Letum

Hi, my name is Kei. Letum is my fiance, so I just want to state that this is not her. I'm currently doing a little research in order to help her get her precious baby up to what I believe to be good operating standards. I come from a completely different World - All Wheel Drive, So I am used to being picky and meticulous with things. This thing, however, is a bit of a bigger beat for me and I thought I would sneak onto her account while she is out and I have the car to see if some of the more experienced users here can lend me a little advice. Let's get started.

First off - Vibration. We picked this car up without a full exhaust, drove it home without speaking because I couldn't hear over the sound of the cut off exhaust under my butt echoing through the car. The car vibrated and creaked like crazy. We have nulled this out by replacing it with a full exhaust, new tires, balancing, replacing a warped drive shaft, a near rear end, and making sure everything was stable. Car/Road noise is down astronomically and it's much more comfortable to drive. There is this vibration, however, at about 2500 RPMS. I noticed this today while taking it through the RPM range out of habit to listen for exhaust leaks and such. It's pretty noticeable and frankly I don't like it. It's too dark at the moment but I've already through to check motor/transmission mounts. Are there any other things I should check? Would there be any nit-pick areas to check out?

Secondly - 2nd gear shifting. When casually driving, when the trans(auto) shifts from first to second, it is very abrupt and heavy. I can feel a dull thud, so I'm suspecting a mount. This may attribute to the above question. Just looking for backing on this.

Third - Temperature Gauge. The previous owner had apparently ran this car at the track. I've noticed that the Temp gauge stays about the same at all times while driving. This leads me to believe the Thermostat was removed for track use. Going to replace this, are there any specific temp ranges I should keep in mind? Also, what is the average time for replacing said item? Are there any specific burping procedures which should be taken after changing the thermostat and refilling the cooling system?

Fourth - Oil Pressure. I've noticed that the oil pressure fluctuates noticeably at idle. It's still within range, but it jumps a bit. Accelerate or rev and it raises fine. When coming to a stop, however, the gauge will drop low enough to activate the "Check Gauges" Light. Is this usual for these?

Lastly - Tune Up. And here's where I become the noob. I've heard horror stories, read articles, listened to people gripe constantly...spark plugs. How hard and how long will it take? Is there a specific plug? Should I pray before I do this? Is there a preferred method?

Thanks for the insight and I apologize if questions seem uneducated. As I said, I come from a world of smaller engines but I have always been fascinated with the larger crowd. I've been looking for an older model TA for a while, however, she beat me to the punch. I'm just trying to figure out what I can on the fly to help her out before she gets home. Help a man make his girl happy!

:Known Mods:
Crane Cam
Roller Rockers
Ported Intake
Modded Throttle Body
Ported Exhaust Ports
Ported Intake Runners
What looks to be an emissions delete?
Various other small things..

uzeial

1. The clunk from 1st to 2nd is probably your trans mount. I broke 3, so I switched to a poly mount.

3. T Stats and temp sensors are cheap, throw one in and see if that sorts it out.

4. My car did this shortly before a rod started knocking. Check the oil pressure sensor and oil level sensor or you will live to regret it.

Also, the ignition system (opti, if lt1, which catches a bad wrap...) and spark plugs aren't terrible if you have some mechanical ability. They catch a bad rap

babbage1109

iTrader: (11)

Remove heatshields and by full exhaust do you mean headers or just the cat back? If you have headers spark plug changes aren't nearly as hard. Tranny mount would be my guess too Most guys run ngk tr55 and msd 8.5 mm wires. Works great. The oil pressure thing I'd worry about. Idk how to go about that though

great421

iTrader: (1)

(I'll try and address the open issues as I agree with the trans mount comments.)

2. Replace the Trans fluid.

3. Put in a 160 degree therm.

4. Drop the pan and replace the Oil Pump with a Melling High Volume unit. (Sorry)

5. Spark Plugs on an LT1 are double plus un-fun to the unexperienced. The first time it took me 6.25 hours. Advice: #1,3 and 5 - Top; #7 - Below. #2 - First remove Alternator, #4 and 6 - easy from the Top; #8 is an absolute bear from the top unless you have toothpick arms (but it CAN be done) - Easy from the bottom if and only if you remove the exhaust crossover first.

7998

iTrader: (1)

I'll disagree with Uzeial about the poly mount but let me preface it by saying a I have a
6-spd. I changed the my stock mount to a poly and it produced a vibration around 2500 rpms. I will change back to the stock mount asap. Search "trans mount vibration" on here and you see I'm not alone. A4's may be different. Number 2 probably has to do with #1. #3 go with a 160* stat. #4 was the oil pump upgrased with the cam?

AwsmGy

iTrader: (4)

In regards to the trans mount, I just put a polly in my car and yes, there is some vibration. But it's so small that it doesn't bother me at all.

uzeial

I have an A4 and have had no serious issue with my poly, but can understand the issues people have with them. I just got sick of replacing the stockers that kept breaking.