1.8T warped block??

[Precision]

Is the block on the 1.8T cast iron or aluminum?

Also what could warp the block?

Or could the block have always been warped and not shown the affects until now?

In case anybody is wondering, the Audi dealer just called to inform me that my block is warped.

The engine is now down on compression in 2 cylinders and I'm wondering what excuse Audi will use to blame me for it!

I just had the turbo and all the lines replaced under warranty due to oil sludge issues at 69,900 miles.

I had told them that there was valvetrain noise also, but they said they never heard it until they put the car back together and then they called me and told me they did hear the noise and did a compression test and 2 cylinders were low on compression.



God I hope Audi does right and covers it under warranty.

[mxrz]

The block is cast-iron, the head is an aluminum alloy.

[PwAg]

Can you expand on drivetrain noise? Does it occur at all times?

[emulex]

the head would be warped long before the block thats for sure unless it was a factory defect lol.

[David@EuroCode]

We have never seen any of the 1.8T cast Iron blocks warp and we have done some pretty ridicules things with that motor. Tell your Audi dealer to put down the crack pipe a warped cast Iron block due to oil sludge please.

[mike-2ptzero]

Could they just mean that the cylinder wall is no longer smooth, which could be the reason the compression is low in that cylinder.


Ok they did a compression test, but did they do a leak down to figure out why the cr is low in #2 and did they use a scope to look inside the cylinder at all?

[Precision]

ok the dealer informed me now that the head and block are warped.
The compression amounts were
cyl1 -165
cyl2- 160
cyl3- 120
cyl4- 120

Did not ask about leak down, they are also saying that this would not be covered under any warranties.

What the hell could cause this?

I have never even come close to overheating the motor.

I am trying to come up with ammunition before i call Audi

[billyboy]

what mods do u have to the engine?? do u have reciepts or documentation for all the service work youve had done?

[mike-2ptzero]

Originally posted by Precision
ok the dealer informed me now that the head and block are warped.
The compression amounts were
cyl1 -165
cyl2- 160
cyl3- 120
cyl4- 120

Did not ask about leak down, they are also saying that this would not be covered under any warranties.

What the hell could cause this?

I have never even come close to overheating the motor.

I am trying to come up with ammunition before i call Audi

did they tell you what they did to figure out that the head and block are warped. Fact is that if either of those warped the head gasket would blow and the oil/water would have mixed, there would most likely be oil/water on the outside of the block. I had a head warp on my eclipse and when it happened it blew oil all over the engine bay.


Unless you feel like being bent over, you better start asking them more questions and ask them if they tore the engine down.

[Precision]

I think I am being bent over.

I called Bildon Motorsports and talked to a gentleman who said he has never seen a warped VW or Audi block.

I can't go to the dealership because i run my business myself, well fuck it maybe i'll close early and take my camera to the dealership.

[chuckdawg82]

wwwooooooowww WTF! WARPED? a warped iron block...that would be the LAST thing to warp on a car. specially the cast iron block. I could understand warping on the headers, cuz its aluminum alloy. Your dealership is on something crazy. gimme some of that! lol

[A4 Moda]

you 'll definitely want to do something about that. That block does not warp.
I had to look 20 times at your post. I thought it said rotors or brakes or something. But you said BLOCK.
Make sure that you get Audi to warranty the block.
If your dealer gives you crap, make sure AoA knows about it.
Keep pushing the point.

[Evo Racewerks]

Mike is right, your head gasket will go if either the head or block are warped.

It is nearly impossible to warp a cast iron block. I have seen more than my share of blown motors (it happens frequently with imports). The reason being is that the aluminum head will warp way before a cast iron block will and whenever the head warps, your head gasket will go and that you will notice right away.

The mechanic at the dealer that looked at your car is probably some kid that just graduated from mechanic school or owns a Honda (their blocks can warp). Get a second opinion from another mechanic at the dealer. Better yet, have them do a leakdown test like Mike suggested.

Originally posted by mike-2ptzero
did they tell you what they did to figure out that the head and block are warped. Fact is that if either of those warped the head gasket would blow and the oil/water would have mixed, there would most likely be oil/water on the outside of the block. I had a head warp on my eclipse and when it happened it blew oil all over the engine bay.


Unless you feel like being bent over, you better start asking them more questions and ask them if they tore the engine down.

[billyboy]

if its apart its too late for a leak down. if its warped have them show you. straight edge and feeler gauge is all thats needed.

[Precision]

I visited the dealer tonight, without them knowing I was coming.

I really hoped the engine would still be together, oh well.

I got pictures of the head gasket ( both sides) and the engine block and cylinders but the mechanic was gone for the day (3:30) and they didn't even know where my head was!

I will try to post the pics in a minute

[Precision]

Well anyways pics are at the beginning of the post, obviously.

I just got off the phone with Audi customer service and was told that they would call me by Friday. I will post what happens.

Thanks everyone for your input, especially David from Eurocode

[emulex]

the head gasket is breached at those two cylinders with low compression . aka the head lifted or warped. The two cylinders lack of a complete head gasket seal between each cylinder is causing low compression.

If there is not bottom end damage, you could be looking at a torched head (they like to melt in the same spot as the head gasket) and bad gasket.

i've seen this on motors that suffer extreme detonation, nitrous, injector failure (lean out).

how did the plugs look man? this isnt very uncommon in cars that are pushed real hard (ie boost the piss out of it) or abused or have a factory defect.

best case, new gasket, studs :), deck the head, new timing belt/tensioner job.

worst case: new block if something on the bottom caused that.

i'd go with deck the head, slap a new gasket on, and ARP stud the beotch. Pay close attention to the fire rings on the head where the damaged headgasket was present. you may have to weld more material in place if it took some aluminum off the head

[Precision]

Well its the dealers decision as to what to do if they warranty it as a factory defect.

I can honestly say this motor was not abused, it is my wifes daily driver.

It was certainly never overheated, and even if it was it would have melted pistons down before it would have warped the block am I not right?

I was told by David at Eurocode that the line through the gasket is normal. Again is that right?

[billyboy]

have them show you where the block is warped. like i said, have them measure it in front of you and show you. talk to their service manager, shop foreman, etc etc etc.

[Jeff]

Under what grounds justify that your block was warped? I gotta be the first to admit that I have beaten the living shit out of my car worse than most people here, and managed to break the block not from warpage, but from breaking a connecting rod and puncturing the block. Head gasket was never an issue here. Cast iron blocks do now warp -- they crack.

Looking at your compression numbers, there IS a possibility that maybe perhaps your head is warped? (which is STILL unlikely...but anything is possible). One common easily overlooked problem with our heads is that the valve runners will crack undearneath the seats, explaining your loss of compression. Was a full leakdown test ever done before everything was pulled?...or did the dealer simply use a compression gauge to do a compression test?

[F16HTON]

Stretch bolts gave way, most likely from incorrect torque specs at the factory.

I am 99.9% the block is not warped...seeing as the dealership has already had you motor apart (for oil sludge) they take off the valve cover and look to see if their is damage to the valvetrain, this is thier problem. I am pretty confident you will get a new longblock under warranty (the oil sludge tsb).

If you do not, I would complain until they give you a new one.

Just make sure you keep saying the the valvetrain was making tons of noise.

[Precision]

Well guys Audi told me to go f**k myself.

I am really disappointed!

They say that my engine damage was from overheating, which is bullshit!

They are using the fact that it was not sludge related to excuse themselves from any responsiblity.

Yes I am out of the factory warranty but still this was not my fault!

I guess I need a new motor. I think I will start another post asking for leads on motors and motor builders.

[mike-2ptzero]

Originally posted by Precision
Well guys Audi told me to go f**k myself.

I am really disappointed!

They say that my engine damage was from overheating, which is bullshit!

They are using the fact that it was not sludge related to excuse themselves from any responsiblity.

Yes I am out of the factory warranty but still this was not my fault!

I guess I need a new motor. I think I will start another post asking for leads on motors and motor builders.

Odd thing is that I was just having a talk with gerard(G_A4) and he mentioned that a shop he takes his car to in Norcal deals with a engine builder in PA which is known for building VW/Audi motors.

[Precision]

Yeah that's probably Bildon Motorsports. I think they do VW only but I will call them on Monday.

I started a "I need a an engine and engine builder" post.

Let's see what that brings.

[Precision]

Well I will update this, Audi paid for the turbo and lines but told me that they would not cover the motor.

I paid them to put a new head gasket on and put it back together.

It runs perfectly and doesn't seem to have any issues.
I had to sign a paper the mechanic had scribbled a bunch of notes on. I noticed that one of the notes said the warpage was about 5 thousandths.

In engine building terms how bad is that does anybody know????

[F16HTON]

.005 is 1/200th of an inch. I would have checked the straightedge and gauge that they used to determine this...If they used new strech bolts when they put the head back on, I would not worry about it leaking again.

[onemoremile]

.005 is 1/200th of an inch. in an unstable environment like a garage anything other than a temperature normalized granite slab will deviate more than that. just holding one end of a cold head in your hands for a while can shift measurements by a couple thousandths.

i work with metrology engineers everyday in the micron to .005" range. if a tech thinks cast iron will warp then i certainly wouldn't trust his ability to properly calibrate, measure, and certify his process at that range. he sounds like the kind of numbnuts that thinks he can measure ball bearings to .0005 with calipers just because the LCD has that many places.

call audi of america and start a top down fight. call a manager and politely make a stink about it. then call his/her manager and tell them that their subordinate is on the case, that you are proud of the way they are helping you out, and that you'll be paying close attention to the way things go. it is worth a shot.

[Precision]

Thanks guys.

Onemoremile, so you say the mechanic is an idiot and the motor should be ok? I think it runs perfectly and all my former issues (turbo whine, smoking after idling) are gone.

Oh, yeah they left off a vacumn line and left out 2 of the engine cover hold downs. Makes me wonder, you know

[onemoremile]

i technically never called him an idiot. i will say that some very intelligent people end up with bad measurement data every day. his number could be high or it could be low. if he really believes an iron block warped .005" and didn't say the same about the head then he might be high. maybe its time for that tech to pee in the little cup.

if it runs perfectly then i wouldn't worry about it. i would still start a case and get some sort of way to reference it just in case something does go wrong down the line. then you have proof that you were concerned about it before it went bad again. much better than just saying "i told you so. see? i told you it would go bad!". that won't get you anywhere.