Another oil leak :(

A6 All/ S6 All
#1

Howdy,

$8500 spent and I have another oil leak

Have done oil filter housing and front crank pulley. Have checked front drain holes that drain from under the intake manifold to eliminate a faulty seal or anything under he intake manifold and they are all bone dry this time. It is above the lower oil pan and oil drops are comming from the middle apart from the dreadful upper oil pan seal which I’ve heard is a engine out job is there anything else I should be looking for.

Not valve gaskets have done those. Have got under carriage tray off and seems to be more on the left hand side of the motor but definatly at the front.

Heeeeeelp :frowning:

#2

First thing I would do is to wipe down the motor and clean it best you can. make sure its free from any sign of oil. One of the other places you can get a sneaky oil drip from is the return line from the oil seperator. That line can leak as it leads back into the oil pan. So look for that.

After you have checked those out get the car up safely on jack stands and start the car up and let it idle in the air for about 5min. inspect the motor and see if you can spot where the sorce of the oil drips are. That would be a good first place to start. There are many spots that can have small leaks and by the time the oil drips down it could have traveled from somewhere else.

#3

Hey Justin,

Cheers for that. Will give it a clean tommorow and see what I can see. I thought I was finally oil leak free how ever I was wrong. I have had my PCV / oil separator replaced the last work I had done last week was a carbon clean which was intake manifold off again. Didn’t think there was to much else that would show oil in the front there apart from front crank seal which is roughly around the same level.

#4

You could also add a flourescent engine oil dye. Any leak will be apparent under UV light. You can get a simple UV LED light that will for this.

But you do definitely need to thoroughly clean first.

#5

Mechanic is fairly adimant that it is comming from the upper sump seal which is going to make me have a melt down. Front crank seal has been replaced how ever even after me having a look oil is definatly around that seal and at the front of the motor how ever oil seems to be dropping down mainly on the drivers side. Confirmed no oil underneath intake manifold and nothing comming from from drain holes at the front. I nearly want to cry given the amount of money I have spent ($9500) in fixing oil leaks from the top half (valve covers / can position sensors / oil filter housing/ pcv valve) to now have oil dripping from this. I’ve done a bit of google research how ever despite hearing things here and there the upper pan seal doesn’t actually look that common and most people who have pulled there motor have then realised that the pan seal was not the origin of the leak

#6

Can you live with the leak? Obviously leaks are undesirable, but if you keep the oil level topped up is there amy risk to the car? (Asking because I don’t know)

If not, the most economical solution might be a quart of oil every once in a while. Cheaper than an engine out :smiley:

#7

First, check the OCVs, especially the ones that are at the back center of the head (you put the valve covers over them)
O rings get brittle and leak oil. I just did an engine out reseal, everythign was mint, then 2 weeks later i got a bunch of oil smoke again. Pulled the OCV out, yup. O ring was hard as a rock and evidence of oil pushing right past it.
Generic Buna N O rings work, get yourself a master kit for 10 bucks, i think i used an R11 if not mistaken. Try that first as it will take literally 10 minutes, then reevaluate.

#8

Any chance you have a pic of the area?

#9

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/cWcAAOSw90xazsBO/s-l1600.jpg

behind cyl 5 resides the OCV.
the valve cover gasket does not go around the perimeter of the cover, rather darts in and leaves the OCV opening open. so when they leak the oil travels underneath the cover and looks like its pooling/originating from the bottom rearmost bolt.

#10

That’s more passengers side isn’t it? Mines drivers side where it’s mainly comming from

#11

Oh sorry already done both OCV as well

#12

Is the OCV the same as the camshaft adjustment valve? Sorry to be dense, but I’m not familiar with this part. I’m looking in the diagrams in Bentley, but not sure. Thanks.

EDIT: I think it may also be referred to as the variable timing solenoid?

#13

Oil leaks are no fun. Fix one and another one pops up. I went extreme and pulled the engine for a tear down.
How many miles do you have on the car?

#14

Hey just asking what the situation was in the end ? Was It the upper sump? I have a small oil leak and from what we can see it looks like it’s from there as well. I’m guessing engine out?

I’ve read all the other posts on oil leaks and have done all the top of the engine and pcv replacement but now this. I can live with a weep for now if that’s how it stays until I can get the parts I need for the upgrades and have the engine pulled….

#15

Just wondered has any one done the upper sump gasket replacement? And can it be done with out pulling the engine?

#16

I am doing mine currently, and engine is out conveniently, but its not an engine out job. Its right in the valley, easy to access once you have the manifold and fuel lines out of the way, #3 in diagram

image
image832×831 215 KB

#1 and 10 are not sold individually from the dealer, however @eng92’s post here states they are 12.5x21 and 21x2.5.

1 Like
#17

Thanks for the reply and info

I’ll get some pics tomorrow when it’s on the hoist
But it’s lower down the case you have the lower sump and then slightly above it when looking at the front of the engine there is another section which I believe is a sump as well and it’s weeping there. The Audi guy I use described it as the upper sump and the only way to replace that gasket was engine out…

#18

I’d be interested in seeing those pics, I’ve had a pretty severe oil leak which I narrowed down to the oil cooler o-rings. Seems I traded an oil leak for a coolant leak, as I’m struggling to get one of the hoses to stop dripping.

I’m still getting a very small drip of oil from somewhere else, so I’m wondering if the pan or upper sump might be seeping as well.

#19

I’ll post them up tomorrow

I guess it’s part
Of ownership of these cars… unless you pull the motor and are prepared to renew everything then you always run the risk of chasing leaks and issues. I don’t have a garage so it’s not an option for me and the cost of getting some
One who knows what they are doing to pull it and go through the whole engine and replace all consumables is eye watering :man_facepalming:

#20

These engines can easily suck your wallet dry if you’re not careful. Looking forward to the pics for clarity.