I just bought an 01 a4 quatro 1.8t it had a small crack in oil pan, i expected it to maybe need an engine but any how it runs great just a small amount of noise from the top end like a lifter tick so to speak, well i fixed the pan so no more oil leaking well my first prob is the oil light keeps coming on and it has oil, so i dont know if it is the sensor or if it could be the oil pressure doing it and how i would go about determining what is causing it possibly a scanner? It is not throwing any codes! No cel on

Second problem! when i was driving it it was runnning great than all of a sudden this horribly loud noise started comming from the engine it was like a really fast high pitch ticking almost like a gear stripping out sound and when i reved it up it went away after 3k rpm ?? than would come back below that it was like when it got into boost it went away ?? odd. well me being a mechanic and i dont know anything about the 1.8 t i started to diagnose it i took a metal rod an with the engine running put it up to my ear with my hand on it and put it on where i thought the sound was coming from, i found it to be the loudest where the timing chain tensioner is on the back of the head so proceded to pull the valve cover to inspect, well first off i have never seen an elctronic tensioner like this?? so i decided as i would do on any car to push down on the tensioner and it did not come back up ?? is this normal for this type of tensioner being electronic?? Normaly to me it would mean bad tensioner! Well the tension on the chain first off seemed great ! Well i know my noise is either coming from there or what looks like a vacum pump below it! And im sure if you have heard this noise than you deff know what it is ! I do know the car had been sitting for months and that it looked like the engine may have gotten hot, alot of the vacum hoses were dry rotted .


Third prob is the original ticking noise i heard i would belive to have been coming from the exhaust cam, the last two lobes on the point of them they are a tiny bit flat i would say atleast .020 if that but the rest of the cam and the intake cam look great! I was thinking this could have been from the oil starvation when the pan was initally craked and the lobes being at the back of the engine, Which i belive since it runs so good and everyhting else looks great that the rest of the engine is fine. Im thinking i should just get a used exh cam. The chain and sprockets look great ! The engine has under 130k


So if someone could please give me some advice i would greatly appreciate it!! So i dont end up dumping a ton of money into it if dont need be !! I am also looking for a left hand tail light for it and a tan center console lid but they are the least of my worries

Thanks

 

The low oil pressure is indicative of possible sludging, 1.8T engines are so notorious for this that the warranty was extended specifically to deal with this issue. From what I remember, it lasts eight years from the time the vehicle was originally put into service, unlimited mileage, as well as any subsequent owners. That being said, if your issue is indeed sludging, you might still be eligible for a freebie from Audi.

I recently bought an '01 1.8T and it's in excellent condition, however I had some of the same symptoms you're describing. I initially suspected that the cam chain tensioner was going up, since it started to sound like a diesel at low rpm but not above 1500. Took it to Audi and had a technician give me some quick feedback. He was actually very hesitant to suggest the tensioner needed replacement, and offered a free oil change and filter to see how things would fare. The oil pressure increased by about 5-10 psi at idle after the change, and the chain quieted soon after. The poor quality aftermarket filter the previous owner had installed was most likely at fault, and odds are that his mechanic used the wrong grade of oil in the first place.

 

Use synthetic engine oil, 0W-40 or 5W-40.
I use Mann W940/25 oil filter.

 

Check out Mann, Bosch, or Mahle for the better OEM quality filters.

 

Would it be a good idea to just go ahead and replace the oil pump? and pickup? And where could i find those parts for a reasonable price?

 

Would it be a good idea to just go ahead and replace the oil pump? and pickup? And where could i find those parts for a reasonable price?

 

Would it be a good idea to just go ahead and replace the oil pump? and pickup? And where could i find those parts for a reasonable price?

 

my 5 cylinder engine started doin exactly that. drove me up the wall. turned out wrong oil and crap filter. started to sound like a deisel , but then we thought it was nackered cuz it had done 210.000 miles but it was jus the oil + filter.

 

I'd start with the oil and filter, run it 10 or 20 miles to see if that fixes the problem. Hold off on changing the oil pump just yet. Like I said, if any part of the car suffers from sludging, Audi pays the bill for parts and labor.