I took my '01 2.8 A6 Audi in to a local indy to see if they could tell me whether or not the the TB and water pump have been done. They couldn't, however there are no stickers indicating that it has but the belt doesn't look that bad or really old they said. However they did tell me that I have a leaky auxiliary water pump and that it's gonna be about $600 for that. And I have a worn tie rod, which is gonna be about $250 w/alignment. My question is, how big of a job is it to replace the aux pump? I'm a somewhat capable novice wrench. Also, are the tie-rods a pain on an Audi? Thanks in advance!

 

Its not a big job. You can do it yourself.
Tie rods are very easy. I would recomend replacing both tie rod ends. Since you will need alignment after that it will be cheaper in long run.

You can save around $500 if you do it yourself.

There are 2 pumps depending on your vin number.
So check here depending on one you need.

UP to VIN 3B-1-050,001 split is in the 2001 model year

From VIN 3B-1-050,001 split is in the 2001 model year

Here are upgraded Heavy Duty TRE
HD TRE

 

Hey, thanks for the help! Would you happen to know of any good write ups on how to do either? I still need to track down a repair manual before I get into any projects.

 

Is the worn tie rod end an INNER or OUTER? Outers are easy. Inners less so. Make sure you replace the right one otherwise you will be wasting your time and money.

Bob

 

It's the outer. We tried to swap it tonight and can't figure out how to get the bolt with the 5/8" nut off. It has a what appears to be a screwdriver slot in the front, but we couldn't get it to budge. Even after tons of penetrating oil and some "tap" of a sledge... Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

Heat and lots of it. It will smoke as the grease and rubber boot cook so do it outdoors. Use a cold chisel in the slot to expand the holes. Be careful not to melt the aluminum upright. Remove the pinch bolt first, then loosen the top bolt and tap on it to get the tie rod end moving downwards. Repeat until the bolt is all the way out. Then whack the tie rod to get it all the way out.

BTW, if your indy mechanic wanted $250 to replace just an outer tie rod end, you need to find another mechanic. Book time for replacing it is .3 hours. An alignment should cost $75, the part $75 at the very most, leaving $100 labor for .3 hours, which comes to$333.33 per hour labor rate.

Bob

 

The 2.8L engine doesn't have an auxillary water pump, only the 2.7T does under the intake manifold. The mechanic doesn't know his *** from a hole in the ground, or he is trying to set you up for a major repair. Find a different mechanic.

 

By the way, Blauparts has a full tie rod assembly for $ 90. The outer end is $ 26 (Ocap), or $ 41 (Meyle-full metal).

 

Hi I have a 2001 A6 2.7T and I need to get the auxilary water pump replaced. The tech is telling me this is in an entirely different area than the timing belt so the timing belt would be a separate job. What do you estimate the labor hours to be on this job? What is a fair price for this repair? Also, while they are in there replacing this pump are there any other parts I should have them replace that do not require much extra labor? Any advice or suggestions you have would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

 

That is correct. The aux water pump is under the intake manifold. Timing system would be a separate job as it's on the front of the engine.

We did an aux pump delete on a friend's S4 last summer. The old pump was shot, so we removed it and put in a section of heater hose to replace it. He knows to drive out of boost the last few miles and to let the car idle once he stops, so that excess heat is bled away. Doing this religiously, you don't have to have the aux pump.

Where do you live? You may find an experienced forum member in your area who can tackle the job for less.

It took us a few hours to do the job as it was our first time doing that. I'd think a mechanic with experience could do it in 2 hours or so. I'd figure 3-4 hours quoted though, and budget accordingly. You could probably have some vacuum lines replaced and throw a new set of intake manifold gaskets on when it's reassembled, but there's not a whole lot else that would HAVE to be done during this, and not much that you couldn't replace at another time without too much trouble.