Hello all,

I'm new to the forum and the Audi game. I've had my eye on the A4 since the B5 version and finally (girlfriends car) have had the opportunity to drive it. Suffice it to say I'm hooked and am looking to pick up an A3 for myself in the near future.

Anyways, back to the problem at hand. I have a b5 1998 v6 A4. I've begun to notice a faint burnt smell in the cabin after a couple minutes driving. One evening after coming home from a hour of driving the smell was a bit stronger than usual, I popped the hood and I see smoke coming from the rear passenger side of the engine. I was coming from the back side of the engine under the intake tube that sits in between the filter and the manifold. Its difficult to see without pulling off the filter and tube so I thought I'd ask first. Any ideas of what this could be? Thanks!

 

Smell like burning oil?

 

Yep, I'd say so.

 

cam tensioner seals... every audi motor w/ them will leak definately.

its a very expensive job. 2.8 is about 6.5 to 7.5 hours depending on the dealer and cost around 1,200.00 to 1,400.00.

and i'd bet my paycheck thats your problem

 

If that is, price independent shops before settling on a stealership/

 

A grand-plus you say?

I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, is this something DIY or is it recommended that I find someone who actually knows what they're doing? I've changed the water pump on my 71 Javelin and replaced the CVs on my Ford Probe...

(That might not be saying much tho)

Has anyone done this before and if so how difficult would it be. How serious is this problem and is this a repair I can hold off on? Once the repair is made how long should it last? Are there any other ideas about what it could be? Thanks for the advice!

 

This is a great DIY if you can do the water pump and CV joints. What is the status on your timing belt? Doing it all at once is DEFINITELY less of a headache.

The problem is that it could be a number of things actually leaking. It sounds to me based on your description and my not having seen the car, that it is the valve cover gaskets, and not the cam seals. What happens is the suction pump (a small $25 plastic "T") clogs up, and the valve area is no longer under vacuum, and it pushes the oil out. Very common problem.

Valve covers are $25 each, and the job is cake. Remove the vanity plastic, and the air filter lid and intake hose/MAF sensor to get room. Then undo the coolant reservoir and lay that back to get room on the other side. Then remove the valve covers. The plastic hoses might be brittle, so check them first. Mine were, so I replaced them. Now put it all back together again.

If the oil is leaking down the rear of the engine though, you will need to do the cam seals, and that is only a little harder. Check to see where the oil is coming from first though. It should be under $250 if you do the work yourself, including the suction pump (required replacement - if you are leaking, it is likely the cause) and the plastic hoses. Figure on an afternoon to take it slow. If you go to a shop and they want $1200-1400, walk away, they are screwing you. Even at 7 hours, that is $700 in labor, and no way all the parts are $500-700 even through Audi and not online.