Hi all.

I have recently bought a 2000 2.7t A6 Avant with 80000 miles on the clock. Every morning when I start the carfor the first second or twowhile the engine is running I hear a ticking/knocking noise from under the bonnet. It’s the noise that you get when a car has been left standing for about 6 months or so!

If I crank the engine just long enough for it to not start my engine then try and start it after that the problem goes away. I have tried changing the oil (Magnetec 10-40) but this hasn't helped.

Has anyone else experienced this problem or know of any solutions as I know this is doing damage to my expensive engine?

Thanks in advance.

 

Couple things come to mind. First is a lifter bleeding down causing it to tick or knock on cold start. Can be fixed by replacing the faulty lifter. Second thing is a cam adjuster. Could be a bad adjuster or low oil flow to the adjuster. Try to pinpoint exactly where the noise is coming from. In either of the above cases major engine damge isnt likly. As long as it goes away after a second or so you should be fine.

 

Also try a thinner grade of oil... 5-30 or 5-40