huskyz

The Internet is forever

On the plus side my 2016 S4 basically uses no oil.

Randall Linton

Well here it is. I've owned two A4's with the 2.0T engine. A 2013 and a 2015, I'm still driving the 2015.

The 2013 was an oil burner from about 50,000 miles to the engine failure at 87,000 miles, #1 cylinder '0' compression. I replaced it with an 2.0T engine that had about 15,000 miles on it from a rollover wreck, it started to burn oil about 25,000 miles later in the 45,000-50,000 mile range for the engine. Then that second engine failed at about 135,000 miles on the car, #4 cylinder '0' Compression. Replaced it with a factory crated engine that burned oil from the get go. At 2500 miles. on that engine I changed the PCV, "lower crankcase pressure control valve" and that solved it. It only used one quart every 10,000 miles after that until the Car was totalled. Hit from behind while we were stopped at a light, waiting. Hit from behind by a San Francisco Wheelchair/Paratransit bus. She pushed the trunk into the back seat but the cab was preserved on the Audi, doors opened normally and we walked away. That engine was doing fine with 50,000 miles on it.

Enter the 2015 Audi A4, Premium Plus with the 8 speed triptronic transmission. I bought it from a dealer in the Southbay, Used, with 36,000 miles on it. It would immediately start to consume oil every time the PCV "lower crankcase pressure control valve" would go bad, so I made that a maintenance item of changing either every 50,000 miles or when the engine started to consume oil. It always was great, 1 quart usage every 10,000 miles between changes. It's had the injectors replaced twice. I have had the intake manifold and valves cleaned twice with crushed walnut shell air blasting, once at about 145,000 mi, and once at about 255,000 miles. Since then I do the "Triple Seafoam Treatment" just before each 10,000 mile oil change, and the Italian tune up to burn out the Seafoam and carbon. That's about 4,000 to 5,000 RPM in lower gear on the freeway from here to Walnut Creek CA and back, about a 16 mile round trip. Then an oil and filter change. This engine now has 286,188 miles on it, runs great but does consume oil at about 1 quart per 1500 miles. I'm changing the PCV every 35,000 miles now, as well as the evaporator valve just to the right of it on the outside right hand side of the valve cover housing.

It is still running well. I drive daily into San Francisco and all over San Francisco - 48 Hills - daily for business. I have 4,200 miles on the current oil and have consumed just under 3 quarts oil since this last oil change. I did change out the Turbo as preventative maintenance at 250,000 with a Borg Warner turbo made no doubt with "Chineseum" since it was made in China. I'll have the original Turbo rebuilt at the local diesel turbo shop in Oakland if I have the engine rebuilt, and put the original back on it at engine rebuild. I am expecting to have to do an engine rebuild sometime between the next 5 miles and 50,000 miles.

Next week we'll do the following. Compression test, and if any cylinders are greater than 10% out of spec. a leakdown check. If the compression is good, at the next oil change, in 6,000 miles I'll do
a Hot Seafoam treatment of the cylinders by pouring pre-heated very hot Seafoam into the Cylinders with the spark plugs removed, turn it over a few times with the starter, and let it Hot Soak for 20-30 minutes thereafter, then replace the plugs, run it to burn out the seafoam in the cylinders, then do the usual seafoam spray into the intake manifold at 2,000 rpm on a hot engine, another 20 minute hot soak, then the Italian Tune up on the freeway at 4,000-5,000 rpm, then the oil change. I'd caution anyone about preheating seafoam on an open flame stove and without a Co2 fire extinguisher at hand. Just search Youtube for deep fried turkey gone flaming bad with hot oil. This is not advice for you, it is what I do and you can consider me below 80 IQ.

I have a very good mechanic locally that does mainly VW, Audi and Porsche. He was a Formula 1 mechanic as a young man, on the circuit for 14 years. We've been talking Timing chain, sprockets and tensioner replacement for the last 60,000 miles but I haven't done that yet. It all comes down to the Compression and leak down test. If the pistons & rings have lived a good life and are ready to go, then I'll just have the engine pulled and do a complete rebuild for about $6,000 to depending on how much work the valve head needs. And I'll just do a swap out on the transmission with another "gently used 8 speed triptronic that matches with hopefully under 30,000 on the Transmission. That's about $10,000 all in for the engine and Transmission replacement.

I will probably use the old Mechatronix unit out of the existing triptronic transmission because it has to be programmed to the VIN # on the car or it won't sync with the engine computer and won't shift. Programming costs about $800 here locally if you can find a shop with the same Gecko Unit that the Audi Dealer's use for re-programming. You also have to have both keys with the car when they reprogram the engine and transmission computer or they won't work either.

If the Compression test is better than 90% and less than 10 % variance per cylinder, I'll probably go ahead and have the shop test it, and do a leakdown test as well, and if it checks out fine, then do the timing chain and the valve stem seal replacement at the same time. About $2500. That's a gamble on the engine and it might be better just to commit that money instead as part of a rebuild, but I'll take the gamble if the compression test is good.

I don't know if this helps anyone here but I do believe finally my third piston rings, the oil scraper rings, are carboned up which is causing the oil consumption. I don't really care about burning oil if it's in spec and doesn't kill the catalytic converter.

And I'll continue the Triple Seafoam treatments.