So I pretended I was a hero the other night with my GF's B5, AGAIN. Last time it was the timing belt/water pump overhaul. This time I changed the oil.

Her car has no owner's manual and I could not find a definite oil capacity for this car (2001 a4 1.8t). I put a little over 4 quarts in there, and later checked the dipstick to find the oil level at maybe 1/4" ABOVE the crosshatched area. So I might have added a little much.

Last night she called me and said her car was acting funny. I went and drove it around and it felt like the turbo was failing to kick in sometimes. I would shift into second gear while accelerating, and find myself flooring it to get up to speed. It was a boggy mess. I did notice a fairly loud noise coming from what sounded like the driver's side engine bay. It sounded as if it was shooting out large amounts of air while I gassed it.

She told me the car had done this before, but she originally blamed it on her A/C sucking power outta that cute little engine. I was unable to thoroughly inspect the engine compartment/drain some of the oil last night and I'm going over there later this evening to take a look. She drove to work today and told me that the car is sluggish again. I'm scared.

What should I look for? Is the turbo dead? Is some output valve falsing on me and simply shooting the air the wrong direction? Did my little oil overfill cause a serious problem? ANY help is absolutely appreciated.....

 

oil level is 4.3 quarts, so assuming "a little over 4 quarts" means less than 3/10ths of a quart, that wouldnt affect it. my first thought would be the dv since you would here a loud whoosh apon acceleration/boost, but you would have those symptoms all the time, not just on and off. because its coming from the drivers side, i would first say to check your intercooler lines to make sure they are still intact and then move on to other charged lines

 

Thanks for the help. Stupid question but what is the correct way to read the dipstick? The oil level in her car is right at the bend above the crosshatched area. I assumed the top of the crosshatch section was the full mark... I'm going to check the intercooler lines tonight and hopefully it's something simple like a loose hose.

 

sounds like a leak. the bottom of the crosshatched area on the dipstick is the low limit and the top of it is the high limit. from the bottom to the top of the crosshatched area is equal to 1 quart of oil.

 

hmm. I dont know how I poured in only a little over 4 quarts and got it to go all the way to the bend above the crosshatched section.. Is it possible that some oil was trapped inside the engine and did not drain completely?

 

Check the small vac line that runs off the front end of the intake mani that runs to the diverter valve to make sure that it isn't cracked inside the outer sheild.

 

The small hose seems very crunchy when I squeeze it, but it seems like it's just the fabric shield cracking... is it possible that this little guy is responsible for the power loss?

 

UPDATE... So it finally occurred to me today that I work next door to a very popular VW dealership. I talked to one of the techs and was able to get the car in for inspection... It took him only a few minutes. He came back with two broken hoses in his hand. One connects 3 ways at the top-center of the rear of the engine, while the other connects to the intake manifold and bends 90 degrees (this one was causing the whoosh noise on the driver's side). Both hoses looked fine at first glance, but had serious issues once inspected closely.

The tech suggested that the cause of the seemingly random loss of boost/power was the pressure leak from the smaller 90 degree hose that had blown at the seam. Apparently it was causing the car to cycle in and out of a limp mode.

Since the replacement of these two hoses, the car not only feels a LOT quicker, it has also taken on a much better sounding exhaust note. And the girlfriend's quite happy with the outcome.

amen brotha, amen. Thanks for the help guys!