Oil leak

[timthetooth]

Chaps, I'm finally going have to get the oil leak fixed, as a very gentle weep is now accelerating to oil under the car when I park.

My question, is there anywhere near me that have experience with this job? I am located in Epping, Essex, just outside the M25 (About 1 'O' Clock if you understand analogue).

I have been to MRC Banbury for a remap, but it's a long way, especially if they need the car for more than a day.

How long does the job normally take?

Any info gladly received.

Tim

[don0301]

Try Forte seal conditioner. It's an oil additive, takes 300-500 miles to work as long as the seal isn't badly perished.

It's inert in the oil, but "re-conditions" rubber seals it comes into contact with.

It's trade only, but you will find on ebay, you will need 2 tubes (1 per 5l of oil)

[Jim Haseltine]

It's not a normal shaft seal because the drive shaft cover doesn't move, it's an O ring as is the seal at the other end of the cover. I thought I'd been supplied the wrong part as the replacement was a round section O rings but the old one appeared to be square section until it shattered into a number of pieces when I tried to remove it. Then I realised that heat and age had cooked it, so it had become like hard plastic.
Where ever you take the car the job will be at least a day*, even if they don't take the engine out.

* Anybody who can do it that quickly deserves all they get paid and more - it took me nearly that long just to put the pump back on the engine and that was with the LH exhaust manifold off and the air-con compressor floating on one very loose bolt.

[welwynnick]

Jim, did you do that engine in or engine out?

I've done work like that by supporting the engine and removing the subframe, but wondered whether it would work in this case. It's a job that every RS6 is going to have to face up to sooner or later.

Cheers, Nick

[don0301]

I've had my car 5 years now, was "diagnosed" "weeping" oil seal by audi so they didn't have to honour the warranty.

I've used Forte seal conditioner since, and had no problems.

My car "uses" between 0-250ml (ish) oil per year since. Which, to me, is neither here nor there.

As long as the seal hasn't perished this will allay the problem.

Been stage 2 since soon after owning the car, touch wood, no problems.

[Jim Haseltine]

Jim, did you do that engine in or engine out?

I've done work like that by supporting the engine and removing the subframe, but wondered whether it would work in this case. It's a job that every RS6 is going to have to face up to sooner or later.

Ah, well, sort of both.
I did it as part of my turbo r&r job, so the engine did get moved a couple of times. I got the pump off before I moved the engine to get the manifolds off and put it back on before I refitted them but both times the engine was physically mounted to the car as there was no way that I was going to work under it unsupported. There's a lot of stuff that has to be removed before you can get to the pump like the whole front end (radiators, coolers etc). I took the subframe off as well because I was going to pull the engine to get to the turbos but I reckon it would have had to come off anyway. And to get the subframe off you have to support the engine because the front bolts pass through the engine mount brackets and the design is such that you have to lower the engine by an inch or so in order to be able to get the frame out from between the mounts and the body. There's a sneaky little bracket towards the back of the left side of the pump which has to be removed (part 9 on https://nemigaparts.com/cat_spares/etka ... 41/115000/) from both the pump and the engine before you can move the pump and the top bolt (part 26) is not just awkward to get to, it's also got a very shallow 12-point socket which strips out very easily.
This is the most that I moved the engine in the entire job

and I've just noted that was back on May 14th. I've added many things to the job and had a lot more on my plate to deal with so I haven't yet got to the point of starting the engine - 4 months later. Still, commuting 250 miles a week in a 1.3 Yaris instead of the RS has saved me quite a bit in fuel costs.
Refitting the pump with the LH turbo in place would be pretty difficult tending to impossible IMO. And as I discovered, two of the LH manifold nuts need to be started on the studs before the manifold is tight to the head.

[timthetooth]

Thanks for the replies, interesting.

I must say I am wary of adding the Forte to the oil, is there any negatives to this?

Otherwise it seems like a trip to Banbury may be on the cards.

[don0301]

I did thorough research on Forte prior to using.

I even called their research centre for an enlightening chat.

Forte have an excellent international reputation, yes there have been some "internet experts on here" who slagged it off but I couldn't find one example of actual bad things.

They are trade only, and again have an excellent rep with trades that I have spoken with.

It is an option I took, do your own research.

As I said, this additive (they do many) is "inert" in the oil, ie it does not react with the oil at all, it only "re-conditions" any rubber seals it comes into contact with. If the seal is too far perished it is unlikely to work, it claims to take 3-500 miles to start working. My experience was less the first time.

When I first got my car it "used" over 1l in 2 weeks driving (over 2000 miles honeymoon and all that), now It uses between 0-250ml (ish) per year (annual oil change), £30 a year well spent in my view. I do one small top up (if at all) per year now.


Just to be clear, I see this as preventative treatment, due to the nature of this car, and the heat it produces in the engine bay, I think it will be inevitable that sooner or later I will have an engine out fix everything in one go type repair (if I have the car long enough), I think this likely for most if not all people.

[timthetooth]

Cheers for that Don.

[P300]

I've just had mine done at MRC along with coolant lines, bush replacement and other issues they found in there. It took 2 weeks and wasn't cheap but the car feels great now and it's good to have sorted all the other niggles while it was apart.

[Badassgermanlook]

I had AMD in Thurrock do mine who came in cheaper than anywhere else and they have done quite a few.