slowdown_kid

Hello everybody!

I'm new to the forum, as well as Audis in general. I just purchased a used '01 A6 Quattro Avant 2.8L last week, and a few days ago I noticed a bit of smoke coming from underneath the engine after I had parked back at my house. I checked the oil numerous times, and the level does not seem to be changing, and the vehicle is not overheating.

The smoke seemed to be coming from the underside of the engine, mostly from the passenger side. There was a little smoke coming from the driver's side as well, though. Off and on there will be a smelling that is very similar to burning brakes, kind of rubbery, but this is not always accompanied with the smoke.

I haven't noticed any performance issues, although last night when I went to start it up it would die as soon as it turned over. I pumped the gas slightly and it fired right up without a problem.

Does anyone have an idea as to what this might be? I have an appointment with a mechanic tomorrow morning, but I am worried as to whether or not I should be driving with this issue, or how much I can drive it. If it is a problem that can be fixed for under $500 I'm not gonna sweat it, but any more than that and I might have to hold off on the repair. Any info or suggestions would be very appreciated.

Thanks! I know this is one of the joys of owning a used vehicle, but I love this car otherwise and want to make sure it has a very long life.

GTA_Driver

Gaskets are seeping oil. Could be the valve cover gasket or cam/crank plug seals. You won't see a huge drop in oil level if they are leaking. You can drive withthese, a most Audis on the road have this malady.

As for the engine dying, get the mechanic to scan for fault codes.

KingHamer

I had the same damn problem.

Its definitely your gaskets as the guy before me said. Mine was the gasket on my transmission pan, so be sure to have that checked too! Lucky for me I have a mechanic that did a full transmission flush and cleaned my under carriage for just $165. I owe that man a beer or two!

thing about Audis and service, its not gonna be cheap :/ So be ready for that. I plan to always have $2500 in my savings just in case something goes wrong, any major repair will be around that. Go to Autozone or O'Reillys and ask them to check the codes for you IF your mechanic doesn't do so with a scan tool, at Autozone they print off individual slips of each error code you can take with you, and offer advice. Not all employees are the best, so you never know what you will get.

Best of luck! I don't know a whole lot, but I try to help when I can.

GTA Driver, I am not discrediting you in anyway, just offering what worked for me.

slowdown_kid

Thanks guys. Got the car looked at, they said my valve cover gaskets are seeping, and they've got silicone sealant smeared all over them. Someone tried to take the easy way out, it looks like. Anyways, I'm getting those replaced next week. Only $250, so not a big deal. However, they told me that I most likely need a timing belt change as well, since I'm at 109,000 miles. Unfortunately the shop quoted me $2800 to do that, so that is going to have to wait until next summer (I work in a restaurant in a tourist-driven town, so money's better then).

This brings up another questions. According to the Carfax, my car was sold as an Audi certified Pre-Owned vehicle at about 40,000 miles. I'm assuming that because it was still under 75,000, the timing belt was probably left alone at this time. Is that a safe assumption?

I'm sure I'll be back on here for advice often. I've got a number of little kinks to work out on this thing. I'm planning on doing some study on this car so I can do as much as possible on my own.

Prospeeder

make sure they do rear cam plugs and chain tensioners if there doing valve covers. I can garentee its not just valve covers leaking....

GTA_Driver

That is very steep for a TB job. The job itself shouldn't be more than $1500 TOPS, and that's parts AND labour, and good quality OEM parts. With valve cover gaskets (usually 150-200 per side from indy shops), and other seals it may run up to more, but ask them how they arrived at $2800.

Check with an Audi dealer if he has any record of a TB change. If not, assume the worst, and at 110K miles, you should plan on doing it ASAP.

Try to shop around, find another indy shop that works on Audis and get a second quote. Mention valve cover gaskets, as well as cam and crank plug seals.

slowdown_kid

Two shops I've contacted have told me that they can't do cam or crank plug seals without removing the timing belt, so they won't do them. I'm in a pretty small town, so I'm trying to get quotes from shops in Seattle and Wenatchee now.

Is having the cam and crank plug seals going to drive up the price much more than having just the valve cover done? I've got to do as much of this on a budget as possible, but I want to make sure to take care of as much as I can right now as well.

GTA_Driver

Has the timing belt been done on the car, ever? If not, consider doing it, along with all seals.

If the TB has been done recently, you can drive the car with leaky gaskets, until it's time to do the TB again. Just keep an eye on your oil level.

A shopping should be able to do the entire TB kit (with water pump, thermostat, tensioner, serpentine belt, etc...) and all the seals for about 2K. More or less. Shop around and get a qualified indy shop do it that knows Audis.

slowdown_kid

Thanks a ton! I now know what I'm looking at, and I feel like I've got a much better shot at not getting screwed by some shady mechanics. Thanks for the help and warm welcome GTA Driver!