'86 4KCSQ - lifters, bad oil pump, or something else?

[Steve Dambrowski <steved@panix.com>]

Car: 1986 Audi 4000 CSQ
Miles: 150k +/-

  I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I'd just like to
get some opinions from others about this....

To recap - after replacing the fuel dist. I picked up the car and the
lifters were very loud. After checking things out (as much as I could) it
would seem that there was no oil getting to the upper part of the engine.
(The guy at the shop that changed the fuel dist. said I have compressed
lifters and to change the oil a few times)

So I took the car to the shop I normally use, and he said that when they
checked the oil pressure, it was ok when the car is first started but
quickly drops to 0. They think it is the pump.

I then called another shop and talked with the tech guy and he doesn't
think it is the pump. He said they generally don't go bad, and if the oil
had gas in it (from the fuel dist. problem) that in itself would not cause
the pump to fail. I asked a friend of mine and he also doesn't think it is
the pump, if for no other reason then because it has pressure when the car
is first started, but then falls. If the pump was bad it wouldn't have any
pressure all the time.

A few list members sent me email and said it might be the screen... Which
I really hope it turns out to be. In any event, I'm guessing this is a
pretty big job. Both shops said to change the pump it's about 6 hours of
labor. So if it is NOT the pump, and the screen just has to be cleaned,
I'll still have a good amount in labor fees, but I won't have to spend
money on a new pump. 

That's it in a nutshell. Does anyone agree or think it might be something
else? If the lifters are compressed, will they go back once the oil
pressure is restored?


             STEve


steved@panix.com
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