2001 A4 1.8T new oil pressure problems

[gdombrowski]

My A4 with 100K miles has just developed the red flashing light syndrome. The Cam Chain Tensioner was making a racket so it was just replaced last week, no more noise. While the mechanic was in the engine, I had him do water pump, timing belt, rebuild the turbo, and drop the pan to clean out the screen, just in case. Before doing the work, no red light. Since getting it back form the shop, the light seems to come on with higher RPM's. If I shift to neutral and coast, the light goes off and will stay off for a while.

The mechanic used 10W30 synthetic, heavier than I would have liked, but temps have been in the 80's. Thinking it might be some small sludge particles, I added 1/2 pint of Sea Foam, no luck so far.

Immediately prior to running it to the shop, I did two engine oil flushes. Also, the car was repaired by dealer due to sludge at 50K. I contacted the prior owner who claimed after that she switched to synthetic oil and changed every 5-6K miles.

Any ideas?

Not sure if I should be pissed off at my mechanic, or if this is just a case of bad timing.

[Adam@mvp]

Sounds like maybe your motor is struggling to get oil after the tune up. Make sure that your oil pump is still functioning properly! Got an oil pressure gauge if not get one!

Let me know what you find out.

Cheers,

Adam

Originally Posted by gdombrowski

My A4 with 100K miles has just developed the red flashing light syndrome. The Cam Chain Tensioner was making a racket so it was just replaced last week, no more noise. While the mechanic was in the engine, I had him do water pump, timing belt, rebuild the turbo, and drop the pan to clean out the screen, just in case. Before doing the work, no red light. Since getting it back form the shop, the light seems to come on with higher RPM's. If I shift to neutral and coast, the light goes off and will stay off for a while.

The mechanic used 10W30 synthetic, heavier than I would have liked, but temps have been in the 80's. Thinking it might be some small sludge particles, I added 1/2 pint of Sea Foam, no luck so far.

Immediately prior to running it to the shop, I did two engine oil flushes. Also, the car was repaired by dealer due to sludge at 50K. I contacted the prior owner who claimed after that she switched to synthetic oil and changed every 5-6K miles.

Any ideas?

Not sure if I should be pissed off at my mechanic, or if this is just a case of bad timing.

[ncs]

Any updates on your oil pressure problem ? Having the same (or similar) issue with my 2001 A4 1.8t Quatrro. Valve cover was coked up, but the cam caps and top of the head looked fine. Haven't pulled the pan yet, but just may take it to Audi and have them check it out. There's an extended warranty of these engines due to the sludge problems.

[gdombrowski]

Not much new to report. I'm changing the PCV valve tomorrow since one site mentioned this as a possible cause. For $14, it's a cheap option, and something that is probably due anyway. Mechanic thnks something could have gotten caught in one of the lines, or that we have a faulty sending unit.

I'm aware of the extended warranty, unfortunately, the prior owner did not keep all oil change records. I understand Audi works hard to disqualify you, so if you show constant oil changes every 5,000 for the first 80.000 miles, and then missplace one record, you're going to get denied.

Good luck with your problem.

Greg