Originally Posted by M5S5

You can not do a compression test with a broken belt. You need to do a cylinder leak test at this point.
Plan on heads , gaskets , t-belt , wp , tensioner , rollers , probably a good idea to clean out the egr port while the intake is off.

Originally Posted by Crowss

Almost one year later! Yikes. Anyways, I recently got it all back together and gave it a trial run with the front end still off in case anything major went wrong.
It started and ran. However I have a "clacking" coming from the passenger side head area.
I am led to believe that it is possible lifter/tappet/cam follower noise?

It HAS been sitting for well over a year now. Chances of lifters not operating properly? Or taking 20-30 mins to "pressurize"?

What would actual valve interference noise sound like compared to lifter noise? I don't think it would run if the valves were damaged, would it?

Compression shows 120-140 for all cylinders.
Don't know oil pressure on passenger side. Anyone know how to check?

Originally Posted by cincyTT

Was the compression done at temp and what was the highest and lowest? If it was, you are within range of variance but getting low in the lowest.

As for the noise, it's the lifters. The will sound like pooh for some time but I promise it will go away. Been through a head off for a long time and it made the same noise.

Originally Posted by Crowss

Without going into the whole story behind it, I find myself trying to figure out the damage done to my 2.8L 12V ('96 A4 Quattro).

Here is my plan to diagnose, please correct where needed.

#1: Use compression tester and check each cylinder one at a time to see what PSI is there. Looking for around 180, anything lower than (what? 100?) means bent valves. TB is gone, so I plan to rotate by hand (tools) the cam gears and check each cylinder. **Question - Where should I position the engine crank? Is there a position that will allow me to check all cylinders without interference?**

#2: Seeing as it happened at 65-70 MPH I am assuming bent valves. I plan to get some salvage heads and replace after checking the piston tops. I did not hear any loud noises or other indications of major damage, so hopefully they are ok.

#3: Remove, replace heads, gaskets, etc. **Is there anything else I should do or check while I am at this stage?** (Not just TB related)

#4: Replace TB, waterpump and oil seals. Manually turn engine over to check for correct timing.

#5: Button everything back up. Pray for success.

Any recommendations on head gaskets? Can I get a thinner gasket for a little higher CR? Engine has 106K on it, so...

Originally Posted by budhani786

How many miles did this happen on? Was the belt ever changed?

Originally Posted by gdog87

did you chuck some oil around under the rocker cover for the lifters as well?