Audi 1.4 TFSI CMBA engine oil consumption

[najainitro]

Hi all,

It’s that time again when my car decides to give me a headache!

In the last two years its cost me almost £2000 replacing the turbo, cam belt, water pump etc and the latest problem is oil consumption.

I have a 62 plate Audi A3 1.4 TFSI with 80,000 miles on it. At the start of the year it became sluggish and I notice oil was being drawn through the turbo on the air intake side so I bought a reconditioned unit and got it replaced.

The car has always used oil but since then it’s become ridiculous. It gradually used a litre every 1000 miles, then Every 500 miles and and now it’s just drunk a whole litre after just 300 miles!! There’s no obvious point of loss... no leak, no smoke, no oil burning smell so I’m at a loss.

I’ve replaced air filter and the little pcv valve on the top of the engine and even used some ceratec but it just gets worse. I can’t see obvious leaks and the intake side of the new turbo is clean. I know this is a common problem with these engines.

My question is what exactly is the common fault on them, is it piston rings, crank seals, etc? I did wonder whether it could be the recon turbo ie whether it’s leaking through the exhaust side? The new turbo has always had a slight whine on acceleration since it was installed.

Any advice would be really appreciated as I just can’t afford to get it into a garage with all this Covid business.

Cheers

[A1VDY]

It's glaze on the bores causing the a problem with the oil control rings not sealing properly.
The only real cure is to have the bores de glazed/honed and a new set of rings fitted. An engine gasket set and a set of new rings are not expensive but obviously it requires the engine stripped. It can be left in situ with just the sump and cyl head removed but factor in a cambelt and water pump too.
The labour charge is the killer though. A low mileage replacement engine may be cheaper..

[najainitro]

Thanks for the reply... Wow that sounds worst case scenario!

Based on that then I’m guessing the oil is being burnt through the exhaust? Does the fact that there is no smoke etc support that?

The fact the usage has increased so much since the turbo replacement is what worries me... is it likely to get to the stage where it’s asking for oil every time I start up?

Is there anything I could do to remedy it short term... thicker oil, additives etc? I did read somewhere that putting a thicker oil like 10-40 in helped?

[A1VDY]

Modern fully synthetic oils don't always show as blue haze when expelled from the exhaust but this Is where your oil is going.
Fuchs Titan HD Universal 10w/30 is a good oil to use in cases like yours but isn't synthetic as per the recommendation, its mineral oil so will need changing more often. It is however a heavy duty oil with truck/plant/industrial applications and is suitable for both petrol/diesel with turbo.
Combine this with a can of Wynns Supercharge and your oil consumption will reduce dramatically.
I've used this combination to good effect in a couple of engines but obviously it goes without saying its not exactly a cure but just masking the engines underlying problem.
Hope this helps..

[najainitro]

Thanks a lot... I’ll definitely change the oil as I’m running on the cheap Asda 5-30 at the moment purely because I’ve had to buy so much of it!

I was going to use liqui moly engine flush and then their oil additive and motor protect but I like the sound of the wynns from what I’ve read.. I’d be happy with a litre every 1000 miles at this rate so if it gets me anywhere near that I’ll be happy!

[shtu]

You -could- try to deglaze it with a running-in oil as an "it's already knackered, you've nothing to lose" approach.

Change the oil to something like the below, and drive it hard - I mean thrashing it like a ginger stepchild levels of abuse, putting as much load on the engine as possible.

https://www.millersoils.co.uk/products/liquid-glaz...
https://www.millersoils.co.uk/products/cro-10w40/

Your engine, your risk. I'd suggest having a chat with Millers oils first to get their advice. I've used their COR20-50 in race engines previously and found it to be a good product.

If it's the rings themselves this won't fix the issue. If it's purely bore glazing, it -might-.

[najainitro]

Thanks... is there any way of knowing whether it’s piston rings or glazing or both without stripping it down ie any other symptoms?

There aren’t really any other symptoms, no fault codes etc...

[najainitro]

Latest update...

I’ve had the spark plugs out today and all 4 show traces of oil and burnt deposits on them... cylinder 1 was by far the worst... I’m guessing it’s the dreaded Audi piston rings then allowing oil to escape into the combustion chamber.

The cars been so well maintained over the years So i can’t believe with less than 90,000 on the clock the engines in that state. I’m a little bit gobsmacked to the point where I don’t think I’ll ever buy an Audi again... I once had a BMW which got to 245,000 and never missed a beat, whereas this thing has had to have most things replaced including the turbo.!!

Does anyone know the rough cost of stripping and replacing the rings? My other option is a used engine but who’s to say that won’t have the same problem.

Audi’s badge must represent the 4 piston rings you’ll need to replace at some point in its life!

[najainitro]

[najainitro]

[Lewis191]

Hi mate, what did you decide to do in the end?

I’ve just had the same issue on my 2013 a3 1.4tfsi at 90k…been going through 1l of oil every 500 miles, now cyclinder 4 misfit and no compression. Trying to decide whether to go for an engine rebuild or to replace with reconditioned engine. Any ideas??

Thanks

Edited by Lewis191 on Saturday 7th August 17:30

[icepop]

Oh heck, does this problem manifest itself on other makes, i.e. VW, SEAT, SKODA, as it's the same engine in those........isn't it ?

[reilles]

Lewis191 said:

Hi mate, what did you decide to do in the end?

I’ve just had the same issue on my 2013 a3 1.4tfsi at 90k…been going through 1l of oil every 500 miles, now cyclinder 4 misfit and no compression. Trying to decide whether to go for an engine rebuild or to replace with reconditioned engine. Any ideas??

Thanks

Edited by Lewis191 on Saturday 7th August 17:30

Hi, What did you do in the end. Mine is not misfiring but oil light comes on just under ever 500 miles, did you need piston rings.