Greetings,

I recently purchased a one-owner 85k mile 2001 A4 for my daughter. I knew it was time for the timing belt and water pump so I replaced those with Gates parts. It was very straightforward, no issues. The car test drove well and my daughter took off on her merry way. The next day she called to tell me it had overheated. We had a tow-truck bring the car home and I found the coolant tank was empty. Apparently the bottom hose came off because I didn't get it seated all the way. Checked the oil and it was clean so after reattaching the hose properly I filled it back up with G12 and fired it up. Car sounded and behaved normally, took nearly 20 minutes to get up to operating temperature with it 85F outside. Once it finally reached full operating temperature a rattling started on top in the valve train area. I let it cool two cycles and it reappears at the same temp each time.

Unless its related to the new timing belt I assume the overheating did some damage,possibly to a lifter. I assume if I remove the valve cover I could inspect the lobes for wear? I am also reading and watching YouTube videos that suggest it could also be related to the cam tensioner? Noise is only at idle, its not inside the crankcase its up top. No low oil pressure warning lights etc on the dash. Feedback appreciated.

Audi1 - YouTube

 

i had this same exact noise in my eclipse. it turned out to be a simple lifter tick . i would pull the valve cover off make sure that nothing is damaged if all looks well. go get a bottle of Lucas oil additive and squirt oil all around the lifters and springs. put the cover back on pour any remainder lucas into the oil spout. * becareful you are adding oil to the engine so its best to do a oil change at the same time and deduct the amount of oil you are displacing with the lucas. thats what i did with the eclipse i started it up it ticked for about 2 min at idle and immediately went away . i may be wrong but i believe that is what happend with you. its about a 10 dollar bottle and a hour of labor its worth a shot before you get into anything heavier it has worked with other cars with the same noise from stories and posts i read when i originally researched my problem. good luck let me know how you make out.

 

I'm not trying to be mean or anything like that but i find it strange,when someone begins with"i had this happen on BLANK BRAND of a automobile and try to apply it to our B5's.

I just don't feel you can compare another car brand,when a German car is not built the same as a Japanese car or American car,not to mention,its a totally different car all together.

Like i said,i am not being mean,i know you mean well,just saying that it really hold no baring,when saying "this happened to another brand car,so it could apply to totally different car manufacturer.

These B5's and Audi's in general are a different beast than other car manufacturers,just because you know how to work on a Japanese or American car,doesn't mean you know how to work on a German car.

I would understand,if you at least kept it in the Audi family and even said a VW

 

He is absolutely correct although... A lifter tick is a kind of universal thing it just happens to be more so on these cars AND he did say he's getting this from reading past posts on here so I think you should cut him some slack

 

So if its a lifter "tick" then what is causing that, absence of sufficient oil pressure up top? Is this why it goes away instantly when I raise the rpms? I assume then that I may be dealing with the sludge issue? Maybe the heat caused some sludge to move around and impede oil flow?

Thanks for the replies.

 

The cam tensioner is at the rear of the cylinder head just forward of the false firewall. If the noise is loudest there, its a good bet that's your problem. If its more towards the front or in the middle of the valve cover, its probably just valve tick. Mine does it too.

 

Trying doing a dose of seafoam through the oil and see if that makes a difference. It can help break down sludge. If sludge is blocking the cam tensioner (which is driven by oil pressure), that could cause it to not pressurize enough and create a tick. The A4, like most cars these days, has hydraulic self-adjusting lifters and therefore can suffer from lifter tick due to low pressure just like any other car with a similar design.

 

The noise seems to be right in the middle of the head, so I suspect its a lifter. I talked to the guys at the local BG Products office and the recommended their engine cleaner product (not the BG engine flushing system, just the pour-in.) Says this is what independent shops are using on these cars with light sludge and lifter noise at idle. We'll try that and do an oil change after and see what happens.

 

SO what your saying basically is if i drive my audi tomorrow and the battery dies out while im driving and the car slowly starts cutting out. i shouldnt think of my past trouble with alternators in my previous cars because they are a different make ? . so if anything goes wrong with our audis we shouldnt apply any previous knowledge of car trouble unless its German audi or vw ? does anybody else find this completely ludicrous ? and id put my next paycheck that the problem he is having is a lifter tick and it applies DIRECTLY to my old Japanese eclipse. A motor is a motor. there is some differences in motors yes and if his problem had something to do with a more specific region of his motor that is unique and specific to audis and vw then comparing his problem to that of a eclipse or another make would not have been a curate diagnosis . but the eclipses motor and the audis motor both have a top end they both have lifters they both take oil . the engines both have similarities and differences yes but this problem had to do with the SIMILARITIES of the two engines. a lifter tick in a audi is the same as an eclipse and the same as a toyota or a nissan because all those makes put lifters in the valve systems in the engine because it is a common necessary component of any engine by any make. Now when some one needs help on here and asks for our advice we do our best to help them. i may not have been right but i offered my advice turned out i know what im talking about and im correct. point is i offered my help and advice and thats what he asked. i dont remember reading anything in your post pertaining to his question of help ? just you trying to make a outrageous point that clearly made no sense to any one that read it. Im sure your mother told you if you dont have nothing nice to say then dont say anything at all. in this case since you had nothing to add about the problem dont reticule someones attempt to help someone out. And last but not least on this beating I am handing you . you state " just because you know how to work on a Japanese car or a american car doesnt mean i know how to work on a german car" once again a outrageous comment that makes NO sense at all. i'll tell you what i know how to work on any make any model car i have experience in just about every make. and I DO Know how to work on a GERMAN car as well. if the problem pertains to a common part of the engine then they all have that componet if its specific to a german car then guess what i will compare and research the problem against german cars who have that specific component in common. Now im done. try not to feel to stupid and embarrassed .

 

now that i got that off my chest. how did you make out with your problem on your daughters car ? when you do the oil change take my advice on the lucas oil its great for your car and will assist to help with other componets in the engine. seafoam is great from what i hear. i have never used it on any of my personal cars but i was there when a friend did the treatment and it was quite a process . and dont getfreaked out when the exhaust pours out more smoke than a nuclear power plant it was so much smoke on my friends car that it completely covered his house a thick white smoke it was crazy but it was all completely normal and he had nothing but good things to say about the benefits of the treatment. check out the lucas i will stand by that.