Has anyone out there done a DIY on removing the complete engine on a 2.8 30V? Pulling front bumper etc....an 'easier' way of getting the engine out than this one I found for the 2.7 manual:

http://www.socals4.com/repair/B5S4EngineRemoval.pdf

OR does anyone have a link to a DIY for it? Only one I found was the one above...

Thanks,

Guys,

Marc

 

I've done that job but don't know where there's a DIY. I pulled the bumper and took the front of the car completely off.

 

Id say follow the timing belt diy. After the front of the car is off. remove the wiring harness, disconnect the driveshafts, disconnect the exhaust. At this point the only thing left are the motor mounts and the trans. id say pull the engine and trans as a complete unit right out the front, some of the bolts that hold them together are hard to get at.

 

Have you pulled them out the front as a unit? I've thought of that as you're right, the bell housing bolts are an extreme pain.

 

Yea, since to get the trans off, you need to move the engine anyways to point the trans down. Makes more sense just to pop it right out the front, really easy on any longitudinal mounted engine. Ive doen it this way before, since at the time it made the most sense, its either that or you drop the subframe with the motor and trans still attached and just put your hoist on the car and jack the car into the sky.

 

Yea I know an indy Audi tech who always drops the whole mess out the bottom. If you have the right hoist, that seems to make the most sense.

 

Thats how i do them basically. A 2x4 hooks under the two subframe rails perfectly and if you put a rolling device under the engine assembly your life is just easier. I did a tuck on my A4 and you can access all the top bolts and header bolts from the top with ease. Its amazing how far forward the engine is in this car.

 

So are you saying you slide it all forward, then do all the bell housing and header bolts, then pull the motor and leave the trans just laying there?

 

Any firther comments on this. I live in west Tennessee and just lost the timing belt prematurely on my 98 A4. The shop route is not an option as the car is not worth those $$$. However, i did find a donor vehicle with a reported good engine somewhere fairly close, for $500. If i can talk myself into tackling the swap, might be a way to salvage the car.

 

Just take the front off and pull the motor and tranny out as 1 piece, time consuming but it's much easier. If it's a 5spd 1.8t you should leave the tranny in though, there's more than enough room to comfortably get all the bolts. Maybe even an auto 1.8t too but I've never worked on one.