soccer21

I love the car and it was taken care of very well. Does not burn oil and drives VERY SMOOTH. I have researched the issue about sludge and made sure that this car was not abused.

I do have ONE problem though which the mechanic who just did the timing belt noticed....when the car WARMS UP (after 20 min or so) there is a tapping noise in the back of the cam shaft which I assume is the cam chain...so I had the mechanic drop the oil pan, change the sump tubes and all the other hoses involved along with the PCV valve system since there was some positive pressure noted. He said that this is a common problem with the screen getting clogged and not letting enough oil pressure get to the head. The oil pressure was tested at idle and high RPM's and there was no lack of pressure. However, the noise did not go away. (Despite the tubes being clogged with gunk)

The noise comes ONLY when the car warms up, NOT at cold start...also the noise GOES AWAY when I just slightly touch the accelerator pedal. It is NOT present when I am driving, ONLY when the it is idling. I am lost as to what is causing this noise...is it the oil pressure? Cam Chain Tensioner? Why does the sound go away when I accelerate? Why is it not there on start up in the cold and only when the car is warm?

If someone would suggest what steps I need to take to resolve this problem I would appreciate it.

Could I drive with it and not worry about it? (Previous owner said it was there since 44K when he bought the car), or will it get worse?

I already dropped $1400 on the job and do not want to spend more money and find out there it wont' be fixed. Do the tensioners go bad? if so, is there a way to fix them? I also noticed that they are electric?

Thanks fro any advice!

goldringer

Sometimes the car starts up fine and when it warms up, it starts making the noise. When it's not warm, it goes away with the slight touch of the accelerator pedal.

No codes. Anything that I can log via VAG-COM?

Here is a video

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Help will be appreciated! Carson, TommRitt, Chris Hansen, Nate, iammatt, tanman, Phil (quattrofrog), Silverstreakin', @wesome, and other Gurus please chime in!

Omega Supreme

cam chain tensioner. Mine has it also. You can replace it, but from what i ahve heard it will just come back. Nothing to worry about.

soccer21

You sure its nothing to worry about? I'm very picky hahaha No fault codes and car runs smooth without any issues..

Omega Supreme

Mine has been doing it for about 2k. I will eventually replace mine along with cam seals and valve cover gasket. I have never heard of them failing.

soccer21

That's the question I have..should I replace it since its been doing it for the last owner? Will it make my engine seize and will I be left with a $3K bill? Just a worry wart..

Omega Supreme

I am not 100% sure if nothing will happen. I used thicker oil and the sounds all but stopped. What oil are you running?

soccer21

Synthetic 5W-40 Castrol