Hello all,
I have a 2002 A6 3.0 with about 118,000 miles. The car still rides great, but over the past few weeks, I have been experiencing some intermittent ticking and a minor loss of acceleration. This ticking only happens during high RPM's of 1st and 2nd gear(usually acceleration from a stopped position), and disappears once the RPM's drop. I have been advised of all kinds of potential causes, such as gunk buildup, sticky valves, partially to completely stuck valves all the way up to worn and blown cam lobes. I have changed the oil(I only use Castrol Syntec 0-30 with Lucas oil stabilizer) and I regularly add SeaFoam to thin the oil and clean the engine components. This will alleviate the situation, but only for a day or two. Gradually, the ticking and loss of power comes back. A good friend(who is probably the best mechanic I know) recently had me explain the problem to him in detail, and he believes it could have something to do with possible partially clogged fuel injectors because I only experience the issue during acceleration, and because the problem comes and goes. I am going to perform a direct fuel injection cleaning from the vacuum line. I was told the brake booster cable is the best to use because it will evenly distribute the SeaFoam to all injectors. Does anybody know which line to use, as there are two lines coming out of the brake booster. The location of the engine in relation to the brake booster does not allow me enough room or visibility to follow the lines, so I can't tell which line leads to the injectors. I want to make sure I do not use the wrong line and possibly cause damage to a vehicle I truly love. Thanks a lot.

 

Pretty sure any vacuum line will work. That's what ie been told.

 

Also I'm not positive on this but putting seafoam in the intake system or vacuum will not cure any thing fuel injector related. Put that in the gas tank an it will go straight to the injectors. And clean them. But of in fact it is your injectors take them out and clean them. That will guarantee results.

 

If you've been running Seafoam in the engine oil for long periods to "thin the oil", you may have damaged the lifters. You should use the correct viscosity synthetic...period. I use Mobil1 0W-40 in both my 2.7T (204k miles) and my daughter's 2003 A4 3.0 MT6 (96k miles).

 

I haven't been doing it for long at all-3 weeks at the most. I was figuring if the valves were sticky from carbon buildup, the SeaFoam might alleviate the situation. I was also adding Lucas stabilizer to make sure the oil wasn't thinned out too much as to burn out quickly. I only use Castrol Syntec 0W-30. Using the SeaFoam was used to try to solve a problem; it was definitely not used for preventative maintenance nor did I ever use it prior to the ticking during acceleration issue. I appreciate the advise. Thanks.

 

I think you should consider a direct fuel injector cleaning by a reputable dealer or indie shop with this capability (preferably one that specializes in Audi/VW).