Long story short... I am pulling my motor to replace the turbos on my 2004 a6 s line. here are the questions i need answered:

1. The local dealer (not audi dealer but foreign car part supplier) carrying OEM borg warner ko3 turbos claims that the set they have on the shelf ONLY fits manual transmissions. I was under the assumption that the turbos will fit fine on manual/auto as long as you have the downpipes that fit the drivetrain, correct?

they also say that they cannot get the automatic trans ones... the MT k03's should fit am i right?

2. When i am pulling the motor i have 2 options (so i think, bc i've read a lot of how-to's and ive seen 2 options)

a. pull the car up on ramps, unbolt the axles and let them hang while i pull the motor
b. jackstands, unbolt and pull axles.

which is easier/safest/quickest and who has done this before?


Thank you in advance for all your help.


-Caveman

 

I admire your bravery.

One should not assume thinks about an Audi - get your turbos part # from dealers and look for that part # only. Turbos come with hardware kits.

You have the option to pull the engine with the transmission together.
Once the engine is out you could replace a whole lot a components that are due for replacement at that mileage.
I'd suggest paying particular attention to the TC -easy to replace once the engine is out.

 

Call the guys at ECS Tuning. I did some quick pricing a while ago and it seems they have K03s cheaper than the dealers and can probably give good advice on fitment.

 

Bravery is not what i am worried about heh, i've worked on many vehicles, cars/bikes etc and the only things i'll have a hard time with is dishing out money for parts

Not all turbos come with hardware kits, i called, and asked and the dealer has part numbers that dont match all pn's of places i've called (i would love to have oem bw turbos)

I know about pulling the motor/trans as a whole thats what i plan on doing but my question is : do i need to pull the axles or just unbolt them?

bc id rather pull the car up on ramps , rather then have jackstands under it and have to pull the axles as well..

I've also thought about doing all the TC while im at it, im at 76xxx miles and i believe it's about that time.

 

i've heard great/not so great things about ecs. i am willing to give them a try, but from what i have gathered, it will cost me more to purchase a set from them then pick a set up locally.

thank you for your advice though, i am looking at their timing kit they have.

 

Well,

If you do not mind the work you could test your luck with outsourced K03 from eBay - ~$150 each.
The TC is not reported to be outsourced yet.

 

I can get BNIB not reman Borg Warner set of turbos for my vehicle locally through a "hook up" for hundreds less then ecs, minus shipping ofcourse.

I don't mind spending the money on oem quality, and i won't buy ebay stuff even if it DOES work.

Does anyone know about differences in auto vs. manual 2.7L turbos on these vehicles? two places already told me that the auto/manual are different, i was under the impression that only the dp's are diff turbos are the same.

and the only diff in turbos are between k03's and k04's

and the question about axles as well, nobody?

 

Just unbolt.

 

What is your VIN number? Evidently, there was a change in 2004 from the same turbo for both transmissions to turbos with heat shields for automatic transmissioned cars. I'll bet that the difference is a hole or two to bolt on the heat shield. So, you could fab up your own heat sheild or use safety wire to hold your heat sheild in the absence of the bolt holes. I would go for it.

BTW, why aren't you going for K04s? And, why did your turbos go out at your low mileage?

Bob

 

Thank you for the info.

the k04 idea crossed my mind, but i plan on not modding this vehicle i want to keep it stock/dd.

and the passenger turbo is 100% fine, driver side is fine and makes no noise nor does it smoke, the only thing that went on it is the compressor housing seal, the pressure is just coming out of there like there is no o-ring at all.

if i take it all apart, i want to replace both turbos instead of rebuilding/messing with knockoffs.