mark kibort

Its been a long time since ive done a timing belt on the S4....
I forgot... do you need to pull the radiator , or can you just pull the fans out and access alll the covers? do you need to drop both the alternaor and the PS pump or can you pull the covers with both still attached?

going to attack the water pump this weekend and get the pump and belt installed!

Thanks!

Mk

Rob Edwards

Here you go:


http://dwaynesgarage.norcal928.org/1...0Procedure.htm

wpgshark

Although you don't have to pull the radiator, you have to dump the fluid.

At that point pulling the radiator is easy and I've found that both the fins on the radiator and the skin on my knuckles appreciate the radiator being somewhere else.

Mrmerlin

if you pull the radiator then you can use an impact gun to remove the crank bolt,
plus since its been a while you also back wash the radiator of all the stones as well as the AC unit if its still installed

davek9

Yeah the Rad doesn't have to come out, however if this is a Stock S4 Fan setup then the top AT and top Oil Cooler lines need to be removed to allow shroud clearance.
So may as well go for the bottom two cooler fittings and remove and clean as others have pointed out.

Mongo

Just pull the hoses and takenthe fans out. Plenty of room

Rob Edwards

Assuming this is for the track car, for all the crap and rubber marbles that get kicked up on a track, I would pull the radiator and back-flush the fins with a hose and/or compressed air, as Stan suggests.

mark kibort

Thanks... i use a stainless air inlet screen that keeps a majority of the crap out of the radiator, but the stuff that does get in, is near the bottom. Oddly, only the large rubber pieces of race rubber are found at the bottom as there is an opening at the top , and easy to clean out when hot. I know the radiator is easy to remove... but just haven't done a timing belt on the car in a while. (engine stand..... a few more times )
the problem is the oil lines... just a few more bolts i know, but the more you wrench on those things, the more likely to have a problem as i had with the leaking tanks into the water jacket..

Its slowly coming back to me... yes, i remember leaving the radiator in but what about the powersterring pump and alternator... do those have to drop down a bit too? also seem to recalll that PS reservoir being in the way too.

funny.. that radiator is the same radiator that had the big hole from the rock that was shot at me from the tires of the 4x4 turbo Evo ..... a clamp down of the water cross path and then a mix of JB weld and toilet paper has held for over 9 years now! . Greg brown saved the radiator yet again when i was losing water to the oil pan through the side tanks... greg sold me some newer side tanks and the problem has been fixed ever since.

mark kibort

wow... that is some detail!! Great job! i think it will take 25% of the time if you just pop off the PS pump and alternator and then put the belts back on the hillbilly way!
also, i dont need to get the last plastic covers off as im not taking the oil pump, tensioner or main gears off, so that will save time not having to remove any wiring. maybe ill take some time lapse movie of the job.

dr bob

Mark-

The PS reservoir has to come off to allow the fan console to come out. The power for the ABS routes behind the PS reservoir too, needs to be removed to let the belt come off.

Drain the water jackets and the radiator before you start disassembling. The block will only drain to the height of the 'lower' radiator hose unless you pull the galley darins from the block. Failing to drain the block nets you a big coolant mess when the water pump comes off. Good Idea to drain all those front-of-engine fluids before you start, so you can clean the floor before the real wrenching starts, and keep it clean as you work. So oil, PS fluid and coolant all get drained early, then replaced at completion.

The alternator and PS pump are mounted on a cast console that must be removed to allow the bottom cover to come off. You can hillbilly it (your words, appropriate...) or actually loosen the belts on the adjusters and unbolt the console. Find something to tie the console to so things aren't dangling on hoses and wires. Better and safer in my experience to remove the pump completely from the console and tie it off safely, then remove the alternator and the wiring, then the console itself, so they are completely out of the way. A few minutes of careful work will save you aggravation on the belt job, plus avoid leaks and wiring damage. I've seen folks trying to save on these steps by supporting the whole assembly on a bucket. Then somebody kicks the bucket, the parts fall and damage things, and the perp turns a little pail.


Clean the whole area completely before you start. Not going to inspect the oil pump drive gear, crank gear , service the tensioner and replace the idlers? You are joking, right?

Take the radiator out completely. Considering your car's service, it's a good idea to let a radiator place do at least a clean and pressure leak test on it while it's out.

hacker-pschorr

I bought one of these, sealed up the seams (corners are open) with JB Weld:

http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/Pet-...XcMaAt8T8P8HAQ

Large enough to catch everything that drips / pours out as you do the job.

dr bob

A kids plastic swimming pool, H-D sells a plastic pan (a few different sizes) for hand-mixing concrete.

I put a couple large dishpans strategically placed below the block drains, open them one at a time --before-- you pull the radiator drain or loosen the reservoir cap. That keeps the flow a bit lower so the dishpans can catch everything.

I'm not at all a fan of swimming or even walking on a slime-covered workbay floor. I try and get the messy part done early, do a full clean-up, then proceed with just a few minimum pans to catch dribbles. I put a section of indoor/outdoor carpet under the area too, especially on projects that include Bob getting under the car on the floor. Except for the fluid draining and setting the crankshaft lock, the TB/WP project is pretty exclusively top access. I put the car on stands, or propped on stands under the lift arms, so it's at a convenient non-back-breaking work height. Trying to be smarter than the car as much as I can.

mark kibort

I know the PS reservior just needs to be move out of the way
whats with the oil being drained? i have done this job on the car many times,
never drained the oil. but its been over 10 years, as the last time was the stroker engine and petty's motor on engine stand.

i have only very clean distilled water in the engine, so the mess is minimal when the pump comes off . but yes, draining the block is not a bad idea.

i do just remove the main brackets on the oil pump and alternator and have it hanging by a wire .. more steps to make the job easier. that way, the adjusters are all set for belt tension. putting the belts back on are fun! (using the starter motor!

as far as the radiator goes.. its holding pressure... no question there. no leaks etc. its also clean. im off the camp of leaving sleeping dogs lie.
as far as the oil pump gear and drive gear. sure, ill inspect, but im not pulling them off. that belt has been on since the engine was installed and maintained at perfect tension . i dont expect any bad wear patterns, but will examine closely

Idlers? highly over rated! but the tensioner, ill check out too. i dont suspect that the roller should be worn out. its been 8 years of racing, but i think only about 25k of road miles.

hacker-pschorr

That was the first plan until some combination of fluids ate through the plastic and made quite a mess on my floor.

StratfordShark

On my S4 there was plenty of room with rad left installed (but it's a pretty new rad, so didn't need cleaning) and fan shroud out. I protected rear of rad with thick piece of card taped into position in case I got too enthusiastic with a breaker bar...

Removed PS pump and alt from console, then removed console so centre cover could come off. The PS reservoir can be left on, but unclamped so it can allow fan shroud out. To avoid stress on lines I secure reservoir to mounting bracket with thick elastic band for all the time except when it had to be out of the way.

No need to drain oil. Someone may be confusing with motor mount procedure?