Hardbop

Hi all,

In a previous life I must have been a real jerk.

After careful research into all kinds of reliable, fuel efficient cars, in a moment of weakness, I traded in my dying '95 Jetta for a '97 A4 quattro 1.8T. Maybe it's that mid-life crisis thing.... I dunno..... It sure is fun to drive......But it sure it full of surprises, too! So far, about 21 MPG. Not too impressive.... I get 26 in my Forester.

After buying a new set of tires, an alignment seemed like a good idea. "Can't do the alignment until we replace a tie-rod end and 3 ball joints". OK.... done. Alignment done, "Oh, by the way, this thing's been lowered about 2", so we can't get the camber right....expect uneven tire wear.... Great! (MPG now?.... 22).

The transmission was shifting erratically, so I got new filter & fluid. Cruise control is non-functional. (21.5MPG)

I patched the cigarette burn in the seat with surprisingly good results (...22MPG...but it sure is fun to drive!)

I replaced the air filter and found it to be probably the original (140,000 miles) It was filthy, broken into 2 pieces, and the paper disintegrated like 400 year old parchment. OK.... how about the cabin air filter? (22.2 MPG) Was completely filled with cat hair....!

I took it in for a new thermostat and to check for an oil an oil leak... thought it might be valve cover gasket & tensioner seals (which I understand is common), found out that the PCV system was a mess....Parts missing, others glued together, nothing where it should be, etc. OK a few more bucks.

This done, mechanic says that "two coolant hoses were badly soaked with oil and need replacement." Hoses on order. OK, fine...."Oh, by the way, it's burning oil..... alot!"

(Why didn't he check the compression on my first visit when I asked him to?).

I've heard lots about sludge... but I think this thing must have had the oil changed every 5 years, whether it was needed or not... (OK... to flush or not to flush? The conservative approach is a new filter an oil change Mobil 1 or equivalent....why didn't the mechanic do THIS when I asked him to?... or for that matter, the fuel filter?)

A quick change place near home seemed easy enough... As I filled out the paper work, I heard the guy in the pit call the other guy down... a pause... some nearly audible hushed tones.... footsteps, and the guy come back to me looking like an oncologist with bad news, saying that they can't help me. Instead of a drain plug, this thing has a gob of silicone, a nut, and what looks like a bolt coming through from the other side of the oil pan...."In all my years in this vital industry, I ain't never seen nothin' like it!" They can't tell what's up, so they won't touch it. (I went down to look and sure enough...WTF?!)

OK.... I'm having this schizophrenic relationship with this car.... IT'S A GAS TO DRIVE!!!!, but it's killing me! Whoever owned it before was a MORON..... just like it's current owner!

I have made an appointment with a REAL Audi specialist in Grand Rapids for next week. I'm hoping he'll be able to absolve me of my sins (...or give me a cyanide capsule).

My question... is (..."FINALLY, he's getting to the point!"):

If you had to deal with an A4 that was hacked and butchered like this... what other problems would you look for? I blew my budget to buy this thing, and I'm not going to unoad it on some other poor slob in this condition....(see referrence to bad karma above....) Selling is not an option.... unfortunately!

Coolant flush?

Engine Flush?

As for the oil problem: My guess is valve seals.... more smoke at idle, etc. .... doesn't seem bad on the road.

Pull the sump pan and clean up as much as possible?

Use Motor Honey in lieu of Motor Oil?

Find a nice high cliff and drive over it?

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I ASK THE GUY TO CHECK?


(Did I mention that it's fun to drive?)

Thanks,

Tom

wailshark

Well, at least you're teaching new members the importance of a good pre-purchase inspection.

I'm in the "don't flush" conservative club but whatever you think will help your chances is the thing you're gonna need to do.

Seems like you've done most things that could be done on the car by now, i'd be checking every single seal and also the CV joints. Has the car been scanned for any stored codes? Even if the CEL isn't on there could be some codes in there to give you an indication of what may be going wrong. Another thing you may want to look at is the front and rear diff seals (could be slowly leaking) as well as the spark plugs.

Also, what's the mileage on the car? When is the last time the timing belt was done?

25orsix24

I'd definitely do a compression test.
Check the electrical and do a cooling system pressure test with the engine as hot as possible/normal operating temperature just to make sure that the head gasket is ok!

Next count on having to do the timming belt!!!! That includes tensioners and water pump.

Exhaust will be next to check.

My opinion is to do the flushes, considering the sad state of that poor thing!

Good luck!

Hardbop

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the suggestions... Are you ready for the next installment?

Showed it to another mechanic who promised an estimate.... a week ago..... he never calls..... he never writes.....Message received.

Today I had the car looked at by a reputable shop in yet another town.... with lots of German auto experience (VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, etc.)

As I reviewed some of the things the seller told me (which were not quite accurate... that is to say: LIES!!!!), I realized that he may not have told the whole truth about the transmission work that he did. So I asked the mechanic today to inspect the trans fluid.... it looked like last month's coffee, mixed with the dregs of a bad bottle of Mad Dog. I guess he didn't pull the pan and check the filter (as he said he did), but merely topped off the fluid with the cheapest wrong stuff he could find. I don't know if it was like this before he touched it, or what.... I can't trust the SOB so I won't bother to ask.

There are several seals leaking on the transfer case & transmission.

The good news.... the oil drain plug issue is resolved.... oversized plug fit nicely.... not stripped. So, I have fresh oil and a good filter. I ran a conservative dose of Seafoam for a little while before the oil change, and will plan to do frequent changes for a while until I feel that the sludge issue is minimized.

Timing belt is probably good for about 30,000mi.

CV joints are OK, Ball Joints, Tie Rods, etc. are OK.


This mechanic says that the smoke is probably coming from a faulty catalytic converter. Its fault?..... IT AIN'T THERE!!!!

He says the turbo is working fine, and the compression is fine, so we might nearly have this thing licked by replacing the cat. and the bad seals, etc.

The valve cover gasket and tensioner gaskets are indeed leaking, and can be dealt with at the same time as the above.


My question now is about the Transmission:

Assuming that this thing has been run for some time with the wrong fluid in it, will I be better off to:

1: Ignore the problem and drive it until the Trans. won't shift any more?
2: Have the transmission fluid replaced with the right stuff, and hope that that it will still run. (If so.... how should I go about this? I understand that you can never get all the old fluid out when this is done....)
3: Start looking now for a new/rebuilt/used transmission and replace it ASAP?

(When I bought this car I had no idea that I was starting my own private economic stimulus package!)

Thanks for any suggestions you care to offer....

Tom

PS: Did I mention that the cruise doesn't work either?

PPS: It sure is fun to drive!

K04-S4

Regarding the transmission, I'd go with your option 2.

Can check with dealer or pro trans shops for a full trans fluid flush as iirc they can get it all out with their expensive "special trans fluid flush machine".

PS: How much fun is it to drive ?

wanthema

K04-S4: LOL!

I don't really mean to laugh at your situation, but wow! that sucks soo much bud.
Also, I would recommend u to check your tran pan first if its leaking on the sides before u take it out.. and if it doesnt then u dont have to replace it.. but remmeber to make sure the mechanic buys a new gasket for it.. becuase its copper and its like those one time use specials.... and reusing the one u had before would be a mistake there.

Also your Oil pan issue.. u said u fixed it with a "bigger" plug? Its time for a new oil pan buddy... bigger plug will not help over time... its like a temporary fix... because your stripping the oil pan curves and make it worse everytime u do an oil change.. highly recommend u finding a new oil pan for your car.. or it'll start leaking like a mother.