[Biturbos4] 2000 S4 Running Hot

[Quincy Chiang]

Hi RH,

> It would be great to know what can I do to try and prevent the 
> failure --in addition to warming, cooling, and replacing the oil 
> with Synthetic? I've read different things re: throttle body 
> boots, samco hoses, etc. I can check the list --I'm sure you have 
> all answered these questions a billion times.
> 

You've pretty got it all!

> I notice that there are a couple of drops of oil that accumulate 
> on the belly of the right side hose (intercooler?) after driving 
> the car. Nothing that makes it to the ground though. Also, not 
> sure what coking looks like, but when I open the oil cap--it looks 
> pretty clean in there. You can see the metal and there isn't a lot 
> of crap on the cap.
> 

You probably have a minor oil leak in the oil pan or the valve cover gasket.  Poke around the engine bay more to see if you can find anything.  Coking will not happen outside the engine, it only happens when the oil's hot enough, ie. inside the turbos.

> My main concern is timing belt, etc. becasue of the overheating 
> issue. The car is absolutely fine unless you;re in traffic for 2+ 
> hours in raging heat--but I don't want to take any chances.
> 

In addition to timing belt, I'd check the coolant temp sensor too.  It's a $10 part from the dealer and takes 10 minutes to replace.  Usually the coolant gauge will show erratic readings along with a CEL, pretty common problem with a thankfully cheap fix ;-)

> The car also needs a gas guage sensor: reads empty. Not sure what 
> this will cost or how easy it is to fix. Car also has couple of 
> worn rear upper control arm busings that produces an annoying 
> knocking sound when going over bumps.  The car has been lowered 
> significantly (too low, IMO) with Eibach springs and Koni yellow 
> shocks. The rims are rather large too (18") , which causes some 
> rubbing when turning and scraping when go over bumps. Not good. I 
> think I will get 17s and call it a day--or have the wheel wells 
> rolled a bit to accommodate them. I also hate the tires--Kumho 
> Ecsta (loud as bloody hell!).
>
> Maybe you guys can clue me in on some of the other mods: This car 
> has AWE downpipes, which I understand are expensive and difficult 
> to install. Since I have never driven an S4 before I bough this, I 
> can't tell if they make a difference or not.  From what I 
> understand, they make the turbos louder. You can only slight make 
> them out at low speeds--they sound like cops or like Curly from 
> the 3 stooges!
> 

Sounds like this car had been modified quite extensively.  If it's got AWE downpipes, then the previous owner must have had a aftermarket exhaust on it, and most likely had a chip in it too.  With all that, the car would have been a so-called "stage 2+".  Assuming the chip is out of the car, you're now down to "stage 0+"?? ;-)


> The exhaust is stock..which is interesting. It also came with a 
> set of Baileys diverters. Any thoughts on whether or not these are 
> good to put on?  I don't know if the car has been chipped or not-- 
> is there a way to tell?

I think the Baileys are serviceable, you can take them apart, clean, relube and you're good to go.  I wouldn't buy them myself (not cheap), but if they came with the car, why not.  As for chipping, borrow someone's VAG-COM and do a few logged runs, it the boost goes over 0.7 bar then yeah you're chipped.  Otherwise, open up the ECU box and see what's inside.

> 
> All in all, I knew I would have to do this stuff anyway. 
> Considering what I paid for the car, I think I'm in reasonably 
> good shape. I'm hoping to get everything taken care of and have it 
> (hopefully) be a nice driver that won't blow up on me and will be 
> a relaiable and more vesatile sports machine than my sorely missed 
> 911. It's not a garage queen or 'cream puff' but it sure is fun!
> 

There's no doubt that these cars are amazing machines.  With some proper mods the S4 can chase down most M3s and even 911s.  Some highly tuned stage 3+ guys can even keep up with 911 turbos!

Good luck with the car!

Quincy