The only problem with this system is that to open the exhaust flaps you have to put the car in “S” mode, which also means that the accelerator curve is changed to be much more abrupt (or “direct”, as Audi would describe it). I don’t particularly enjoy the non-linear throttle response in S mode, and found the car much more controllable during autox events with it disabled. The other problem with this arrangement is that even in S mode, “After engine speed is increased, however, the exhaust flaps are closed again. This ensures that the vehicle meets the statutory noise emission limits.”.

That’s no fun, but as it happens there is a solution! The exhaust flaps are controlled by a vacuum solenoid behind the left rear wheel well, which controls whether vacuum from the engine is allowed to pull the flaps closed. The solenoid gets 12v from a connection shared with the leak detection pump, and when in “normal mode” the other pin is grounded via an ECU pin. This “opens” the solenoid and allows vacuum to close the flaps. (As an aside, this is why the flaps are open at startup, the solenoid vents when it doesn’t get 12v so the flaps stay open until there is enough vacuum from the running engine to pull them closed.)

So, armed with this knowledge we now know that we can add a switch to the connection between the ECU and the solenoid and control whether the flaps are open or closed! The rest of this post details how to install the switch and a 1k ohm resistor which will prevent the ECM from throwing a fault code when we disconnect the solenoid.

You will need:

• 1x toggle switch
• 1x 1k ohm 1/2 watt resistor
• 2x crimp connectors
• 1x wire tap

There are 2 wires we need to locate to complete the mod. The first is grey with a black stripe, and goes through pin 10 on the T17j brown connector in the connection block just underneath ECM 1 (the RS4 needed 2 ECMs to handle all the functions required), which is under the windshield cowling. The grey/black wire is the control signal from the ECM to the exhaust flap solenoid.

The second wire is green with a yellow stripe, and goes through pin 1 on the T17d red connector in the same connection block. This wire supplies 12v to the solenoid, and we will tap into it to fool the ECM into thinking the solenoid is always connected.

Here is a diagram of what we’re putting together, the switch cuts power to the solenoid to open the exhaust flaps while the 1k ohm resistor creates a circuit from the 12v source to the ECM pin to avoid creating an open circuit fault when the solenoid is disconnected.

Let’s get started!

Start by disconnecting the battery!

To remove the windshield cowling you’ll first need to remove the windshield wipers by popping the rubber caps at the base of the wiper arms, undoing the nuts and wiggling the arms off. Once the arms are off, remove the cowl trim by lifting it up and pulling gently toward you.

Next, remove the 3 small black metal clips that hold the windshield cowl trim in place and pull it free from where it clips along the bottom of the windshield. This will give you access to remove the T30 torx screws that hold down the ECM cover, and with that removed you’ll be left with something like this:

Use a flat screwdriver to pop the hold-down clip on the ECM, and pivot it out of the way to get access to the connector station underneath. At this point you’ll most likely want to remove the driver’s side lower dash panel (One 8mm bolt behind the fuse panel cover and 2 more at the bottom of the dash panel), so you can get access to the dash to fish wire through and to mount your switch.

Unplug the brown connector and locate the grey/black wire that goes to pin 10, this is the wire we need to cut. Here you can see it after I made the cut, I fished the cut end of the wire back through the harness label after I cut it to have more wire to work with in the next step.

I used male/female crimp-on spade connectors to make the connections, so that the mod is easily reversible if desired. At this point connect each of the cut ends to a separate piece of wire (I used some 18 gauge red/black “zip wire”) so you can fish it back down into the dash. Note which side goes to the ECU, since this is the wire we’ll connect the resistor to in the next step.

Locate the green/yellow wire on pin 1 of the red connector, then use a wire tap (I used a Posi-Tap) to tap into it and connect a wire to one leg of the 1k ohm resistor. I tapped into this wire from inside the car, but you can also tap in where it comes out of the top of the connector.

Here you can see the resistor soldered into a piece of matching green/yellow wire I happened to have. After soldering I covered the resistor with heat-shrink tubing.

Now, take the extension of the “upstream” grey/black wire coming from the ECU and the wire from the other leg of the resistor, and connect them both to 1 terminal on the switch. The extension of the “downstream” grey/black wire that goes to the solenoid should be connected to the 2nd terminal on the switch.

When the switch is On the exhaust flaps will work exactly as they did from the factory, when it is Off the connection to the solenoid is interrupted and the exhaust flaps will be open all the time. I wired mine to an “RS4” switch I picked up that fits into a factory location in the dash, but any switch will do. The solenoid only draws about 500ma when it’s operating, so a relay isn’t necessary as long as your switch can handle at least that current.

Put everything back together and enjoy!

The post RS4 Exhaust Flap Control first appeared on AussieDan.

Each cabinet is 40″ wide by 81″ tall by 14 3/4″ deep, and uses the following materials:

2 x 3/4″ 4’x8′ Maple Plywood ($39.97ea)
1.5 x 1×3 8′ Pine ($7.87ea)
66 x 1 1/4″ Kreg Pocket Hole Screws ($4.08/100)
8 x euro-style full overlay hinges ($1.00ea)
32 x #8 5/8″ spax screws ($1.94/50)
2 x brushed chrome 4″ handles ($2.52ea)
6 x 2 7/8″ Headlok screws ($18.97/50)
10 x #7 1 1/4″ spax screws ($1.94/50 to join additional cabinets)

For 3 cabinets the total was $355 + tax, or a bit more than the cost of 1 pre-built cabinet.

I chose the dimensions to get the largest cabinet from 2 4’x8′ sheets of plywood, which are cut like this:

First, make sure the sheets are square. The maple sheets I was using were all pretty good, but you might need to shave a little off to get them square.

Next, cut 14″ off the end of both sheets. I chose to cut on the 14″ side of the line, so my shelves and sides are 14″ minus the width of the saw blade. It doesn’t matter which way you cut, as long as it’s the same every time!

Put the 14″ x 4′ pieces aside, then rip 2 14″ pieces off the long edge of both sheets of plywood. You’ll end up with 4 14″x82″ pieces and 2 20″x82″ for the doors.

Set 2 of the 14″x82″ pieces aside for the sides of the cabinet.

The remaining 4 14″ wide pieces are cut into 38.5″ lengths for the 6 shelves.

Next cut 3 38.5″ lengths of 2×3, these will be the cleats that hold the cabinet to the wall.

Now that all the pieces are cut, drill 4 pocket holes in each end of the shelves, and 6 pocket holes in each cleat.

Take the cabinet sides and 2 shelves, clamp and screw together to form a box.

The remaining 4 shelves can now be screwed in place. I put them at 14″, 30″, 46″ and 63″ measured from the top of the cabinet to the top of the shelf.

The cleats are screwed in place from the back, and the cabinet itself is done.

The cabinets are mounted to the wall by screwing through the drywall and into the studs. Start by marking the wall where the left edge of the cabinet will be, then locate the studs and measure the distance to pre-drill clearance holes in each cleat.

Now the cabinet can be set against the wall at the desired height, leveled up and screwed in place.

When mounting multiple cabinets, each subsequent cabinet is screwed to the previous one with 1 1/4″ screws to keep everything tight.

Now for the doors…

Start by measuring the final assembled width of the cabinet, divide by 2 and then subtract 1/16″ for clearance to find the width of the doors. Trim or plane the door panels to their final width, and install 4 hinges on each door.

I used a shop-made jig to route the hinge pockets, but you can also use a forstner bit. Cut the pockets and mount the hinges, then attach the doors to the cabinets.

Adjust the doors as you go so they’re level and have an even gap between each one, then attach the handles and admire your handiwork!

You can use the same method to make cabinets that are 37.5″ wide, 15″ 3/4″ deep and 81″ tall, with the same materials list:

Here is a set of shelves without doors made from a single piece of plywood using the same technique, total build cost was under $60.

I’m very pleased with how they turned out, and was surprised how easily they went together. This was my first project using the Kreg system, and as long as the joints are properly clamped they go together very well.

I made the shelves using aluminum angle as a saw guide, but it was a pain to get everything lined up and very easy for the saw to wander off line away from the guide. The EZ-Track system made things easier to lay out and in general performed very well, though you have to be careful to keep the saw level at the end of the cut when the outside “foot” on the base runs past the end of the workpiece.

The post Simple Storage Cabinets first appeared on AussieDan.

The post Winter in Central NY first appeared on AussieDan.

Reassembling the engine was a great experience, if a little nerve-wracking. Taking things slowly, keeping everything scrupulously clean and following the instructions in the service manual exactly is critical! A couple of good torque wrenches and an angle gauge are a great investment if you’re thinking about tackling this kind of project yourself! Another tool that made the job much easier was the Valco Tube-Grip, a simple dispenser for any kind of sealant in a squeeze-tube. It makes it much easier to control the bead of sealant, and the leverage it provides means that you can squeeze out a narrower more precise bead. I got mine from Racer Parts Wholesale.

While the motor was apart I threw in new rings, a Maxwell Power Services blueprinted oil pump, ACL race bearings, and a new timing belt. I also took the opportunity to tidy up the fuel system with an adjustable Sard fuel pressure regulator and Walbro pump, and replace the intercooler hoses with Samco pieces and t-bolt clamps to ward off any leaks.

Once everything was back together, it was time to put some break-in miles on the car before the much-awaited DomTune. Luckily Dom was coming out to Albany so last weekend I drove the car out there to meet up with all the Albany guys, catch up with a lot of old faces and meet a whole bunch of cool people.

The drive out to Albany was a little nerve-wracking as the car only had a few hundred miles on it and was still running on the base map, but I was able to caravan out with Jim & Brent from CNY Subies and we made it without incident. After hanging out for a while at ACC watching the Autox it was time to get into tuning. Local fanatic (and owner of the crazy Project Pizza Guy STi!) Byron was kind enough to volunteer his garage as a base of operations and while Dom took each car out the rest of us amused ourselves with assorted installs, leak testing, and talking Subarus (and Saabarus).

At the end of Sunday night the Legacy was running smoothly and making enough power to put a very big grin on my face! It still has one small issue with a single count of knock we couldn’t tune out around 6000rpm, but at that point I’m pretty much maxing out the STi “pink” injectors so those will have to be replaced before we can push things any further. After I called it a night at 2am (I have no idea how Dom & the other guys were still up and tuning!) I grabbed a couple hours sleep on Dave’s sofa and headed home.

Now that the dust has cleared a little plans are forming for where to go next, but those will have to wait for another post.

To wrap up I’d like to say thanks to everyone involved this weekend, but especially to Byron & Danielle, Dom, Dave & Allison, Jim, and Brent for all the help with making things come together this weekend.

The post DomTuned first appeared on AussieDan.

After pulling the various plugs off the block I hefted it onto the bench and removed the flywheel, then split the case and this is what greeted me:

Needless to say, I’d found the problem.

Next stop will be the machine shop to find out what will need to be done to get the crank into shape again, and have the block hot-tanked.

More pics are here.

The post The Teardown first appeared on AussieDan.

We noticed that the car was running lean under boost, and although I didn’t get any misfire codes or hear any detonation, I suspect that a rod bearing is on the way out. After replacing the fuel pump we fired the car up again and noticed a tapping/knocking sound emanating from the engine between 2000 and 2500 rpm.

So it’s time for a complete teardown, hopefully it’s just a bearing and no other damage has been done. Right now I have the engine out and on the stand, and I’m waiting for a hardened 10mm allen socket to break the notoriously-difficult cam gear bolts loose.

The post The Joys of Rod Knock first appeared on AussieDan.