Airbag

Okay lets review, just to reset things and maybe get a new perspective ... .....

"I dont know when the timing belt was done " .... I gunned it on the highway on ramp " .. so much for driving it gently ... so far sounding like it is not going to end well..

Are you having the dealer or an Indy do your timing belt and oil change ?

Just be aware the timing belt is NOT cheap as extensive work is required. Also be aware of what emmisions laws you have and how much you may have to spend to pass emmisions if you dont do your own work ..

The value proposition arguement is a valid one to be sure .. but on a car you just bought ... on an unknown belt .. that baby due to a seized roller or tensioner and you are gonn end up with no value at all ..

Keep in mind you will not be repalcing the belt alone . but really belt, tensioner, roller , water pump , t-stat .. at a very minimum ...

Just tell us you are not using the dealer but a good indy ... If you do all this at the dealer you better strap yourself in .. this could by the end of the day be the most expensive auction car you ever bought

4Driver4

The timing belt is moot point IMHO. The ticking and misfire codes are why this car was auctioned: It needs some serious work to the cams. Typical 3.0 decease. Once the engine is apart to fix all the head issues, the timing belt should be done at the same time - it will be cheap and easy compared to the other stuff.

Airbag

Yeah i was thinking of that too but dont have much experience on the 3.0 . I think the issue is on the exhaust cams on the 3.0 right ? Anyway he can do a visual and post up some pics of typical problem areas ? he may have to "lose early" on this one dependant on what he finds.

number1ceo

4Driver4/Airbag - Thanks for the valuable feedback! I definitely will do the full TB replacement (water pump, thermo, rollers, tensioners, seals, gaskets) when I do it. I've already hooked up with 2 solid indy audi mechanics. Early estimates are ~ $1K.

I can (and did) do simple stuff like oil/filter change, brakes, tires, etc... but I've never opened up a valve cover and wouldn't know what I am looking for if I did. I could probably figure it out, but it'd probably kill a whole Saturday, too.

My ultimate question, though,I know its not ideal, but what am I up against continuing to run the car w/ what is likely a cam issue? Like I said before, I don't understand what happens when a cam lobe is worn or a lifter is bad.

For me this isn't an issue about being lazy and trying to ignore a problem, but its really a decision about putting money into a 12 year old car.

Justin

number1ceo

And like I was saying before, the damn car drives great. It stumbles, rumbles, bumbles a little bit at ignition and while sitting still, but once its warmed up and moving I love this damn car. The mpg isn't terrible either right now...about 16 - 18 mpg for the first two fill ups split between city and highway.

GTA_Driver

It means that you bent valves on one cylinder. This cylinder is not working, and you're driving on 5 cylinders. Your power will be down, at least part of the time, and your gas mileage will suffer.

IF that is your issue, to fix it requires removal of the cylinder head and rebuilding it.

This is a somewhat common failure on the 3.0 engine.

Get the car to the indy ASAP and figure out why the misfires first. And get a quote for teh head rebuild (if that's what it is) and the TB service, and then decide if you want to invest $2.5K+ into this car.

number1ceo

That's what I feared. What happens if I drive on bent valves? And if we decide to fix this, what is the best way to be certain valves are bent before heading down that road?

number1ceo

To be even more clear, If I continue to drive with say 1 or 2 bent valves, what am I looking at long term? Will the issue cause further problems (like a blown head gasket, for example)?

Huskerbob

You can find out if you have bent valves with a leak down test. Different from a compression test. If you do have bent valve/s stop driving and get to the shop. You will need to have the head rebuilt and most likely the offending cam replaced along with other bits and pieces as well.

number1ceo

Thanks for the input. What happens when you drive with a few bent valves?