Richard -
One of the few reported problems with the 1.8T's is cracking of the
turbo-to-intercooler hose. When this starts to go it tends to groan or wheeze.
You ought to notice a lack of usual power at the same time, although if the flaw
is still small it may be a small effect. The reason it only happens under accel
is that is of course, when the boost pressure is highest. Intercooler is in the
left front of the engine bay, so sure sounds likely to me. Unfortunately you
need to take the big plastic undertray off to see this well from below, but it's
probably worth a shot over the weekend just to see if you find anything wrong
there. You might be able to get it to reproduce revving the engine at a
standstill, and confirm that is where the noise is coming from too, but if the
unloaded engine doesn't build enough boost you might not also. Some have
reported being able to temporarily hold the hose together with various cob-jobs
like duct tape, zip-ties, and hose clamps until they get to the dealer... Good
luck -
JC
Richard Steckly wrote:
> I am hopeful that somebody out there can help me. Has anyone experienced
> the following?
>
> My car (99.5 A4TQMS) has started to make a bizarre groaning noise. It seems
> to be coming from near the left front wheel. There is a specific band
> (approximately 50-100 rpm wide) near 2,000 rpm where the noise occurs during
> acceleration (in any/every gear). I'm not sure what type of noise it is,
> but it seems to be something resonating at that engine speed and the noise
> comes into the passenger compartment as a groan. The noise may simply be
> coming through the steering column (or any of the other holes that are in
> the fire wall for driver control bits), so I am not sure if the source of
> the noise is actually located near the left front wheel or not. Given that
> it only occurs under acceleration, I am concerned that there may be an
> underlying drivetrain issue that requires attention. I will be taking the
> car to the dealer, but I thought that I would pick your collective brains in
> case anyone is familiar with this situation. Any comments/suggestions are
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks for your help!
>
> Richard Steckly
> Kingston
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__________________________________________________________________
John J Cunningham III Project Leader / Technical Analyst
Country Home Products
johnc@together.net (802) 877-1201 X1242
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