I dropped in a used motor into my NA 87 (engine is also S4) and I was getting my friend to help me. Turns out, he tells me after the fact, that when I was under the car bolting up the tranny that there was a gap probably big enough to stick his pinky into. On the bottom end, where I was with little light so I had no idea, there was a small crack, not more than a few millimeters (1/8th inch for you americans). I thought it was okay and he didn't say anything. So then I put the engine all together and went to turn it over. It turned over a few times, slower each time until now; it doesn't turn over by hand at all. Then engine was fine before it was put in the car and the battery is not the cause of the problem. It is, I believe, the fact that the tranny was forced into the engine. Now, how much damage was done?

 

Depends on where the issue lies. Probably none to the engine, possibly some to the starter, flywheel, clutch, or trans, just depending. The fact that it barely turns probably means the starter and flywheel are not in proper alignment.

 

ouch, kick your friend in the nuts....

probably the pilot bearing binding up, you do have the trans. out of gear right? the engine is bolted up straight and flat now?


you are probably going to have to remove the transmission and replace the pilot bearing and seal and hope the input bearing did not get damaged by all the force imposed on it.

 

yea, thats what I hoped, since I dont want a new engine. I got the starter out after some trouble, engine still doesn't rotate; so I guess the problem lies deeper than just the starter; and the car was out of gear. I kinda wanted a new tranny anyways....

 

That's the spirit. As stated before, it could be clutch allignment. Did you use a clutch allignment tool?

-Marques

 

I didn't change the clutch on the engine. maybe I'll take it off and align it anyways. Mostly what I wanted to know was if damage to the engine is common after a mistake like this. Hopefully the trans is okay too though...
any other opinions?

 

Engine damage here is next to impossibile.

The pilot bearing and/or input shaft tip could be hurt.

The locked engine is a worry.
I'm not sure what's causing that.

 

did you let the engine sit for a while after it didnt start?

 

I had no choice, I was flying out the next day

 

Is you clutch plate put in right? You can put it in backwards (upside down), and you will find trying to get the tranny on the last, "!/2" inch to be real tough. Bolting it in backwards, will also screw up your pilot bearring.

 

erm... NO.
if he put the clutch in backwards, it wouldnt even sit against the flywheel.
even on an unsprung disc, it wouldnt
he couldnt have put the clutch in backwards because the bolts for the pressure plate wouldnt even hold it

have you ever replaced a clutch?

 

i am willing to bet that he didnt put it in right and didnt slide it all the way in - and then he tried using bolts to force the tranny and engine to mate....

shoulda took it to a shop!

 

I agree with Slpin....

Kinda hard to put a clutch in backwards when you DIDN"T TAKE THE CLUTCH OFF the used motor......


You need to pull that tranny off, sumething is grotesquely wrong, hopefully inside the bell housing somehwere cause all that is easily replaced.. but the input shaft or tranny internals...... ewwwww

 

Sorry dewd, but I did put it in backwards. It was a new ACT clutch, and not paying attention, that is what i did. So, YES, IT CAN BE DONE...........


Have I ever replaced a clutch? BWA HA HA HA HA HA.... ask me how many times.....

Have you ever put in a clutch backwards? If not, STFU!

 

I did not read that. my fking bad......

 

no i didnt put the clutch in backwards
im not retarded, sorry.

 

I did something similar when re-installing the transmission on my turbo II, it didn't damage anything, not to say it couldn't. But what actual damage done would prevent the engine from turning? are you suggesting because you forced the transmission onto the engine, that the transmission's input shaft damaged the pilot bearing in the back of the engine? why would this prevent the engine from cranking? sounds to me like a weak electrical connection or something slowing down the cranking.

 

if it did mess the pilot bearing up it could seize the shaft from rotating..........as he stated it turned over then got slower and slower then it would turn.. sounds like something got seized together..either the spline son the tranny didnt go into the clutch disc right and thats seizing it or the pilot bearing/imput shaft is the colprit.. take it apart and let us know ..hopefully its not too bad.,

 

haha, well, from the sounds of it my worries are a bit less right now. Like I said I kinda wanted a new tranny anyways, my third gear syncro was mostly fried before I got my car. However, as it is right now, my car is 1000k away; so that complicates things a bit. But I think maybe the splines weren't ligned up right. Anyways, thanks for everyones contribution. I'll post new stuff when things develope