budpalumbo

I got a 99 avant 2.8 from a junkyard with 150k on it. The engine was blown from a cam chain tentioner cutting loose. It has 200k on it now.

I prefer the pre-facelift cars and 2.8's for reasons I'd rather not get flamed for, but the other cars do have some things I wouldn't mind.

I'd assume the timing belt has never been changed. I'm seeing a ton of VAG cars recently that the current owner has owned less than a year, all between 80 and 140k with broken timing belts. Looks like people are dumping them when that big service is due.

Look for oil leaks at the left front valve cover and right rear. The chain tentioners are there and the oil leak gets confused for a valve cover gasket.(pull cams to fix) Also listen for a rattle for a couple seconds after it starts. After a day or 2 sitting thats "ok" (by audi) but warm or more than a couple seconds is a failing chain tensioner. Listen for knocking or squeals in the suspension(ball joints=control arms) Make sure it shifts right(automatic) and all the buttons work what they should. Engine scan wouldn't hurt either to show if some codes come up "pending" after you drive it. Some take multiple trips and specific conditions and could be erased right before you test drive it and set the light when you drive it home.

I highly recommend having it inspected/scanned by a shop familiar with vw/audi before putting the money down. It can save you well over the charge in repairs before you buy or lower purchase price(or even stop you from buying a polished POS.

turbo510

Flamed for??? I like my red/orange tail lights and 2.8 emblem! Plus, the '96 has the wide Euro license plate trunk lids. I didn't even notice that until Brady (bsewall) pointed it out.

The Traveler

I just bought a 1999 A4 2.8 Quattro in June, and I absolutely love it. It had 91,000 when I bought it, and although there are a few things that I've done here and there, I would say it's far from breaking the bank for me.

I paid less than $5k from a used Euro/Import dealer with a clean CarFax. So in my opinion, I think the price is way, way too high. Even looking around, I found several others under 100,000 for $5500 and less.

I chose the 2.8 because of the recommendation from my mechanic. True, 1.8T may be better for mods, but what if you get a car that somebody has abused? If oil changes not done on time could (and I'm not saying WILL, just COULD) lead to dirty or overheated turbos and cause problems. It seemed like good advice.

Pic attached for reference.

28aaron2000

Just purchased 2.8 a4 - year 2000
- First thanks for the advice about the timing belt. Much appreciated.
I drove the car home yesterday - about 100 miles - I was impressed, it ran beautifully.
I will get a chance Sunday to pull the cover and look the "T" belt. I was thinking I should probably order a belt anyway. It looks to me that if I'm only doing the belt, I could access it by taking out the fans and going in from the top/bottom (can't be more difficult than a Jag). The front assembly does not look that bad to remove if I run out of space. Also looked through the my CD manual (I'll spend the extra money and buy a physical book with pages next time) at the tools involved, I'm assuming that it is necessary to loosen the cam sprockets to install the belt to avoid belt damage from just cramming the thing on. In that case the alignment tool is there to keep the rotational torque off the belt when tightening the nuts on the sprockets.
I also assume that the cam sprockets are keyed on the cams (hope so).
Lastly - there are number of brands of timing belts - Gates, Dayco, cloyes, goodyear, beck&A, (Gates "power grip")... prices range from $28-$80 any advice on which is best?

Comments?

Aaron

Reggie

It's not the belt that usually goes. It is the tensioner. And while one is in there one replaces the water pump and thermostat too since the amount of work is the same. If you can contact the original owner you might be able to find the last date of the timing belt change and what was done. Check the Audi dealer to see if they have a history on the car.

28aaron2000

Thanks Reggie,

When the tensioner goes - it is the bearing right? - I could see that when the bearing starts to put drag on the belt, the belt would "fry" pretty quickly - all makes sense.

And - if it is apart, might as well fix everything -

I have been trying to get history - the Diablo Lincoln/audi (CA) went out of business which is where the carfax data aligns with "time to change the belt". I have a last name and 12 possible people to "bug".

So I figured I'm mostly on my own here.

Appreciate the advice,

Aaron

AudinBmw4life

247K miles on my 01 2.8... no leaks or drips or burn a drop of oil or any clicking or ticking.. an amazing engine no doubt it will make it to 500k miles..

jschick

NO the pulley's are not keyed! they are a pressed fit, you loosen them to set the proper tension on the belt, to do this properly you need the tools. you can eyeball the timing without the tools, but you can't set it perfect and you can't tension the belt properly without. But with that said, I have changed belts without the tools on several Audi's. it wasn't till last year I finally bought the tools. I defiantly believe the car does run better using the tools! and if you do it properly it is pretty easy to see that it is totally impossible to set the timing 100% without them, but it 90-95%ok your call, it can be done and it will run.(When you tension the belt the pulleys will spin/move almost 1 tooth, then you tighten the pulleys)
And put the car in service position to do the belt, you can not do it any other way and besides it takes about 20 minutes or less to put the front end in service position, much faster then fiddling with fans and still having no room, (their are several posts with pics on this) also read the tech section under resources at the top if the page for great info on DIY stuff including T-Belt. most failures come from the pulley's or just a old belt, I feel the tensioner is pretty robust but I would recommend changing it.

The Traveler

Congrats on the buy!

I went with the same advice for the belt, tensioner, water pump, etc. It was actually perfect because they all came in an entire "kit" (as suggested by my previous mechanic). It was a half day job, and inexpensive.

28aaron2000

jschick,

Thanks for the comments, I have a good picture of how the cam timing set up works now and agree that the tools are the ticket for achieving correct timing. (I suppose there are tools out there with adjustable angles for those more adventurous types)

I pulled the T belt cover - damn, the belt looks new, no shinny spots, the corners on the teeth are still sharp, the rubber is still soft, ...

I ordered the alignment tools anyway. I will still change the belt & rollers before winter, just not this week.

Again - appreciate the advice.

Aaron

I now need to solve a rear window problem - I do like the way the entire window frame assembly unbolts from the door shell.