changing valve covers.. anything else?

[chad86thai]

so after many posts, lots of research, and looking under the hood... i think i have finally determined where the hell my oil leak problem is coming from.. i think that one (or more) of the valve covers in my #2 cylinder are leaking onto my exhaust and causing smoke.. but before i start taking things apart and getting ahead of mysef i want to know exactly what i am doing..

im gonna go ahead and replace all the valve covers but should i order them from an audi dealership or where is the best place to get them?.. i need 30


while im under there, is there anything else i should look to replace? like spark plugs, spark plug wires, etc..

and one last thing.. i found i DIY to follow, but it is for a 1.8t.. does that matter? or can anyone give me a link for a 2.8..

thanks so much to anyone who can help i really need to fix my car!! i just got springs and shocks but i dont want to put them on till everything is running smoothly!! so i have to fix this sooN!!

[Mike@PureMS]

You just need 2 valve cover gaskets. Cam chain tensioner gaskets are another good idea to replace at the same time.
Check out our website for the parts.

[chad86thai]

hey mike why do i only need 2 valve cover gaskets?

[fikes]

its a valve cover gasket. pull a few bolts take off cover and replace the gaskets. Yours may be a tad harder becasue of the angle they are at but should not be any more than a 30 min to hour job. just make sure of not to drop anything in there while your working around a open head.

[bastosmafka]

http://www.autohausaz.com for valve covers.

[xraycer2012]

you only need two because you only have two valve covers

[flyromeo3]

i remember seeing a video i think on you tube where a guy changed his valve cover gaskets and has a step by step video. Its awesome. Im currently looking.

[flyromeo3]

i know you have to move aside the coolant tank, disconnect a fuel line and the intake box.

[chad86thai]

you only need two because you only have two valve covers

here is the problem though.. i pulled out my spark plugs and the number 2 plug had oil all over it.. so i checked the compression but it was still the same all around (165). even in number 2, so wouldnt it be the actual valve cover in cylinder 2 that i would need to replace? which would then be 30 for all of them? sorry if this sounds totally newbie but im just trying to learn and figure this out so i can fix the problem myself..

[chad86thai]

ok i think i got it.. based on what i said above could it be a valve stem seal problem? since its obviously getting in the cylinder that would make sense right? it cant be a blown piston ring cuz the compressions are all normal

[flyromeo3]

its your spark plug seals. You can get a kit with 6 spark plug seals and two valave cover gaskets for like 80 bucks.

I think i saved that video in my favorites at work. Will check when I get there shortly.

[onemoremile]

You said there was oil on the spark plug. Was it on the top of the plug (the part the socket covers when installing) or the bottom (the part exposed to the combustion chamber)? If the business end looked like burnt toast or black and sooty then a valve guide could be the problem or that cylinder is running rich for some reason or that plug wasn't lighting off the charge consistently.

If the upper part of the plug is oily then you've got a bad valve cover seal. There is one that looks like crop circles that keeps the oil out of the plug holes.

Replace both the outer valve cover gasket and the inner spark plug hole gasket and you'll be good to go. Be sure to clean both the surfaces before installing the new gasket. No solvents or cleaners are needed just wipe them down and be sure there is no old gasket material there.

[chad86thai]

hey flyromeo and onemoremile.. thanks for your help it helps out a lot.. as for the part of the plug thats getting oil.. its the bottom that is really oily.. but the sides where the tread is is kind of oily also..

[flyromeo3]

hmm,...the thread part sits in the cylinder. Hopefully as you removed the plug it probably rubbed up on some oil in the port.
Once you remove the spark plug seals inspect them for any small cracks and such.

Doesnt seem like your burning oil so that might be the reason

[chad86thai]

hmm,...the thread part sits in the cylinder. Hopefully as you removed the plug it probably rubbed up on some oil in the port.
Once you remove the spark plug seals inspect them for any small cracks and such.

Doesnt seem like your burning oil so that might be the reason

thanks ill be sure to check that.. were you ever able to find that video?

[cparke]

What is your outcome and resolution to this problem? I think I have the exact same thing happening to me, so I'm particularly curious to know if changing the valve cover gaskets not only stoppped the oil leak and smoking from under the engine, but also stopped the running rich condition. Please let us know what happened!

[onemoremile]

Between the threads and body there is a crush washer that seals the combustion chamber from the head. The threads are exposed to the combustion chamber but are partially protected by the threads themselves. It isn't a problem at all to have dark or sooty threads, maybe even a bit glossy looking. Take a look at the threads on the plugs below and you'll see some variation but none look like they did straight out of the box.

[chad86thai]

onemoremile, thanks so much for that image it helps a lot.

So i obviously have oil deposits on the plug, which according to the image, is either bad valve guides or bad piston rings.. since my compression is fine though, the piston rings are fine right? therefore the problem is BAD VALVE GUIDES.. this does sound right, right? or is it just me?

[cparke]

Spark plug gasket is probably your problem. The valve cover gasket also include gaskets around the cylinder, which if they leak, of course, will let oil get into the combustion chamber.

In any case, the leak of oil to the exterior is supposed to also qualify as a small boost leak, which also is supposed to cause running rich. On my car, at least, that's really the only thing left. I still have to check my spark plugs for oil and then shout Eureka!