mikeh

I would love to be in a position to diagnose and solve your problem but I don't see there being a silver bullet there for you. I do suggest that you attend our Meet on the 8th of October at Audi of Mississauga where two of the top techs will be present to answer any and all questions. This may be an opportunity to get your problem solved or at least an answer to your problem for free.

cheeba

Firstly, don't listen to Adam - 1.8Ts are a horrible choice to run non-synthetic oil in. That's not to say that it will blow up after 2 years of dino oil, but there are real, quantifiable differences in dino and synthetic oil; and, the 1.8T benefits from the extra protection of synthetics.

I am disgusted that your dealer used dino oil in your car knowing full well that VAG changed the spec to synthetic-only because the dino oil was a factor in the 1.8T's sludge problem. VAG is one of the worst manufacturers for supporting their products after the sale, and their dealer network is a joke.

Do you A4 guys have an oil-pressure light and an oil-level light? If you're sure it's an oil pressure signal, driving the car is extremely foolish. A faulty oil sensor usually throws a code, so you should have the vehicle scanned. I'd also install a temporary, cheapo oil pressure gauge (~$20 at Canadian Tire) to monitor pressure.

If it turns out that the sensor is fine, here is one of my recent posts regarding sludge: https://www.audiforum.ca/145515-post9.html

If it turns out to be a a real oil pressure issue, here are the possible causes:

- sludge
- mains bearing wear
- running an oil too low in viscosity
- cam-chain tensioner wear
- oil pump faulty

cheeba

Oops, forgot to say that pulling your valve cover and/or oil pain a simple, free ways that you can check for sludge. Google for images for comparison.

mikeh

^^^ Great recommendations...... If your car is prone to sludge problems the first thing a mechanic will tell you is stop using non-synthetic oil because non-synthetic oil is more prone to sludging than synthetic oil. Mineral based oil can operate as high as 250-300 F while synthetic oil can operate at higher temps like 450 F before breaking down and losing viscosity.

If you want to prevent sludge build up in the engine do the following:

1. Regular oil changes of 5000K using synthetic oil. (synthetic oil is only a few buck more a litre) Put a new filter on at the same time and if possible go with a better quality filter which will only cost you a few bucks more.
2. Every 30,000 Km change your coolant 50/50 mix using distilled water. This helps keep your engine temps down



Remember that oil is the life blood of your engine so my philosophy is don't cheep out here.

adamstasiak

There is Penzoil product at Ukrainian Tire called add to oil anytime. Yellow bottle. I used it and it cleans metal to the shine. Audi says do not use oil additives thou.
I added half of the bottle and at first nothing happened but after 200 km check engine light appeared and the exhaust pipe turned greasy and black. I had black smoke coming out of the exhaust when accelerating. On the the third day everything came back to normal and it stayed this way.

Here is the image of the inside of my engine at 260,000 km. You can read the print on the right.
In my opinion this is due to use of Castrol oil both Synthetic and regular.

mikeh

If you have used this stuff and have had good results without causing any problems than that is for sure a testimony that others might want to listen too.

Thanks Adam

audigemini

great thanks.

I do have a scanner which I will try tommorrow.
and let you know what it says.
I do not have an oil pressure gauge. wonder how easy they are to install.

i really appreciate the help

I agree that VAG sucks at supporting their products. I still have all the records that they used no synthetic oil in my car for the first 3 years.
Maybe I will take another run at them.

cheeba

Wowza, that's some nasty sludge - I'd be concerned about my engine long before it looked anything like that.

Adam, even if your car had 1,000,000KM, it should look like that. There's no reason for you not to be able to read the numbers on your cam splash guard - if you can't, you have a problem! I strongly advise not adding anything to your oil unless you know exactly what it is, and what it will do.

Adam, what do the ball bearings have to do with engine oil and/or its additives?

Gemini, post up any codes and I'll let you know if I have any experience with it. You can also look them up yourself if you Google them.

mikeh

^^^ BTW great photographs on your site. Will have to get you to put up some great car shots.

adamstasiak

I have water in my car and I do not know what this is.
I know if I let it sit it will destroy the computers.