Oil leak, oil cooler...I don't get it...
 

Good Evening:

I'm new to this forum, and I'm working on an oil leak with a 1999 A6 2.8. It's my son's car, and while most of my wrenching years are behind me, I feel compelled to fix most of these things with him, vs. taking it to the shop.

We have it in the front lock service position, which helps a lot with access. The leak seems to be coming from just above the engine snub/mount, so I'm working on getting that bracket off of the engine. At the moment - I had to order some Torx keys, as the T50 socket I have interferes with the rubber mount.

One question I have is how the oil cooler in this thing works. I know the cooler housing is just behind the oil filter, but I'm unsure as to how the hoses and tubes route and where the oil circulates in order to cool. If someone could steer me in the right direction or provide an explanation for how this works, I'd really appreciate it.

Any guesses as to the leak are welcome, too. I won't be able to see it leak until I get the mound out of the way, and then get the inspection camera down in there to watch it while it's running.

Thank you.

Oil circulation and return are all internal to the cooler. If you remove the filter and the nut, you can slide the cooler forward. Don't do this unless you have a replacement gasket though. The hoses that feed and leave the cooler are coolant hoses, and to remove the cooler you have to disconnect them.

Thank you, ITD. That makes sense.

I know it's not leaking from the pan, and it does not appear to be leaking from the camshaft seals or the valve cover seals. I believe I had read that the crank seals sometimes leak on these engines. Having not had the time to look to closely (yet) to see where it's coming from, I can only guess at this point. Is the crank a problem area? I sure hope that's not the case.

By the way - it's not a very slow drip...

Thank you.