I recently bought an 2003 a4 1.8t upgraded from a 1995 civic all went great love the car but its been about 2 months and i get a warning when i turn my car on Service! and sometimes when i put it into drive and start going theres a quick grinding noise and from what iv read all over these forums it could be the transmission which im really hoping its not but now ima getting vibrations when accelerating the steering wheel shakes and the whole car shakes i cant really pin point where the shaking is coming from exactly my guess would be mid-rear from what iv read on that it could be my cvt joint, im taking it to get a oil change tomorow see if that helps anything but i have no idea what to do as this is my first audi owned and dont have a code reader or anything so any help would be appreciated. thanks in advance.

 

got my oil changed and the mechanic said the oil was very dirty and a little bit low, i wonder if that did anything to the engine, my friend said the engine could be loose or possibly a missfiring piston making it shake, the shaking has gotten worse and i want to figure out what it is before it breaks completely anyone have any suggestions?

 

#1, Your friend is an idiot.
#2 You drive an audi not a Honda, use fully synthetic oil for the change every 5K miles or less
#3 Expect to spend far much more (about 7 to 8 times more) on maintenance that what you spent in your previous car

Now your problems...

First is the car Quattro or Front wheel drive (CVT)? This would help pinpoint if it could be transmission related or not. Also everytime you step on the gas and you hear a grinding noise accompanied by shaking of the steering wheel that means one of your CV axles is out, like all loose in the flange causing the bearing to fail, thus your grinding noise...

Total cost for a new axle: about 150 bucks (that's a high estimate)
Approximate cost for a new bearing: About 20-40 bucks (considering it's bad)
Time required(considering you're mechanically inclined): about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

This is if the CV axle is bad on only one side... if the bolts where it comes out of the transmission are the problem then that's a different story.

 

yea its a front wheel drive cvt model, yes when i step on the gas its grinds then its starts to shake whenever i accelerate no matter what speed i am going, thank you dan1969 for that information it helps a lot im hoping that is what it is opposed to the transmission which would cost a couple thousand, also once i get this fixed and my car is running in prime condition again i was looking to make a couple upgrades i was first going to put a knn air filter in and upgrade the diverter valve if you have any opinions or anything on that

 

Well, it seems that it could be the transmission but normally it jerks and does weird stuff, It does sound like your CV joint, take a look at them.

 

got my car looked at and my weights on my front right rim were all missing so the tire was off balance so i got both my front tires rebalanced at the sears shop since i work there and when they took off my front right rim to balance them my cv joint was completely gone no grease in it and the bearing was done so i left my car in the shop and im having the mechanics who work there fix it for me in the morning hoping that is all it is so i can start upgrading my car. thanks dan.

 

keep an eye on those things, the boots fail and grease goes all over the place. Hope it's all good when you get it back.

 

Good morning. I hope the problem turned out to be merely the the CV axle as opposed to the CVT. Now, just for some additional input:

I had experienced much of what you are describing so I want to make a few key points.

1). If it is shaking on acceleration it could also be due to misfire. The coils in the AMB engines are unfortunately prone to failure. I've replaced mine 2x's. Check those. You can do this relatively easy. With the car running, in park, remove the connector from one coil at a time. Start with the one in the rear (cyl 4). Remove the connector, and observe any changes. If none, then put the connector back on. Move to the next one. Repeat. When you disconnect the cable, the car should idle roughly. You are essentially causing a misfire. If nothing happens when you disconnect a coil, then it is likely you have a failed coil.
2). If the shaking is light, or only found in a specific RPM range, you could have a leak in your vacuum/boost lines. There are 6 check valves that work to maintain the air intake vacuum system. Check each one to insure they are not cracked or emitting what appears to be a white residue. Also, check the vacuum lines to insure there are not any cracks/splits. There is also a vacuum jet pump (purge valve) located behind the intake manifold. That can definitely go bad. Believe it or not, the vacuum system can weigh heavily on the performance of your car - remember, these are turbocharged engines.
3). The CVT in the 2003 is a bitch. I had to replace mine - $6989. What happens is the engine speed sensor in the transmission unit fails, then the transmission control module gets confused. In continuous attempts to adjust for the misreading of the engine speed, your transmission will incorrectly put itself into various ratios, rapidly. This causes the stuttering you may experiencing. This will result in catastrophic damage. The sooner you have someone check your transmission, the better.

Lastly, get an obd2 scanner/reader. Believe it or not, they really help. These cars tell a huge story to those willing to listen with the right equipment. Better yet, find someone who will hook it up to VagCom. I just recently purchased a cable and software - I'm looking forward to getting a better grasp on what's going on with my misfire situation. Such a scanner may not necessarily help you when you have a balancing issue or if your CV axle is bad, but it is still good to have.

[I drive: 2003 Audi A4 1.8T (CVT)]

I hope any of that helps you!
Good luck.