Gene

I have a 1995 Audi 90 Quattro with 165,000 miles.


This morning I noticed a small cloud of smoke that I left at an
intersection when I pulled out. When I got to work I opened the door and
pressed on the gas and watched a faint (not opaque) cloud of oil (not water)
smoke form behind the car. This was more than a little disturbing.

From what I know, this could be coming from a head gasket, piston rings
or valves? How might I decide which is the
cause?

Of course, after coming home from work, I could not reproduce the
symptoms. Sticky piston ring?


Gene

Gene

I think I've learned another detail about this. I saw the same puff of
smoke at the same intersection this morning. I realized that this stop sign
is at the bottom of a hill that I coast down in gear using the engine to
gently limit my decent. It would seem to me that, in this condition, I may
be sucking oil past rings or valves into the combustion chamber without
buning it while I coast down the hill, then it burns under accelleration.
It's been suggested to me that these engines don't tend to wear piston rings
or cylinder walls much at all. So, I guess I'm looking at valve guides?


Gene


"Gene" <spam_pit@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:Vk0kb.878$Uz6.129@newsread1.news.atl.earthlin k.net...
>
> I have a 1995 Audi 90 Quattro with 165,000 miles.
>
>
> This morning I noticed a small cloud of smoke that I left at an
> intersection when I pulled out. When I got to work I opened the door and
> pressed on the gas and watched a faint (not opaque) cloud of oil (not
water)
> smoke form behind the car. This was more than a little disturbing.
>
> From what I know, this could be coming from a head gasket, piston
rings
> or valves? How might I decide which is the
> cause?
>
> Of course, after coming home from work, I could not reproduce the
> symptoms. Sticky piston ring?
>
>
> Gene
>
>

Steve Sears

Gene,
You might try a "leakdown test" - I believe that may tell you if the leak is
through the rings (= "blow-by"). In an intake vacuum condition - throttle
body closed, engine winding away to slow the car, I would expect it to the
valve guides as well.
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ - valve guides replaced with head gasket....one of those
"while you're at it" things.
1980 Audi 5k - goesn't burn oil so much as leak....darn cork-shrinking
synthetic oil.
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - burns 1 litre of oil every 40
litres of gas....even when it was new.
(SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)
"Gene" <spam_pit@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:ZQllb.12084$Uz6.1491@newsread1.news.atl.earth link.net...
>
> I think I've learned another detail about this. I saw the same puff
of
> smoke at the same intersection this morning. I realized that this stop
sign
> is at the bottom of a hill that I coast down in gear using the engine to
> gently limit my decent. It would seem to me that, in this condition, I
may
> be sucking oil past rings or valves into the combustion chamber without
> buning it while I coast down the hill, then it burns under accelleration.
> It's been suggested to me that these engines don't tend to wear piston
rings
> or cylinder walls much at all. So, I guess I'm looking at valve guides?
>
>
> Gene
>
>
> "Gene" <spam_pit@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:Vk0kb.878$Uz6.129@newsread1.news.atl.earthlin k.net...
> >
> > I have a 1995 Audi 90 Quattro with 165,000 miles.
> >
> >
> > This morning I noticed a small cloud of smoke that I left at an
> > intersection when I pulled out. When I got to work I opened the door
and
> > pressed on the gas and watched a faint (not opaque) cloud of oil (not
> water)
> > smoke form behind the car. This was more than a little disturbing.
> >
> > From what I know, this could be coming from a head gasket, piston
> rings
> > or valves? How might I decide which is the
> > cause?
> >
> > Of course, after coming home from work, I could not reproduce the
> > symptoms. Sticky piston ring?
> >
> >
> > Gene
> >
> >
>
>

Gene Buckwalter

Pulling the heads and replacing valve guides (and all the gaskets) seems
to have cleared this all up.

A point of interest: All 6 cylinder walls still have visible original
factory cross-hatching. The engine has 180,000 miles on it! I expect I'll
be driving this for a long time to come....unless I decide to get a 30V A4
some day.


"Steve Sears" <steve.sears@SHOESsoil-mat.on.ca> wrote in message
news:9Dwlb.5716$XO.754025@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Gene,
> You might try a "leakdown test" - I believe that may tell you if the leak
is
> through the rings (= "blow-by"). In an intake vacuum condition - throttle
> body closed, engine winding away to slow the car, I would expect it to the
> valve guides as well.
> Cheers!
> Steve Sears
> 1987 Audi 5kTQ - valve guides replaced with head gasket....one of those
> "while you're at it" things.
> 1980 Audi 5k - goesn't burn oil so much as leak....darn cork-shrinking
> synthetic oil.
> 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - burns 1 litre of oil every 40
> litres of gas....even when it was new.
> (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)
> "Gene" <spam_pit@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:ZQllb.12084$Uz6.1491@newsread1.news.atl.earth link.net...
> >
> > I think I've learned another detail about this. I saw the same puff
> of
> > smoke at the same intersection this morning. I realized that this stop
> sign
> > is at the bottom of a hill that I coast down in gear using the engine to
> > gently limit my decent. It would seem to me that, in this condition, I
> may
> > be sucking oil past rings or valves into the combustion chamber without
> > buning it while I coast down the hill, then it burns under
accelleration.
> > It's been suggested to me that these engines don't tend to wear piston
> rings
> > or cylinder walls much at all. So, I guess I'm looking at valve guides?
> >
> >
> > Gene
> >
> >
> > "Gene" <spam_pit@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> > news:Vk0kb.878$Uz6.129@newsread1.news.atl.earthlin k.net...
> > >
> > > I have a 1995 Audi 90 Quattro with 165,000 miles.
> > >
> > >
> > > This morning I noticed a small cloud of smoke that I left at an
> > > intersection when I pulled out. When I got to work I opened the door
> and
> > > pressed on the gas and watched a faint (not opaque) cloud of oil (not
> > water)
> > > smoke form behind the car. This was more than a little disturbing.
> > >
> > > From what I know, this could be coming from a head gasket, piston
> > rings
> > > or valves? How might I decide which is the
> > > cause?
> > >
> > > Of course, after coming home from work, I could not reproduce the
> > > symptoms. Sticky piston ring?
> > >
> > >
> > > Gene
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

Gene Buckwalter

Pulling the heads and replacing valve guides (and all the gaskets) seems
to have cleared this all up.

A point of interest: All 6 cylinder walls still have visible original
factory cross-hatching. The engine has 180,000 miles on it! I expect I'll
be driving this for a long time to come....unless I decide to get a 30V A4
some day.


"Steve Sears" <steve.sears@SHOESsoil-mat.on.ca> wrote in message
news:9Dwlb.5716$XO.754025@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Gene,
> You might try a "leakdown test" - I believe that may tell you if the leak
is
> through the rings (= "blow-by"). In an intake vacuum condition - throttle
> body closed, engine winding away to slow the car, I would expect it to the
> valve guides as well.
> Cheers!
> Steve Sears
> 1987 Audi 5kTQ - valve guides replaced with head gasket....one of those
> "while you're at it" things.
> 1980 Audi 5k - goesn't burn oil so much as leak....darn cork-shrinking
> synthetic oil.
> 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - burns 1 litre of oil every 40
> litres of gas....even when it was new.
> (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)
> "Gene" <spam_pit@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:ZQllb.12084$Uz6.1491@newsread1.news.atl.earth link.net...
> >
> > I think I've learned another detail about this. I saw the same puff
> of
> > smoke at the same intersection this morning. I realized that this stop
> sign
> > is at the bottom of a hill that I coast down in gear using the engine to
> > gently limit my decent. It would seem to me that, in this condition, I
> may
> > be sucking oil past rings or valves into the combustion chamber without
> > buning it while I coast down the hill, then it burns under
accelleration.
> > It's been suggested to me that these engines don't tend to wear piston
> rings
> > or cylinder walls much at all. So, I guess I'm looking at valve guides?
> >
> >
> > Gene
> >
> >
> > "Gene" <spam_pit@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> > news:Vk0kb.878$Uz6.129@newsread1.news.atl.earthlin k.net...
> > >
> > > I have a 1995 Audi 90 Quattro with 165,000 miles.
> > >
> > >
> > > This morning I noticed a small cloud of smoke that I left at an
> > > intersection when I pulled out. When I got to work I opened the door
> and
> > > pressed on the gas and watched a faint (not opaque) cloud of oil (not
> > water)
> > > smoke form behind the car. This was more than a little disturbing.
> > >
> > > From what I know, this could be coming from a head gasket, piston
> > rings
> > > or valves? How might I decide which is the
> > > cause?
> > >
> > > Of course, after coming home from work, I could not reproduce the
> > > symptoms. Sticky piston ring?
> > >
> > >
> > > Gene
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

Gene Buckwalter

Pulling the heads and replacing valve guides (and all the gaskets) seems
to have cleared this all up.

A point of interest: All 6 cylinder walls still have visible original
factory cross-hatching. The engine has 180,000 miles on it! I expect I'll
be driving this for a long time to come....unless I decide to get a 30V A4
some day.


"Steve Sears" <steve.sears@SHOESsoil-mat.on.ca> wrote in message
news:9Dwlb.5716$XO.754025@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Gene,
> You might try a "leakdown test" - I believe that may tell you if the leak
is
> through the rings (= "blow-by"). In an intake vacuum condition - throttle
> body closed, engine winding away to slow the car, I would expect it to the
> valve guides as well.
> Cheers!
> Steve Sears
> 1987 Audi 5kTQ - valve guides replaced with head gasket....one of those
> "while you're at it" things.
> 1980 Audi 5k - goesn't burn oil so much as leak....darn cork-shrinking
> synthetic oil.
> 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - burns 1 litre of oil every 40
> litres of gas....even when it was new.
> (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)
> "Gene" <spam_pit@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:ZQllb.12084$Uz6.1491@newsread1.news.atl.earth link.net...
> >
> > I think I've learned another detail about this. I saw the same puff
> of
> > smoke at the same intersection this morning. I realized that this stop
> sign
> > is at the bottom of a hill that I coast down in gear using the engine to
> > gently limit my decent. It would seem to me that, in this condition, I
> may
> > be sucking oil past rings or valves into the combustion chamber without
> > buning it while I coast down the hill, then it burns under
accelleration.
> > It's been suggested to me that these engines don't tend to wear piston
> rings
> > or cylinder walls much at all. So, I guess I'm looking at valve guides?
> >
> >
> > Gene
> >
> >
> > "Gene" <spam_pit@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> > news:Vk0kb.878$Uz6.129@newsread1.news.atl.earthlin k.net...
> > >
> > > I have a 1995 Audi 90 Quattro with 165,000 miles.
> > >
> > >
> > > This morning I noticed a small cloud of smoke that I left at an
> > > intersection when I pulled out. When I got to work I opened the door
> and
> > > pressed on the gas and watched a faint (not opaque) cloud of oil (not
> > water)
> > > smoke form behind the car. This was more than a little disturbing.
> > >
> > > From what I know, this could be coming from a head gasket, piston
> > rings
> > > or valves? How might I decide which is the
> > > cause?
> > >
> > > Of course, after coming home from work, I could not reproduce the
> > > symptoms. Sticky piston ring?
> > >
> > >
> > > Gene
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>