Tech Write-up: AWE DTS Install (VandyS4, you out there?)

[DocWyte]

OK, finally decided to pick one of these up. Don Pavlik was selling his old one, so I bit the bullet and bought it.

Background: My shifter would hop all around if I got on or off the gas, esp in the lower gears. My hope is the DTS solves this.

Step 1: Download, print and read install instructions from AWE. See where they mention needing a M8x1.25 tap. Hmmm.
Step 2: Gather all necessary tools, except tap. (foreshadowing? Nah...) Oh, and lots of beer! Mmmm, Guinesss....
Step 3: Move Audi into center of garage.
Step 4: Pull Porsche 944 Turbo S out of garage. Yummy!
Step 5: Whew! That was hard work. Sit down and drink beer. Admire Yummy! Porsche.
Step 6: Jack car up and put jackstands underneath the front subframe. ALWAYS USE JACKSTANDS!
Step 7: Crack open another beer.
Step 8: Using air gun, quickly zip out 6 bolts holding plates on either side of car. Leave lower "stress bar" in place as it looks like it won't get in the way.
Step 9: Attempt to install aluminum plate/bushing assembly to tranny. Bolts won't thread. Of course this is the only iron part of the tranny and it's rusted all to hell.
Step 10: Try to thread just the bolt into holes. Won't go. Crap!!
Step 11: Realize this is why AWE wants you to chase the threads with a M8x1.25 tap. Which I don't own. And I live up in the sticks where most stores don't carry metric taps. Crap!!!
Step 12: Drink beer and mull over options.
Step 13: Go inside house, call Napa and ask if they have said tap. Surprisingly, they do. Tell them to hold it.
Step 14: Grab keys to Porsche (yummy!) and drive to Napa, get tap, drive back.
Step 15: Chase threads with f'ing tap. Goes surprisingly well. Hmmm....
Step 16: Install plate/bushing thingy.
Step 17: Drink another beer.
Step 18: Loosely install DTS bar, narrowly missing getting conked in the head with the bar. Ha!!
Step 19: Notice that one of the 13mm bolts on the drivers side of the car won't thread. Hmm, car body is bent there, previous owner must've hit a rock...
Step 20: Tighten allen head bolts attaching DTS to plate thingy attached to tranny. F'ing allen head bolts! Try really hard not to strip them. Argh!!!
Step 21: Drink beer. Curse allen head bolts some more.
Step 22: Wonder how many days it would take VandyS4 to get to this point... hehe...
Step 23: Tighten down bolts on DTS into car, torque to spec. Can't get that one friggen bolt to even start on the drivers side. Notice hole in body is stripped. Great.... Just leave it off I geuss....
Step 24: Drink beer, clean up garage.
Step 25: Pull Porsche (yummy!) back into garage.
Step 26: Take S4 out for a test drive.

Initial impressions: This is a VERY easy install. I probably spent more time getting the up into the air and back down again (not to mention going out to buy that friggen tap) then I did actually installing the DTS. Only issue I had was that bent body section. Oh well.

My shifter hardly moves at all now! Shifting feels more solid, no more driveline lash. I'm VERY pleased with this, well worth the cash I spent on it.

[reefer_bob]

It's a subframe bolt is is pretty important.

Good Job!

[DYOS4]

[Mike2kS4]

[RKA]

I'd be sleeping in a corner by then.

[Snow Trooper]

its the other stuff that is almost always messed up that surround the actualy DTS that make them time consuming. if it were on a new car it would a jack it up, slide under the car with the 18mm, 13mm and hex set, boom, zip tighen and be done all in like 20 minutes kinda job.......... but no, there is always something bent, coroded, striped, missing that ruins that ideal install. hehehe for the record i have done aprox. 20 DTS installs on varous B5 chassis audis, all but 2 as my memory serves me requiered reconstructive surgery on some bolt or hole at some point to make it righe or get old stuff out. if those damn audi techs at the dealer would stop using old rounded off 12 point sockets to pull the main 18mm bolts life would be way easier for guys like me.


rant over

[Imolavirus@BuehnEngineering]

[rktskicar]

[Mike2kS4]

[rktskicar]

orginal config.

Bruce