Engine clicking loudly

[cosworthlady]

Please be patient with me as this is my very first post on the Audi forum.

The car with the problem was actually purchased second hand by my son on Wednesday night. Its a T registration A4 1.8T. It didn't make any noise to begin with when he test drove it but after about 50 miles it started to make a tapping noise which is loud enough for my son to hear when he was driving along. As luck would have it he was passing an Audi specialist garage. The mechanic there thought that the car had perhaps been "doctored" to run smoothly for a few miles then all hell would break loose. The mechanic could smell a thinners type smell from the engine. So could my son. The Audi mechanic can't fit the car in until next Thursday so until then the car will be off the road but I was just wondering if anyone could tell me if the suspected diagnoses of low oil pressure and the tappets being sticky is a catastrophic fault. The clicking noise my son could hear was the tappets. The guy who sold the car has denied all knowledge of there being a problem and is now not answering his phone!!.

If anyone can suggest or agree that it could be the tappets etc I would be very grateful. Its his first car and understandably he is embarrassed because he thinks he has been conned.

And remember, please be patient LOL.


Ann

[cosworthlady]

ok. I can take a hint. Didn't think it would hurt to ask. We'll just wait til the mechanic looks at it next week.

[T-sport]

The 1.8T are prone to oil sludge which blocks the oil strainer in the sump causing the oil pump to struggle to push good pressure to top end of the engine....

If it is this causing the problem fingers crossed youve caught it in time... other wise you could be in for a big repair bill .

Is the red oil can light showing on the dash at all??

Is the seller of the car a trader or private seller ??

Have a look at this thread with similar problems reported http://www.audi-forums.com/general-a...ng-engine.html

[cosworthlady]

Originally Posted by T-sport

The 1.8T are prone to oil sludge which blocks the oil strainer in the sump causing the oil pump to struggle to push good pressure to top end of the engine....

If it is this causing the problem fingers crossed youve caught it in time... other wise you could be in for a big repair bill .

Is the red oil can light showing on the dash at all??

Is the seller of the car a trader or private seller ??

Have a look at this thread with similar problems reported http://www.audi-forums.com/general-a...ng-engine.html

Cheers for answering.

We did some serious surfing yesterday and thats exactly what we've been told. The light did come on on the dashboard. My son and hubby are now in the middle of doing a complete oil change. They ran a bottle of stuff through the oil pump (? not sure so don't quote me) then emptied the old dark brown sludgy oil and replaced it with a synthetic oil, Castrol I think. They started the engine and the engine stopped ticking. They took it out for a trial run and after about 20 minutes the ticking returned and the light came back on. They're doing the oil again at the moment exactly the same as yesterday with new filters etc because the new oil that was put in it yesterday seems to have dislodged more sludge and we're hoping and praying that this will solve the problem.

It was a dealer he bought it from but his unit has magically shut down and his numbers have stopped working. If the oil changes don't work we are heading to the police and trading standards.

I'll come back and let you know how we got on.

[cosworthlady]

Originally Posted by cosworthlady

Cheers for answering.

We did some serious surfing yesterday and thats exactly what we've been told. The light did come on on the dashboard. My son and hubby are now in the middle of doing a complete oil change. They ran a bottle of stuff through the oil pump (? not sure so don't quote me) then emptied the old dark brown sludgy oil and replaced it with a synthetic oil, Castrol I think. They started the engine and the engine stopped ticking. They took it out for a trial run and after about 20 minutes the ticking returned and the light came back on. They're doing the oil again at the moment exactly the same as yesterday with new filters etc because the new oil that was put in it yesterday seems to have dislodged more sludge and we're hoping and praying that this will solve the problem.

It was a dealer he bought it from but his unit has magically shut down and his numbers have stopped working. If the oil changes don't work we are heading to the police and trading standards.

I'll come back and let you know how we got on.

The new oil that was put in yesterday was indeed sludgey and manky. they've started the car up again and it is silent. This oil change they have put a different cheaper brand of synthetic oil and new filters in. The are checking the condition of that and if it looks a lot cleaner and the car is running ok they will do yet another change and replace everything with Castrol. Expensive stuff but worth a try and failing that he will just have to bite the bullet and get a new pump fitted along with whatever it needs done. A shame for him but a lesson learnt. I'll come back when I know more.

[cosworthlady]

It may be good news? What do you think?

The car has been running constantly for just under 2 hours and has travelled around 35 miles. there has been no noise at all and the car is running perfect. As a precaution they are doing another oil change next week with a 10 - 30/50 oil and new filters also. Do you think the problem is sorted?

Many thanks for guiding me to the other thread. i did do a search but came up with nothing.

I look forward to your reply.

Ann (a grateful mum LOL)

[a8 tech]

Hello cosworthlady,the thread you viewed was by myself and i can only advise you to have the sump removed and the oil pump strainer cleaned/unblocked.Also fit the larger modified oil filter and use mobile 1.Glad you found some help from my info and good luck.Best Regards Jon

[cosworthlady]

The sump is being removed tomorrow and cleaned out I think. How do we do the over sized filters? Can you explain?

Thanks

Ann

[a8 tech]

If you contact your local audi parts they will sell you one as they have superseeded the older smaller diameter filters.If you are having trouble locating one i will found the part number for you.I am on holiday this week so give me a day or two and i will ring my parts depo for you if you havent had any joy.When the sump is removed ask the tech to remove the oil pump strainer and flush it out.It looks ok but if you shine a torch through it you will see the blockage of the mesh.I am going out in the sun,no cars to fix this week yeha

[cosworthlady]

My son couldn't have been any luckier if he had fallen out a window and went up!!!. His dad's employee has a brother who works at one of the nearby Audi dealerships as a mechanic. Fortunately he also likes working on the cars for fun in his spare time too so he is doing a whole load of work on the car for next to nothing. I'll come back and let you know how things go on.