Found in the sump. Nothing else there. But it looks bad news. Engine wasn’t lumpy but it looks like a piece of bearing shell. Nothing else at all present. Less than 1mm thick
That looks like a bearing indeed. But where does it come from in that good condition? Did you check the oil pump sieve?
The oil pump sieve is absolutely clear. Nothing at all. The oil is not glittering. Other than this big bit there’s absolutely nothing and nothing on top of the plastic cover that sits over the top of the oil pick up. I’m confused. Mind you it could have been in the sump for years as it can’t get through the sump plug
15mm width. Uniform, it’s not been reduced to that. Manufactured to that width. Lack of thickness is due to wear. Wafer thin. Bad suspicion it’s part of an intermediary shaft bearing. Crank shaft bearings are wider as are cam bearings? What’s symptoms of intermediary shaft bearing problems?
Either the inner / outer or both of the intermediate shaft babbitt bearings on the DX / EV is 15mm wide... can't recall the specifics now. Again, you've a different engine so may or may not be the same The shaft shouldn't have any detectable lateral movement if they're intact.
Thanks zender. I’ve got the timing belt off so I will give it a lateral play test. Can easily take the pulley off but shaft won’t come out due to room. Presume that wear creates insufficient drive of the oil pump and low pressure buzzers/lights? Never ever had those symptoms with vdo gauge aswell
Can't answer about the effect it'd have on the oil pump or pressure sensors, those I'd replaced were on an non-running engine. If that does turn out to be part of one of the intermediate shaft bearings I'd imagine you'd have much more noticible play than I was finding. That's assuming it's not the remains of one that was replaced / somehow left behind? There's two on the DX / EV, an inner and an outer, one has a 1mm greater diameter than the other, but in standard form they're both 1.5mm thick and 15mm across. Be aware they come in different thicknesses - If you are having to get some there are 'standard' which fits a shaft that has no wear / factory spec. and 'semi' that are thicker to compensate for wear, however that means they need to be machined to exactly fit the particular shaft .
See if it’s attracted to a magnet. If not then has to be a bearing shell from somewhere? Also, this guy appears to have removed the intermediate shaft with the engine still in the car.
Thank you. Some very helpful videos out there. 15mm fixed width which is exactly what this is. A video suggested original Intermediate shaft bearings were bi metal construction and flaked apart. Hence this flake like piece. Maybe it’s been done previously but if shagged well so be it. Engine gearbox and drive shafts have all got leaks from impossible locations and I’ve got a garage to work in.
That'd likely be part of the steel shell on its own if it's approx 1mm thick, the thinner alloy inner facing is probably gone and (if it is one of those) why it's failed. If it's the outer one that's broken up (at the pulley end) there'll be noticible movement of the shaft once you've taken off all the retaining parts. If it's the inner one (accessed via the plug on the opposite side of the block) you may not be able to feel any movement in the same obvious way even it's there. As above, see if it's magnetic... if not it'll be the alloy bearing face on its own.
Not magnetic at all so it’s the alloy part. Thanks for all replies, really helps to know what this is before taking next steps.
That's a big chunk to be missing and there's always the chance there's more (from one, other or both of them), suppose it's the lesser of two evils being the softer alloy... the steel shell breaking up might've done a lot more harm. Me? I'd be pulling the shaft to see if it's been damaged / measure against specs., you don't know how long it was running without the proper support / lubrication. That'll decide for you what babbitt bearings to go for, hopefully just the standard ones if all's well with the shaft or the thicker ones if not. Like I said in the other post, I'd the engine shop do mine so the block as out of the car... maybe someone has tried /done the bearings while it was still in situ can say whether it's feasible or not? I do know the guy doing mine said that if it was needed matching the out sized bearings to your individual shaft was a specialist job. I also remember it wasn't all that easy to get the bearings in the UK at a sensible price... one VW outfit was looking £70+ for the pair! I got them through Autodoc eventually, though they seem to go in and out of stock constantly. Even paying their £8.25 postage for a small order it was massively cheaper, they came in at less than £4.00 each. You've a 6A engine? It's possible you'll need the same bearings as my EV but you're going to have to double check that for yourself. If they are the same these are the 'standard' ones I got (that fit straight in / shaft is within tolerances), a mix of Mahle and Kolbenschmidt. https://www.kmotorshop.com/en/article-list/list/car/1398/tree-tecdoc|105860?filter=0&itemsPerPage=50&style=1 https://web.tecalliance.net/mahle-catalog/en/parts/cars/part/287/029%20LB%2018192%20000/detail?targetId=59287&typeNumber=59287#@brc/brands:Car;targetType:cars/assem:AUDI%2080%20B4%20Saloon%20(8C2)%202.0%20E%2016V;targetType:cars;targetId:59287;typeNumber:59287/lnkparts:Engine%20Timing;targetType:cars;assemblyGroupId:100003;targetId:59287;typeNumber:59287/assignedPartDetail:029%20LB%2018192%20000;targetType:cars;brandId:287;articleNo:029%2520LB%252018192%2520000;targetId:59287;typeNumber:59287 Those links may also show the thicker 'Semi' versions available for worn shafts, be careful as it's not always made clear.
It's possible these are the ones you need, but very pricey. I'm reluctant to recommend the seller as the ignored me when I messaged them last year, then pulled the listing to UK buyers. Might be useful though for numbers etc. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285744759707
Just watched the link Rustbuster put up... so potentially doable in situ, but looks a pain of a job unfortunately. Might ultimately be easier / better pulling the engine out so you can also clean out / check the other internals? If the intermediate shaft is worn out of spec , or damaged to the point it'd need work and the 'semi' bearings to compensate, check out if there's somewhere you can use that'll both be able to do it and if so, will it be economic? Because mine just needed new standard bearings I didn't look into it further, but I was warned had I, it'd potentially need somewhere more specialised to do it An alternative I suppose would be to get a good replacement shaft that'd use the standard bearings. Have you run the magnet over the new bits, might give an early indication as to whether or not the bearings outer shells have gone as well?
Thank you. All non magnetic so it’s the alloy. I’ll see what the play is like and then make a decision. Had this car 27 years and £10k restoration over last 4. If the engines got to come out it’s got to come out. Shaft may need engineering and custom bearing to match. What’s got to happen has to happen
Yeah, I agree. Engine needs to come out and completely stripped and inspected. Bit of a pain but hopefully you can save the engine with a rebuild. Really lucky though, a single spun bearing has been the end for many blocks.
Update. Slid the intermediate shaft out a few inches. Bits of the alloy bearing are missing. Same for the one gearbox end. So engine is coming out…..
