I have to replace 1 of my black plastic plugs it's leaking. I don't have the replacement yet do they just pop in and out with a screw driver?

 

You have to remove the valve cover and loosen the last cam cap.

 

Thanks

It's never easy.

 

+1

Jack, there's your chance for new vc gskets too.

 

Actually, its worse that that, now that I think about it. On the drivers side, it is just the full circle plug and all you have to do is remove the valve cover, loosen up the last cam cap and replace the seal. On the passenger side, the can chain tensioner is on the back of the head so you will need the cam chain tensioner compression tool. You have to replace both the half moon seal and the cam tensioner seal. You could try the shortcut but it didn't work for me. The long method is to remove the cams, for which you need to remove the timing belt. The in between method is to clamp the TB to the cam gear and just remove all the cam caps. In any case, it is a ridiculous amount of work to change a seal that should have been 100% inside of the valve cover gasket so that a leak wouldn't matter. But, this isn't a Toyota....

 

^^ Ditto. If your cam chain tensioner gaskets are not leaking, you technically don't need to remove the valve cover. Audi has "super special" extraction tool for the cam seals, but not for the plug. Screw driver with a sharp point tip will work. If you are opening up the valve covers, then you might as well as do everything in the back including the cam chain tensioner gaskets.

 

The driver's side requires - pop out - drive in.
Clean the well, no silicons...
Cold engine, cold plug (might freeze it).
Engine off at least overnight.

 

This is the passenger on my 4.2.

I have the cam tool but have heard some people can stab them and yank them out. I should have done it with the T/B service when I did the 1/2 moon gaskets and cam adjuster gaskets but they weren't leaking at all.

That was in FL though now that I'm back in NY all this plastic is shrinking in the cold.

No big deal Just wanted to plan my time. As if a simple repair on an Audi ever took less than a perfectly good weekend. The hard part is finding those damn plugs after a 1500 mile move.

 

Are you back in NY? Damn....

Sorry for my rush into agreeing with Bob, but that's how I did mine. However, I always forget that I may be among the scarce few that have this pos C4...