The Project Pad

i have a b5 s4 one you can have for shipping, just a tad shorter in height

Think I have a new accumulator I didn't use but not sure if it is the right one

you dont need an accumulator

There are two different CQ versions, fyi.

Are you sure? Everything I see online indicates there are only two versions for the 5-cylinder B3: the one for 20v engines with the in/out fittings 180 degrees apart, and the one for 20V engines with the fittings maybe 30 degrees apart.

My '91 came with what you are describing as the 20v version with a line coming up the inside of the fender to the firewall (in the way of a turbo).

One of the less-talked-about challenges of putting an AAN into a small-body car is the bracket that holds the alternator and A/C compressor. It has an annoying habit of wanting to occupy the same space as the radiator.

So here's my hacked-up solution:


Nothing fancy for the most part, just a lot of time with a hacksaw. Cut into it a little too far in one spot you can see, but a little creative welding took care of that. It probably goes without saying that this weakens the bracket... hopefully it'll be "good enough"!

Mcstiff wrote:My '91 came with what you are describing as the 20v version with a line coming up the inside of the fender to the firewall (in the way of a turbo).

Interesting... I wonder if the difference is actually the "bag-o-snakes" header that sometimes comes on the 20V motor? I get the sense the changes in the A/C were made to clear the exhaust, and that puppy must take up a lot of space.

So... at the risk of starting a religious war... what's the current thinking on what coolants are good and what ones aren't?

I'm thinking of 4 options. Cheapest, "tried-and-true" is buy two 1.5 liter bottles of Pentofrost NF which I understand is the same as what's in the old round bottle of Pentosin blue coolant I already have.

Most expensive "latest and greatest" is to buy three 1.5 liter bottles of Pentofrost ++. A possibly-the-same-but-cheaper option is the VAG ++ stuff (G012A8G1G) for around $23/gallon.

And lastly there's Zerex G-05 which allegedly can be had at the local NAPA store for about $16/gallon.

The cooling system is completely empty and dry so compatibility with existing coolant isn't an issue.

What would you do if this was your car?

I'd definitely run coolant as opposed to none at all

In all seriousness? Run the cheap crap and a bottle of water wetter.

mr_aj_johnson wrote::lol: I'd definitely run coolant as opposed to none at all

In all seriousness? Run the cheap crap and a bottle of water wetter.

And change it out once in a while...

water wetter is highly flamable fwiw

So here's a question that'll do a lot to show how observant I'm not... it has come to my attention after owning it almost a year, that my 80 has taillights that are almost all red. As in, the turn signals are red and not yellow. :tard:

This is something I've got a "thing" about... for whatever reason I really prefer the turn signals to be yellow. Or at the very least, be clear and light up yellow. It's one way I know the car in my driveway is an Audi and not a Chevy. 8)

And I'm pretty sure I've seen photos of B3 (or were they B4?) sedans on the 'net with yellow turn signals in the rear. Am I hallucinating or do such things exist?

I ran both G11 (blue) and G12 (red) in a few of my Audi's. Id just run G11 and be done with it. Others will say as long as its phosphate free you should be good as well.

Either way...

Yeah that's what I'm going to do. I bought two more bottles of the Pentosin G11 to go with the one I already had, and that plus distilled water will hopefully keep the system happy.

elaw wrote:And I'm pretty sure I've seen photos of B3 (or were they B4?) sedans on the 'net with yellow turn signals in the rear. Am I hallucinating or do such things exist?

Yes they exist they are euro tails try ebay.co.uk or one of the various Latvian ebay shops(seller id koplx55 has them)
I like them too and from a road safety standpoint they seem like a good idea.

Yup, thats exactly what I do. I ran it in the 4ktq and then the 4k LE (both with fresh coolant tanks). Being somewhat of an OEM junkie is fun, sometimes

Keep it up!

You can get all flavors of Pentofrost at NAPA, BTW

Well here's a topic you don't see discussed much here for some odd reason: intercooler bending!

Yes you read that right. I've had an old Saab 9000 intercooler lying around that I've thought would go nicely in an Audi forever. In the 4KQ it was near-impossible to make it fit, in the 80 it's close. I've decided the trick to make it clear the front of the motor is to bend it!

So without further ado, here's the setup (or most of it):

What's not pictured is a 2x4 placed between the top of the jack and the garage ceiling... directly above which is the center beam holding the house up. So it can take a little upward pressure without it moving.

I don't have "before" or "during" pix of the intercooler. Take my word for it that "before" I did this, it was straight. "After"... looks like this:

Bending it did not *seem* to cause any damage. It's pouring rain out so I haven't test-fit it yet but I'm hopeful!

By the way if you notice some weird gray stuff on the tanks near the crimps, that's J-B Weld. This IC got a little explody once on the Saab at ~22 PSI of boost and believe it or not that fixed it.

lmao

Well nobody will ever accuse me of being too conventional! :-)

And it fits! :woowoo:

I think I may replace that cross piece in the front with something a little less substantial (= more airflow) that will provide more clearance, but right now the intercooler fits in there and clears the engine by a whopping 1/4".

Now I've seen everything.
hahaha. Nice job.

elaw wrote:And it fits! :woowoo:

I think I may replace that cross piece in the front with something a little less substantial (= more airflow) that will provide more clearance, but right now the intercooler fits in there and clears the engine by a whopping 1/4".

B4 front crossmember would be what you're looking for!

ur20v wrote:B4 front crossmember would be what you're looking for!

Is it a drop-in replacement?