ran a positive cable back to the trunk and mounted the battery there, using an $8 battery box from Wal-Mart. I chopped a little 1-inch square piece of the trunk lining out and drilled a new bolt in there, and attached the battery ground cable.

Chopping out the battery tray is a VERY good thing, as it allows you to have access to some many things that were hidden before. Huw did almost all of the cutting, as I like to have my fingers stay attached to my hand, so I can't give you a technique for how he did it, except that he used an air tool with a fiber cutting wheel. Also, there was a lot of maniacal laughing, and jumping about, so I think he was having fun. Of course, I had to replace my fuel lines 2 weeks later, so you draw your own conclusions.

Update: October 2001
I finally did a battery box myself. Chopped it out with a "Sawz-All" (just a motorized hacksaw) and it wasn't that bad. The fuel lines run under the passenger side half of the battery box, so use EXTREME caution in cutting this area. It might be a good idea to keep the vertical piece of the box on the drivers-side, as the coil mounts to it.

Here's a list of all of the parts *I* used:

Cost	Description	Where	P/N	Comments
169	Clutch Kit	Foreign Auto	N/A	Even though my clutch was new, why not?
20	Throwout bearing	Foreign Auto	N/A	Goes with the clutch
30	Input seal	TPC	N/A	Transmission Input Seal for main shaft.
20	Exhaust donuts	Dealer	N/A	Exhaust donuts dangly things.
50	Head gasket (2) kit	Foreign Auto	034 198 025 D	Contains all the gaskets for the head.
90	Block gasket kit	Foreign Auto	N/A	Contains all gaskets for the block.
	Pilot bearing	TPC	N/A	.
	Oil filter bracket	Junk yard	N/A	Allows the oil filters to hang down instead of slant.
30	Intake manifold (2, 3, 4)	Junk yard	N/A	Get it powder-coated while you wait for the engine to get done.
30	Exhaust manifold	Junk yard	N/A	Just in case you have a crack in your manifold.
10	Joining straps for manifolds	Junk yard	N/A	Little metal straps that hold intake and exhaust manifolds.
12	Cam cover holder strip	Dealer	059 103 591 D	Black, metal strip along cam cover.
12	Cam cover holder strip	Dealer	059 103 589 E	Black, metal strip along cam cover.
69	Cam cover	Dealer	035 103 469 R	A new shiny one doesn't have to be sandblasted.
	Wire loom loops	Dealer	035 905 459 A	2 x. Nice shiny ones will impress the ladies.
100	Lifters (2)	TPC	N/A	These aren't even a question. You'll do them.
30	Rubber timing cover pieces	Dealer	069 109 139 B	2 x. Makes your timing cover look nice
30	Rubber timing cover pieces	Dealer	069 109 140	2 x. Makes your timing cover look nice
42	Metal coolant hose	Dealer	034 121 071 A	Metal coolant hose w/harness running along it.
12	Radiator support arm	Dealer	855 121 263	Metal support arm on front of radiator. Bolts to frame.
	Bolts, washers & stuff
	Oil pan bolts	Dealer	N/A	24 x 6mm x 25mm. SS makes it look nice.
	Wavy washers	Dealer	N/A	Special washers for the exhaust manifold.
	Exhaust bolts & nuts	Dealer	N/A	3 x 8mm X 45mm. 3 x SS nuts.
	Locking (acorn) nuts	Parts store	N/A	12? x 10mm SS acorn lock nuts for cam cover.
	Throttle bolts	Parts store	N/A	4 x SS throttle bolts. Look in ETKA for size.
	Engine Mount bolts	Dealer	N/A	Look in ETKA for size.
	Alternator bracket bolts	Dealer	N/A	Look in ETKA for size.
	Miscellaneous
50	Fuse block	Tweeter	N/A	To route the battery cables.
8	Battery box	Wal-Mart	N/A	Box to keep the battery in, in the trunk.
45	Battery box & relocation kit	Summit	N/A	Kit from Summit Racing to move a battery.
10	Air filter	TPC	N/A	Buy generic. They're all the same.
20	Cap & Rotor	TPC	N/A
20	Spark Plugs	TPC	N/A	I find the Bosch 3 electrode or the Platinum +4 work best.
40	Spark Plug Wires	TPC	N/A	Buy OE Bosch.
10	Oil drain plug & washers	TPC	N/A	I put a new washer on every other time.
20	Regular oil	Parts Store	N/A	NON-Synthetic is to be used. Synth is too slippery for the first 2000 miles.
20	Fuel Filters	TPC	N/A	Buy both pre-filter and main.
10	Drain Plugs	Dealer	111 301 127E	2 x. Might as well have new drain plugs for the Diff. and Trans.
10	Fill Plugs	Dealer	084 301 115	2 x. Might as well have new fill plugs for the Diff. and Trans.

You'll have to pick up a few other things. Normal stuff like alcohol, a bunch of rags, nylon brushes and lots and lots of brake cleaner.

When I say "Parts Store", that means an AutoZone, or Run-of-the-mill, corner-store type place that sells car wash stuff, right next to the Cartoon bumper stickers.
When I say "Foreign Auto", I mean any Store that specializes in Foreign parts, be it TPC or Force5 Auto.
Bolts, washers and the like, can be purchased at the Dealer, or you can get the sizes from ETKA (or the dealer) and give them to Maryland Metrics to get them in SS. Stainless Steel pretty.

Use your best judgement. You don't have to get all of the parts I listed, that was mostly just a reiteration of what I did for my car. You will definitely need new gaskets, new bearings and thrust washers. Anything that might have wear and tear on it, that would be hard to get to, or detrimental to the engine if it broke/cracked/failed. Use your common sense, and talk to a good mechanic who has rebuilt an engine before.

See Huw's Fastener page: Go here.

More Info:
Explanation and Pictures at Huw's - You may have to click a lot to find all of the files, but it's worth it.

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Page last updated: April 28, 2003