AUDI A6 Rattling Noise & Blue Smoke- HELP

[grigor]

hi guys,

im new to this forum so please try not to be to detailed with me as im am no mechanic, wish i was though with how much ive been quoted.

Rite i bought the 1.9TDi A6 w2000 for 2750, 114,000 on clock no service history.

i though great deal, considering i seen them going for about 3790+.

So i drive it back to leicester from liverpool and take it to a mechanic because of this rattling noise, to all the mechanics ive been, they said its sounds like the hydraulic tappets, these cost about £90 and plus labour to change em, this other mechanic, good friend of mine told me that the car has more problems than that, he said if i took it to audi dealer they would quote me about 1500+ , he started explaining other faults but even he got lost of how many he was metnioning.

Now i need to know what to do some sort of advice, the car rattles from start with cold engine to Hot engine, same noise, if i hold the accelarate padel when the car is still i get blue smoke.

Ive booked my car in for this friday at a local garage, he said there could be three to four things causing all this.

1. Hydraulic tappets not opening up properly
2. not much oil or not the right oil for the engine is used.
3. Timing belt set incorectly so a new timing belt might be needed.
4 . Cam tensioners need to be checked.

So much for a cheap new car.

The bloke quoted me £100 for checking the timing of the belt, and extra 80 for changing it with a new one, he said the belts are 160 alone, but because i know his friend he's doing me a favour.

so what do you guys think, whats is wrong with this car, its a shame considering they are very reliable and strong cars, but i think this one hadn't been looked after very well, tried contacting the bloke and his wife said hes away, which i ery much doubt that but there we go, no chance of oney back just to fix it or sell it.

any advice or explination would be great, thank you.

[toff]

Hi,

It's not so easy to tell on a diesel as they are normally a bit smokey, but light-blue / white-ish smoke usually means the piston rings need replacing.

I would have thought the mechanic would have mentioned this, so I could be wrong.
The piston rings bridge the very small gap between the cylinder walls and the pistons. If the rings are worn, oil can make it's way into the combustion chamber, causing the smoke.

A rich fuel mixture (too much fuel being injected) could also cause excess smoke as could the injection timing as mentioned by the mechanic.

In a case like this, where there could be a number of faults, you simply need to let a trusted mechanic fix what he thinks needs fixing, one fault at a time until the car runs properly.

I guess that's why people pay a premium for cars with FASH (full Audi service history).. but buying any high-millage car, even with FASH is a bit of a gamble!

Good luck.

[grigor]

hi and thanks for the reply

the mechanic did mention this, but like i said he mentioned so many things even he got lost.

if the piston rings need changing, what kind of price am i looking at rougly, its christmas now and i dont really want to be spending a lot of money, plus my main concernt is the rattling noise as that could have major affect on the engine if it is the belt or the hydraulics and is dfamaging the valvles.

thank you

[toff]

I'm affraid that replacing the piston rings probably involves removing the engine from the car and stripping it down so that the pistons can be removed.

You should consider buying a reasonably low millage 1.9 engine (that has the same engine code as yours) from a salvage yard etc if yours has that many problems!

If you weigh-up the pro's & con's, it may end-up cheaper in the long run!

Sorry to hear you're having all these troubles just before Christmas! Unfortunately, If the price seems too good to be true... it probably is!

[lonky]

Your main decision should be based on wether it's the rings, or other less serious faults.

All diesels are noiser when cold, as the combustion process is assisted by engine temperature, and with a cold engine you tend to get more knock.

Best check is to get a compression test carried out. Should not be too pricey, and if the readings are good, then the rest of the faults are fixable.

Low compression on any one cylinder means either a leaking valve or worn rings, both of which will be expensive to fix.

Other point, is that I've never paid over £25 for a cam belt. I assume the price of £160 is for a complete belt , tensioner kit, and even that is steep

For a better estimate of prices try www.GSFcarparts.com

[grigor]

Your main decision should be based on wether it's the rings, or other less serious faults.

All diesels are noiser when cold, as the combustion process is assisted by engine temperature, and with a cold engine you tend to get more knock.

Best check is to get a compression test carried out. Should not be too pricey, and if the readings are good, then the rest of the faults are fixable.

Low compression on any one cylinder means either a leaking valve or worn rings, both of which will be expensive to fix.

Other point, is that I've never paid over £25 for a cam belt. I assume the price of £160 is for a complete belt , tensioner kit, and even that is steep

For a better estimate of prices try www.GSFcarparts.com

that is them streaping it the car down as i understand the front has to come of, then replacing it with a complete new cambelt, im not sure about the tensioner kit though my friend.

as for the reply of "essex"

what would you say price wise i would be looking for an engine, some website on the net quoted me £1500 for a 29000 mile engine delivered, i think thats too much.

ill let you guy know how it goes down the garage on friday, hopefully the problem is fixed,

[toff]

Hi,

I hope for your sake it's not cheaper to replace the engine! £1,500 seems very steep, I was thinking more like £800 to £1,000 (a 50-60k engine would be fine, it needn't be very low millage)

Alex.

[grigor]

Hi,

I hope for your sake it's not cheaper to replace the engine! £1,500 seems very steep, I was thinking more like £800 to £1,000 (a 50-60k engine would be fine, it needn't be very low millage)

Alex.

yher it dont sound too bad, wonder how much labour would be.

[grigor]

well guys im back with the news.

i took my car to the garage in the morning and i get a call back at about 11.30, they tell me the problem doesnt lie within the cambelt and i should go down for a discussion and said there is a bigger problem, thats where i literally though here we go new engine.

so i goe down there and the guy starts explaining to me that the cambelt timing is fine, and so are the idler pulleys, but one of them was just a little bit shaky but nothing big, so it wouldnt affect it.

the guys goes it has gotta be the hydraulic tappets thats the only thing that would explain it, and he did say that this was a common problem and it does fail on these engines.

so then here is the legendary quote. i cant remmember the exact figures but there u go.

80 cambelt
45 water pump
102 hydraulic tappets
140 labour (4 hours)
35 oil and filter, sumit like 10 to 40 oil, not exactly sure
10 anti-freeze

and obviously as we live in uk plus 17.5% VAT.

so total came to about 479...

what do you think guys, cheap or not cheap for whats going to be changed.

this will bring the car bilt include how much i paid for it to £3300 cz i brought some tyres as well.

what you think, not bad for that car. and is it worth going ahead with it.

Thanks guys waiting for your reply

[toff]

Definately worth trying to get it fixed. I'm sure the mechnic sees 1.9 TDIs all the time and he'd tell you if the engine problems were terminal!

Good luck mate!