L Werick

So i have a 1998 audi a6 quat with aha 2.8l. Recently i had a starter problem but it was to cold to fix at the time. I took out the battery during the below zero temps so i didnt do damage to the battery since it wasnt starting. I finally got the starter in. I put the battery in and now i am having a bogging issue in park it will not go past 1500 rpms and driving it wont exceed 15mph. I dont have access to a vag com so please no comments to use one. Ive checked for vac leaks and cant find one.
There is a mix of water and mayb gas(taste test) out the breather hose. The fuel pres reg is working fine but is louder then normal changed it out but still does the same thing. Ive tried the tba(disconnected the battery waited about ten mins hooked it back up then turned the car to acc for three mins. Still nothing.
ive checked the maf sensor and seems to be working fine there is a change when connected and disconnected. Ive checked spark by pulling out each wire from plug and listen for change in engine all are working fine.
ive checked each fuel injector working perfect as well. Please only post useful information to the problem. I am someone who wants to fix the problem not sell the vehicle. Remember no vag com avail. So only looking for possible diagnostics i can try or a real solution to the problem. Thank you!!

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georgeb944

Take it to autozone or pep boys and see what codes are turning on your CEL. If you can't get there, borrow (or buy) one. They are not that expensive and it will give you a starting point.

BTW, I just saw that RossTech is selling a much cheaper version of the VCDS cable, limited to the number of cars you can read.

https://store.ross-tech.com/shop/vchv2_ent/

It will probably be cheaper than taking it to an Audi shop (which is what you do otherwise.)

L Werick

So updated my scanner have a bunch of codes all cylinders r having problems. P1237 cyl 1 thru P1242 cyl 6.
Got three that may b related P0102 MAF to low. P1432 sec air injec open. And P1857 Load signal error (MAF).
Then there is two that might be related P1544 Throttle Body Actuation Potentionmeter sig to high and P1545 Throttle Body Alignment...
Lot of work cut out for me :/ unless anyone can give me some type of info to fix this whole thing... keep everyome posted!!

tester123

RESET the computer by disconnecting the battery Negative (-) wire and leave it out for 10 - 15 mins. After connecting, connect OBD tool and CLEAR all codes.

Then try starting and read codes. This way you start clean and get a sense of what's going on. Right now it's difficult to say (for me at least).

L Werick

Well i talked with a Audi mechanic after figuring out today i have a blown head gasket. Syptoms are bubbles in coolant. Oils not to milky but has a sweet smell. White smoke and water coming out the tailpipe, water like substance in the breather hoses. Smoke coming from the back of the engine by firewall. Also i just changed out the heater core hoses hoping to fix the coolant leak that drips from the back of the engine onto the trani pan and to the ground but some fluid still drips and the back of the engine is still wet.
After explaining all this to him he said there is a chance that having a blown head gasket depending on how big it is can be the cause of my limp mode. So i ordered a kit from www.partsology.com to get the job done. When it gets done will update the forum again...

tester123

And plugs were clean?

L Werick

Plugs were dirty on the pass side found that out taken off the vavle cover yesterday. But awaiting on the ribe bolt tool needed for the cylinder heads....

Im hoping its just the gaskets needed to be changed out. I got them from Bluaparts but after buying from them before and having issues more then once, I figured they were just not up to standard.

Will keep everyone posted!

tester123

I am not affiliated with Blauparts in any way shape or form. Having said that, I got my timing belt kit from them along with cam seals etc. when oil was pouring out the back of the engine. In my research, found that many had negative experiences with blauparts' kit(s). I am not saying they were all good and quite possibly, some were bad. Still, I decided to go with them after talking to them and learning about the OE supplier parts they are providing in the kit. Also compared each part from the car after I pulled it out with the one from kit and they looked identical minus the AUDI logo.

However, I am ridiculously meticulous when I do such repairs. For me, the key is to clean, clean, clean. I cannot emphasize that enough. Gaskets, mating surfaces etc., must be completely free of oil, junk, irregular surfaces, previous sealants/glues. I use acetone, alcohol, razor blades, sand paper and whatever else required to acheive that.

My neighbor thought I was crazy when I was using really fine grit sand paper to get all mating surfaces completely clean so no color other than the metal itself would show. But then again, I never saw a drop of a leak or never had to touch my repair after completing the job.

It takes time and effort but I don't ever want to re-repair things unless of course, the part itself fails.

L Werick

what type of grit did u use? Do you know the number I was afraid of using some but I would like to use some I'm just not sure what would be the best number. I just started to take it apart again today. I'm having a issue with getting the back side off. I found that the metal coolant hose(my leaking issue on another forum) and another piece on the side that has a vaccum hose connected to the head(there is one on both sides of the motor and I think they are ergs) but yea them two specifics are I'm hoping why I cannot is pull out the cylinder head. Back at it tomorrow though! Can you please inform me of the grit? Thanx

tester123

I used the wet sandpaper from home depot. Think it was 800 or 1000 or more don't remember exactly as this was done at least 3 or 4 years ago. 1000 or above is good... you want to polish with it not sand it down. Use razor blade, screwdriver etc., to get all the stuff off. Then polish it with sand paper. Aluminum block is soft, gets nicked or cut and sands off quickly so be gentle. Do the same where the O-rings go. You should see bare metal evenly. See the pic as example.

Next, wipe off with paper towel soaked in good amount of acetone. Then, use high quality Loctite silicon gasket sealer (black for high-temp I think) and spread a ultra thin coat with (oil free) finger. Get all your parts + tools ready to go quickly before applying the sealer. Wait for 2 mins or so it becomes tacky and assemble quickly. Remember, ultra thin like it's almost not there (no pun intended). It should never ooze out more than a hair or so after tightening the bolts to spec! If it did, you put too much. Remove, clean it all including o-rings with acetone/alcohol and do it again. Remember whatever the amount oozing out is possibly doing the same inside... that's why redo.

The idea here is to use the sealer to provide a lubricant for o-rings to seat properly and adjust without warping due to dryness and friction during assemly resulting in a improper seal which under pressure, becomes a leak. Apart from acting as lubricant, the sealer will dry and further enforces the seal of the o-ring. Use silicon sealer only.. you want this to remain flexible.

I know manual says no to some of these in some areas and recommends you buy their special glue (at least when I was doing cam covers etc.) -which is mainly due to possible chemical reactions and corrosion. But, I didn't follow that and did what I know would work. That's why I say use only a thin film.

After your repairs, don't put any oil, liquids for at least 24 hours. Let it sit and cure. If you were thorough, planned ahead the order of things to be assembled etc., and did what I suggested above, there is no way you would have a leak. It worked for me. Still, not a single drop anywhere and I did the job 40k+ miles ago!