Engine Blown
 

I was on this forum before as northerner. Couldn't sign in.

I bought an 2004 A4 1.8T quattro 3 years ago. The car now has 78,000 miles on it, and has been a great car.

We've recently had problems with the oil light coming on, and have replaced a number of parts/tubes etc. The vacuum pump was gone also so that was replaced.

The latest issue is that the engine is essentially cooking the oil. I brought it in this week, and when he changed the oil, he strained it and there were pieces of "plastic" within the oil, and the oil smelt burnt.

My mechanic felt that the engine was shot, and called Sudbury Audi and they confirmed same.

Now I am sitting here scratching my head on how an engine with 123km can be blown.

Anybody have any similar experiences? Car is well maintained.

I'm now left with a '04 audi that is worthless, and a new engine will run me upwards of $8,000 with the turbo, gaskets, and labour.

Any advice?

Re: Engine Blown
 

Oil pressure light, or oil level light? I presume the former.

A turbo engine with a relatively small oil reserve - such as the longitudinal 1.8T - requires strict oil care. It's only going to have problems if the oil of insufficient quality, and too infrequent oil-change intervals, are used.

First thing I would do is put a mechanical oil-pressure gauge on it and get an exact reading on the pressure, just to be sure that the pressure sensor is not at fault. Then, if the pressure is low, pull the pan, then main and rod bearings to check for wear, followed by inspecting the cam caps. All of that should only take a couple of hours of labour for a knowledgeable mechanic, and will determine whether or not your engine is salvageable.

Now, if you do need a new engine, buy a good-condition used one for much cheaper than at a dealer or mechanic's shop, then have a good independent mechanic install it. I have a 2004 1.8T engine with ~102,000KM on it that I'd sell for a grand - no need to get hosed at a shop! If you were closer, I could also swap it in for you, but it still shouldn't cost too much at a good indy shop. With the 'right' connections, you could do the entire job for a fair bit less than half of what you've been quoted.

Re: Engine Blown
 

Hi Cheeba

It was the oil light that looks like an oil can. Did not say anything about pressure.

It had a vibration sound that seemed to go away as the engine revved up a bit. After about 10 minutes of driving, the noise got worse. When the engine was cold, it ran fine.

The oil was rather dark, and down a half litre on the dip stick.

I just can't see the enging being blown. Just did a road trip 2 weeks ago with no problems at all, ran like a top.

My independant mechanic is good, but there are just not enough audi's in town to have a knowledgeable mechanic

Re: Engine Blown
 

I am wondering if your oil pump may be shot.
If it is the sludge issue, there was a settlement in the USA which covered it. I know you are in Canada, but if your car is in miles (as you mentioned), then it came from the US, so I think it should be covered by audi USA. You could always check into that....
What oil have you been using? What are your oil change intervals? Do you let your car idle for a minute before shutting off the motor after some hard driving?

Re: Engine Blown
 

Hhhhmmm, from your description it could also be a cam-chain tensioner issue. You should follow the steps that I provided and try to determine what the issue is. If your oil pressure is low, it's going to be one of the following: oil pump, mains/rod bearing wear, or cam-chain tensioner. Pull the pan and check it out - make sure you clean the oil-pump pickup screen as well.

Re: Engine Blown
 

I'll give a little more explanation and see if you guys still agree with your initial recommendations.

On monday, my wife drove the car 150kms in the morning to visit her dad, and then came home. Car drove fine, with no hint of a problem. On her way home, as she hit our street, the oil light came on and a sudden noise (vibration) started so she brought it home and parked it.

I checked the oil that night and in the morning...very black, and down half a litre.

In the morning, I started the car with no problems, and no noise. I drove it to the shop. On the way to the shop, the noise started after about 5 minutes of driving. As I would hit the gas, the noise would subside. When I got the garage (10 min of driving) the noise was at its loudest, but would still subside with throttling.

Mechanic changed the oil, took it for a spin and it ran great. Again, about 5 minutes in, the noise started up again so he brought it back and parked it.

The car is not driven hard. It is my wife that drives it. A good mixture of highway and city.

I will admit though the oil changes in the winter might have got missed. We did one in nov/dec for sure though.

Again, my gut is telling me that the engine is not blown.

Re: Engine Blown
 

I'd get a second or even third opinion. It's always best to be sure before you drop some serious coin. But plastic bits in the oil and the burnt oil is not good. I would not be surprised if the engine is blown.

I too am surprised at how many low mileage Audi's end up with serious problems. Shocking in fact.

Re: Engine Blown
 

Bull, we can't accurately diagnose your car over the internet. Your "gut" is also not an accurate metric for determining the condition of your engine. I told you what steps to take - it's your choice if you want to listen or not.

It sounds like you are losing oil pressure once the oil gets up to temp and thins out. There are only a few things in the lubrication system that can cause this: pressure sensor, oil pump (including pickup screen), mains and rod bearings, cam journals, and cam-chain tensioner. You should not drive the car until your low oil-pressure problem is sorted.

Re: Engine Blown
 

Hey Cheeba

I'm listening...I just can't beleive it. My problem is I trade stocks, I know nothing about engines so I am at the mercy of my mechanic - who is a great guy, just not experienced with Audi's.

I actually read him your post and he said he will have a peak and try to estimate the time required to diagnose and test. His worry is that we do all that, and we may just find out that yep, time to change the engine.

That being said, you are bang on with your post and your internet diagnosis is accurate. I fully understand that my lack of being able to properly explain the problem limits someones ability to figure out what is wrong. Hard to know what is wrong with my engine because it makes an odd noise.

The engine you have, does it have the turbo with it?

Re: Engine Blown
 

Oops, I should have added that it is possible to have a oil line/fitting that is being blocked by coked oil.

First thing to do is check if that sensor is the issue, although I doubt it in this case. Then pull the pan and check the oil-pump pickup tube. It should really only be an hour of labour to do this. Then you can pop off the bearings, and if they're worn, you're likely to need a new engine.

Re: Engine Blown
 

Plastic bits in the oil can only come from a few select places. Based on the engine making noise only after it has been warmed up, I would initially suspect Cam Chain Tensioner. Before opening anything up, you could VAG the chain tensioner to see if it's operating within limits. This is not a be-all and end-all test but if the tensioner is found to be operating outside limits then start by pulling the valve cover and servicing the tensioner as it's possible the plastic guide is damaged. If this is not the issue then I also agree with Cheeba regarding pulling the lower oil pan and inspecting for identifiable debris.

Re: Engine Blown
 

Could it be something as simple as my problem with the Crankcase Breather/Bleeder Valve Assembly being shot, and the oil bypassing or rerouting on idle into the intake etc. Can you remove your oil filler cap when it is idling or do you get a sucking sound when you remove your dipstick at idle?

Re: Engine Blown
 

Hey Cheeba,
Question on dropping the oil pan.
Can it be done without dropping the sub frame?
I was told it could not.

Re: Engine Blown
 

You can get the pan out by just dropping the subframe a little, without having to remove everything attached to it. You might have to raise the engine up an inch or two bit with a jack or crane, though. You can also pull the front end off to avoid touching the subframe, but I've never tried it that way.

Re: Engine Blown
 

Appreciate the comeback info!
Thxs!

Re: Engine Blown
 

Allright - just an update.

I brought it to a different mechanic. He ran an oil pressure test and he is getting about 30psi when it's cold.

Now we're at the point of wether we change the pump, pull the pan and see what's what. He is not holding out much promise for the engine.

Re: Engine Blown
 

Allright, here is the final summary of what happened with my car. My old mechanic immediately went with blown engine and started shopping for engines. He then consulted a local audi dealership (in another town) and they too wanted to change the engine. Finally found a volks/audi guy that knows the 1.8 and I told him what Cheeba had said, so he did exactly that. Oil pressure was low. Changed the oil pump.
Oil pan was full of sludge...cleaned that up
Oil pickup tube was plugged....cleaned that up

The wrong oil and wrong filter were being used also. Fixed that issue.

$840 was the final bill.

Have had the car back for 2 weeks and runs great. Very responsive, no issues at all.

Re: Engine Blown
 

Happy to hear you got it sorted and didn't gave to buy a new engine!