I'm trying to figure out if this is Oil or Transmission Fluid. It seems to be dripping off of the "what i think is the final drive" part of the transmission... any input?


2000 Audi A6 2.8 Automatic

 

Pull the dipstick , check the color & smell of the engine oil & compare it to what is leaking. It could be engine oil , transmission fluid or diff oil.

 

It's hard to tell from the picture, but...

• My initial impression was "oil"
• Then I saw you were sporting the 2.8 liter V6; now I'm about 90% sure it's oil

 

I had collision work done before and they diagnosed it a Rear Main Seal. They said they wouldnt be a place to do that and i totally understand why but I had my doubts about it being the RMS. I was probably in denial. :/ I have put so much money in this damn thing.

 

How would I know if it is Diff oil?

 

The 2.8 does have problems with the oil leaks. If you see oil on the oil pan of the engine not the tranny then it can be engine oil.

I think the tranny oil oil is clearish unless you never changed it, then it becomes black. Same with diff

 

I had a head gasket blow one time. I had it replaced and head shaved. Also, have had my transmission pan welded because I put a hole in it when I blew the head gasket. The integrity of the pan is fine tho. Im pretty sure its not leaking from pan seal. I had transmission fluid changed in Sep and probably only drove around 3-4000 on it. Would that have changed the color?

 

Is there a dip stick or anything to check differential fluid?

 

I was first going to say that it is your differential fluid based on the location, but based on the amount of fluid leaking, I am now skeptical. I has an axle seal failure where the location was exactly like yours, but I know that the front differential does not hold a lot of fluid. I don't think it would leak that much.

To check the fluid, there is an allen fill plug right above the right front axle connection. There is no way to visually tell. You just have to fill it until it slowly drips out.

I would start by keeping an eye on the engine oil level.

 

I really appreciate all this input. This is the second puddle of this size. My oil in the dipstick is darker than the oil that is leaking out. The smell is vague to me I am at work right now but when I get home I'll do the smell test. It sucks because when my car sits for one day it doesnt leak that bad but day 2 and the puddle is alot bigger. I lost my license for 30 days so i'm painfully watching the fluids come out. I really hope it's not a RMS I wonder how much that would be to fix. From the research I have done probably around 800? I could be wrong. The only place around me is a Volkswagen Dealer and I hope they would do it. But I know I would pay stealership price. :/