2002 a4 1.8 been having this issue for a few weeks now,at low rpms below 1500,only whilst the car is in gear, it makes this weird sound like a gargle only does it as you release the clutch and goes away also straight away.almost feels like the car is going to die out but comes straight back.sound s stupid but i know somethings not right.

i changed my valve cover gasket this week and got new plugs,as i tought my fouled plugs were causing a misfire.no result.
no check engine light either.

only other thing im leaning towards is either my ac or fuel pump/filter
resently ran very very low on gas and thought i may have caused this issue due to dirt in the fuel lines?? and my ac has also stopped and car is on econ mode.

anyone else had this problem,any help please?

 

You said it does this only when taking your foot off the clutch is that right? Does the car shudder when the clutch is just engaging which then causes the car to start moving forward? If so I'd think it does it in first gear maybe reverse? While it could be other things I'm leaning towards oil leaking down from the valve cover onto the flywheel and/or a leaking rear main seal, oil on the clutch disc? I guess I should ask do you have any oil leaks underneath the car where the engine and trans are bolted together?

 

Perhaps, the leak had gotten fairly bad from valve cover, as for the rear main ill check it out tomorrow in daylight. The issue only occurs after clutch has been released( foot off), and car is just starting to move off,only in low rpm,and not at idle. Sounds almost like when you try to take off from a stop in third gear( car bogging down) but only last max 5 seconds and then car is fine. Also occurs in reverse below 1500 rpm . This strange sound also has a sort of whine, like that from power steering pump when turned to max,but gargles/ shutters/ pops, hard to describe

 

I have seen people put videos on their post, to help identify the solution. That might help. At first I thought a loose or broken motor mount. That torques the engine one way and can make for a strange and potentially dangerous driving experience. You mention power steering pump, probably a good idea to make sure your fluid for that is topped off but I can't think of how that would effect the car in the way you describe unless the system was way below the low level and you felt something in the steering system as you turned the wheel. But that doesn't have anything to do with clutch engagement. Maybe the axle shafts are loose. I've heard of the cv bolts backing out where the inner joints mount to the transmission flange. But that would cause a huge vibration problem the faster you drive the car. A broken transmission mount could be it, does it bang when you shift gears? You might have to shift more aggresively than usual to test this. That or jack the car up and pry on the trans to see if the that trans mount is broken.

 

No banging when shifting, in fact car is very tight, no vibrations.
This annoyance is only so slight my woman never even realised it was a problem.
Not a banging, but more of a flutter for 2-3 seconds just after moving off from stop, dosent effect the rev counter but is definatly coming from engine bay, up front, down low

 

ya i had the same problem there about 2 months ago, i thought it was the power steering pump too at first, i cant remember the name of the part, i think it was a cv joint, but i took it to my local mechanic and cost 160 euro including the part and labour. hope this helps

 

Jeff, just getting back to this post now, your idea about bad mounts seems to be the problem. I observed the engine with hood up, herself in car foot on clutch brake,poped into gear holding brake,whole engine moves up and the noise is hear.looking underneath I can see the passenger mount is busted,purple fluid everywhere,drivers not as bad,but gona change both.
Any advice on good,but cheap mounts, ecs?

F