I have an Audi A4 B5 1.8T Quattro 102k miles and I have 2 problems that I'm not sure are related that I need help identifying.

1. Whenever I start my car after it has sat for a day or 2 to will blow out a puff of blue smoke for a second and that's it. The check engine light comes on and off randomly I would imagine due to this. This issue started a month or 2 ago and would like to know what it is/ ballpark price.

2. Not sure if related but on my drive home from class today my car started sounding like a lawnmower. It groggles while idle and when I accelerate it rumbles really loud with some light vibration in the cabin. When I let go of the gas it quiets down I kinda makes a puffing or light putting sound when braking. I've also noticed a reduction in power. The sound seems to be coming from the front of the car or the engine and not the back of the exhaust.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

Oh man, sounds like a blown head gasket to me. Blue smoke = burning coolant. The sound you are hearing is most likely related to that. Have you noticed your coolant disappearing? Does your oil look milky?

 

Blown Turbo perhaps?

 

^^ Another possibility ^^

 

White smoke = burning coolant, blue smoke = burning oil. Probably blown turbo or maybe worn piston rings but I doubt it

 

If the rings were bad enough to cause that much power loss & vibration, then they would have to be really torn up.

I'm not an expert on our turbos yet, but if a turbo seal was causing oil to leak into either the intake, or the exhaust, that sounds like it could be your issue......but again: I haven't studied our engine design very much yet, as I'm a recent, first time Audi owner.

I would also consider catalytic converter issues, but you're not getting the check engine light while driving, are you?

.

 

My first instinct says blown turbo. Had an '01 Jetta in the family with the same engine. Exact same symptoms, blown turbo.

 

Oil's getting in there somehow. Head gaskets are really pretty rare on these cars. My vote is that the turbo is pumping oil into the intake.

 

What ever happened to good old carbureted cars. Little to no electronics. Big motors. Less problems.

 

It would show up in your coolant overflow tank. (milky sludge) Check for a cracked O-ring on the oil cooler. That's where the oil and coolant could mix.