Strange oil leak, help me diagnose.

**ewytt** · 09-08-2008 11:22 AM

alright, need help. i pull into my parking spot after a 40 mile drive and my hood starts smoking once i am about to turn off the car. I look at my drving path and there is a leak of fluid that just decided to start as i entered my garage. i look under the car and it is dripping a lot. I check my dipstick and it is at it's minimum level. I look under the car and see that the oil has be running down other parts and is leaking from the center of the car. I try to trace the source but can't find it. drain plug is fine, no cracks in the pan. I jack it up and look up and see a bunch of hoses wet. NOt sure if that is from the oil running down these parts or what. the head and black seemed dry as well. where else does the oil go that i shoulud look at. is there a hose i don't know of?

**A4 TSCHUSS** · 09-08-2008 01:50 PM

There is a silver metal oil line that goes from the oil filter housing under intake manifold around the back of the engine to the turbo, then there is a silver 1" diameter metal hose connected to bottom of turbo to return oil back to the oil pan (connects to the side of pan). Other than that there is the actual oil filter, the drain plug in oil pan and the valve cover gasket but that isnt gonna leak bad enough to leave a trail of oil.

**ewytt** · 09-08-2008 02:30 PM

awesome. i will check that.

**dirtybrd** · 09-08-2008 02:41 PM

If it's leaking while the eng. is running, you have a leak in a oil pressure or return line,, sender, or a frt. or rear main seal.

**A4 TSCHUSS** · 09-08-2008 03:59 PM

ahh didnt even think about the rear main seal.

**ewytt** · 09-08-2008 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by ;2855815

If it's leaking while the eng. is running, you have a leak in a oil pressure or return line,, sender, or a frt. or rear main seal.

Are one of these parts under the thick metal manifold looking part in the photo? (sorry, don't know part names)

When i look to the side of this i see the top of the frontend thick "arms" have residual oil from the leak so it dripping from something behind an area i can't see, running down the "arms" and then dripping through a hole in the end of the "arm" close to the center of the car.

I ran the car for a few minutes and nothing was immediately dripping, 10 minutes after the oil started to drip. (after it's running down the "arms" journey)

**A4 TSCHUSS** · 09-09-2008 04:53 AM

Well your turbo is connected to that. It is your catalytic converter. so it could possibly be your oil return on the bottom of the turbo leaking like I said. See if you can get under the car and look up at the bottom of the turbo at the 1" diameter silver pipe connected to the center of the turbo that then goes down to the side of the oil pan.

**diagnosticator** · 09-14-2008 07:28 PM

Once oil is blown around from a leak, it can be hard to tell where it's leaking from. It can help if you use some engine cleaner rinsed with fresh water to help isolate the source. You can also get some special dye to add to the oil, then after warming up the engine, using a black light after dark, the dyed oil will glow making it easier to trace back to the leak source. Any preexisting leaked oil won't glow, so it helps focus on the actual leak point.
Regardless, it sounds like the turbo oil feed / drain line or the valve cover gasket is leaking.