Ongoing probs with my 1.8TQS, any advice?

[kenlaw50n]

Hi guys had the tqs for just over two years now. Initially bought as a stop gap after selling my ST. Up until recently everything has been good. But since the first fault it hasn't stopped and concerned I may be throwing money at a dead horse.

Fault 1 - Suspected feul pump (according to RAC). Started and then stalled after a couple of minutes. Would start straight away again but if left for a period of time it would. So car went into garage had feul pump replaced and still wasn't 100% when it came out. I had asked the garage to check MAS sensor first but he insisted it was OK. So I took the car any after shelling some hard earned cash. Within two miles of leaving the garage it decided that it would over heat, cracking the temp sonsor housing. It then went back to said garage and he then informed me that he thought it was the Head gasket (0.0 "really?" do you know anything about audi's I asked) he informed his Audi trained foreman was 100% sure. At this point I took the car to another garage. An audi specialist who agreed that it was more likely to be the water pump that was the culprut. After removing the pump it was confirmed, impellor was gone. Put it all back together and hey presto still got the over feulling fault which turns after diagnostics was the MAs sensor.

Now the car has been running like a dream since then. But! another fault has cropped up.

Fault 2 - The car is running cold now with the temp gauge barley moving off 60. The oil temp is running around 100. Also had the oil pressure light come on once but hasn't come back on since.

Spoke with the garage that got it running proper last time and they reckon it might be the oil pick up pipe gauze getting blocked but thinks it could be the oil pump (never heard of an oil pump failing on these).

With all that has gone on is it possible that it is simply just the thermostat/temp sonsor (all new 2 months ago) failing?
Could this fault cuse the oil pressure to come up low intermittently?

It's a 99 1.8TQS and has done 161k - had oil and filter change recently and is running 5w30 oil.

Any help or advice would be great.

Thanks
Ken.

 

[Sulli79]

Sludging of the oil can be a major problem with these engines, so the oil pick up is probably clogged, with the sump off and 161k on the clock its worth doing the pump anyway.

Do a search for B5 AC codes (cant remember them at the mo) and you can access the on board diagnostics, one of the channels is coolant, see what that says

 

[kenlaw50n]

Thanks for the info really good to know just need to get used to the codes and what they mean. Out of all they 87 codes i think the ones I am interested in are.

49 coolant temp - 71°C (obviously running way too cold. (gauge is sat around the 70 mark and was up at 90°C last week)
51 engine temperature °C - reading 90 °C - not sure if this actually means oil temp.

got another 85 codes and trying to decypher them is not that simple anyone know where I can get a list of all the codes? most sites I have found only coming up 40-50 codes.

Here is the process I found if anyone else is interested:

Accessing On-Board Diagnostic codes
Press and hold the recirculation button. Then press the manual flow control up arrow. You should see a 1c. Press the temperature up ("+") or down ("-") buttons to select a code number. Then press the recirculation button again. The value should display. Press the temperature up or down button again to display another code.

Thanks again Suli79

 

[aragorn]

ignore 51, it doesnt mean anything.

Your thermostat is most likely faulty. It could also be the coolant temp sensor, but since your getting a reading i'd suggest doing the thermostat first, especially as its cheaper!

 

[kenlaw50n]

Right just picked the car from the garage and has confirmed that the temp sensor is faulty - got that one covered as it is only two month old so should get replced free of charge.

He took the sump off and gave it a clean out and said there wasn't much gunge to clear from the pick up pipe so he reckons the Oil Pumps was charged £162 for that alone and wanted another £130 to get a new pump and fit it, just asked him to put the car back together as I think that is a bit steep, especially to charge me another £50 labour when he has already took the sump and everything off (wanted £80 for the pump alone).

Have never heard of anyone having to replace an oil pump on one of these. They checked the oil pressures before taking everything apart and the readings were

1 bar at idle
2.5 bar at 3000 rpm

however never done the pressures again after putting it all back together does anyone have any ideas if these readings mean bad news?
Is there a way which I can check the pressures my self?

 

[Kingfisher]

I reckon he should have done the pump whilst in there..... just to be on the safe side and especially at 161k
Pumps seem to be changed with surprising regularity....

 

[aragorn]

2.5 bar at 3k is low, and you'll probably find the 1bar at idle will drop futher if the engine gets properly hot.

So yeh, the oil pump is knackered.

Asking another 50quid labour to change the pump once its all apart is taking the **** a bit though, its quite literally two bolts, drop it out, slot new one in and do the bolts back up.

 

[kenlaw50n]

yeah thats what i thought when it went from 160 upto 290, if hadn't of been for that extra 50 i would 've got him to do it there and then but wallet is not gona stretch to just under 300 at this time of the month.

I was a bit surprised to find they didn't check the pressures again after cleaning it all out though or would that not make any difference tot he pressure?

Problem now is i will have to pay for the labour to get the crossmember and everything off again when i get the money to get it done just keep journeys as short as poss for now.

 

[aragorn]

Find a new garage.

 

[kenlaw50n]

lol, yeah you're not wrong only moved to the area a few months ago and seem to keep picking the wrong garages. Just getting a bit disheartened with a car I know is decent and seem to have been getting ripped off at every turn.

 

[Chriscooke]

Find a friendly local mechanic that'll do it out of hours. I got my oil pickup cleaned for sub £50 s couple months back He also told me that if the oil pump was fubar he'd only charge me for parts the second time around.

I get the feeling thats proper mates rates from him though

 

[Kingfisher]

Somewhere in the back of my mind is the idea that there are heavy duty/greater volume pumps for these engines ( possibly USA ??) or has my memory faded too much....... !

Kenlaw - what area do you live in -- perhaps others here could suggest a better garage/mechanic for you ?

 

[Sulli79]

What about having a bash yourself? Can do it on the ground with the subframe inplace.

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/a4-s4-...s-can-done-without-taking-engine-out-yes.html

 

[aragorn]

Also, use 40weight oil. 30weight is a bit too thin, especially when they're getting on a bit.

 

[kenlaw50n]

would love to have a go my self but not sure if i got the proper tools for the job, and last time I played like this with a car was an *cough* xr2 about 11 years ago.

Thats what I had been using up until SH*T Fit done the last oil filter change.