[dghii]

I can now add R/R of an AOS to my list of dubious DYI accomplishments.

When I sold a buddy my 03S a year and a half ago I didn't realize that I must have included a lifetime maintenance contract! So far, along with an oil change,I've helped him replace front brakes, a water pump and last but not least the AOS.

His car had started to smoke and you couldn't open the oil filler tube so it was easy to diagnose.

Friday afternoon, we pulled the car in the garage and got after it. From what I'd read, the 03 and 04's were easier to replace than the earlier cars and that seemed to be the case.

We did have the remove hose clamp tool and were able to do the entire job from above.

I did remove the rear section of oil filler tube to get a little better access to the hoses.
The rest of the job just takes some patience.

Total time, from dropping the top into service position to buttoning everything back up was 2 hours. Note that we did not clean intake manifold out (at my buddy's request)...just didn't have the time at the moment.

I relented to his request for two reasons.
1. His AOS had just started to fail and his car wasn't smoking that bad prior to R/R.
2. It's his car.

When we started the car up, there was just a little smoke (as expected). After him pulling the car out and pulling away, I didn't see any additional smoke. I'd bet he'll be completely smoke free in a few days.

He's happy...only cost $100 for the OEM part and he's back on the road. I'm happy...I got experience doing this R/R. I haven't had to do it on my 2000S (130K miles) yet. I know it will be a little tougher and I'll have to do part from under the car but now I know I can do it, no problem.

Thank goodness for the remote hose clamp tool (and flashlight)!