Is there any major problems with the 1.8t engine on the 2002 audi a4 as opposed to the 3.0 liter. I heard that the timing belts the the earlier model from 97-01 were going out around 90-100k miles.

Any help?

 

timing belt is pretty normal around that km range not milage......

 

I prefer the 1.8t to the 3.0... you can get much more HP potential out of the box due to the ECU tuning capability. I have the same 02 engine and goes really well.And a timing belt is just a belt...replace it when it's worn. Mine was done every 100 000 km...it only cost a few bucks compared to suspension arm bushings and other stuff that has a much shorter life on an A4 !

 

So as far as reliability goes the 1.8t is better?

 

If your prepared to take on the maintenance of a Turbo car, the 1.8T can be more fun than the 3.0L. With basic maintenance and no Turbo worries, the 3.0L should run for a very long time. Some folks view Turbo's as a maintenance item

Highly recommend replacing idler pulleys and hydraulic dampener along with the new belt, even T-Stat and Water Pump should be done while in there. Complete TB kits with all the bits are available. A lot of TB failures start with a nasty pulley failure...

 

I have the 1.8T (2002), and it has been good to me so far. One way I look at it is that the Volkswagon/Audi Group has been using the 1.8T for so many cars for a number of years, they must have this platform down packed.

This was my first forced induction engine, and I've had no problems (knock on wood). The stock tubro isn't very big, runs smooth and is much more "fun" to drive compared to the 3.0L, despite the stock horsepower difference.

IMO if you do your regular maintenance, warm-ups, cool downs, don't bang on it too hard all the time, it should prove as a fairly bulletproof engine.

 

Thank you for enlightening me. The replies were very helpful!