Hi all, new here and I have been looking through the forum and not really found an answer to my current issue. I have a 1.6 petrol that runs great. 

I have an hour commute each way and usually no problems. When I pick the kids up from school I have to drive through city traffic for a bit near the end of the trip. After hitting the city traffic for a bit, the engine starts to run a bit sluggish then blows a whole heap of smoke for about 10 minutes. Then clears up again and runs properly. 

Not sure if it is rings related or valve stem Seal related. 

I have been typing up the oil a bit now.

Any ideas?

I had the same problem with my '04 A3 1.6 petrol, every once in a while it would do exactly the same thing and flash up warning lights on the dash, I found running with the heater set to max lessened the events but they still happened. Eventually the gearbox grenaded itself so I never did get to the bottom of it but I have read (I think it was on here) that there was a run of A3 1.6's with faulty pistons if I remember correctly that were subject to a recall. I'm guessing the previous owners of our cars missed that recall. If I can find the thread I'll post the link here for you.

Found it.

 

I saw that thread while searching and thought it was the closest to my issue. I will try the heater next time although as I am in Australia I don't use the heater very often..

Please keep us posted on how you get on 

The heater on seemed to work so far. Apart from sweating my nads off....

Any ideas as to why this is the case?

If having the heater on maximum prevents the problem, it is likely because it is the only effective way to cool the engine, i.e. there is a fault in the engine cooling system.

Years ago it was a well know way to prevent engine over heating when the radiator became blocked. Few motorists nowadays know about such tips.

I'll have to dig a bit deeper as the temp gauge always shows normal.... Possible head gasket issue?

The thread which Dave referred to is still open ended, so no experience gained from that.

Could you answer the questions asked in that thread, in respect to your car Damian?

Regards,

Gareth.

8 hours ago, damo_4701 said:

I'll have to dig a bit deeper as the temp gauge always shows normal.... Possible head gasket issue?

You can get a sniff test done to check for hydrocarbons. White smoke indicates head gasket or cracked engine block.

In addition to questions asked in the earlier open-ended thread, does the car use any coolant? 

4 hours ago, Magnet said:

In addition to questions asked in the earlier open-ended thread, does the car use any coolant? 

Not noticeably. I'll go down to Supercheap Auto(Aussie thing....) and pick up a tester for the coolant to check for hydrocarbon. I did have one here somewhere from when I owned an Alfa. Haven't seen it for a while though

Update time. 

Coolant manifold decided it had had enough and dumped fresh coolant onto the driveway. Not a biggie. 

I found my leak down tester and did a quick test on the A3..... Rings are stuffed.

Not sure where to go next

7 hours ago, damo_4701 said:

Update time. 

Coolant manifold decided it had had enough and dumped fresh coolant onto the driveway. Not a biggie. 

I found my leak down tester and did a quick test on the A3..... Rings are stuffed.

Not sure where to go next

Hi you have model within the years they fitted the wafer thin piston rings you can check on line to see if your engine was affected.

Steve.

I have been looking for that info but getting conflicting information. Is there a specific place to look?

Anyone had experience in replacing piston/rings without pulling the engine out? It looks like I should be able to after a quick look

Even if it was possible, why would you choose to? Surely the difficulty of working on a major engine rebuild while it is still in the car justifies the cost of hiring an engine crane. Even if one had full workshop facilities including a car lift nobody would do that sort of work without removing the engine.

Have done it before...

I'm a bit of a !Removed!... I've owned Alfa Romeo, Jaguar and land Rovers

12 minutes ago, damo_4701 said:

Have done it before...

So have I fifty years ago when I was young, stupid, and penniless, so I know just how dirty, uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous it is to work underneath a car at the kerbside. So why do you not want to remove the entire engine? Bravado? Perversity? You are in Brisbane, not some remote part of the outback without access to modern tools and equipment. 

I’m not convinced this engine falls into the ‘skinny piston rings’ era - believe that was post 2008 - but I could be wrong, and often am! 
Yes, doable, but why spend good money and time on stripping this engine, and perhaps? finding it is indeed a skinny ring engine and fitting a new set (if available) of skinny rings into an engine with likely worn bores? It’s been decades since (the U.K.) has moved away from engine reconditioning and such businesses given up completely or simply concentrating on the classic car engines where this work is justified. 
Regards,

Gareth. 

12 hours ago, cliffcoggin said:

So have I fifty years ago when I was young, stupid, and penniless, so I know just how dirty, uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous it is to work underneath a car at the kerbside. So why do you not want to remove the entire engine? Bravado? Perversity? You are in Brisbane, not some remote part of the outback without access to modern tools and equipment. 

Money for me is the main factor. I am only after a stop gap solution. I should probably give you an idea where I am currently at. 

For the last 2 years my wife has been dealing with cancer and I have been the primary carer for her and our 3 daughters. We had to sell her car last year which left me with only the Audi. I am working 3 different jobs so we are able to keep our house so money is a big thing for me. We are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and I just need for this car to make it to about February next year. Skill set is not a problem to replace the pistons and rings as I am a mechanical fitter by trade but I no longer have access to a car hoist. Just wanting too know if it is possible to access both top and bottom end while still in the engine bay. 

Not sure about the UK but here a second hand used(unknown) engine go for nearly 1K, so not really an option

Hello Damian,

I’m very sorry to hear of your unfortunate family situation any additional problems/responsibilities must be something you could do without.

Have you read my last post? 
Based on that, and your circumstances, my thought process comes up with the following:-

If it ain’t broke, do you want to fix it?

Money is tight, so why bother to spend to hopefully resolve a problem for another 3 months of use. Parts won’t be cheap if it’s anything like the U.K? 

If the problem can be minimised by running the heater then again why bother? 
The car doesn’t appear to be in a condition where it’s likely to come to a catastrophic end in the next couple of months. 
You have 4 jobs Damian, so where are you going to find the time to undertake this work, leave alone the inconvenience of being without it while you attempt to fix it? 
My mind points me to whether you may want to undertake this work to boost the moral. Apologies if I’m well off line here.

Regards,

Gareth.

I sypathise with your circumstances Damian, which is all the more reason I'd not like to see you waste time and money on a pointless repair. I say that because I am not convinced yet that you need to change the rings and valves.

Summarising the information you have told us:

1/ The engine smokes, but you have not mentioned the colour of the smoke or whether the oil needs frequent topping up.

2/ The engine temperature appears normal yet running the cabin heater solves the smoke problem.

3/ There was a big loss of coolant, but you have not told us where it came out from.

Is that correct? Unless I have missed something, I suspect you either have a coolant leak into the engine from the EGR valve, or a blocked radiator. Are there any other symptoms you can add to the list to give us a more complete picture of the problem? Do you have access to a compression tester?

Thanks guys for the information and understanding. 

The coolant leak was a cracked coolant manifold. Fixed for 20 bucks and not lost a drop of coolant after. 

The smoke is greyish.... Smell.... Not able to say as I have pretty much no sense of smell anymore. I put 1lt if oil in about over a month or about 1500km.

The coolant temp seems to be pretty consistent, but the gauge will drop to about 75C on the highway but no more than 90: the rest of time. 

Turning the heater on helps a little bit with the smoke, but doesn't stop it. After an hour on the road, it's not a problem, but when in traffic it will smoke after about half an hour.

Also 1.6lt petrol