Changing a type 44 air filter....4 hours.
09-06-2004, 08:47 PM
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Changing a type 44 air filter....4 hours.
<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/38606/img_2017.jpg"></center><p>
:-P
When an audi dealer charges up to 3.5 hours for labor to replace the air filter....they weren't kidding. What an insane job! It must have been Oktoberfest when Audi engineers designed this set up!
There is no tip or trick to this task. You simply must remove lotsa stuff.
You must remove the intake pipe, the rubber injector line cover, the charging post, (if you have euro lights, remove that too), then pull out everything connected to the air boot, then remove that as well. Now, you have enough room. Unhook the airbox cover and push it aside and pull out the old air filter. To remove the cover, and you will want to because of how skanky the interior is, you must carefully lift up the injector lines, and pivot the cover 90 degrees and pull up by its funnel. It will just clear the throttle position sensor.
And what a mess you will find! Thanks to the crankcase fumes, the air boot, piping, and airbox is covered in sludge! The air metering plate was corroded, dirty and varnished. The old filter was soaked in oil. The 4 hours included scrubbing everything with mineral spirits, carb cleaner and simple green.
This crankcase venting system sucks! I reassembled my clean parts and plugged up the port for the blow-by hose. I'm not going to let it become this messed up again.
Last time I pulled off the intercooler to do my timing belt, oil poured out of it. I'll need to flush it with mineral spirits to fully clean out the intake.
Now I need to fab my catch can asap.
Although it may be just a placebo effect, my test drive seemed to have more throttle response. The car felt quicker. And it's the first time I've seen 1.4 bar of boost since I bought the car in 2001. Usually it gets 1.3 max. The rear main seal squeal didn't happen either. And it was cool to have the car keep running with the oil cap or dip stick removed.
Maybe it was just because the sludge was removed, YMMV.
But I kinda like not having any oily vapors in my intake. I'm not endorsing bypassing the factory emissions for everyone, of course.
~_^
:-P
When an audi dealer charges up to 3.5 hours for labor to replace the air filter....they weren't kidding. What an insane job! It must have been Oktoberfest when Audi engineers designed this set up!
There is no tip or trick to this task. You simply must remove lotsa stuff.
You must remove the intake pipe, the rubber injector line cover, the charging post, (if you have euro lights, remove that too), then pull out everything connected to the air boot, then remove that as well. Now, you have enough room. Unhook the airbox cover and push it aside and pull out the old air filter. To remove the cover, and you will want to because of how skanky the interior is, you must carefully lift up the injector lines, and pivot the cover 90 degrees and pull up by its funnel. It will just clear the throttle position sensor.
And what a mess you will find! Thanks to the crankcase fumes, the air boot, piping, and airbox is covered in sludge! The air metering plate was corroded, dirty and varnished. The old filter was soaked in oil. The 4 hours included scrubbing everything with mineral spirits, carb cleaner and simple green.
This crankcase venting system sucks! I reassembled my clean parts and plugged up the port for the blow-by hose. I'm not going to let it become this messed up again.
Last time I pulled off the intercooler to do my timing belt, oil poured out of it. I'll need to flush it with mineral spirits to fully clean out the intake.
Now I need to fab my catch can asap.
Although it may be just a placebo effect, my test drive seemed to have more throttle response. The car felt quicker. And it's the first time I've seen 1.4 bar of boost since I bought the car in 2001. Usually it gets 1.3 max. The rear main seal squeal didn't happen either. And it was cool to have the car keep running with the oil cap or dip stick removed.
Maybe it was just because the sludge was removed, YMMV.
But I kinda like not having any oily vapors in my intake. I'm not endorsing bypassing the factory emissions for everyone, of course.
~_^
09-07-2004, 01:02 AM
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Re: how to plug blow-by hose and why?
Where:
Back of the air boot, there is a hose barb. Connected to this barb is the hose coming from the Y-shaped rubber union on top of the valve cover.
How:
Pull off this hose and plug the open hose barb. I happen to have a rubber plug of the right diameter. Any number of ways to do it. Use your imagination, it just needs to be air tight.
Why:
To prevent oil vapor and other combustion byproducts from entering the intake tract.
Oil vapor is bad for combustion, causes detonation.
The type 44 crankcase ventilation system is under constant vacuum sucking in the blow by gases. But there is no decent oil separator in these cars. The separator is basically a series of baffles to remove oil from the gases before introducing them into the intake. All this oil also sludges up the intake as I reported.
What results:
Pros:
1. no oil in the intake, clean intake.
2. less detonation.
3. better for running higher boost.
4. cleaner combustion chamber.
5. intercooler is more efficient.
6. engine gets a small amount more air.
Cons:
1. illegal emissions wise.
2. must vent to atmosphere. That smokey gas has to go somewhere.
3. more equipment to stay emissions legal. (install a catch can.)
Catch can is basically an aftermarket or custom made oil separator. It can be baffles or stainless steel wool, used to present a lot of surface area to force the oil to precipitate out of the blow by gases and collect in the container.
then the gases can be routed back into the intake. But not all of the oil can be removed, so, it's an improvement, but can't match conditions as if the gases were vented to atmosphere.
Back of the air boot, there is a hose barb. Connected to this barb is the hose coming from the Y-shaped rubber union on top of the valve cover.
How:
Pull off this hose and plug the open hose barb. I happen to have a rubber plug of the right diameter. Any number of ways to do it. Use your imagination, it just needs to be air tight.
Why:
To prevent oil vapor and other combustion byproducts from entering the intake tract.
Oil vapor is bad for combustion, causes detonation.
The type 44 crankcase ventilation system is under constant vacuum sucking in the blow by gases. But there is no decent oil separator in these cars. The separator is basically a series of baffles to remove oil from the gases before introducing them into the intake. All this oil also sludges up the intake as I reported.
What results:
Pros:
1. no oil in the intake, clean intake.
2. less detonation.
3. better for running higher boost.
4. cleaner combustion chamber.
5. intercooler is more efficient.
6. engine gets a small amount more air.
Cons:
1. illegal emissions wise.
2. must vent to atmosphere. That smokey gas has to go somewhere.
3. more equipment to stay emissions legal. (install a catch can.)
Catch can is basically an aftermarket or custom made oil separator. It can be baffles or stainless steel wool, used to present a lot of surface area to force the oil to precipitate out of the blow by gases and collect in the container.
then the gases can be routed back into the intake. But not all of the oil can be removed, so, it's an improvement, but can't match conditions as if the gases were vented to atmosphere.
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09-07-2004, 07:39 AM
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I'm an expert now. :-)
Oh I can do it pretty quickly from now on.
The first time felt like I was presented with a Rubix cube. A good 1/2 hour passed just staring at it, scratching my head and trying insuccessfully.
I wanted to take everything out so that I can get at the sludge and grime, not just swapping the filter.
I had to scrape the inside of the intake pipe with a putty knife.
The first time felt like I was presented with a Rubix cube. A good 1/2 hour passed just staring at it, scratching my head and trying insuccessfully.
I wanted to take everything out so that I can get at the sludge and grime, not just swapping the filter.
I had to scrape the inside of the intake pipe with a putty knife.
09-07-2004, 10:13 PM
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Re: Changing a type 44 air filter....4 hours.
It was a bitch, but the first time I did it was about an hour. Down to about 20 minutes now. I just remove the intake tube and get creative wiggling the filter(K&N) and cover out. As for the boot, I didn't find it in the way much(I just pushed it over a little). Now I'm not exactly Speedy Gonzales with a wrench (just got done spending three months rebuilding the top end & turbo, what a bitch!), I just didn't over think it. The oil in my intake was pretty bad. All up in the intercooler, caked in the intake manifold, nasty. The plug it and vent it sollution is on the agenda for sure.