so i know my oil is leaking, no idea where from but ive seen the small puddles under the car and dipped my fingers in them, anyways, my real question is, anytime i put 5w-30 into the car, i burn oil, i have no idea why this is, but i can smell it every time i get out of the car, and if i open the hood after driving, you can see a little wisp of smoke and smell the burnt oil, does anyone else have this problem when they use 5w-30? i know the manual says to use it, but even in my truck and other cars ive had, every time i put 5w-3o in, my engines have burnt the oil, any ideas why this is?

the oil burning is not in relation to the oil leaking either bc i could smell it burning 2days before it started leaking

and when i use 10w-30 no i dont have this problem

 

the leak could be your cam seals... very common with the 30v

 

... or Valve Cover gaskets...

Cheers
Massboykie

 

Very common issues with our cars. 3 possible locations are 1) Cam seals as oc_audica said. There are 4 total cam seals. 2) Valve cover gaskets as massboykie said. Obviously there are two. and 3) Cam adjuster seals. There are 2 plate type seals and 2 half moon shaped seals.

Valve cover gaskets are pretty simple. Cam adjuster seals are a bit more complicated, and cam seals require pretty much the removal of the timing belt. Maybe a good time to do the timing belt change.

 

my valve cover gasket on the right side leaks, it sucks because it stinks and if im driving real slow like in a parking lot i can see white smoke coming out of the wheel well. Im using 0w40 though because even though the manual says 5w30, vw/audis 502/503 rating is only on 0w40 mobil1. I fixed the drivers side, its not to bad, you have to remove the coolant bottle, i think it took about 2 hours. Mine doesnt really leak on the floor but when i change the oil there is a nice oil film covering the lower tray.

 

might as well get this kit and take care of all of it now

 

its a 95 a6, idk if i said that in the first post lol, but the guy i bought it from, had the water pump, fuel pump, timing belt, and some type of seals or gaskets all replaced in it just before i bought it, thats why im kind of shocked that its leaking all of a sudden, i think i might have possible hit something to puncture a line or something, but im taking a look later this afternoon, ty for the input and the repair kit lol ill look into that if i gotta

 

try looking into your plug pits and exhust collectors they may provide clues to this prob.also check for leaks around the oil filter, oil pan and trans pan, these are some additional possible locations

 

i took a look, seals r ok, pan/filter is ok, its dripping from a hose or something somewhere, but oddly enough, i just did an oil change anyways, and instead of using synthetic oil i put normal 5w-30 in, and theres no more burning

 

woo hoo it wasnt an oil leak and it wasnt oil that was burning...but boo bc its power steering fluid thats leaking then burning when it hits the exhaust pipes right there lol