Valve Cover gaskets??
#1
10-16-2011, 09:50 PM
Valve Cover gaskets??
Hey everyone, new to the forum, new to Audis. Friday I picked up a 01 A6 2.7t quattro 140k trip. With in the three days of having I've replaced the ECT sensor (blue to green top) and the blinker relay went out. Now I have an oil leak, came out to it this morning with about a 7in wide oil spot which looked to be right in the middle of the car. Anytime I drive the car for 20-30 mins and turn the engine off, the drivers side of the engine bay smokes a little from oil being burned. I'm hoping it's just the valve cover gaskets, or even breather hose and not something like the cam caps or cam seals. Any input in greatly appreciated
Sam
Sam
#2
10-16-2011, 11:03 PM
AudiForums WilkommenVagen Direktor
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Posts: 2,955
Wilkommen to the forums.
Your question will probably get more views/feedback in the A6 section instead of the general tech section.
Anyway, the key is to find where the oil is coming from. usually a valve cover leak is down the sides and rear of the engine. the cam seal leaks usually go down the front of the engine and drip down/around the oil pan. do you have/still have the belly pan on the car? if you do it can be hard to diagnose where your drips are coming from. If the belly pan is still on, I recommend you remove it until you get the leak sorted. Take a large, clean piece of cardboard and put it under the engine overnight. the spots on the cardboard will give you a pretty good indication of approximately where to start looking for the leak.
There is a pretty good video, i think it is on youtube and/or the blauparts website that shows good indicators of a valve cover gasket leak. usually with the car running and warmed up you get smoke coming up the driver and/or passenger sides of the engine near the firewall, depending on which side or both are leaking. you can also remove the engine covers and look for signs of oil buildup down the sides of the block.
Pull the breather hose and check to see if its clogged. clogged breather will lead to excess pressure in valvetrain and force oil through the gaskets or push the gaskets out.
there is a good bit of information out there to help you. good luck
Your question will probably get more views/feedback in the A6 section instead of the general tech section.
Anyway, the key is to find where the oil is coming from. usually a valve cover leak is down the sides and rear of the engine. the cam seal leaks usually go down the front of the engine and drip down/around the oil pan. do you have/still have the belly pan on the car? if you do it can be hard to diagnose where your drips are coming from. If the belly pan is still on, I recommend you remove it until you get the leak sorted. Take a large, clean piece of cardboard and put it under the engine overnight. the spots on the cardboard will give you a pretty good indication of approximately where to start looking for the leak.
There is a pretty good video, i think it is on youtube and/or the blauparts website that shows good indicators of a valve cover gasket leak. usually with the car running and warmed up you get smoke coming up the driver and/or passenger sides of the engine near the firewall, depending on which side or both are leaking. you can also remove the engine covers and look for signs of oil buildup down the sides of the block.
Pull the breather hose and check to see if its clogged. clogged breather will lead to excess pressure in valvetrain and force oil through the gaskets or push the gaskets out.
there is a good bit of information out there to help you. good luck
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