hey everyone its been a while since i been on here. i have a question that has me rather stumped. last month i finally got around to replacing my whole entire pcv system because i had some nasty leaks causing me to add oil every 200-300 miles of driving. after the replacement those leaks went away except for one behind the passenger side head which even then leaks on to the ground once in while. there really is no smoke or burned oil coming from the car and im constantly checking under the car after driving and its dry for the most part under the engine and on the ground where im parked over. i have put in about 800 miles into the car with the new pcv system but this morning i finally had to add oil. on saturday morning though i checked and it was at proper level and this morning i checked after driving yesterday and i was showing just slightly above the min mark on my dipstick. what gives? why did my level drop so quick? there is really no visible oil on the ground and the underside of the engine is dry.

Thanks,

2001 Audi A6 Avant quattro 2.8 V6 183,310 miles

 

If it's not leaking out of the gaskets etc. it must be burning. What's coming out of the tailpipe? Bad rings?

 

As far as im concerned there is nothing coming out of the tailpipes in the back ive even accelerated hard while watching my rearview mirror to see if i catch anything out of the usual. Correct me if im wrong but i read somewhere that the 2.8 does burn some oil between changes? Or maybe i leaked so long that im just paranoid?

 

i just got off work so i paid attention to my rearview mirror as i accelerated and once i got home i opened the door and poked my head out as i quickly snapped the accelerator pedal a few time while parked and yupp no blue smoke or better yet no smoke at all from my tailpipes. Bob a little insight on my car, so last year actually around this time i developed a pretty nasty leak from the passenger side camshaft up front. my spark plugs had very little bit of oil in them nothing huge. i was just losing hella oil (half quart every 200-300 miles?) i was ready to either jump ship with the car A. B. take it to my local VAG mechanic that worked on my sister's Jetta 1.8t and pay an arm and a leg or C just let it be til catastrophe hit. Searched up and down on here and also audizine and everyone pointed me to replace the pcv system and see how that went. finally last month i finally got around and replaced everything pcv (came in the kit for $110 shipped thanks ecs tuning) and finally drove it and i mean the performance on the car has improved and the nasty leaks i had are no more. its been nearly 1000 miles since ive replace the pcv and i still get the occasional leak where i mentioned but nothing compared as to how it was just a few months ago. i mean i dont know if im just paranoid after having such a nasty leak for so long or what. i know that the 2.8 is known for oil consumption. i took a peak at my bentley manual this morning and and it said that also that its normal to consume some oil all depends on the quality viscosity and driving habits. i do want to mention that between home and work/school there is about 25 miles of open country road with basically no traffic so a spirited high speed drive is in the works all the time (sorry cant help it ). maybe i need to slow down a bit?

sorry for the long post

 

My 2.8 30v leaked at the cam plugs, 1/2 moons and the valve cover gaskets but it was noticeable in the cabin. Burning oil smell and some times I could see oil smoke coming from the hood/fender crease.

I would concentrate on known leaks first. Pop the valve covers and re-do the cam plugs etc and new gaskets all around and see what happens.

Good luck.

 

Bob so i went ahead and slipped my hand back there and felt around the seam of the valve cover is dry but i did notice that around the cam end cap is a bit wet wit oil. How difficult are those to replace?

 

Not too hard. You will have to lift the cams slightly but there have been some guys who have had success just loosening up the bolts that hold them down and gently lifting them just enough to get the new half moons and adjuster seals in. The cam cap covers are easy, just pop them on.

Lots of instructions on cams removal but make sure you read up before you go taking things apart. The cams are under some pressure due to impact with valves so things like to move. Can be scary if you are not prepared.

When/if you do this use black RTV on the corners of the vcg and let it cure a full 24 hours before lighting the fires. Don't use goop on the other seals.

Alternatively, if you are not noticing burning oil smells you could just keep adding oil as needed (and wait until timing belt service time to do the seals. Easier that way.) This will have the affect of keeping the oil fresh like some old timey "constant loss" engines. They were made to leak oil so that oil had to be added frequently. Then all you have to do is change the filter once in awhile and you're good to go.

 

perfect yes that's exactly what I've thought of doing i always keep a quart or 2 of oil with me just in case anyway. I'm prolly half way thru my current belt got replaced at 155,900 and im currently at 183,000 and then some. What i am definitely goin to do for sure is replace the cam caps (hockey pucks) since they are easy to do just pop on pop off just to get those out of the way. About the VCG corners and the rtv sealant yes i had that in mind already since i have seen you mention that in other posts many times...

O and also will changing my oil completely with filter and everything cause any possible weak seals to start leaking because of the detergents in the fresh clean engine oil?

 

The oil and filter change will not affect any existing leaks or cause new ones. Good luck!

 

awesome thank you so much!