The usual oil pump/balancer shaft issue - Not a rant!

[Kev Boy]

Hi there,

I have just bought an A4. I have read about these problems (too late as ive bought the thing!) and they are starting to worry me.

My car has a BLB engine. Is it possible that any of these were produced with a direct pump not one with the balancer shaft and chain driven? Or is that only if it has been added at some point by an owner?

I just want to get to the bottom of it to see what im going to do.

It sounds like the perfect car to have this problem. Its a 2005 s-line 2.0litre TDi [140] BLB engine.

How can I check whether this has a chain/direct driven?

Cheers for any help.

 

[hubbo1]

Hi there,

I have just bought an A4. I have read about these problems (too late as ive bought the thing!) and they are starting to worry me.

My car has a BLB engine. Is it possible that any of these were produced with a direct pump not one with the balancer shaft and chain driven? Or is that only if it has been added at some point by an owner?

I just want to get to the bottom of it to see what im going to do.

It sounds like the perfect car to have this problem. Its a 2005 s-line 2.0litre TDi [140] BLB engine.

How can I check whether this has a chain/direct driven?

Cheers for any help.

if it is blb code it will 100% be chain driven pump-not unless someone has changed it to gear driven at some point.
if you have no proof this has been done then it is a sump off job to find out, I did the same as you-bought one then found out about the dreaded oil pump! had it changed for peace of mind.

 

[Paul B7]

if it is blb code it will 100% be chain driven pump-not unless someone has changed it to gear driven at some point.
if you have no proof this has been done then it is a sump off job to find out, I did the same as you-bought one then found out about the dreaded oil pump! had it changed for peace of mind.

Solid advice and I totally agree with what you have written.

 

[Kev Boy]

Damnit, how much did it cost you to have it replaced? (if you dont mind me asking)

Kev.

 

[mountainmile]

Mine is in at the moment being converted.The guy who is doing it said (once he heard it was a 2005 car) that its definately a chain drive as ive owned it since 2007 and never had it converted.Also having the hex key issue fixed at same time using a replacement balance shaft with a hardened and better fitting key insert(powermax engineering in N Ireland supply this to the guy doing my car) 1400-1600 euro job i think...I researched who to get to do mine for a while and in Ireland one guys name kept cropping up(George Dalton)

 

[Paul B7]

Damnit, how much did it cost you to have it replaced? (if you dont mind me asking)

Kev.

Back in 2011 at Audi including a timing belt kit and water pump , £2000 and THAT was with 50% off labour and 20% off parts
The Audi parts alone were something like £1100 for the conversion. Suggest you read the main thread near the top of the page and make your own mind up as to what's best for you and your budget. Good luck.

 

[hubbo1]

Back in 2011 at Audi including a timing belt kit and water pump , £2000 and THAT was with 50% off labour and 20% off parts
The Audi parts alone were something like £1100 for the conversion. Suggest you read the main thread near the top of the page and make your own mind up as to what's best for you and your budget. Good luck.

mine was about £1400 all told, bought second hand unit and sent it to powermax (didn't want my car off the road for too long)
then a local indy fitted it, had full service, cambelt, waterpump and aircon re-gassed, not a bad price I thought.

 

[Kev Boy]

Not great though. Without having a rant, i feel like taking Audi to court or phoning them up and giving them a blast for the negligence and stupidity. They have great cars, but let this one down with a minor detail.The thing thats most heart breaking is, that this problem COULD never occur, therefore im aswell burning the 1400 or giving it to charity, however if it does happen im looking at at least £4000 and could be much more. It is annoying.Is there any sort of milage this is most common with? Would giving the car a full and regular service/oil change help to extend the life of this oil pump?My main problem is putting out all of my savings to buy this car, and having not enough left over for this repair. Annoying as it means the car was aswell sitting with £9.5k in the window and not £8k. And for 9.5k i could have gotten myself a 3.0 quattro as i originally was looking for...Cheers. Kev.

 

[hubbo1]

Not great though. Without having a rant, i feel like taking Audi to court or phoning them up and giving them a blast for the negligence and stupidity. They have great cars, but let this one down with a minor detail.The thing thats most heart breaking is, that this problem COULD never occur, therefore im aswell burning the 1400 or giving it to charity, however if it does happen im looking at at least £4000 and could be much more. It is annoying.Is there any sort of milage this is most common with? Would giving the car a full and regular service/oil change help to extend the life of this oil pump?My main problem is putting out all of my savings to buy this car, and having not enough left over for this repair. Annoying as it means the car was aswell sitting with £9.5k in the window and not £8k. And for 9.5k i could have gotten myself a 3.0 quattro as i originally was looking for...Cheers. Kev.

oil changes and services wont help, the issue with the pump is 2 fold.
1. the hex key drive is too short and will round off
2. the chain is on a plastic tensioner and the teeth ware down

some go at 40,000 some go on a lot longer

 

[hades-]

enjoy your car dont let it bother you to much

the last BLB i owned was in out family for 5 years and 210k never had a problem

the blb i have now is on 178k and still ok

they all dont **** up you only hear the bad storys theres 1000's of happy BLB owners out there

 

[Molnboman]

Plus one with Bez there.....from my 15 months of owning my Bus....if I took in every bad vibe or report read on the Forums in relation to my engine code....I wouldn't drive my BGB petrol engined car either due to the sleepless nights of sheer panic and worry!....You may indeed be lucky and have yourself a faultless model or then again....Best thing to do imho is try and maintain it as best you can and give it lots of t.l.c and fresh good quality oil!.....doesn't do any harm to start saving some beer / cigarette token money for some upgrades / repairs too. Lastly, can't the garage you bought it from supply you with an additional engine insurance cover that covers the oil pump?

Cheers
A

 

[Kev Boy]

Cheers for the replies. Yeh I was thinking that too. No one is going to create a thread saying "I have bought an Audi a4 and its oil pump works great" lol. So I don't know.

I will need to have a think. Might try and get them to look when it goes in for its service (6.8k).

And Bez were your cars both B7s? that's pretty good going.

 

[Molnboman]

Cheers for the replies. Yeh I was thinking that too. No one is going to create a thread saying "I have bought an Audi a4 and its oil pump works great" lol. So I don't know.

I will need to have a think. Might try and get them to look when it goes in for its service (6.8k).

And Bez were your cars both B7s? that's pretty good going.

Kev did you buy it from an indie or an Audi garage? Either way.....have a good look around where you live and find yourself a good independent garage and even better one that specialises in VAG work. Not sure how many miles your car has done, but getting an Audi garage to do any serious work....never mind an oil change is a headf*ck!....Up here I have a local garage that charges me 55 quid an hour plus 25 % vat and I supply the parts sourced from the UK......and I know that's might expensive compared to the UK......an Audi garage up here would charge you 120 quid an hour plus vat!...Ouch!!!

Cheers
A

 

[Kev Boy]

Does this sound like BS to you guys?I read on a forum today that Audi refuse to admit to this being a common fault and wont recall them, however, they will fix this problem completely free of charge providing your B7 has a full Audi service history? Is this true?Is a bit of a harsh condition but if it were true, my car just so happens to have a full audi service history, every year since it was made. What do you guys think? I have sent Audi an email explaining all the research ive done, comments from others suffering the same problems, my situation and am waiting to hear what they have to say. I emailed rather than phone which is both stupid and sensible. Because they have a computer screen to hide from so they have time to prepare a story of why its not a problem etc. but also i can quote directly onto forums, the exact wording they use in turning me down.

 

[Paul B7]

Does this sound like BS to you guys?I read on a forum today that Audi refuse to admit to this being a common fault and wont recall them, however, they will fix this problem completely free of charge providing your B7 has a full Audi service history? Is this true?Is a bit of a harsh condition but if it were true, my car just so happens to have a full audi service history, every year since it was made. What do you guys think? I have sent Audi an email explaining all the research ive done, comments from others suffering the same problems, my situation and am waiting to hear what they have to say. I emailed rather than phone which is both stupid and sensible. Because they have a computer screen to hide from so they have time to prepare a story of why its not a problem etc. but also i can quote directly onto forums, the exact wording they use in turning me down.

Don't waste your time , many,many others have tried to get this compensated by Audi and I know of no positively confirmed responses that have been successful and I have been on the case for two years plus.
Your cars age effectively time bars a legal challenge and Audi will hide behind the warranty as three years or 60,000 miles and say go away!
Best response is DON'T BUY AUDI and this comes from someone who has driven VAG cars for thirty years and had three Audi used approved vehicles. Go read the l thread on the 2.0 tdi oil pump balance shaft issues near the top of this forum. I would suggest you limit your read to the last five pages as all the information you need is included therein. The 2.0tdi engine is a DOG by any standard and the BLB coded engine is the TOP DOG....................I LIKE A RANT I DO !

 

[shariain]

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/audi-s...ump-balance-shaft-failure-24.html#post1859776

 

[CHEZ]

enjoy your car dont let it bother you to much

the last BLB i owned was in out family for 5 years and 210k never had a problem

the blb i have now is on 178k and still ok

they all dont **** up you only hear the bad storys theres 1000's of happy BLB owners out there

yep i am one of those happy owners! and how refreshing bez to here your tale!
when i first joined here i thought i had a ticking time bomb on my hands!
i bought mine on 73k miles and she has just turned 89k over 2 and a half years!, granted not excessive miles churned out but after reading the horror stories i feared the worst! as now she is in the prime area of pump failure mullarky!
sod it!
i do not worry now, because it is a great car and if it dies then it dies! lol
i just tend to be careful and look after her!, i do not do short journeys, and warm up cool down at every opportunity available, only use genuine audi parts and particularly oil!, service every 7k miles regardless, no remap and do not thrash her!
i feel with this train of thought process, i wont be let down! (i may be wrong) but it is all good karma!

 

[Paul B7]

yep i am one of those happy owners! and how refreshing bez to here your tale!
when i first joined here i thought i had a ticking time bomb on my hands!
i bought mine on 73k miles and she has just turned 89k over 2 and a half years!, granted not excessive miles churned out but after reading the horror stories i feared the worst! as now she is in the prime area of pump failure mullarky!
sod it!
i do not worry now, because it is a great car and if it dies then it dies! lol
i just tend to be careful and look after her!, i do not do short journeys, and warm up cool down at every opportunity available, only use genuine audi parts and particularly oil!, service every 7k miles regardless, no remap and do not thrash her!
i feel with this train of thought process, i wont be let down! (i may be wrong) but it is all good karma!

Ignorance is indeed bliss..........................

 

[jdp1962]

yep i am one of those happy owners! and how refreshing bez to here your tale!
when i first joined here i thought i had a ticking time bomb on my hands!
i bought mine on 73k miles and she has just turned 89k over 2 and a half years!, granted not excessive miles churned out but after reading the horror stories i feared the worst! as now she is in the prime area of pump failure mullarky!
sod it!
i do not worry now, because it is a great car and if it dies then it dies! lol
i just tend to be careful and look after her!, i do not do short journeys, and warm up cool down at every opportunity available, only use genuine audi parts and particularly oil!, service every 7k miles regardless, no remap and do not thrash her!
i feel with this train of thought process, i wont be let down! (i may be wrong) but it is all good karma!

And if it does die, you can always replace it with a B6

 

[Kev Boy]

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/audi-s...ump-balance-shaft-failure-24.html#post1859776

Well yes, but mine is running sweet as a nut just now. No rattles, no bangs or warnings or problems so far (only owned it for 8 days). Its just with reading all the horror stories (wish i had read them before). I go about driving like a grandad and every noise (tyre roar, speed bump or a car horn even) im like "Jesus what the hell was that". Its no way to drive when you spend multiple thousands on a decent car.Its only got 40k miles on it, full audi service history (next due in 6.8k miles), not 1 advisory on the past 2 MOTs, so i plan to take as good care of it as the previous owner obviously has.Yesterday i thought it was all over lol. Driving along at 40, and the loudest BANG! ive ever heard and instantly thought, "this is goodbye Audi and my savings" but noticed on the dash a piece of round glass about the size of a 5p sitting on the dash. A stone had flicked up from the car infront and hit the windscreen obviously. A tiny mark on the outside but blew a big piece off the inside. Typical.... lol. I was so glad though that it wasnt the dreaded issue. I did feel like a total bell end, but this is no way to drive. Sh*tting myself all the time. I cant enjoy it like this..

 

[Molnboman]

Sh*tting myself all the time. I cant enjoy it like this..[/QUOTE]

Relax... it could be worse....you could have bought a Vauxhall 1.9cdti engine heap of sh@t!.....Now that would scare you sh@tless!

BR
A

 

[jdp1962]

Well yes, but mine is running sweet as a nut just now. No rattles, no bangs or warnings or problems so far (only owned it for 8 days). Its just with reading all the horror stories (wish i had read them before). I go about driving like a grandad and every noise (tyre roar, speed bump or a car horn even) im like "Jesus what the hell was that". Its no way to drive when you spend multiple thousands on a decent car.Its only got 40k miles on it, full audi service history (next due in 6.8k miles), not 1 advisory on the past 2 MOTs, so i plan to take as good care of it as the previous owner obviously has.Yesterday i thought it was all over lol. Driving along at 40, and the loudest BANG! ive ever heard and instantly thought, "this is goodbye Audi and my savings" but noticed on the dash a piece of round glass about the size of a 5p sitting on the dash. A stone had flicked up from the car infront and hit the windscreen obviously. A tiny mark on the outside but blew a big piece off the inside. Typical.... lol. I was so glad though that it wasnt the dreaded issue. I did feel like a total bell end, but this is no way to drive. Sh*tting myself all the time. I cant enjoy it like this..

It's obviously, and understandably, preying on your mind right now. Give it a little bit of time, you will de-sensitise and it will stop dominating your thinking. Meantime, start putting money away to build up enough cash to pay for a conversion as soon as possible.

 

[Kev Boy]

Sh*tting myself all the time. I cant enjoy it like this..

Relax... it could be worse....you could have bought a Vauxhall 1.9cdti engine heap of sh@t!.....Now that would scare you sh@tless!BRA[/QUOTE]Haha, that is pretty unlucky for me. My two engines i looked for was the 1.9 CDTi vauxhalls and the 2.0 TDi BLB/BRD A4 engines.... I was always doomed! I really wanted a 3.0 TDi quattro. Looked everywhere but the only decent ones might aswel have been on the other side of the world... Wish i got one now.And yeh that is probably sound advice. I will just continue spoiling her with regular TLC and decent oil, regular services (i know this has no effect on the shaft being rounded, but if im good to her, she might be good to me..)