so i was doing a quick once-over on the engine bay after changing the oil and i noticed a couple issues that i didnt know off-hand. FYI its a 2001 2.8 quattro. first issue being that during cold start, and for the 5-10 minutes of runtime after that, there is visible smoke from burning oil coming from the rear of the engine bay. after 5 or 10 minutes of driving, the problems is gone. new valve cover gaskets helped, but the issue is still there. after a quick look, i noticed a lot of oil/sludge build-up behind the intake mani. the following picture shows the general area

any idea where that could be coming from? is that "F" shaped rubber coupling linked into the PCV system?

second, i noticed a vacuum line that was just hanging down in the engine bay up towards the drivers side headlight.. i couldnt see where it was supposed to go, so i just capped it for now, the following picture shows where the line eventually "T"'s into the rest of the vacuum system. any idea where this is supposed to go? its the line i have ny fingers on. and it joins up with the vacuum system a few inches to the left of my hand.


thanks in advance guys

 

a - all those cloth lines need to be replaced with silicone hose 3mm.
b - i wonder if your pcv system and intake has excess oil in it. after my valve cover gaskets got changed i took off my throttle body and had oil sitting in the intake pipe connecting to the throttle body. try to seafoan the oil system. theres a few DIY on it

 

In reference to ^. Www.siliconehose.com. I ordered 12 feet

 

That hose near the headlight goes to a vacuum canister, it's the big blue snowman looking thing under the headlight, you can't miss it.

 

Thanks guys. By cloth lines, you mean all the lines with the mesh-fabric sheathing on it? And about the oil system, I'll have to Try the seafoam. There's a lot of oil collected on those lines back there and all over the top of the throttle body.

If I leave the vac line that's supposed to go to the canister capped, will it hurt anything? Or should I hook that back up asap?

 

hook it up it will build pressure and most of the car runs on vacuum, just make it a point to get silicone lines. The oil burning could just be from the oil that has previously leaked out.

 

^ where on that website did you order from? the closest thing i could find is the "vacuum tubing". but its 19mm, and the smallest amount they sell is a spool of 50 feet

and just to clarify, i should be replacing the lines with the cloth sheathing, with the silicone tubing.

 

Click vacuum tubing, pick a color, then choose the 3mm option.

 

I honestly didn't notice a difference when I had to cap mine for a couple of days, so just do that and replace the line when you do the rest of your vacuum lines. Just remember that it is long so order plenty of extra.

 

The oil leak could also be coming from your cam chain tensioner gasket and half-moon valley seals. Or did you replace those at the same time that the valve cover gaskets were replaced?

The crankcase breather system could be all plugged up with gunk, causing the oil to continue to leak out of the gaskets. You'd have to replace that system if you want the leaks to stop, even after you replace any leaking gaskets.