Hi, my daugther's A4 Quattro recently had the low pressure problem typical of the sludge problem. I checked the oil level and was good. I used Seafoam to flush it out and for a while the engine smokes but disappears after a while. I flushed it and filled it with syn 5-40 oil but still getting the low oil pressure. I took off the valve cover and there was little sludging in it so I cleaned the cover real good (parts wash and steam clean. Meanwhile I checked the cam tensioner and the plastic is still good, not chewed up with no marks whatsoever. I removed the back cam bearing cover and both the cam and the bearing surface looked good. Back then it was also pulling a code on bad coil and timing is off. But there was nothing on top that I can see wrong. I put everything back and proceeded to get the oil pump pick up tube replaced. This time I had my trusted mechanic do the work, for $450.00. He gave me the old tube and it was plugged. He put it all back together but now the car smokes as hell!!!! I thought it may just be the old oil getting burned in the cylinders but now I am very concerned. Did I just blew up my motor by doing what I had done to it. I can't take it to the Audi dealership yet because I do not have the oil replacement documentation they need for the warranty repair. Is the problem anything else other than a blown motor? I ran it and it has good pullling power although it runs a little rough at idle. But man it smokes at idle and blowing oil in the exhaust. Could it be just the turbo? Please advise if I just have to bite the bullet and bend over to the Audi dealership?? HELP!!!!

 

it's mind boggling how many people add snake oil (seafoam, fuel injector cleaner, octane booster,etc) to their engines. good oil and gasoline has detergents in them to keep things clean?

 

Two different issues, the sludge issue was indeed your oil pick up tube. Its a design flaw by audi, the tube and screen is too small, so when it plugs up it collapses starving the engine for oil, driving it too long like that of course will blow the motor. It wouldn't matter if you ran the very best synthetic oil, it only takes a little crud in the pan to clog it.

Now on to the second problem, i believe you ran the engine a little too long with not enough oil pressure. The engine bearings may be ok, but i think you're stock turbo went kaboom. I would also change your PCV valve and look for any other problems with the PCV hoses, if you find any crap in the lines, clean them out with brake cleaner. The lines get all clogged up when the oil pressure goes south, kinda like how your head gets congested when your nose is plugged.....no bueno.

 

99% of engines yes, the 1.8T in the longitude mounted cars ( A4, A6 europe) will lose oil pressure regardless of what you run, its not technically sludge that messes them up, but sometimes it is.

 

i completly agree with auditech79 because he just perfectly described what happened with my car recently, oil pick up tube got clogged, low oil pressure, got it fixed but then car was smoking a lot, took it back only to discover the stock turbo was blown. $1010 for a rebuild by my mechanic (including parts/labor)

 

Is this kind of issue still covered by the Audi sludge warranty even if the oil pickup tube replacement was not done by the dealership but you can show at least two oil changes done by my mechanic? Thank you auditech79 for the info. Will Audi be receptive if I bring it in and claim the warranty engine repair/replacement due to the clogged oil tube?

 

Well don't tell them you tried to repair anything, and you need to show them proof of ALL oil change reciepts for at least every 10k. I believe the repair is covered up to 8 years, so if your car is a 2003+ you can get it covered.