http://youtu.be/9zpK_-eCxAs
what is it?
Edit, 1998 a4 2.8 v6

 

It's a little hard to tell on the video but it sounds like it could be the cam chain tensioner. Is it towards the front on the drivers side only? I just replaced mine a few weeks ago. Get a mechanics stethoscope ($10) and you will be able to pinpoint it easily.

 

How much did that cost?

 

I have a spare parts engine so for me it was FREE I have seen the part for sale for about $250. This is a pretty advanced DIY so you would need to be pretty comfortable tearing into your car.

 

well i have a tbelt job coming up, should I just add that to the list for the shop to do?

 

Shine a light down there and see if the serpentine tensioner is wobbling - when the bearings begin to fail, the belt won't run perfectly smoothly over the pulley on the tensioner and you'll see it wobble. I've seen a couple of failures like this - you'll have noise that'll get worse in a fairly short time, and then blow apart and spit out your serpentine belt. A new tensioner is about $40 and adds no labor to the job because the part comes off during a timing job. If it was a cam chain tensioner, it'd be at the back of the head. You could also pull a timing cover and see how the timing belt is running (smoothly or otherwise).

 

Damn, if it just happened today how long would you say I have at 10 miles a day to the car. I don't have a 1000+ right now for the TB job. Sad day man, sad day.

 

He has the V6 so the cam tensioner is at the back on the passenger side and at the front on the drivers side. Thats why I asked if he is hearing it more from the drivers front. I think a stethoscope is a must have in any tool kit because it allows you to really pinpoint the source of sounds. Takes a lot of the guess work out of it.

 

^^^ sorry, didn't read it closely enough. That's correct. OP, you can spend a fraction of that on some basic tools, a set of Allen bits, and a set of ritz bits, and DIY the job. This forum can help you - many of us have extensive knowledge of these cars and what isn't apparent from the DIYs (which mainly are for the 1.8T but correspond for removal of the front clip at least), we can help you with. If you're basically mechanically inclined, you CAN do this job.

 

Not so much mechanically inclined but I do have common sense. haha