My engine said boom! ouch... Car finally back

[Gumball0r]

Hello gents

Sad story, yesterday while entering the motorway my engine said boom and a large cloud of smoke came out the back.
My mechanic has just opened the engine, and tells me that cylinder 6 and 7 is completely ruined. The engine is a bloody mess and not repairable
Do any of you know what could have caused this? maybe the chain gave up? We havent taken the engine out yet so we can't tell if it's chain
The car has been serviced at Audi Denmark and has done 60.000 miles. I've always driven it properly - only revs when oil is over 90 degrees etc. The engine only had small amounts of carbon build up

[adsgreen]

Hard to tell from that however I wouldnt expect that kind of spark plug damage if the chain gave up or if the plug overheated to detonation. That looks like something hit it as there's fresh exposed metal shown there.

[ArthurPE]

wrist pin, rod bearing bolts or rod itself

[PetrolDave]

If it were the chain I'd expect most of the plugs to be damaged, not just 2 of them.

When I had a cam belt tensioner fail (on a 16 valve 4 cylinder engine) it took out all 4 spark plugs and 12 of the 16 valves.

[Gumball0r]

Thanks for your input guys.
Has anyone heard of other situations like this?
I'm gonna talk to Audi DK about this, surely this should not happen at only 60k miles. I bet they'll tell me to bugger off.

[PJC]

I would be disappointed if they didn't do something for you as a gesture of goodwill.

[sonny]

Looks like something has come lose inside (poss inlet manifold) and has flattened the spark plug. Maybe a core plug has come lose from the side of the inlet manifold.

[2manytoys]

Check if they are the right plugs (heat rating) have been used.

When my car was pinging, and timing was pulled back as far as possible, it never actually triggered the MIL or EPC. This seems to suggest if it runs lean (on only one or two cylinders) you'd never know (until it was too late).

Maybe you lost oil pressure, but that would have triggered a MIL for sure.

[maxximus]

Gumballor you must be gutted

Any news on the cause?

From my understanding these lumps are pretty solid and failures are few and far between. Anybody got any facts and figures on the failure rates and causes.

['R'e'S'pect_4]

gutted for you. hope you get it sorted.

[Gumball0r]

Believe me, I'm gutted.
No news yet. The car is still sitting at my mechanic. Next step is to get it on a flatbed and driven to the Audi Shop where i bought it and where it has been serviced. I'm worried, to say the least, about what they will say to this situatiuon. If Audi Denmark refuses to help, I've heard about great results from the German Audi dealers.


2manytoys - Audi has been responsible for changing the plugs, so I sure hope they put the right ones in.

Will let you all know when there's any news.

[Gumball0r]

Great news,

I contacted Audi DK who, as I expected, told me p!ss off. They wanted me to pay 3.800£ for them to take the engine out and find the fault . Thereafter they'd consider offering me some goodwill, which I knew they would never do, so that didn't happen.

I instead contacted Audi Zentrum Flensburg who has offered me 100% goodwill on the engine and 70% goodwill on the labour through Audi AG.

[Borgelite]

Nice one, pleased for you . Must of been anxious times.

[Revolution]

+1

[BlingBling]

If it were the chain I'd expect most of the plugs to be damaged, not just 2 of them.

When I had a cam belt tensioner fail (on a 16 valve 4 cylinder engine) it took out all 4 spark plugs and 12 of the 16
valves.

On a in line 4 that is probable but with a multi-cylinder engine not necessarily due to the firing pattern. I have just helped a friend rebuild his VR6 engine after the tensioner failed. Only 1x spark plug had come into contact with the piston while on another bank the valves were bent.