Pics of oil leak. What needs to be replaced?

[gmirth]

Hey all. I recently bought the bently publishers maunal for m 2005 S4 hoping it could help me trouble shoot this oil leak. I may not be using it properly, but it isn't much help on troubleshooting. It did help me to get the front end off and get around for some good pics. So if someone could give me some direction based on these pics I'd really appreciate it. I did see that the crank case can build up pressure that would cause multiple leaks like this. To test this I unscrewed my oil cap to see if it would be pushed off, but there is some suction to it which I read is normal. Thank you all for the help you've already given me through other threads!

 

[Garth_S3]

Looks exactly the same as mine. Incidentally, mine is in the garage today getting it sorted. The mechanic (who used to build race car engines) says it's the cam cover gaskets that are leaking and the oil is running down the engine. He said it may be because of too much pressure so while he is replacing the gaskets, he going to check the breathers and pcv system to make sure it's not blocked and working correctly.

I've done the same thing previously on my old TT as that had a faulty pcv system. The details are somewhere in the resto thread here if you're interested:
http://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=262876&sid=6fc15dd595a66d49850ba6c540781502

I don't have time to look at my S4 yet, but I'll no doubt be pulling it to pieces soon to replace parts...

 

[mikerajjers]

I had a massive leak like that too...was the rocker cover gasket and there was a mess everywhere and leaked down the engine. Was an easyish fix for the mechanic, but he didn't clean the engine...left that to me

 

[john777w]

I guess with oil leaks, start at the top & work down!!

 

[bastet]

I had a leak up front as well - turned out to be the crank bearing that gave way 3 weeks after a timing belt change. Did you, by any chance, replace your belt recently? Or does the S4 have a chain already?

Was expensive to fix, 1000+ GBP, timing belt needed redoing (V6 TDI).

We couldn't find a clear source for the leak - we first did the oil pan, didn't fix it, and in order to check for the upper pan seal everything had to go as well. It was then that we found out it was the crank shaft bearing housing seal.

 

[Garth_S3]

The S4 has a timing chain, not a belt.

P.S. Don't mention timing chain issues to a V8 S4 owner, it's enough to make us run and hide in a corner in a gibbering mess

 

[b16 will]

As said, work your way down with an oil leak. Sometimes best to have cleaned down & start afresh.

Did someone say £1k to do a belt swap on a v6 tdi??

 

[bastet]

1K GPB for a timing belt, diagnosing the oil leak, and material to fix the leak. Belt was undone twice, and the gasket came in a metal enclosure, costing 150+ on its own.

 

[b16 will]

****** hell !! I bought my cab as the tensioner collapsed & wore the belt out to around 10mm wide (it diddnt snap, ally plate held it barely together)
Decent timing kit is £230, and as a garage mechanic I did it myself !!
Sorry for going off topic OP, hope you get yours sorted.

 

[monodude]

Hi Gmirth,
Looking at the pics to me its covering a lot of the bottom of the engine and looks quite oil around the top of the motor, the main thing will probably be the rocker cover gaskets. You will get a horrid smell from the heater vents as the oil drips onto the exhaust manifold. You should be able to run your finger around underneath where the gasket is located and see fresh oil on your finger. You need to make sure you order the kit for both banks as a lot of Audi dealers will give you the individual items (but then you will realize you cant get the coil pack seals separately) You need the rocker gaskets/ halfmoon seals and the coil pack seals. When you change them take the breather pipes off back to the PCV valve and get a bit of rag and push it through the pipes to clean them up. They get full of crud and chances are no one has ever touched them (put on normal jubilee clips when re installing as its easy to remove in future)

Give the motor a good clean to remove all traces of the old oil, then keep a check on the engine to see if there are any other leaks. The only other places it can come from is the rear main seal (you will see oil rear of the sump and over the bottom of the gearbox) and the front crankshaft main seal (this is at the front of the motor behind the rotor for the Aux belt.

p.s. just noticed that you engine mount sensor (grey connector) is hanging down, you will probably find you have a fault code for this too? The engine mounts can also leak oil as they are hydraulic mounts. But the oil on your motor looks like engine oil.

This is a pic of the engine mount and connector, I changed these last year when I put in a new starter motor.


Cheers

Al

 

[Cabbyfan]

I have a lowly 2.4 V6 but mine looks similar, its the rocker cover gaskets on my case. They harden with age and weep. Bit like me when I get a bill for my timing belt change compared to a 4 pot.