Any guesses on this Oil Leak? PIC inside

[jackyaudi]

Before I take the car to the dealer, I want to give it a last chance and try to find out where could this oil leak be coming from:



It does not look burnt, kinda fresh actually.

The camshaft was replaced about 8 months ago, so am assuming the valve cover gasket was checked and/or replaced. No oil signs anywhere else on the engine or under.

Any bets?

[absolutegtr]

Most likely the place who changed the camshaft didnt replace the valve cover gasket....that would be my guess

[jackyaudi]

Most likely the place who changed the camshaft didnt replace the valve cover gasket....that would be my guess

But if thats the case, should not I see some oil elsewhere on the engine?? Am trying to picture how its leaking to there...

[n7plus1]

they couldve installed it incorrectly/half-assed

[dougyfresh]

As Sami said.. check the valve cover near the back of the head on the passenger side. The engine is tilted as its native resting position in our vehicles. The back passenger corner is the lower point in the head and oil in the head likes to puddle up near there. If the valve cover gasket is leaking then it'll drip from there off the head and onto the exhaust and/or along the block.

I have no idea how you're getting oil onto the left side (closest to your airbox).

[jackyaudi]

Most likely the place who changed the camshaft didnt replace the valve cover gasket....that would be my guess

The dealer replaced the camshaft..

If I find the leak's source it could be very much related to the slight oil loss am having on the dipstick.

[jackyaudi]

Little update:

Car going dealer next week. I think I found the leak, and I am still not sure exactly how its happening, but it does not look good. Check the following pics:

The Valve cover gasket and surrounding areas looks clean:





Better pic of oil leak:





And this where I think the leak is coming from. Pic was hard to take. If I put my finger around the exhaust manifold connecting to the engine, I can feel oil and I think thats where its dropping to the sheet (pic above):



Q is, why is: how and why its leaking in that area...

[FourRings80]

Could the oil on the heat shield be a result of a leak from the head gasket? I used a pic from the head removal DIY.

[IMG][/IMG]

[jackyaudi]

little bump

[dirtybrd]

Are you sure it's not residual oil from before?

[jackyaudi]

Are you sure it's not residual oil from before?

Am 100% sure, because I cleaned that heat shield last month and here we go again, oil is back there. Also when I touched that area in the third pic, oil was pretty fresh.

[dougyfresh]

Could the oil on the heat shield be a result of a leak from the head gasket? I used a pic from the head removal DIY.

[IMG][/IMG]

That is a possibility because there is nothing else down there that could leak oil or even coolant for that matter...

[jackyaudi]

urgh.. I am really thinking by the time my warranty is over, the dealer would have paid exactly what I paid them for the whole car. They are half way there already. Nice job Audi, keep it up.

[junkie1.8TQ]

any update on this? I started to smell burning oil when I turned on the heater tonight. Looked around and saw something similar to the above post. My car has about 63K on it... I think the valve cover gasket needs changing but wanted to see what other people thoughts were and if there are any updates.

[jackyaudi]

any update on this? I started to smell burning oil when I turned on the heater tonight. Looked around and saw something similar to the above post. My car has about 63K on it... I think the valve cover gasket needs changing but wanted to see what other people thoughts were and if there are any updates.

Another dealer is saying that its the tensioner gasket on the back of the engine that is leaking oil. You could look for the valve cover gasket yourself pretty easily and inspect it since its at the top, but for the head gasket or the tensioner gasket its really not that easy without a special mirror and probably lifting the car and inspecting it from down there.

[junkie1.8TQ]

thanks for the quick reply.... have you not fixed ur problem yet? I guess i should replace the tensioner gasket while I have the cover off.

[jackyaudi]

thanks for the quick reply.... have you not fixed ur problem yet? I guess i should replace the tensioner gasket while I have the cover off.

Working on that with yet another dealer, have to follow procedures, blah blah blah, but I think I will get it fixed eventually. Make sure you pinpoint the leak for sure before starting to take things apart though. Thats the most important part.

[jackyaudi]

Thought to post an update for future reference.

I FINALLY got yet another dealer to address my engine oil leak issues, admit there was a leak, and finally fix everything under warranty. You gotta stay after them. Patience and diplomacy were both keys.

They replaced the chain tensioner & valve cover gaskets to address the issue. Gotta drive for 1000KM to make sure there are no oil leaks after that.

[kwimberly]

Cool. That's exactly what I'm having done this Saturday to hopefully fix my little leak.

[jackyaudi]

Cool. That's exactly what I'm having done this Saturday to hopefully fix my little leak.

How much are you leaking??

I was leaking about 1/2 quart or so every about 800 miles.

[Capt. Obvious]

Probably AIDS.

[kwimberly]

How much are you leaking??

I was leaking about 1/2 quart or so every about 800 miles.

Wow - mine is much less. I can't even really quantify it. Over the course of several months, the level has dropped about two "indentation lines" on the dipstick.

[Arclight]

Thanks for posting this. I have the exact same leak, however, my valve cover gasket is most certainly leaking as well (kudos to the MD Audi dealer who replaced it 18 months ago).

What was the cost to have the chain tensioner and valve cover gaskets replaced (at the dealer)?

[jackyaudi]

Probably AIDS.

Only with lots of beers on the table, yes.

[jackyaudi]

Thanks for posting this. I have the exact same leak, however, my valve cover gasket is most certainly leaking as well (kudos to the MD Audi dealer who replaced it 18 months ago).

What was the cost to have the chain tensioner and valve cover gaskets replaced (at the dealer)?

I did not have the numbers really, just the description of the work done. I am assuming 5 to 7 hours of labor and parts (not expensive for the gaskets), but am thinking with stealerships it would be running anywhere from $700 to $1000. They also washed the engine again after the repairs, they usually charge $200 JUST for that if not under warranty.

[jackyaudi]

Wow - mine is much less. I can't even really quantify it. Over the course of several months, the level has dropped about two "indentation lines" on the dipstick.

2 lines is about 10 to 20% of a quart, so not really much. Not to mention that "one line" of those 2 would be from "usual" 1.8T engines burning some oil. Temp changes might decrease oil levels a bit more too when the engine is cold, so here you go for 2 lines less. Must be a really minor leak you having if you dont see anything under the car or the hood. If you not noticing decrease in performance, which I doubt you are, cost vs. small leak wise, I would not even worry about it.

[kwimberly]

I'm getting the work done by Dave at Euro Technik. The VCG, cam tensioner seal, and a new suction pump valvewas quoted at $325 - parts and labor.

This thread shows some of my leak pics:
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239931

[BOPOH]

bump for your signature jackyaudi ;)

[jackyaudi]

I'm getting the work done by Dave at Euro Technik. The VCG, cam tensioner seal, and a new suction pump valvewas quoted at $325 - parts and labor.

This thread shows some of my leak pics:
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239931

Damn it is messy there. One advice though: Clean up every single place you see oil coz u wont even tell if u still have a leak after everything is done and said. The dipstick is unreliable when it comes to measuring oil leaks.

BOPOH: спасибо

[gunde]

I had an oil leak from that area also, but I lost almost a full quart in 15 minutes!. I stopped the car on the highway, couldn't find any obvious leak so I topped off the oil and drove to a service station. The leak stopped!?? I know it is -20, but I shouldn't have to drive with a cloud of blue smoke coming from the underside of the car...

[jackyaudi]

UPDATE:

OK, so I took the car to 3 different Audi dealers, and the third one decided to really find the leak. It was NOT the valve cover gasket, nor the tensioner gasket(s). So they put a color dye in the oil, and I had to come back 2 weeks later.

FourRings80 was absolutely right to suggest it was the head gasket, because it is!

Whats extremely weird is no coolant was leaking, only oil. Not sure why. If someone can explain this to me, feel free.

[dirtybrd]

Higher pressure. Glad they found it! Are they fixing it?

[jackyaudi]

Higher pressure. Glad they found it! Are they fixing it?

Higher pressure will leak oil only without coolant? What would be the cause of that? How can I prevent it in the future?

Ya they fixing it as we speak.

[MikeWire]

Glad the fluorescent dye found the problem! As far as why no coolant, I suppose it depends on where the HG springs a leak - it's not always near a coolant channel. Are you just going to have the gasket changed or will the shop inspect the block and heads for any warping or damage? Have them save the old HG so you can check it out.

[FourRings80]

Awesome! The source of the leak is found. I can't believe all the new parts you'll have by the time your warranty expires. Lucky guy

Oh, let me know when you want your plasti dip.

[dirtybrd]

Glad the fluorescent dye found the problem! As far as why no coolant, I suppose it depends on where the HG springs a leak - it's not always near a coolant channel. Are you just going to have the gasket changed or will the shop inspect the block and heads for any warping or damage? Have them save the old HG so you can check it out.

You won't see anything wrong.

[jackyaudi]

You won't see anything wrong.

Any comments on post #33??

[dirtybrd]

Yes the coolant passages are farther in and more around the cylinders then the oil ones are. The oil ones are more outside. Plus being 50+psi verses 18psi.

[old guy]

Higher pressure will leak oil only without coolant? What would be the cause of that? How can I prevent it in the future?

Ya they fixing it as we speak.

Yes it can if the sealing portion of the head gasket around the oil gallery is weak. As Dirtybrd pointed out the oil pressure is considerably higher than the coolant pressure. Just because the oil is leaking doesn't preclude a coolant leak. There really isn't much you can do other than check all of the sealing surfaces and replace the head gasket with new properly torqued head bolts.

Edit: Damn... didn't type fast enough!

[dirtybrd]

If it's warranty job the tech will probably just replace the head bolts and torque them. If I was a betting man I'll say that just a retorque would fix it. There's nothing to really fail on those gaskets.