[s-cars] 1995 S6-Overheating damage, now what?

[Tom Green]

Your wife is wrong, Thomas.  If this were some ordinary worn-out  
vehicle, maybe so, but it is not.  Where are you going to find another  
car that
drives and performs the way this car does without spending real cash.   
If things are as you report them and the car has been well maintained,  
then
it makes good sense to repair it.  If you are not using oil, there is  
little reason to tear into the bottom end.  It makes sense with the  
head off to refresh
things there and do stem seals and lap the valves at a minimum. but  
unless there are issues found, I wouldn't advise going crazy.

There are no new engines left in the Audi parts system, just the used  
ones from cars being parted.  There has been a crate engine advertised  
in the
classifieds  on Audiworld.com for some time.  I don't know whether it  
was sold and the ad forgotten or not.

Tom '95 S6
          '95.5 S6 avant
Knoxville, TN

On Sep 12, 2011, at 4:57 PM, "Wylie Bean"  
<theringmeister at triad.rr.com>  wrote:

> Consider this a "bump" thread of you will, because I'm not sure if I  
> missed responses to this or if there weren't any.....
>
> I don't think accurate advice can be given until you get in there.   
> If you remove the head the gasket has to be replaced, so you know  
> that's a given. I think at worst, unless the head is truly toasty  
> I'd say deck it, re-install and move on, but I wasn't there to know  
> how long it was run before it was shut down....
> I'll yield to those with far more knowledge than I in this arena.
>
> I'd resist the urge to get rid of it unless you're just itching for  
> a payment.  I love my UrS and love even more the fact that it comes  
> without a monthly payment.  Sure we put money into them, but that's  
> done out of love......right?
> Wylie Bean
> 90 cq
> 91 90q20v
> 92 UrS4
> 08 Q7
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Thomas Rodriguez <trodri69 at gmail.com>
> Sender: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
> Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2011 17:27:13
> To: <s-car-list at audifans.com>
> Subject: [s-cars] 1995 S6 - Overheating damage, now what?
>
> Hello, I am new to the S-CAR-List and hoping to receive some helpful  
> advice.
>
> *My problem:*  I have maintained my 1995 S6 in excellent condition,
> and recently topped 225,000 miles.  The engine (5-cylinder turbo)  
> was in
> great shape until last week when a coolant hose failed suddenly on the
> freeway causing a rapid and complete loss of coolant.  The engine  
> overheated
> before the car was finally stopped and towed to the shop.  The  
> ruptured hose
> was replaced and the other hoses were inspected and found to be
> sound. Unfortunately the engine now has coolant leaking into at  
> least two of
> the cylinders, suggesting that the overheating resulted in a warped  
> cylinder
> head, a blown head gasket, a craked engine block, or some  
> combination of
> these factors.  Next week my mechanic will remove the cylinder head  
> which
> should enable a further diagnosis of the damage and necessary  
> repairs.  He
> is also suggesting that while we have the head off we inspect and/or  
> replace
> things like piston rings, valve seats, etc.
>
> *My Question:*  Is it worth fixing this engine or, given it's age and
> mileage and recent overheating, would it be better to replace the
> engine? What is the availability and cost of a replacement engine?   
> I love
> this car but my wife thinks it's time to say goodbye and buy a new  
> one.  Is
> she right?