well this weekend my engine went out on me. i think there was an issue with the oil system because when i last checked(maybe a month or two ago) i had plenty of oil. no drips or leaks that i could find before this incident. well i was taking off from a light heading home and BAM, then black smoke came out from underneath the hood. when i tried to crank it sounds like poop and i have an oil leak from an unknown area. so my engine is now blown from what i can tell. any ideas on what a rebuild should cost? really just need a price on parts cause i already know the labor part is gonna screw me. the car is a 1997 A4, 1.8t, 5 spd, FWD and 146,000 miles on it. i have tried looking around for myself, but have not found any rebuild/overhaul kits.

 

I would first look it over. If the engine is blown, a used one can be sourced from anywhere from $1500-3k depending on miles. Then depending on shop, another $1-3k for labor and misc parts.

 

that sounds a bit overpriced...

look at this thread on audizine

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249971


"List of motors are as follows:

AEB 1.8T 5 speed- ~~~$1100~~~
The head has 60k miles on it, and the bottom end has 100k on it.


ATW 1.8T 5speed ~~~$1000~~~137,000 Miles
ATW 1.8T auto 140,000 ~~~$900~~~ 140,000 Miles
APB 2.7T 6speed: ~~~$1400~~~ 86,000 Miles out of a 2001.5 S4
AHA 2.8 30V~~~$950~~~ Lower Oil Pan is cracked. Has 140K. Its basically a block with heads. "

heres a link to there website if you want to contact them...

www.AP-Specialties.com

 

Not to many shops would just drop that high of a milage engine into a car. Most wouldnt go above 60k unless it was rebuilt since the compression on those engines above 100k are starting to need a rebuild sooner than later.

 

what about a rebuilt engine? just a long block i can stuff in there? if thats an option and a reasonable one i would rather do that. i dont want to just ditch my car. if a rebuilt engine is cheaper then rebuilding the one i have...then i am all in. only problem is i cannot find any for Audi's. anyone happen to know of any sites or anything i can use as research?

 

You need a AEB or even a ATW block from a A4 or passat from 97-2000. If the engine is good and the compression is low, you can just replace the bearings (main and rod) along with a hone and new set of rings and you will be almost a new engine. Thats going to be about $500 or so in parts (gaskets, bolts, etc) and then maybe another $2k in labor.

 

update. ok i figured out that i blew my head gasket and i also found some ceramic pieces in the oil. any ideas what it might be? i am going to have it looked at soon and hopefully i will know the full story. if i have to install another engine, which its looking like i might, would it be somewhat easy to do at home? i dont have a car lift but i do have an engine lift, could that work?

 

a blown head gasket is fixable. not cheap, but a lot cheaper than a new engine