Not Again!

[PAULF]

Oh well,

Going in to work this morning and it appears the Avant dropped a valve.
Nasty noises, seized (not turning over) engine and oil on the floor.



Just to add to the joy, my one is off the road at the moment whilst I get around to the timing belts and ancillaries.
The alternator belt went and as the belts were due in November on calendar time, I started the job in slow time. I have all the rollers, belts etc, but can't spare any time to progress it until later next week at the earliest.

£45 taxi to work later and now a 2 day hire of a poxy 107.

Really angry as we only fitted the engine into the Avant 40,000 miles/ 3 years ago after a zero hours overhaul from Vege Engines.

Not too sure where we will go with this one, Mrs PaulF is more than a little fed up with it and we are looking toward binning the car. Which would be annoying after all the work we have done to it.

Although at least it could be a spares donor for my saloon.

I might have a look at engines first though.

 

[aragorn]

Stick a PD130 into it.

I wouldnt waste my time on the V6.

 

[PAULF]

Stick a PD130 into it.

I wouldnt waste my time on the V6.

I'm not going to be bothered buggering about swapping over to fit something else Kev and to be fair I really do like the V6.
The saloon showed me how they should be!

We're just going through options at the moment - bearing in mind I can't keep a hire car long due to the road I'm on will destroy them!

 

[aragorn]

i hear what your saying, but the v6 just doesnt seem to be a great engine, they're heavy, thirsty and have a whole host of reliability issues, a lot of which you've had.

Buying a used engine is a minefield and the replacement you buy is just as likely to develop some fault given their nature. If it were an inherently reliable engine with a one off unlucky failure then sure, i'd be saying dive right in with a used replacement motor.

I'm sure, when running right, they might well prove to be a good drive, but their negatives seem to overwhelm that.

PD130 on the other hand is like the polar opposite. Might not be an exciting engine, but it has almost the same output, gets the job done and they just go on forever.

I guess if you dont want to convert the B5, then look into a B6 quattro, or a Passat 4motion that come with the engine already? Unfortunately from what i've seen theres a massive price chasm between what you have, and the later quattro models that came with the PD130 engine. The bottom has fallen out of B5 prices, whereas the B6/Passat models seem overpriced in comparison.


That said, simply slinging a used engine in gets it back on the road immediately for minimal cost, so maybe that does make some sense to take a risk on it if you can get one cheap enough...

 

[aragorn]

Converting to the PD130 you mean?

Wouldnt need to touch the transmission or shafts, the PD motor would bolt right up to the existing box. Passat or A6 engine mounts will fit right onto a B5 no problems there.

The tricky bits would be the plumbing and possibly the wiring, though the right era cars do share a lot of that and having a donor car would give you pretty much everything you need.

I can see his point though, even if its fairly straight forward, its still a significant hassle over just bolting in another similar engine.

 

[adamss24]

Most likely the engine broke a rod, especially if the rebuilder used the same big end bolts... A dropped valve would not puncture the block or sump so no oil should leak on the floor... It's unfortunate but things do happen... Paul, if you need a good AFB engine then drop me a line, i am breaking 2 cars so have all the parts you might require...

 

[@udi A3]

If you go for a pd130 i know a guy in sheffield breakng cars all the time, if you want details let me know. I say this as he would be able to provide any loom and other parts you need, he also turns the immo off on a lot of ecus which may be a help to the conversion initially.

 

[PAULF]

Thanks guys,

I'm not going to put in a different lump - too much hassle (Thanks Kev and @udiA3). I might go for another AFB (thanks Chris I may take you up on that) or bin it -I don't know yet.
The problem is what that new bloke (ScottyB5) said - there's a lot of good, known bits on that car.
Because the saloon has been so good, I know how the engine should perform.

I've learnt a lot since I paid to get it overhauled - the main thing being don't pay to get it done by somebody else (Present company excepted of course, Chris!)

Meantime I may have the chance of a 1.9 (I can't remember the reg but think it was PFL) for £580. It'll keep me going for a few weeks until I get time to finish my timing belt and then I have the option to resell it or break it. I'll talk it over with Mrs PaulF first.

 

[ScottD3]

That was me mate. 2nd account as this one was having issues.

Hope you get it sorted mate.

 

[PAULF]

That was me mate. 2nd account as this one was having issues.

Hope you get it sorted mate.

I thought that mate, but I modified my first reply just in case it wasn't you!

 

[spartacus 68]

Not so good Paul. There's always something, and it's never at a convenient time. I know what you mean about the V6 when it's running sweet, plus considering the time, money and effort you put into your cars, the temptation is fix it when others are saying to walk away or change the engine.

Keep us posted and hopefully you stay with the old girl. I don't want to be the only Audi Sport B5 V6 owner in the immediate area!

Sub 100k Audi 2.5 quattro avant (aka Amtrak locomotive)... Audi A4 2.5 TDi Quattro 5dr ultimate driving car.

Only like it because of the colour and has an electric tilt and slide sunroof.

 

[PAULF]

Not so good Paul. There's always something, and it's never at a convenient time. I know what you mean about the V6 when it's running sweet, plus considering the time, money and effort you put into your cars, the temptation is fix it when others are saying to walk away or change the engine.

Keep us posted and hopefully you stay with the old girl. I don't want to be the only Audi Sport B5 V6 owner in the immediate area!

Don't worry, I've still got the saloon even if we do decide to ditch the Avant.

I have bought the 'V' plate (it was a FL) 1.9 2WD saloon to give me breathing space.
It's bit crap, but it was cheap and is tested for 11 months and taxed for 5. Drives ok, so far.

I have a shedload of house rework to sort and check out the tractor and then look at my timing belt!

 

[hades-]

If you go for a pd130 i know a guy in sheffield breakng cars all the time, if you want details let me know. I say this as he would be able to provide any loom and other parts you need, he also turns the immo off on a lot of ecus which may be a help to the conversion initially.

whos that ?