How many miles / km can you get out of a 1.8T before you start running into problems?

[OldAudiA4]

I bought mine at 130,000kms and had the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, cam and crank seals replaced. Also had a new clutch put in.

Just wondering how many km's you can get out of these engines before you start running into trouble.

I know with Ford Falcon's (here in Australia), you can get 1,000,000kms out of some of the engines without the head ever having to come off. Timing Chain also lasts the life of the engine. Ancillary components like Alternator's and Starter Motor's go but the engine itself is good a 1,000,000kms properly maintained of course.

[Avant Nate]

somewhere between 50,000 kms and 500,000 kms

[OldAudiA4]

somewhere between 50,000 kms and 500,000 kms

That is a great input

[kingDL]

The answer on your question is: It depends.

It depends on how you use the car, how often you use it and where you use it. Say a taxicab for instance, it will see loads of miles and may not require any major repairs even after 400.000 km or more, especially if it is run 24/7.

1000 miles on the highway at constant speed vs. 1000 miles in the city is also two different stories.

So you could propably find an 1.8T engine with 50000 km's on it that is in a worse state than a 1.8T with 300000 km.

[demonmk2]

I know of a member on here who has over 250k on his
Pers like a kitten.

As far as the ford falcon...it better be able to get 1,000,000,000km on it..
That's mad max's ride! And that's with out changing the oil!

[Drifter420]

I got 338758km runs mint no leaks no ticks no lights but the previous owner bought it with 20000km and sold it with 306000 and had it less then 3 years

[walky_talky20]

I will say that most normal "non-enthusiast" owners cannot get a 1.8T to 200k miles without having the oil pickup screen clog up. So at some point before 200k, either they grenade the engine due to lack of oil pressure, or they shut it off in time and need to have the pan dropped and the pickup cleaned out.

[Drifter420]

I wanna do my screen before she clogs on me I change my oil so much to try to keep it clean

[g3no]

I will say that most normal "non-enthusiast" owners cannot get a 1.8T to 200k miles without having the oil pickup screen clog up. So at some point before 200k, either they grenade the engine due to lack of oil pressure, or they shut it off in time and need to have the pan dropped and the pickup cleaned out.

Was not aware of that.. I will definitely get that taken care of my next major maintenance round.

[Wraith600]

g3no, that's pretty major service to do just that. Read the how to threads on that job.

[g3no]

g3no, that's pretty major service to do just that. Read the how to threads on that job.

My car is just about to the 100k mile mark. Do you think it would be a good idea to get it done ASAP? I was thinking the 125k mark, but I did buy it at 84k so it would be nice to have a clear mind about that. Who knows how well the previous owner was as far as oil type and frequency of changes....

[walky_talky20]

It is a little involved to clean it. I really wish Audi had made the oil pan a 2-piece affair so dropping the bottom would be super easy, like the 2.8's. Then you could just clean the screen every 50k and never have problems. But that makes too much sense.

Anyway, due to the involved nature and the high cost of labor, I would rather suggest you just check your oil pressure. It is pretty easy to spot a partially clogged screen just by looking at the pressure behavior.

If you are really in it for the long haul with a 1.8T, I'd recommend just putting an oil pressure gauge on the dashboard.

[BaseDrifter]

Walky, is hot idle oil pressure the key number? I'm seeing 20psi at hot idle, I know RenoxDeception is only seeing about 12psi. My concern is that I've never seen more than ~80psi at 5k RPMs while hot, I remember you saying you could peg your 100psi gauge.

[g3no]

Anyway, due to the involved nature and the high cost of labor, I would rather suggest you just check your oil pressure. It is pretty easy to spot a partially clogged screen just by looking at the pressure behavior.

That would be good to give me some piece of mind, but it sounds like it is going to clog eventually so wouldn't it be a good idea to get it taken care before it starts showing real symptoms?

[pbcrazy]

At hot idle I have 25-27psi, I peg the gauge (or get close) at 5k when hot.

[Drifter420]

Wats ur gauge read tho pbcrazy

[pbcrazy]

Wats ur gauge read tho pbcrazy

I'm not sure I understand the question but I'm guessing your asking how high it goes? If so then 100psi

[woolveren]

I will say that most normal "non-enthusiast" owners cannot get a 1.8T to 200k miles without having the oil pickup screen clog up. .

This is new info to me. I thought if we do regular oil changes with VW recommended oil+ big filter, chances of sludge buildup can be avoided.

Sounds like this can happen anytime with my car which is at 250K even though I'm changing oil every 3k miles..

[RENOxDECEPTION]

Walky, is hot idle oil pressure the key number? I'm seeing 20psi at hot idle, I know RenoxDeception is only seeing about 12psi. My concern is that I've never seen more than ~80psi at 5k RPMs while hot, I remember you saying you could peg your 100psi gauge.

Since I bled my coolant system I've been seeing 14 and getting no CCT ticking, I'm still going to pull the pan soon. Interested in Walky's response.

Mine peaks at 92 probably while it's cold though :-/

[walky_talky20]

Idle pressure is important, but it is somewhat variable depending on your pump and bearings, etc. Here is a post I made a while back on pressure testing and detecting a clogged screen:

This is how I test oil pressure on a 1.8T:

- Make sure it has correct 5W-40 oil.
- Get the oil screaming hot. 200F+ (warmup then drive aggressively for several minutes)
- Throw a pressure gauge on it.
- Take readings at idle, 1500, 2k, 3k, 4k, 5k, 6k.
- Take those readings again.
- Pressure should go up with revs, never down.
- Peak pressure should be near 100 psi as you approach redline.

- If pressure dives with revs = clogged screen
- If pressure doesn't get past 60psi when hot = clogged screen.
- If pressure is lower than 20psi at hot idle = clogged screen. (15psi is borderline, should really be 20+)
- If pressure is lower on the second set of readings than the first = clogged screen.
- If peak pressure keeps getting lower each time you rev it out = clogged screen.
- If pressure falls when held at a specific RPM for some time = clogged screen.

80psi peak is plenty of pressure for operation, but it ought to be a bit higher. I probably wouldn't drop the pan unless the peak lowered, or if there were other symptoms as described above. Unless the engine was out for another reason.

[Toolaa]

Idle pressure is important, but it is somewhat variable depending on your pump and bearings, etc. Here is a post I made a while back on pressure testing and detecting a clogged screen

All great advice. It is a good idea to keep a log of your results. The perhaps every 6 months repeat the test and compare. If you see the new results dropping over time you would have a better idea of whats going on inside of your engine. Also it's really cheap to pickup a compression tester from Harbor Freight or Amazon and also take a baseline test. Then if you do begin to experience any unusual problems in the future you can at least compare the new results with your baseline.

Good luck!

[walky_talky20]

This is new info to me. I thought if we do regular oil changes with VW recommended oil+ big filter, chances of sludge buildup can be avoided.

Sounds like this can happen anytime with my car which is at 250K even though I'm changing oil every 3k miles..

Yes, sludge is avoided - but the key being regular oil changes with the correct oil. Most "normal non-enthusiast owners" don't even know they have a turbo, let alone that their engine is extremely demanding on it's motor oil. Said owners get their oil changed at the Jiffy Lube whenever the ~10k "Service Oil" message displays on the dash and call it good.

Even if taken care of well, the screens do have a tendency to clog anyway. The low oil volume, superheating from the tiny turbo, and very small passages in the screen all work together to help it happen.

[OldAudiA4]

I'm on about 243k now I think and still going!