Posted this last night in a different thread, may be more appropriate here hopefully. Will try for pics in a bit.

Hi guys, new to the forum. Just bought an audi A4 2.8l. 170k on body 85k on motor. Got it pretty cheap as it needs pads rotors all around. Body and interior are in really nice condition and all the electronics work minus the flaky info panel. Already have couple places bookmarked for future rebuild.

Long story short. Everything good on car before I drive it home. Idles great. One of the valve cover gaskets just replaces by a mechanic up road from guy selling car. Even have old one to show. Now the guy I bought it from seemed pretty sincere in everything he knew wrong with car. Pointed out every little thing he thought was wrong. He acquired car but never ran it.

Drove it home last night and minus the terrible rotors and pads. I mean terrible! The engine and tranny were very smooth, shifts great. Lots of power (fast to me). First car I have bought myself in over 10 years. Work construction so always in my truck. Anyway. Have owned VWs and one BMW years ago. Love the German autos.

So I get it home and notice it's idling rough and smells like oil burning. I have done a lot of reading in last couple days so I kinds have an idea VCGS or something. Get into garage and both VCGs leaking to where it was getting into spark plug holes and building up a little on top where cover slants back and meets head. Oil level in car was a little over the higher of the two plastic pieces on end of dipstick. Not sure how much over that would be. Crank case vent hose (more reading I did today) is pretty mangled up. Oil coming up into that some.spark plugs on driver side are dry and black (sooty maybe) other side look fine. Oil on the threads of both. Also pulled timing cover back a little and see belt is starting to cracking a little. After reading I figured I would be doing that anyway. Pretty confident with the write ups I have found on that job I should be able to do it. Will try to load pics tomorrow. Right now not cooperating.

So question is...does this sound like I should be replacing PCV system, new VCGs with tensioner seals and timing belt kit? Or could there be a bigger problem I should look into before starting to order the parts? Car is in good condition, except brakes it drove great, and got it cheap so do not mind putting a little into it. I have done a lot of reading trying not to come on here and be too noobish. Just curious what some of you experienced guus may think of the problems. Think the dry black plugs had me worried the most. Hoping it just has something to do with oil getting in. Oh...Tail pipe on car is not all black like it's burning anything either, nor is the oil milky (if than info helps at all). Will appreciate any input. Thanks.

 

Some pics.

 

Hopefully you just removed the air intake hose between the MAF and the throttle body while you were working on it in those pictures. If the oil is over the little plastic tabs on the dip stick its probably at least a quart over full, bring the level down so its on the metal between those two plastic tabs, that will help with some of the oil blowby and leakage, then fix the PCV system. If no one knows when the T belt was done last, do that as well, and do the thermostat while you're in there, as its behind the T belt and a pain to do later. Use and OEM thermostat only, no cheap knockoff T stats.

 

Thanks, yes the intake hose was taken off so I could see back side of that valve cover. Here is a pic of the belt (not great). I pulled the cover back some to see it. Definitely starting to crack. What do you think about the bank of plugs that are black like that? Oil getting in and burning up? I plan on getting a whole T belt kit with water pump and T stat from probably ECS tuning. Going to start ordering up the PCV kit with pump and timing belt parts.

 

Think I am screwed. Looking closers today and noticed that one of the studs for the VCG bolt on driver side not there. Lots of RTV coming up thru the hole.

Just ordered almost $600 in parts and tools to do PCV components, timing belt and new VCG kit. Literally sick to my stomach....no clue how I missed that last night.

 

Those little studs strip out easily on both the 2.8's and 1.8s if the VC bolts get over tightened. Pretty easy fix with a helicoil kit, new stud and nut and a drill, more of a pain if the stud breaks off and is stuck in the hole.

 

Good news! Would not have been able to sleep until I knew if thee was any student left that maybe I could somehow get it out with out drilling. Went out in the garage and got the valve cover off. Top right stud in pic. Plenty of thread! Tomorrow evening I am going to try to get two smaller nuts on it hoping they lock together and can unscrew it with the bottom of the two. Last resort will be vise grips maybe. There was so much RTV around that gasket it was really hard to get that cover to come loose. Every DIY I have read for the VCGs has had nothing like the amount on these. I am sure that had to have been a problem also with them leaking.

Do the cams look like they should? Like a red coating on everything. The leak in those valve covers like that has oil all down the back and sides of motor and running down undercarriage of the car from driving it home. Crazy Feel much better about everything now though. Hopefully stud comes out easy enough tomorrow. Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate it.

 

That's looks like its from either the type of oil that's been run in the car, or some kind of oil additive. Wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

So I got the broken valve cover stud out. Having a lot of trouble finding a replacement online. Could I just go to the hardware store and get a SS bolt with the same thread pattern and length into the head instead of stud with nut?

Getting valve covers off was really hard. There was so much RTV on both sides of the gaskets all the way around. Definitely think that was some of the cause of them leaking so bad. Waiting on rest of tools to finish timing belt and gaskets so today I have a lot of cleaning of gasket surfaces. Also found where the rubber hoses from power steering reservoir go into the cooling tube leak just sitting there. Left a small puddle the first night I had everything apart. Looks like the old clamps are not holding too well. Maybe I can fix it with some new hose clamps.

Anyways here is a pic of the progress so far. Ever get into something like this and think....crap, hope this all goes back together properly? Ha.

Looking at pic, I now have rest of parts off up to putting the crankshaft holder tool in. That and cam shaft holder tool is due in this week.