Question on oil in spark plug holes

[btleier]

I've got a super clean 2002 A4 1.8T/Tip with ~198k. I bought it from my aunt and uncle who had it since new. It was in nice shape, but has needed some love in terms of maintenance, so I have been working on getting it up to par. One problem that I haven't been able to fix is the car continues to get oil in the spark plug holes, will puff on startup periodically and have a bit of an oil burn smell while it is running. I never notice anything out the tailpipes unless it's been sitting and started for the first time.

So far, I have replaced the full valve cover and chain tensioner seal kit which uses a Victor Reinz gasket from ECS, replaced the entire PCV system with 034 refresh kit and I'm still getting it. Any other ideas. My only final thought is that there is something worn or wrong with my valve cover that is now allowing things to seal properly. Should I try a new valve cover and gasket? Should I try another gasket in case I messed something up the first time around? It seems unlikely that I would have messed anything up in replacing the basket as it is not hard. Any feedback/advice would be appreciated.

[09SCiduA]

It's easy to over tighten the VC when swapping the gasket and as far as I know, they are prone to leaking if over tightened. The gasket set came with the gasket rings that surround the plug holes, right? I'd goob some RTV on and let sit for an hour before putting the VC back on and then the rtv will be more tacky and less prone to squeezing out...

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[btleier]

It's easy to over tighten the VC when swapping the gasket and as far as I know, they are prone to leaking if over tightened. The gasket set came with the gasket rings that surround the plug holes, right? I'd goob some RTV on and let sit for an hour before putting the VC back on and then the rtv will be more tacky and less prone to squeezing out...

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Thanks for input. So I’m your opinion, pretty unlikely that it be something with the VC itself that would keep it from sealing? If I pull it apart is there any way to tell if it was over tightened?


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[09SCiduA]

Well, there IS always that, the VC being cracked.. you'd need to inspect it after cleaning for some fissures. I have mine JBWelded on a port as it was leaking oil when under pressure...good to go now, but it's worth a check on the VC itself... there's no seeping you can see other than the plug wells? You could take a chance and see if a replacement might work...check some auto yards, eBay or fcpeuro...this is not uncommon tho...

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[09SCiduA]

You would see oil passages in a or a trail coming out of the gasket area if it was leaking/over tightened...you're using RTV also, right (rhetorical)...the RTV would be very thin in potential leaking areas....

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[09SCiduA]

http://www.a4mods.com/index.php?page...alvecover.html

For reference

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[09SCiduA]

To answer your question, sorry for the rambling, yes, the VC can leak and when that happens, the easiest, first thing to do is the gasket...if not marred up, you can reuse it...if that doesn't fix the oil leaking, replace the VC... heat cycles makes metal move or become brittle...I'd replace the VC and try again...

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[btleier]

I only used rtv in the four places recommended in the Bentley manual and in the guide you linked which is on the outter vc gasket. None on the spark plug tubes. It bothered me enough that I decided to rip the VC off again and inspect. I don’t see any trails running to the spark plug holes but there is oil present near the tip of the spark plug on 3 of the 4 plugs it seems. In that case it seems unlikely that the gasket would not seal on 3/4.









https://youtube.com/shorts/dprD4I7Q90U?feature=share

[btleier]

Anyone else have any inputs? Would love some help trying to determine if it’s worth be trying a new valve cover and gasket or if it looks for like valve seals.


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[Larhal]

Use a new gasket set and torque the bolts to the correct spec and in the correct sequence. I used the same gasket set when I did mine and have not had an issues.
You can use a streight edge and check the valve cover for warpage or distorsion. If you still have a leak then it is the cover.

[btleier]

I ordered a new valve cover and OEM gasket. Will find out once and for all if it's that or if it's valves or something and coming from the combustion chamber side.