? on 2.8 V6 engine removal on 1997 A4 Quattro
 

Hi all,
When I picked up my Audi I was told it would need the clutch replaced. The previous owner said he'd just replaced the clutch master and slave cylinder. Supposedly after that work was done the clutch "went". The car has 257000 miles on it and rather than pulling the trans from the bottom to replace the clutch, I was wondering if I'd be better off pulling the engine so I could go through it and then attach the clutch assy before reinstallation. Has anyone pulled a V6 to do a clutch job on this site?
On the engine side, are there any guides on building up a 2.8 V6 for more power? I believe I have the 12V and was wondering if there were any aftermarket hop up kits for these engines.
On the clutch side, has anyone experienced a slave/master change that caused clutch problems? I was wondering if not bleeding the system properly could be the real culprit with the clutch. When I depress the clutch, there doesn't seem to be any pressure other than some sort of return spring.
Any info would be appreciated as this system is totally foriegn to me. Thanks.

I've seen a few cases were even brand new cars fresh off the assembly line had improperly assembled and/or improperly bled clutch systems that caused premature failure; it makes sense that the same could happen should the hydraulic components be replaced.

do it from the bottom no need to pull the engine. the tranny has 3 electrical connections imagine how many the engine has. I did it on jackstands with air tools it wasn't hard.

Pull the trans, not the engine, to change it after you try bleeding it first. As for modding, forget it. Drive the car with stock power. There's no support for the 12v.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I take it, if any maintenance is needed (valve seals, valve job, worn rings, etc.) this engine is serviced in the vehicle. Sort of a bummer that there's no support for the 12V. Oh well, stock power it is. Now to take care of the other question marks with this vehicle (timing belt, water pump, tensioner pulley, etc.). There wasn't a whole lot of history from the guy I bought it from so with the high miles I'm assuming it'll need the works. From what he told me, when he bought the car it needed brakes. When he went to pick it up, he literally changed the brakes in the parking lot and drove the car home with no clutch problems. The next day he went to go to the store and the clutch just "went". The car sat for some time with bad brakes at the previous owners lot so he wasn't sure if that had something to do with the clutch failure. That's when he decided to change the master and slave cylinder. I'll try bleeding the slave cylinder to see if any air was trapped. As I said earlier, there is no real pressure when you push the clutch pedal. It just goes down and up as if there's a spring for return pressure. Is that normal for this hydraulic setup or should there be a distinctive feel of pressure? Usually you can feel a little freeplay on the pedal before the clutch finger pressure on other cars. I'd hate to go thru a clutch change just to find out the slave wasn't working properly. I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks again for your inputs.

Yea unfortunately the 2.8 doesnt have much aftermarket support. The most u can do to it is chip it (it'll give you like 20HP) and an exhaust but other than that its pretty much stock power... i have a 2.8 12v myself and i think its pretty good... the 12v's are pretty reliable according to some articles and tend to last longer if you maintain it well... as for the tranny i would check the slave cylinder to see if the previous owner installed it correctly... maybe he didnt do it right or who knows what happened... but if you're confident that the slave cyl is working properly and theres no leaks then go ahead and replace the clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing... heres a darn good article on how to replace it... i hope this helps..

How to replace clutch on 2.8 a4: Audi A4 Clutch Replacement | Happy Wrenching

You can't chip a 12v - no one makes one - only a 30v, and that's good for about a 5hp peak gain.

lol sorry thats what i ment... and i thought it was like around 15-20HP?? damn i guess not then lol if its only 5hp then its really not worth like $300?

speed tuning group buy - $130

it does more than add hp
changes throttle response and the torque and power curves
you will notice it and it will feel better

Thanks for the replies. I read about "reverse bleeding" and thought I might give that a try to see if it changes anything in the pedal feel. As I mentioned in my previous post, are these clutch pedals normally this soft? I don't want to keep working towards a firmer pedal if one doesn't exist. What I do know is with the car in first gear and the pedal fully depressed, when you turn the key the car moves as if locked in gear. If the clutch was worn out wouldn't the opposite happen? I would think you'd be able to hear/feel the clutch slipping. Again, this hydraulic clutch system is still foriegn to me. The learning curve is pretty steep right now. If only there were some "backyard" checks that could confirm clutch worn vs slave cylinder malfunction. I wouldn't prescribe putting the car in gear and using the starter to move it too often as it puts a terrific load on the starter. But you get the idea. Thanks.