I own a 1997 A3 1.6 sport. A few weeks ago the engine overheated.I took it to my mechanic who has serviced the car for the past 3 yrs. Water had got into the oil so we presumed the head gasket needed replacing - it did.He stripped down the head and had it serviced by specialist.After refitting he discovered that the impeller in the water pump had failed (the plastic had actually melted and broken up causing a blockage in the radiator which was also then replaced). This was fast becoming an an expensive repair but worse was to follow. After a few days of having the car back and only 60-70 miles it began to run erratically: 3 of the spark plugs had fouled up and the car was burning oil at a rapid rate. My mechanic thinks this is caused by the piston oil seals being damaged when the car overheated - obviously another expensive job to repair. So the questions I have are 1) is this the likely cause of the oil burning problem or is there another cause (valve seals?)
2)Would it be cheaper to replace entire engine? 3)Is the AEH engine the same as an AKL for straight swap? Would be grateful for any help/advice Dave- posted
20 years ago