On the second day I pulled the passenger side valve cover and scraped the surfaces to prepare them for new seals. Before I can complete the valve covers I’m going to replace the camshaft seals, so I won’t be buttoning it down quite yet (but am keeping it covered to keep debris out).
Spent about an hour carefully cleaning up the gasket surfaces.
After the slow pace we were forced to take with the engine extraction, working on the engine is going much more quickly (having it on a stand helps tremendously).
I started the day’s work by pulling the shrouds of the front of the timing belt circuit. About an hour of pushing, pulling, tugging and grunting I had the front end mostly disassembled.
In addition to replacing the timing belt, there are several seals that might as well be replaced too. Before we pulled the engine we found oil in cylinder one (as well as high compression). With the hope that it’s a leak in the valve cover gaskets, I’ll be replacing those. I’ll also check the main crank seal and camshaft seals. The engine is out of the car, so it’s the easiest time to get to the parts.
Day one I removed the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, and thermostat housing. After cleaning grease and oil off the engine front, I installed a new water pump, thermostat and thermostat housing. The first block of work was about 4 hours.
At the time we pulled the engine out of the A6 I wasn’t yet taking careful notes on the project. I’m guessing we spent 36-48 hours total on pulling the engine.
Getting the engine out was a struggle as we worked to access bolts that were buried deep in the engine bay. In retrospect we should have dropped the entire front end, it would have saved us a lot of headaches. We’re certain to do that for pulling the engine out of the A4.
John and I worked for hours trying to get the engine out. When I dropped out for a bit with a sinus infection, John took the job the last few miles and got the engine out of the A6 and onto an engine stand. I’m lucky to have a great friend like John.
The A6, now thoroughly emasculated, looks dejected in the corner of the garage.
I’m not sure how detailed I’ll get, but I’m going to document my steps along the path to putting a bit of spunk into my little wagon.
Jeremy, do you approve?
