Hello all!

I have a 1999 A4 Q with a 2.8 30v V6 162k miles
It has been a great car with very few issues to speak of. However around 140K i had some leaking at the front of the l/h valve cover. I had my mechanic replace the valve cover gaskets, cam seals, timing belt, plugs and wires and water pump (2nd one). At the time he noticed that the Spider breather (as I have heard it referred to here) was completely deteriorated. I said I would do it myself later.

After driving a few days the weather got cold and it started leaking again from the l/h valve cover. Brought it back in and they replaced the L/H valve cover gasket, a couple days went by and the leak started again. This went on for about a month. Finally somebody did some research and replaced the Spider piping assy and the problem was solved no more leaks. The weather was also warming up as it was spring time.

The car ran great all summer and fall with no leaks and very little oil usage. It does use a little coolant (no leaks) but only need to fill the reservoir every couple of months.

Now it's cold out again and oil is pouring out the same place on the front of the valve cover!!!!

Any ideas?

Please help!

Sincerely Sour Kraut

 

I replaced my valve cover gaskets and one started leaking again (driver's side). Replaced that gasket a second time and problem solved.

Tips:

- Use good quality gaskets, not a cheapo eBay kit
- Scrape away every last bit of old RTV with a razor blade
- Use fresh RTV sparingly
- Use RTV only at the corners and where there are sharp angles
- Don't forget to use RTV on both the top and the bottom of the gasket
- Let the RTV cure overnight, if possible, before firing up the motor
- Make sure to torque down the valve cover nuts evenly. If replacing the driver's side gasket, get yourself the smallest 10mm swivel socket you can find so you can get at the nut that is directly below the coolant reservoir

- Replace the half moon seals and cam caps if there is oil coming from those points

- Replace the purge valve when you replace the breather hose

 

Thanks Redmond!

I will give it a shot-I did call my mechanic about the gaskets and they said they don't usually use silicon on the valve cover gaskets for Audi.

Do you think that is right? Could I need a new valve on the breather tube?

Thanks again for your advice!

 

Thanks Redmond!

I will give it a shot

-I did call my mechanic about the gaskets and they said they don't usually use silicon on the valve cover gaskets for Audi.

Do you think that is right? Could I need a new valve on the breather tube?

Thanks again for your advice!

 

I believe the official Bentley manual shows use of RTV.

If you get the kit from blauparts.com -- it comes with instructions and a tube of black RTV. The quality of the gasket, especially the "A"-shaped part, seemed to fit better than the cheapo eBay gasket I bought the first time.

You can check your purge valve by removing it and blowing through it. There's a writeup on here somewhere on how to replace it. I got a new OEM purge valve for $22.

 

I've never used RTV on these cars. It won't hurt of course, as long as you do as Redmond said. The 2.8 gaskets seem too "long" so you have to place the corners very carefully - it's easy for a small part to loop out from under the cover and leak oil.