Bellingham, Washington

OH, I WISHsomeone could identify the cause of this problem. Here's the story: 2002 TT 1.8 Turbo 20V Quattro roadster 6-speed.January, 2007, 50k miles--when the engine is started from cold (first thing in the morning), and after it idles (1,200 rpm) for about 2 minutes, a click, click, click noise arisesfrom the front of the engine (passenger's side of car) and the clicks are happening about once every second. If you wait a few minutes for the engine to warm up (idle drops to 900 rpm) the clicking slows to about once per second. If you drive the car about a mile, the clicking is gone. If you start the car every few hours during the day, no clicking. But keep reading, there's more ...

I took the car to the dealer (Roger Jobs in Bellingham, Washington); they thought it was the serpentine belt and replaced the belt, but the noise was still there. June, 2007: car in for oil change; I told the service rep that the noise was still occurring; they couldn't find problem. October, 2007: I left the car with the dealer for 3 days. They took a lot of stuff off the front of the engine, including the timing belt cover, but were unable to find the problem.

NOVEMBER, 2007, 65k miles: a few NEW DEVELOPMENTS: after starting the car cold in the mornings, the clicking arises in about 30 seconds (you no longer have to wait a couple minutes), and the clicking is now at rate of about 3 or 4 times per second, and sounds more like ... click CLICK click ...click CLICK click ... click CLICK click ... In a few minutes the engine warms up, the rpm dropsfrom 1,200 to 900, and therate of clicking slows. If you drive a couple miles, the noise is gone. If you park the car and start it again 3 or 4 hours later, no noise. If you park the car at 8 a.m. and start it again at 4 p.m. (the engine is cold) you will get the noise.

One theory being discussed is timing belt problems, but why would the noise require time (30 seconds) to appear, and why would noise go away after driving a mile or two? Another theory is sludge build up in the 1.8 20V turbo engine. The dealer wants to try engine flush. Another theory is faulty pressure check valve.

DOES ANYONE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS? CAN ANYONE DIAGNOSE THIS PROBLEM?

Please post here, or send e-mail to gregorywrites@yahoo.com

OH, PUH-LEEEEZ !!!

Greg
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I had a problem which you described, but not on my Audi. It was happening to my '03 Chevy Silverado, at start up, the clicking was really loud, and after it has warmed up, the clicking sort of quieted down but can still hear it. I took it to the dealer to have it checked out, turned out that my catalytic converter was falling apart. I had no idea a catalytic converter would make that type of noise. It got replaced under warranty and now nomore click click