Hello all! New to the forum and had a question regarding my s6. Car is a 2008 with 170k on it. The issue is that there is coolant in the oil. All was well with the car, and out of nowhere, coolant started to mix. Once I noticed this, I left the car stationary. Didnt even turn it on. Weird thing is, the coolant kept getting into the oil while cold/not running! Recently did the o-rings on cooler and tested it, held good pressure and nothing escaped. I was reading it could also be the o-rings at the back of the engine on the timing covers. Trying to get a few different opinions on what might be the cause before I think of pulling the engine. Any info is greatly appreciated!
Mine had the same issue but engine was removed, resealed, heads machined, etc so not sure if it was only due to camshaft cover issues or something else since everything was redone at the same time.
Hello and welcome.
Generally you see a lot with the oil cooler everything from the O rings to the actual cooler itself. Out side of that you’re on the right path with the coolant feed in the back of the cylinder heads. The covers have a shaft that coolant passes through and they do tend to fail.
Those would be the main two places to look.
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How much did the reseal run you for? Might just go and do that at this point. The coolant level in mine is a bit under the head level took the reservoir off and the lower coolant hose to see. Thanks so much. I see yeah when I replaced the o rings on the cooler I pressure tested it and all was fine. Even did the whole system check and held 20 psi overnight. What baffles me is that everything ran fine but once it got colder, coolant started seeping into the oil.
Well to be honest, I don’t really know how much it would cost for someone else to do it. JimmyBones did mine and a lot was done all at the same time. I’m sure the cost was at least 50% less than what it would’ve been to have anyone else do everything he did/is doing.
It is the o-rings on the coolant transfer pipes inside the upper rear timing chain covers. They have been failing on the 4.2 FSI V8s and the 5.2 FSI V10s for years. The rubber shrinks when it gets cold outside and thus the coolant leaks into the timing chain area and eventually into the crankcase. If you are local to the Washington DC area or willing to travel then I can give you a quote on how much it would be for me to replace the o-rings.
Thanks for that info so I am looking in the right place. I figured judging from the level the coolant is at the moment. Oh man you’re almost on the other side of the country. I am in Denver but from experience, how much would you say a job like that would run? I’m pretty mechanically inclined own a b5 s4 and done quite a bit on it, just dont have a garage or space to do the whole engine drop on the s6.
You were doing ok till the point you said you own a b5 S4… All credibility LOST… lol…but you do have an S6 so… kinda washes out… LOL
The labor just for dropping the motor is going to start at about 1200 on the low side. Most indy shops start there. The job itself isn’t that hard once the motor is out but you should really consider getting a deep dive done and replace the ladder frame gaskets while you have the motor out. And you kinda have to be careful. You don’t want to drop the motor and have an indy do the work only to not actually have that fix the issue.
Now I know Jimmy isn’t close but you really really want to find someone like Jimmy that knows that they are doing so they will do more than just replace the O rings. You kinda want someone that is familiar with the motor and car so they know the other suspect places to look.
Haha well a few years ago, I had to do the whole engine and transmission swap (tip) on the s4. Oh yeah they are different but oddly enough, pretty similar in some aspects. Thats not such a bad price. I’ll have to scout around here to see if anyone has done that before. Man thats telling me it might be best if I rent out a space and do it myself. Thanks a lot for that input. I’ll also pm Jimmy and see what other possible locations cause this leak.
Keep us posted. Where always here to help
Thanks. Its looking like I will go down that route of doing this myself. While I’m in there, anything else I should replace? Theres no codes at the moment other than brakes.