Q7 Oil reading and consumption issue...

[j4g3d]

I have a 4.2 8v TDI...

Recently i've started to get the MIN oil warning light appear on the dash. This started happening once every 2 months or so, now its happening every 2 or 3 days after topping up oil. In less than 800 miles ive put in 1 litre of oil!. I've had the car for 13 months its a 2007 and its only started happening in the last 3 months.

The dipstick reading is TRULY AWFUL on this car. Its hard to read exactly what it is.

After topping up a bit the reading is all over the place. I can't work it out. Manual states to leave it on a flat surface and read it 20 mins after a warm engine. I am following the manual perfectly fine.

Here is a dipstick reading on a flat level surface with the engine warm (as instructed in the user manual). This is ONE reading, and a picture of each side of the dipstick!.......

http://i.imgur.com/KidFOJ8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WuWtjKQ.jpg

The engine tray is bone dry, so its not leaking oil anywhere.

But where is this oil going?.

Why is the dipstick near impossible to read properly?.

Hope i can get some help as i've posted on another audi forum in the Q7 section but its been 18 days and zero replies!.

 

[Mario]

Are you taking the dipstick out, wiping it with a clean paper towel then putting it back in and taking it out again to get a proper reading? That is what you are supposed to do. You can't just take the dipstick out and read it off without wiping it and putting it back in again otherwise it will give funny readings like you are seeing.

As for where the oil is going, if it's not leaking out then it has to be burning it, and if the engine is burning oil that's a sign of worn piston rings (valve stems won't cause it to consume as much oil as you are seeing) and the fix is a full engine rebuild at big ££££

Are you seeing any blue smoke out of the rear of the exhaust?

Check your owners manual, but Audi do say on most engines that UP TO 1L of oil every 1000km is "normal" (not in my world, but it's what their official line is). 1000km is 621 miles, so if you have put in 1L over 800 miles (1287 km) then it may be within Audi spec. Still too much in my books though!

Again, check your owners manual for confirmation, but if it has just started recently then obviously it's a signed of engine wear, but if it's within the spec listed in your owners manua, it's will probably just have to be something you need to live with unless you want to spend circa £3000 - £5000 on an engine rebuild. Getting it done at an independent or getting a good used engine may be cheaper, but I'm sure those are the Audi prices for a rebuild.

 

[Retroman]

Whilst I do not know your mileage, it is generally unusual for a big diesel engine to suddenly start burning engine oil through internal wear. These big Audi diesel V8s have a bullet proof reputation. Some cars have very difficult to read dipsticks - Toyota for example have some models with almost horizontal, whippy dip-sticks where it is recommended taking a reading after the car has stood overnight on a level surface. Your second picture looks to me like oil is still travelling back to the sump. I would try a morning reading after the car has stood level overnight.

Sudden high engine oil usage can sometimes denote a turbo seal problem with the result that oil gets chucked back into the combustion process to burn, resulting in a noticeable performance drop and pale exhaust smoke.

 

[j4g3d]

Are you taking the dipstick out, wiping it with a clean paper towel then putting it back in and taking it out again to get a proper reading? That is what you are supposed to do. You can't just take the dipstick out and read it off without wiping it and putting it back in again otherwise it will give funny readings like you are seeing.

As for where the oil is going, if it's not leaking out then it has to be burning it, and if the engine is burning oil that's a sign of worn piston rings (valve stems won't cause it to consume as much oil as you are seeing) and the fix is a full engine rebuild at big ££££

Are you seeing any blue smoke out of the rear of the exhaust?

Check your owners manual, but Audi do say on most engines that UP TO 1L of oil every 1000km is "normal" (not in my world, but it's what their official line is). 1000km is 621 miles, so if you have put in 1L over 800 miles (1287 km) then it may be within Audi spec. Still too much in my books though!

Again, check your owners manual for confirmation, but if it has just started recently then obviously it's a signed of engine wear, but if it's within the spec listed in your owners manua, it's will probably just have to be something you need to live with unless you want to spend circa £3000 - £5000 on an engine rebuild. Getting it done at an independent or getting a good used engine may be cheaper, but I'm sure those are the Audi prices for a rebuild.

Yep, several times i remove the dipstick, clean then put back in. I get the same dodgy readings.

WOW thats crazy 1 litre of oil every 621 miles. I will check my owners manual on that.

 

[j4g3d]

Whilst I do not know your mileage, it is generally unusual for a big diesel engine to suddenly start burning engine oil through internal wear. These big Audi diesel V8s have a bullet proof reputation. Some cars have very difficult to read dipsticks - Toyota for example have some models with almost horizontal, whippy dip-sticks where it is recommended taking a reading after the car has stood overnight on a level surface. Your second picture looks to me like oil is still travelling back to the sump. I would try a morning reading after the car has stood level overnight.

Sudden high engine oil usage can sometimes denote a turbo seal problem with the result that oil gets chucked back into the combustion process to burn, resulting in a noticeable performance drop and pale exhaust smoke.

Definitely no blue/pale smoke from the car.

I will top the oil up again and see how it performs.