ABH Distributor Re and Re Issue - Need help

[UrS4boy]

For reasons not clear to me, today, I broke my rule of never starting a new car project until the old one is completed/never start something you can't finish.

Yesterday I started screwing around adding a third brake light to my 94 C4 V8 S4 avant. Didn't get done but the car would still be completely driveable. Today, I put that project aside and dove into removing the distributor on the passenger side (right side of the engine) head with only a vague idea of what would be involved. I removed the air ducting and the OOOO V8 airbox plate, removed the coil and removed the distributor cap (left the wires on it). I thought about removing the air filter housing from the engine to get clearance to access the the distributor cap bolts and the distributor bolts. However, even after I removed items 6 and 7 from the air filter box (see below), it would not come off/out.

I carried on in the cramped quarters and eventually got the distributor out. Good news - I don't think the internal oil seal has failed. No oil in the distributor. (Yay) Cleaned up the distributor and changed the big green O-ring. I started to put the distributor back in and got the outside bolt in a few threads - but I am struggling and failing to get the inner distributor bolt even started. I really need to get that air filter box/housing out of the way. I am starting to understand/think that it is being held in by the four spark plug wires that cross between banks. Or is there some other bolt or something else that I am missing? Do I just need to pull wires off the bottom of the air filter box?

[Hanuman]

To the best of my knowledge, it is simply those two nuts, onto the studs in the inlet manifold.

The round inlet tube then is held in by a rubber gasket, and you need to push the entire box rearwards about an inch to clear the studs, and remove the tube from the inlet manifold.

The seal may well be a little sticky after 2 decades, unless someone has resorted to putting some form of sealant on.

The HT leads sit in a flat saddle/guide below the box, but not connected to it.

[UrS4boy]

Thanks very much. Being very familiar with the AAN in my 93 UrS4 sedan but clueless about the ABH in the 94 S4 avant, I was afraid of breaking something by pushing/pulling to hard against a resistance. Now that I know what's what, I will have the confidence to wiggle it off. Interesting about the spark plug wires.

Thanks from an ABH newbie.

[UrS4boy]

Just went out to the V8 avant and removed the two nuts and, with the knowledge that nothing else was there, I pulled the air filter box right off with no problems. Duh. Feel a bit foolish now.

Thanks again.