Yea, literally. So I have not been driving my S4 for some time. I finally start it up and I see some smoke coming from under the engine. It is not really bad and the car seems drivable still. The smoke is darker in color. I have enough oil and I dont see any leaks on the ground.

Any ideas what this might be? Is there anything I should be looking for? Thanks, guys!

 

What does it smell like? If it's black then there's a good chance that it's fuel.

 

Smells very harsh. Not like something I have smelled really. The smoke is darker in color but not black.

Sounds like I know what the hell Im talking about, huh?

 

Try to pin point where it's coming from, if it has a bluish tint then the smoke is burning oil. Check your valve cover and cam seals for any leaks.

 

my engine is leaking from the camshaft plug and it leaks right onto the exhaust of the passenger side turbo...smells almost like burning rubber..i hate it and havent had time to replace it yet even though ive had the part for some time now.

 

My friend's car had this same problem. It was the semicircle shaped seals that seal the hole under the camshaft adjuster mounts. It would be leaking out of the back of the head and right down onto the turbo. Not a big deal really, it does make a mess though and oil is expensive. The seals are located (if I remember correctly) on the back of the passenger side and the front of the driver side - heads are the same, just reversed for each side. To repair them is a relatively large job if you've never done it before; you have to remove the cams which means the whole front of the car needs to come off. It would be wise to replace the timing belt, idler bearings, tensioner and water pump while doing the job as well...

 

the passenger side one however you dont need to remove the front of car off...still a pita but much easier that the driver side

 

I second the oil leak theory. Get a mirror and flashlight and look at the back of the head on the passenger side. It could be the valve cover gasksets, the cam tensioner gasket/half moon seal, or the cam "plug" seal, this one looks like a black rubber plug, about 2" in diameter. Mine looked like it was leaking from all 3 and I just replaced all of the above on my 2.7T. BIG pita, I lost a lot of skin on my knuckels and hands, however the cam's do not have to come out (just the bearing cap that retains the plug), nor does the bumper have to come off. You will need the vag tool 3366 as well. Be sure to service the PCV system, possibly replacing the spider hose assembly while you're in there, a plugged or clogged one can be a cause of leaking seals. Here's what the connection to the PCV valve in the v of the engine looked like on mine when I removed it:

Gary