audi a3 overheat problem
 

I own a 1997 A3 1.6 sport. A few weeks ago the engine overheated.I
took it to my mechanic who has serviced the car for the past 3 yrs.
Water had got into the oil so we presumed the head gasket needed
replacing - it did.He stripped down the head and had it serviced by
specialist.After refitting he discovered that the impeller in the
water pump had failed (the plastic had actually melted and broken up
causing a blockage in the radiator which was also then replaced). This
was fast becoming an an expensive repair but worse was to follow.
After a few days of having the car back and only 60-70 miles it began
to run erratically: 3 of the spark plugs had fouled up and the car was
burning oil at a rapid rate. My mechanic thinks this is caused by the
piston oil seals being damaged when the car overheated - obviously
another expensive job to repair.
So the questions I have are 1) is this the likely cause of the oil
burning problem or is there another cause (valve seals?)
2)Would it be cheaper to replace entire engine?
3)Is the AEH engine the same as an AKL for straight swap?
Would be grateful for any help/advice
Dave

Re: audi a3 overheat problem
 

"Graham" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message news:<bdcr57$rk172$1@ID-158414.news.dfncis.de>...
> "DaveF" <dave@carterbench.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:2304d9.0306250249.78ae2820@posting.google.com ...
> > I own a 1997 A3 1.6 sport. A few weeks ago the engine overheated.I
> > took it to my mechanic who has serviced the car for the past 3 yrs.
> > Water had got into the oil so we presumed the head gasket needed
> > replacing - it did.He stripped down the head and had it serviced by
> > specialist.After refitting he discovered that the impeller in the
> > water pump had failed (the plastic had actually melted and broken up
> > causing a blockage in the radiator which was also then replaced). This
> > was fast becoming an an expensive repair but worse was to follow.
> > After a few days of having the car back and only 60-70 miles it began
> > to run erratically: 3 of the spark plugs had fouled up and the car was
> > burning oil at a rapid rate. My mechanic thinks this is caused by the
> > piston oil seals being damaged when the car overheated - obviously
> > another expensive job to repair.
> > So the questions I have are 1) is this the likely cause of the oil
> > burning problem or is there another cause (valve seals?)
> > 2)Would it be cheaper to replace entire engine?
> > 3)Is the AEH engine the same as an AKL for straight swap?
> > Would be grateful for any help/advice
> > Dave
>
> I'm not sure I can answer your specific questions, but my 1997 A3 1.8 had
> the same problem with the plastic impeller. Only it shattered into several
> parts as a result of not enough antifreeze being in the car (this was after
> it was just serviced) during a period where the temp was down at
> about -10/-12 deg C overnight.
>
> It did overheat on running it the next day, but I managed to get it back
> home. Audi paid for the full repair on this one. It was thankfully
> replaced with a metal impeller.
>
> If I was you, I'd go to your local Audi dealership and explain the
> situation. They should know about the plastic impeller problem (my dealer
> certainly did, although I was the first one to have had problems with it).
> If you're lucky they may figure that the other problems were caused by the
> same thing and if not pay for it, at least pay a fairly high percentage of
> the cost.
>
> Hope you get it resolved.

Thanks Graham
I spoke to Audi uk,and the local dealership and their basic attitude
was 'tough luck' on account that I'd not had the car serviced by
Audi.I explained that the service schedule had been carried out for
the 3 yrs I have owned the vehicle to the letter, albeit by my very
thorough and competent mechanic, but this did'nt seem to matter
(before this it had been serviced by Audi).
Your experience with the water pump may be the answer to my mechanics
problem as he was struggling to work out what had failed first - it
was a chicken and egg type scenario! I'll go back to Audi and try
again with this new info.
Thanks once again,
Dave