Noticed odd idling sound, sounds bad (A6 3.0T)

[CrazyWeeMonkey]

I noticed my car idling weird at a stoplight and checked the sound when I got home. This does not sound good. Am I overthinking this? It sounds similar to what my family's Camry (2.4l hybrid) sounded like right before it's motor blew.

Here's a short video of the sound

https://youtu.be/IMzcRmuMUeI

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[f4m0u5]

is that a really loud exhaust leak? kinda sounds like when my cat flange broke and snapped off

[Gwillplays]

Also check your flex pipe connection. You may have just developed a rust through in the woven section.


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[CrazyWeeMonkey]

is that a really loud exhaust leak? kinda sounds like when my cat flange broke and snapped offNot sure. It's not super loud, the sound comes from the engine bay, and it's only like that at idle. The car sounds and handles like normal when driving it, but it suddenly started sounding like that at idle.

My uncle took a look at it and drove it for a bit, he thinks it's a valve-lifter or supercharger wastegate issue; though he did mention it could be something emissions related (exhaust?).

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[CrazyWeeMonkey]

I really wanted to have a quick response to this forum podt, but the car still has the issue months later, and the whole situation has been a mess. I don't even know if the sound is gone because the car has been a complete mess for months. It's been over 4 months and it's so bad that I'm strongly debating selling the car.

Likely cause of it: aging timing chain (two independent shops have said it's this), but Audi doesn't think it's the timing chain. The Audi dealership Quoted me $10,000 to fix it (way higher than I've seen everywhere online), that's that's close to what we paid for the car a year ago (and about 5,000 miles ago).

This situation has been such a huge mess and I don't even know where to start. So here's a summary of events since January.



Mid January: brought car to independent mechanic, they told me the sound was related to the timing chain, so had car towed almost 100 miles to the closest audi dealership in portland for the timing chain replacement. Audi dealership said they thought the timing chain was fine, told us the transmission was a severe problem (different issue with the car related to rough shifts and car jolting into drive from park). They told us it was because the wrong fluid was put in the transmission by a seperate local dealer I had it serviced at 900 miles prior. Local dealer said the company supplying the trans fluid had a warranty and told us to try doing a warranty claim through them to pay for the possible transmission damage. Claim was refused (future claims cannot be made now) because the warranty only applied 1000 miles after the service. The car sat at the Audi dealership for over a month as we tried to negotiate with the transmission fluid company (got ghosted by them).

Late February: pick up car from Audi, decide 'screw it' and drive the car back to Eugene to have the local dealership fully replace the fluid with OEM Audi trans fluid. Hope that fixes the issue. It does not.



Now over a month later we tried bringing it to ANOTHER shop to figure out the problem, they told us it was the timing chain and quoted $6,500. As that's a much higher figure than I've seen everywhere else online, we took the car back and contacted the Audi dealership in portland for a quote on how much it would cost to replace the timing chain, they quoted us $10,000. Parents (who are helping me with this) don't think it's a problem, suggest I just drive it 'until it breaks'. I've tried explaining that the timing chain is a wear item on these cars and has to be replaced around 100K-110K miles regardless but to no avail.

I attached a picture of the most recent local-mechanic write up.

Any thoughts? I'm strongly debating selling the car and getting something like an older hyundai genesis sedan, but that'll be a downgrade and I like how the A6 drives.

227731

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[A665]

Sorry to hear this tale of woe. Sounds very frustrating.

You actually sound a lot like me many years ago, when I didn't have much money and I had even less of this thing I call 'life experience.' Of course, all of this is normal...until you get more experience.

I'll tell you what I wish that someone had told me when I was in a similar predicament: Get out of that vehicle now, before it totally fails on you or costs you any more money. Get another vehicle only after having it thoroughly inspected and you determine objectively that you can easily afford to buy, own and operate it for at least 3 years minimum. Those years will pass anyway, and quickly, so you might as well pass them in a car that runs but won't give you headaches & heartburn while you sock-away funds to get into a nicer car 3-5 years out.

[Valpo A7]

The chain is NOT a wear and tear item and has no replacement interval requirement.

NOW because you have a code P0018 stored in the computer that is 1,000,000% timing related. At a minimum you need to replace the upper cam timing chain tensioner and I recommend doing both sides. But with a noise like you have I strongly recommend pulling the engine and replacing all 4 chains, all guides, and all tensioners.

The noise happens at an idle because that is when the oil pressure is the lowest and the hydraulic tensioner will relax and allow slop in the chains.

The dealer quote of $10,000 is about right for the dealer as they will have it for roughly a week to do all the work. $5,000 - $6,500 is about what you will pay for an independent shop to do the work. Its about $1,500 - $2,000 just in parts and fluids. If the shop is not an Audi shop there are a hand full of tools that the shop will need to purchase as well.

Here are a few pictures from when I did the job last summer/fall. Mine was not as advanced as yours was and I kept driving it until I could get it to where I could schedule the job to do at home. Based on the noise yours is making at an idle I highly recommend that you do not drive it. Also if you had 2 shops pull codes and tell you it was damaged but yet the dealer said its fine to drive. You need to go kick that Audi service advisor in the balls and never do work with them again.

The alterative to not getting this fixed is a used engine starts about $5000 and may have timing problems as well.


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[CrazyWeeMonkey]

Thank you both for replying. I'm kinda in a predicament. I've considered looking into selling the car, but doing so will bring me a pretty bad car-value-equivalent loss, and that's even if a dealer would be interested in the car with it's issues. I don't feel comfortable hiding the issue during a trade-in either (pretty scummy).

My parents (and uncle) both suggest I drive it until it breaks, and get a replacement engine when it does. However I'm also not sure if this is a good idea, but considering the cost of a timing chain replacement being as much as it is I don't know what to do.

The Audi dealership did offer a quote on a 18 month warranty that would likely cover all issues, but it was $8,000.

My preferred choice with this would be to spend the money and replace the timing chain, but that's still a lot of money and the car still has a few other 'small' issues:
-leaking passenger motor mount
-slight crack on a suspension wishbone


I love how this car drives, and the engine is amazing (supercharger whine also goes eeeeEEEE) and it has so much tech that I could/would be happy and comfortable with this car for 5+ years, but I am uncertain what to do.



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[CrazyWeeMonkey]

Actually, I looked at the warranty offer and this appears less expensive than I thought.

Any ideas?

In theory, the 1year warranty would cover the timing chain while costing less, and may also be able to cover some of the other problems. 228294

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[Valpo A7]

Will the warranty cover the repairs since you have a problem that is documented BEFORE purchasing the warranty though. In a short read it seems that they will not fix a pre existing problem. Now if you buy the warranty with timing problems and the engine blows then I am still not sure it will cover since the root cause is pre existing.

[CrazyWeeMonkey]

Will the warranty cover the repairs since you have a problem that is documented BEFORE purchasing the warranty though. In a short read it seems that they will not fix a pre existing problem. Now if you buy the warranty with timing problems and the engine blows then I am still not sure it will cover since the root cause is pre existing.This is a good point. Don't really know why the Audi advisor suggested it in this case if it won't cover that.

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[CrazyWeeMonkey]

Is there any chance this is an issue that can be resolved by just replacing the upper chain tensioner(s)? If I remember correctly, replacing the upper chain tensioners doesn't require removing the engine, which would make it significantly cheaper.

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[Valpo A7]

You can try and do just the upper tensioners. And yes those can be done with the engine still in the car. I would suggest going with a non Audi dealer for the best price.


If your curious here is a video in doing the upper tensioners for an Audi 3.2. It’s basically the same repair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAWsKChptvU

[bahula03]

On the warranty- I've never heard of one that will cover a prior issue, especially something so expensive and well documented. Most of them, coverage explicitly apples only to issues occurring after the contract start and it's a common requirement for the car to go a certain number of miles before coverage starts to weed out claims on preexisting problems. It'll take all of a minute to email them and get a definitive answer though.

The thing that sticks out to me is that both shops you've taken it to don't seem to have a particularly definitive answer on what's wrong. They've determined that it's a timing problem, but is just an extremely stretched chain(s) or has it jumped time and now you need to look at the heads and all that? Even speculatively doing the upper tensioners at an indie is probably going to be $2-3k and doesn't seem likely to resolve anything (if one or both of the tensioners failed, you'd also be getting chain rattle or slap).

Seems the options here if you can't DIY it are,
-Pay a shop to pull the motor and fix whatever they find broken
-Skip the gamble on replacing broken bits and just get a new motor
-Follow A665's advice, sell the car for what it is, and move on to greener pastures

Assuming that $6500 quote is the least it'll cost to fix *this* issue, is it more expensive to put $6500 (plus whatever you dumped into diagnosing it) into a $12k car, or to sell a $12k car with disclosed mechanical issues? Selling it may be the most emotionally difficult thing to do, but logically there's a real strong case there.

[xanmato]

A quick test? With the car stopped but engine running and keeping your foot on the brake, simply shift between park, reverse, neutral, and finally drive, stopping in between each to listen to the noise. Let me know if there is an audible change between them.

[CrazyWeeMonkey]

Hey this is going to sound probably stupid but my passenger-side engine mount is breaking/broken is there any chance this could be the cause of the issue(s)? I plan to get it replaced ASAP (hopefully next week), and I likely wont drive the car until then.

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[CrazyWeeMonkey]

A quick test? With the car stopped but engine running and keeping your foot on the brake, simply shift between park, reverse, neutral, and finally drive, stopping in between each to listen to the noise. Let me know if there is an audible change between them.Sorry! I didn't see this reply until now.

I don't have access to check this at the current moment, but I can recall from memory that it sounds like the RPMs of the engine seem to change (like a miniscule rev up by maybe +100rpm) whenever it shifts from P>D or P>R or D>R.

I should also add that the car has always had a weird delay between when I move the shifter into Drive/Reverse and when it actually switches into gear, feels like almost a 1 second delay. I don't know if this information helps, but it's always had this quirk and I'm not sure why.

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[Valpo A7]

Hey this is going to sound probably stupid but my passenger-side engine mount is breaking/broken is there any chance this could be the cause of the issue(s)? I plan to get it replaced ASAP (hopefully next week), and I likely wont drive the car until then.

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A broken motor mount will not throw a code for timing. Decide what you are going to do about the timing codes before changing the mount are my thoughts. Labor on a mount will be a few hundred $$ and an OEM mount is not cheap either. You can get replacement mounts from Europaparts or some name like that for $150. If you are going to pull the engine to fix the timing have both mounts done then. I did both of my mounts when the engine went back in so labor will be basically free on the mounts if you take care of them at the same time as the timing chains

[prestige.phantom]

A broken motor mount will not throw a code for timing. Decide what you are going to do about the timing codes before changing the mount are my thoughts. Labor on a mount will be a few hundred $$ and an OEM mount is not cheap either. You can get replacement mounts from Europaparts or some name like that for $150. If you are going to pull the engine to fix the timing have both mounts done then. I did both of my mounts when the engine went back in so labor will be basically free on the mounts if you take care of them at the same time as the timing chains

Agree with this 100%. You either fix all the issues at once and drive the car for as long as you can, or you dont fix any and get out of the car while you still can.

[CrazyWeeMonkey]

I would love to fix the timing chain issue but $6,500 is almost half the amount I paid for the car and as a college student I don't exactly have that amount of money laying around. I have enough to cover a $2,000 or $3,000 repair but not $6,500.

Perhaps I should try calling around to get more estimates.

($6500 is the cheapest estimate I got so far from an independent mechanic, and Audi quoted $10,000).

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[Alabama]

Assuming that $6500 quote is the least it'll cost to fix *this* issue, is it more expensive to put $6500 (plus whatever you dumped into diagnosing it) into a $12k car, or to sell a $12k car with disclosed mechanical issues? Selling it may be the most emotionally difficult thing to do, but logically there's a real strong case there.

From another neutral spectator, it seems your question now is not so much "what is this noise" but "should I pay to get it fixed". It's a 2012 A6, unknown mileage, unknown if you've made modifications, but probably doesn't have a lot of residual value. Like me you can't DIY like some of these folk who save lots of money and have fun with a repair project. The used car market is hot right now so a dealer may well give you a higher offer than one might expect. Dealers can repair this like a DIY would; they get the parts at cost and already pay the salary of the mechanic. My suggestion would be to seek several quotes for trading it in before spending $10,000 on repairs so at least your decision is informed. Then you can decide among repairing it, driving it until it breaks, trading it in now for something else (trade value plus what you would have spent on repairs should get you something decent), or selling it and going to Bend for a great carbon frame bike.

[xanmato]

I don't have access to check this at the current moment, but I can recall from memory that it sounds like the RPMs of the engine seem to change (like a miniscule rev up by maybe +100rpm) whenever it shifts from P>D or P>R or D>R.

I should also add that the car has always had a weird delay between when I move the shifter into Drive/Reverse and when it actually switches into gear, feels like almost a 1 second delay. I don't know if this information helps, but it's always had this quirk and I'm not sure why.

Check it when you have the time as it may not be timing related at all. I am a little skeptical of the stored code from the local mechanic as the Audi dealer should have not missed that. Try to find someone with a scanner or buy a cheap OBDII reader and verify the code yourself.

With the test I am suggesting, what I want to know is how it sounds when sitting in park, compared to sitting in reverse, then neutral, and finnally drive. Not the switching between positions, just the sound of the thump thump while sitting in each position. You should more easily be able to distinguish any changes when the car is in a garage, or if you park close to a wall on the drivers side you should be able to hear it from the drivers seat.

[ericw.]

If you're employed and can afford to make the payments... you could do something like a Chase Freedom card or a Discover card. Both usually offer 12-15 months of no interest.

[CrazyWeeMonkey]

If you're employed and can afford to make the payments... you could do something like a Chase Freedom card or a Discover card. Both usually offer 12-15 months of no interest.I'm a 19 year old college student living with my parents

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[ericw.]

I'm a 19 year old college student living with my parents

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Audizine Forum mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)I had a job at the local smoothie shop when I was in college and living with my parents. 2 jobs (retail) and college when I had my own place and drove a B5 A4 2.8 with failing timing chain tensioners until it died from an accident.

Hustle, you'll figure it out. Riding the bus sucks but it'll give you plenty of time to cram before an exam.

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[sepheroth86]

I had a job at the local smoothie shop when I was in college and living with my parents. 2 jobs (retail) and college when I had my own place and drove a B5 A4 2.8 with failing timing chain tensioners until it died from an accident.

Hustle, you'll figure it out. Riding the bus sucks but it'll give you plenty of time to cram before an exam.

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x2.

I have driven my fair share of beaters over the years. I seem to recall that at 19, I was driving around in a 15+ year old Civic. Now at nearly 40 years old I drive a C7 Audi. lol

[Alabama]

I'll tell you what I wish that someone had told me when I was in a similar predicament: Get out of that vehicle now, before it totally fails on you or costs you any more money. Get another vehicle only after having it thoroughly inspected and you determine objectively that you can easily afford to buy, own and operate it for at least 3 years minimum.

I seem to recall from another thread that you worked for many years in sales at a dealership, so your advice should be given serious consideration. From recent news stories: "The average price paid for a preowned vehicle hit a record of $25,463 in April, about $2,800 higher than in the same month last year, according to research firm J.D. Power. It also was the first time ever that the average used-car price had exceeded $25,000, the firm said." "U.S. sales of used-vehicles hit 3.4 million in April, up 58% from a year earlier, according to car-shopping website TrueCar." "The hot used-car market is also benefiting some consumers who are finding they have more equity in their vehicles. The average trade-in value for a vehicle reached a record of $17,080 in March, nearly $3,000 more than the average value a year ago, according to Edmunds.com."

[CrazyWeeMonkey]

This may sound like an obvious or stupid question but I realize that I don't know fully which parts are supposed to be replaced.

Should I be asking for a quote for replacing the timing chain & tensioners or just the tensioners?

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[bahula03]

That goes back to what I said almost a month ago- neither of the shops you've taken it to seem to definitively know what's wrong even after looking it over in person, and thus have quoted you their best estimates of what needs to be repaired. May be less than that, may be more. Unless you can diagnose the car with a good degree of confidence, you're wasting your time and theirs asking for more quotes.

Whatever's wrong with your car, the cause is what's broken and not whatever is most convenient or cheapest to repair. People here are happy to help try and figure out what's going on- I provided a pretty clear explanation on why it doesn't seem likely that the tensioners are the issue, and xanmato would probably still like to hear what the car sounds like idling in P, R, N, and D. At the end of the day though, people on the internet can only do so much and a mechanic can open things up and see what's wrong.

[Alabama]

At the end of the day though, people on the internet can only do so much and a mechanic can open things up and see what's wrong.

Some shops will have a "diagnostic" charge (as opposed to a free quote); agree to pay for some labor time that is intended to get an accurate idea of what's wrong to make an informed decision about whether to proceed or give up. If giving up, the car is returned and driven until it dies or is sold. But, some problems still cannot be identified from a brief "diagnosis" without tearing the car apart, so one is committed to a big cost at the get go. Any sense if paying for an hour or two of "diagnosis" might help here? OP seems really intent on repair.

[Valpo A7]

For the P0018 code there are a few possibilities of the problem.

- The bank 2 intake camshaft is out of position compared to the crankshaft position.
- The bank 2 camshaft phaser is stuck in one position or will not move.
- The phaser is not getting oil because the oil viscosity being used in the engine is too thick.
- The Oil Control Valve (OCV) is stuck closed or open mechanically.
- A mechanical problem


A couple things that you can do. Pull the cam sensor on bank 2 (passenger side) and clean it. Located on the front of the HPFP on the passenger side. See if the code remains. If the code remains then pull and clean the bank 1 cam sensor then swap the 2 sensors. If the P0018 code remains then you have an issue with something involved with bank 2. If the code goes away but now you have a bank 1 code P0016 then you have a bad cam sensor.

Next up is pull and clean the OCVs. Located at the back of the valve cover. If the code remains as P0018 then its still a problem on bank 2, if the code changes to P0016 then you might have a bad OCV.

At the end of the day after this inspection process and you still have a P0018 code then you have a mechanical issue with bank 2 timing.

As I said before when I did mine, the Audi tech I spoke to said that most of the time replacing the tensioners fixes most of the problems. Even with that said I am glad that I dug in deep on mine with the damage I found from the other chains.

[ericw.]

I think Valpo A7 is right.. It sounds like the tensioner considering that it goes away with any sort of throttle. The chain slaps when it's at idle but as soon as you apply any gas, the chain moves faster and creates it's own tension. Common sign of a weak tensioner.

[bahula03]

Some shops will have a "diagnostic" charge (as opposed to a free quote); agree to pay for some labor time that is intended to get an accurate idea of what's wrong to make an informed decision about whether to proceed or give up. If giving up, the car is returned and driven until it dies or is sold. But, some problems still cannot be identified from a brief "diagnosis" without tearing the car apart, so one is committed to a big cost at the get go. Any sense if paying for an hour or two of "diagnosis" might help here? OP seems really intent on repair.

I was going to say the adventures described in post #5 (car seems to have been to three indies and an Audi dealership, this saga isn't the easiest to parse information from) may cover those bases, at least financially. I'm not a mechanic and haven't taken my car apart this far *looks at Valpo*, but I'd venture a guess that getting to the timing components in question is going to be more than a couple hours. Agreed that it's easy enough to ask a shop though [:)]

Rereading the mechanic's diagnoses in that post, I managed to miss the description that it rattles on startup [headbang] which, yeah, obviously points to a tensioner, guide, maybe chain, or oil flow problems.

At the end of the day, OP said that they have $3k max to fix whatever the idling sound is, a motor mount, and the suspension component mentioned in post #8. Even if you get all those repairs done on that budget, where does that leave you if you need to carbon cleaning, or a water pump, or PCV? Feels like planning around the best case scenario and leaving very little margin for things to go the other way ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ That's just my opinion though.

[CrazyWeeMonkey]

I put together a video trying to record the sounds, it was unfortunately very windy out so the audio level metering is a bit choppy.

https://youtu.be/KhPfOGd59h8


The car sounds identical in every gear, however after a few minutes I noticed an extra ticking sound immediately after the car did the jerk-forward (at 2:24).

[xanmato]

I put together a video trying to record the sounds, it was unfortunately very windy out so the audio level metering is a bit choppy.
https://youtu.be/KhPfOGd59h8
The car sounds identical in every gear, however after a few minutes I noticed an extra ticking sound immediately after the car did the jerk-forward (at 2:24).

I don't hear the dug dug dug in this video, which means I bet the sound won't appear until the car has been drivien and the transmission is sufficiently warm. Thats when the test needs to be done.

Startup rattle is present but doesn't seem too long, but you do have a warning tab in your dash. What does that tab say?

[CrazyWeeMonkey]

I don't hear the dug dug dug in this video, which means I bet the sound won't appear until the car has been drivien and the transmission is sufficiently warm. Thats when the test needs to be done.

Startup rattle is present but doesn't seem too long, but you do have a warning tab in your dash. What does that tab say?
One of the warnings is low windshield wiper fluid, and the other is one that says one of my taillights is out but I've checked my taillights and they work perfectly with zero dead LEDs so I'm thinking it's just a loose connection. I only sometimes get the warning and went like 8 months without getting any warnings (only getting it in the warmer months).

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[CrazyWeeMonkey]

One of the warnings is low windshield wiper fluid, and the other is one that says one of my taillights is out but I've checked my taillights and they work perfectly with zero dead LEDs so I'm thinking it's just a loose connection. I only sometimes get the warning and went like 8 months without getting any warnings (only getting it in the warmer months).

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Audizine Forum mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)Some other things I forgot to add/mention.

I noticed the cold start rattle was much shorter than usual for this start, I've had probably about 3 cold starts (in colder weather) where the chain rattled for 5-10 seconds.

The other red light on the dash was just from the parking brake. I've found that the car is far less lurchy on the next start if I do D>N>[parking brake]>P instead of D>P.

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[ericw.]

I bet you can get $5k out of it in current condition from someone who either wants it for parts or will repair it themselves.

[Valpo A7]

I noticed that the car does not have the check engine light on so that tells me that the P0018 code is not active. If the code was active then it would be on. Since its not on then your repairs are needed but not right now. The start up rattle is there but at this point Audi says its one of those nuisance problems AND not yet an actual problem that needs to be addressed.

As for the brake light warning, the rear side markers are tied into that circuit so check the side markers.

The whole running funky issue is something else. When is the last time you changed plugs and put an air filter in it? The running funky might be a fuel delivery issue which can possibly be fixed with fuel injection cleaning and possibly a carbon cleaning.

How does the engine sound at speed say like 2,000 RPM?

[CrazyWeeMonkey]

I noticed that the car does not have the check engine light on so that tells me that the P0018 code is not active. If the code was active then it would be on. Since its not on then your repairs are needed but not right now. The start up rattle is there but at this point Audi says its one of those nuisance problems AND not yet an actual problem that needs to be addressed.

As for the brake light warning, the rear side markers are tied into that circuit so check the side markers.

The whole running funky issue is something else. When is the last time you changed plugs and put an air filter in it? The running funky might be a fuel delivery issue which can possibly be fixed with fuel injection cleaning and possibly a carbon cleaning.

How does the engine sound at speed say like 2,000 RPM?Had the car carbon cleaned (but not walnut blasted) at the same time I had the transmission & differentials flushed at 100K miles, and actually I thought I got the sparkplugs replaced too but it appears that I didn't?
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[CrazyWeeMonkey]

Had the car carbon cleaned (but not walnut blasted) at the same time I had the transmission & differentials flushed at 100K miles, and actually I thought I got the sparkplugs replaced too but it appears that I didn't?
232155

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Audizine Forum mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)Okay I am terrible at replying so I apologize for this being two separate replies.

The car sounds normal at 2000rpm, though something I've noticed since around maybe 8 months ago (before the concerning engine noises) was that when accelerating, the induction noise sounds kinda strange, not sure how to describe it. It sounds kind of like when you try to breath with a cold or with some water in your throat and the water sounds like it's boiling while interrupting the smoothness of breathing. Ah! Boiling water, that's kind of what it sounds like, the induction noise has a weird boiling-water-esque sound to it that it didn't have before, but I've not given it much attention because I've been told by family members that they think I'm looking for problems that aren't actually problems.

I should add that I have an injen intake on the car, secured tightly and sitting in the stock intake housing. I got it purely to hear slightly more supercharger whine.

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[Valpo A7]

With the engine running pull the oil fill cap and tell us what happens. How much suction does it seem to have at the filler cap with the engine running. Or if there is no suction then is it pushing air out of the filler cap port with the oil fill cap off.

[CrazyWeeMonkey]

With the engine running pull the oil fill cap and tell us what happens. How much suction does it seem to have at the filler cap with the engine running. Or if there is no suction then is it pushing air out of the filler cap port with the oil fill cap off.I thought taking the oil cap off while the engine is running is bad, is it different for this car? I googled it and read that it's a bad idea to remove it while the engine is running, and I don't think I want to take that risk.

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[Valpo A7]

You will be fine pulling the cap while the engine is running for a short period of time. Depending on how much suction it has will tell the health of the PCV system. A bad PCV could very well be the problem with the funky idle


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[CrazyWeeMonkey]

I think Valpo A7 is right.. It sounds like the tensioner considering that it goes away with any sort of throttle. The chain slaps when it's at idle but as soon as you apply any gas, the chain moves faster and creates it's own tension. Common sign of a weak tensioner.Makes sense. I'll bring this up to the shop that first diagnosed the issue (and tell them about all of the trouble I've had trying to get it fixed) and see what they suggest. I plan to have the motor mount replaced there as well so perhaps it might be possible to look at the upper tensioners while changing the engine mount.

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[CrazyWeeMonkey]

You will be fine pulling the cap while the engine is running for a short period of time. Depending on how much suction it has will tell the health of the PCV system. A bad PCV could very well be the problem with the funky idle


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine Forum (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)If by funky idle do you mean from the weird noises it's making or from the fluctuating volume in the clip? The car idles at a consistent volume, but the day I recorded that on was very windy and so the microphone kept changing it's volume to adjust to the loud gusts of wind. I tried minimizing the fluttering volume with a compressor but couldn't eliminate it.

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[jaustin]

What every happened with this?