After combing classifieds all last summer, I finally, on the brink of going outside my price comfort-zone at a dealership for something newer, with payments, with a warranty (non-B5), I found the B5 I’d been looking for: 2.8 manual with 70K miles, in seemingly good condition. Timing belt/waterpumphad already beenreplaced...

The car was given a clean bill of health by my mechanic (aVW/Audi guy)who said it was the "cleanest one" he'd seen in recent memory. He did give a disclaimer saying that he never recommends buying a used car – and he couldn’t possibly find major internal issues, but does recommend when not to buy one. He said he checked everything he could, put it on the lift, and drove it, and it seemed good to him. Fair enough.

Anyway, intending to keep the car for at least a couple of years, I put on new tires, got the back bumper repaired at a good body shop, and had a bunch of typical-nagging B5 issues fixed. Total improvements/fixes came in at around $2.5K. I bought the car for around $9K.

At 74K, my check oil light came on. Oil was down 4 quarts! Why the light didn’t go on sooner, I have no idea -- but I digress… I brought the car back to the place that did the initial oil change and they busted out records that proved, beyond a doubt, that they filled the car with the correct 6-ish quarts of oil during the initial change. We put the car out on the lift … no leaks, no other signs of trouble. So we went with 0w-40 synthetic and hoped for the best.

Sure enough, the car burns about a quart per 1,000 miles. Otherwise, seems to drive great. Considering I’ve never owned a car that’s burned oil, this is of concern to me… So here are my major questions/concerns:

1) Should I sell before I wind up with a huge problem on my hands?

2) Should I keep driving and pumping a quart of oil into it every thousand miles and hope I don’t wind up with a huge problem on my hands (it’d be nice to get at least a year out of this car)? I plan to drive a lot of miles this summer.

3) If sell, do I have a moral obligation to reveal the oil-burning if I sell privately. What about as a trade-in? For what it’s worth, I contacted the guy I bought the car from on craigslist and he says he hadn’t noticed any oil consumption.

4) Buy another B5? Thinking that’s probably not a good road to go down at this point… Another Audi -- maybe a B6 Avant?I'm nervous about the Audis at this point (also have a 02 A6 Avant that's been at the doctor quite a bit for weird, convoluted problems)

5) This is a question I already know the answer to: get it, whatever the problem is, fixed? (answer: no)

Anyone with thoughts/theories? Help!

Thanks!

 

I know I'll get flamed on this one but you got nothing to lose at this point. It could be that your rings are froze and thats causing your oil consumption. Try this. Buy yourself a quart of Rislone and pour it in your crankcase. See if that won't free the rings and lessen your oil consumption.
I've done it many times and its worked for me. I know there are some here that will disagree but whats a few dollars if it helps. If your burning a quart to 1000 miles the first quart might not free them the whole way but you should notice a difference.
http://www.barsproducts.com/100QR.htm

Good Luck...

 

I have similar issues with my 2.8 o a little bit lesser degree. I have had this for about 10000 miles and it really has not changed at all. mechanically every thing seems alright should I try and find the problem or let it go? Do older, high milage 2.8's burn a bit more oil? Any input is appreciated. Does anyone else have any expierence with rislone?

 

This probably goes without saying but Ill go for it anyway, tt would probably be pricey to have someone else find out what the problem is, so its beneficial to find out by yourself. I have a 12v 2.8 and I know the piston rings are the #1 source of oil leaks as well as a pain in the *** to DIY, but you say there are no leaks so that would be a major concern to me. A quart / 1k seems like a lot, but 0w is real low viscocity, especially for the summer. Maybe try running a higher viscocity oil. With regard to selling it, thats a personal mopral decision to make whether to inform the purchaser. Its kind of a dick move to not say anything if the buyer is an individual, but if you trade it in, I wouldnt. They will try to knock off way more, as I see it that is their problem.

 

Thanks for your responses. Great help. I'll def. try the Rislone.And, next time I get an oil change, I'll try a diff. viscosity.

With the Rislone in there, willdoing a little more higher-revving driving maybe help too? Like doing a 20 mile highway driveat 80mph in 4th gear?

Another concern: what kind of damage and/or wear & tear might I have done by running the car unknowingly with 2 to 3 quarts of oil in the dead of winter for at least a couple of months? Like I said before, the car runs great and made no weird noises; no leaking; no noticeable problems at all... Shouldn't the check oil light have come on sooner?

And, while I'm here, totally unrelated: is this driver's seat one of the most painful seats ever ... I've seen posts arguing this point. Just weighing-in that mine's torture. I was looking into getting seats out of an S4 before this oil-deal put that search on hold for now.

 

With the Rislone in there drive it any way you want. The Rislone is a very high detergent that cleans and dissolves sludge and varnish. It works its way down around the rings and dissolves the varnish that freezes the rings and lets them expand out against the cylinder walls restoring compression and oil control. I use it every oil change and my oil at 3000 miles comes out as clean as most oil goes in. No dirt, No wear.

Good Luck...

 

My 1999 2.8 burned a lot of oil, just like yours. It was really low mileage tho, right at about 75k. When it got low I would recieve a low oil pressure warning whenever I took a harder right turn. All in all I burned about 2.5 quarts (Castrol Syntex 5w-30) every 1900 miles which was fairly consitant throughout the span of me owning it. Towards the end of ownership I replaced the oil cooler and all of the gaskets associated with it, and it seemed to help the problem out. That area and the valve cover gaskets are the main places that oil gets out. Those are the easier to fix ones. It would be unfortunate if it was your piston rings though, as that would be a big load of $$$ to work on.

You might try removing the plastic skid plate on the bottom of the car and see if there is any oil that dripped on to it. You may have a leak somewhere but you won't know it because that plate catches it all.

 

not sure about the newer v6s but the 12v believe it or not is supposed to use oil, i did it of research and found out the engines used low tension rings so it had great efficency but had a bit more oil blow by. just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks again for all your responses. the plastic skid plate mentioned,I'm assuming, is the plate under the nose of the car you need to remove for the oil change? If so, that's clean as can be... no leakage on it. Is that where oil coming out of the valve cover gaskets would show up? If so, I guess the valve cover gaskets aren't the issue. not a drop of oil on my driveway either.

If it is the piston rings, would I notice anything in particular when driving the car? Seems strong, at any rpm. On an '01 with 75K, I can't think of much to justify putting in big $$$ to fix. But I want to have an idea if I'm gonna be looking at a fried engine in another 5K miles because, if so, I'm gonna have to trade it in asap.

Rislone sounds good. If that doesn't work, I'm gonna try Liquid Plummer[:@]!