Valve Cover Oil Leak?

[BaumerS4]

If it’s not one thing, it’s another it seems with these cars. Just got done replacing the DRL bulbs and installing a new hood strut on my car on Saturday and then Sunday morning I notice a burning oil smell after a little bit of driving. Pop the hood and notice some smoke wafting up from around the front driver’s side, kind of near the oil filler cap and what not. Sadly it’s about 10 degrees outside right now, so I’m not super excited about trying to troubleshoot this…

Are valve cover leaks common on the S4’s 4.2L? Would it just be the outsides of the cover or do they leak in the ignition coil seals area too?

[wolfs4]

It’s pretty common for them to eventually leak. The half-moon seals in particular tend to be the most common place to leak from.

[sakimano]

Very common

Also the guy who originally bought your car paid $60,000. You paid probably 25% of that and are enjoying the same car.

The $45,000 depreciation is for a reason… Shit is going to go wrong.

With that being said these are three of the cheapest possible problems on a B67 S4. Consider yourself reasonably lucky!

[BaumerS4]

Very common

Also the guy who originally bought your car paid $60,000. You paid probably 25% of that and are enjoying the same car.

The $45,000 depreciation is for a reason… Shit is going to go wrong.

With that being said these are three of the cheapest possible problems on a B67 S4. Consider yourself reasonably lucky!

I’d consider myself lucky if these were the only things I’d dealt with on the car. Two years in and I’ve replaced the starter, a coolant hose to the oil cooler, had my pre-cat fail causing misfires, done front bushings a few times and now this. Plus it’s got low compression on one bank and eats about a quart per 750-1000 miles or so. Though part of that oil consumption may be tied to this leak now and it’s just starting to hit something hot. Having said all of that, it is slightly more reliable than the B5 S4 I had before it.

But like a battered wife, I’m still in love and will definitely be replacing it with another Audi in a year or two. Maybe a B8 S4, or a newer A6 with the 3.0T in it.

How bad is it to do the gaskets myself? I found Joey’s DIY and doesn’t seem that difficult, but I don’t wrench on it that often. Is the special tool for the back bolts a must?

[jeff33702]

But like a battered wife, I’m still in love

I’m going to make a million dollars off this T-shirt.

[aroderick56]

I’d consider myself lucky if these were the only things I’d dealt with on the car. Two years in and I’ve replaced the starter, a coolant hose to the oil cooler, had my pre-cat fail causing misfires, done front bushings a few times and now this. Plus it’s got low compression on one bank and eats about a quart per 750-1000 miles or so. Though part of that oil consumption may be tied to this leak now and it’s just starting to hit something hot. Having said all of that, it is slightly more reliable than the B5 S4 I had before it.

But like a battered wife, I’m still in love and will definitely be replacing it with another Audi in a year or two. Maybe a B8 S4, or a newer A6 with the 3.0T in it.

How bad is it to do the gaskets myself? I found Joey’s DIY and doesn’t seem that difficult, but I don’t wrench on it that often. Is the special tool for the back bolts a must?

lol I have replaced pretty much everything except motor, trans and rear diff itself…

[justincredible]

In the cold weather the pcv system is more over worked. That’s probably what sparked this. Oil consumption is normal at about 1 quart every 1500miles. You might want to clean out the pcv and see if that helps. I wouldn’t work on replacing the valve cover gasket just yet. Wait and see how it develops over the next week or so.

[JimmyBones]

Very common

Also the guy who originally bought your car paid $60,000. You paid probably 25% of that and are enjoying the same car.

The $45,000 depreciation is for a reason… Shit is going to go wrong.

With that being said these are three of the cheapest possible problems on a B67 S4. Consider yourself reasonably lucky!

I’d consider myself lucky if these were the only things I’d dealt with on the car. Two years in and I’ve replaced the starter, a coolant hose to the oil cooler, had my pre-cat fail causing misfires, done front bushings a few times and now this. Plus it’s got low compression on one bank and eats about a quart per 750-1000 miles or so. Though part of that oil consumption may be tied to this leak now and it’s just starting to hit something hot. Having said all of that, it is slightly more reliable than the B5 S4 I had before it.

But like a battered wife, I’m still in love and will definitely be replacing it with another Audi in a year or two. Maybe a B8 S4, or a newer A6 with the 3.0T in it.

How bad is it to do the gaskets myself? I found Joey’s DIY and doesn’t seem that difficult, but I don’t wrench on it that often. Is the special tool for the back bolts a must?

Most of that isn’t bad until I got to the oil burning but I would like to see how the oil consumption is after fixing the leak. Standard procedure before checking for oil consumption is to fix any obvious leaks. Just to be sure, take the belly pan off and look for residue on the bottom of the engine.

Strongly recommend replacing your PCV valve too. Justin makes a good point about the PCV systems being over worked.

I did a DIY on how to change out your valve cover gasket. http://audirevolution.net/forum/index.php?topic=2971.0

lol I have replaced pretty much everything except motor, trans and rear diff itself…

In addition to most other things, I have replaced the rear diff and most of the transmission except for the middle portion of the case. Does that mean I am winning?

Have to replace the starter because it died today while it was snowing. Oh and I have major engine parts to install too.

[aroderick56]

In addition to most other things, I have replaced the rear diff and most of the transmission except for the middle portion of the case. Does that mean I am winning?

Have to replace the starter because it died today while it was snowing. Oh and I have major engine parts to install too.

I think you are winning but I also think you lose for having to replace a starter with it snowing

[BaumerS4]

In addition to most other things, I have replaced the rear diff and most of the transmission except for the middle portion of the case. Does that mean I am winning?

Have to replace the starter because it died today while it was snowing. Oh and I have major engine parts to install too.

I think you are winning but I also think you lose for having to replace a starter with it snowing

Was your starter doing the long delay between key switch engagement and solenoid engagement? Mine started doing it last winter but went away when it warmed up. Came back hard earlier this winter and I finally had to do the starter after about 30 minutes of trying to get it started after work one day.

[JimmyBones]

In addition to most other things, I have replaced the rear diff and most of the transmission except for the middle portion of the case. Does that mean I am winning?

Have to replace the starter because it died today while it was snowing. Oh and I have major engine parts to install too.

I think you are winning but I also think you lose for having to replace a starter with it snowing

Was your starter doing the long delay between key switch engagement and solenoid engagement? Mine started doing it last winter but went away when it warmed up. Came back hard earlier this winter and I finally had to do the starter after about 30 minutes of trying to get it started after work one day.

Kind of a slow response but.

For a few days it would not crank for a little while and I would keep cycling the key. Eventually it would crank right up (usually on the sixth or seventh try). Once I drove the car for a little while to warm it up then it was normal but that first cold start in the morning sucked. Need it to finally warm up so I can get working on the car since the starter died I might as well do everything else that I have sitting and waiting to go on too.