Audi_in_Van

We have a 2004 A4 Cab with 3.0 V6, 90K miles, timing belt and other major engine work done and generally in decent shape.

Lately, I was getting the "Oil" warning light, I saw it 2 weeks ago, and add half a quart of oil, and it went away. The dipstick didn't show low oil... Then went on one road trip, no issue, came back and went on a 2nd road trip yesterday, and everything got messed up:

1. I added half-a-quart oil BEFORE I left, just to make sure nothing goes wrong
2. 200 Miles of hard driving, 80-90 mph highway driving, I received "Oil" warning light again on an uphill drive
3. Pulled side of the road, opened the lid, some small smoking from left side of the engine...
4. dipstick showed low oil, but not dry or anything
5. Added ONE Quart of oil - 5W40, Oil warning went away, I drove off
6. 10 Miles later - Oil light came on again... I had nowhere to pull, or anymore Oil
7. 5 Miles later - the warning light WENT OFF, ALL GOOD
8. 50 miles later - Oil light came on again
9. Within 1-2 miles - The engine light came on, and car engine started to shut-off. I had to pull over, and shut the car down

After that, I added oil, again, dipstick is NOT dry, and car just doesn't start again at all. I think there's some engine protection mechanism preventing it. We had to tow it to our cabin and it's sitting there. Car is in the middle of nowhere, so no Audi dealership, trying to find a mechanic to scan the codes.

Questions:
- First off, without reading codes, what could this be?
- Is this a common issue on 3.0 V6?
- Is the car a goner?


Thanks

Steamboat

Do you recall what warning symbol came up on the display? An oil can with oil dripping from the spout indicates low oil pressure whereas an oil can with "MIN" written under the spout indicates low oil level.

While I'm no mechanic, based on what you said I would guess you have low oil pressure. From owning an A4 with the 3.0 engine for over 14 years, and from reading this and other Audi forums for nearly as many years, I do not think this is typical for the 3.0, especially one with only 90k miles on it.

From reading Audi forums: Low oil pressure could be caused by a bad oil pump, a clogged pick-up screen in the oil sump, or a clogged oil passage. I know the 1.8 engines had problems with clogged oil passages, but I don't recall ever reading about a 3.0 engine having this problem.

I would agree that your car shut itself down to prevent serious damage. However, seeing smoke from the engine can't be good.

Audi_in_Van

Car is dead. Engine gone! Aparently one of the belts was snapped and ****. I am not sure if it was due to low oil pressure oil pump issue or what. We need to tow it somewhere and and either get a new engine or sell for salvage. This piece of crap was nothing but trouble!!!