Oil Leak - Don't think it's the usual one

[Jim Haseltine]

Yesterday morning I noticed a couple of runs of oil around the LH front wheel of RS and some other patches around where I park it which I assumed were from the pump shaft seal. Cleaned them up as well as I could in between the sleet showers but their positions played on my mind over night.
This morning there was another patch - almost directly under the LH headlight. Looking under the car and yes, it's dripping from the back of the undertray as it has done for sometime but it's also dripping from the front - a mixture of dirty oil and from the colour, washer fluid.
I've taken the tray off and it's covered on the left side with quite a patch at the front end but I can't see anything obviously leaking although the lines that run behind that corner of the bumper cover are covered. The car sits slightly nose high when it's parked up so it's not oil running from the back of the tray.
A while back I drained the intercooler pipe that side but it's not leaking from there - the pipe joint is bone dry as is the oil drain plug. Only recent work on that side of the car has been when I fitted new discs and Phaeton ducts.
Probably a long shot - but has anybody any idea where the oil is coming from?

[ATinOf]

You've probably already considered these but I'd look at;
Bottom Oil cooler connection
Power Steering cooler connection
L/H Turbo oil feed/return
Rocker cover seating
I cant think of any other sources in that vacinity

[Jim Haseltine]

Everything I could see (with the exception of the lines at the bottom of the bumper - which I suspect may be air-con but I haven't identified them for certain yet) is oil free. Not that I could see much anyway as I couldn't find a working inspection light. Just to clarify, the oil is pretty obviously used engine oil.

[Jim Haseltine]

Been thinking about this all afternoon and have decided on a plan of action - mainly because I've had enough of the leak from the pump shaft.
I've left the tray off so when I get home tomorrow I'll see if there's any more dropped at the front end, run the engine and see if there's anything leaking there. If there is, I'll deal with it. It's due a MoT in 3 weeks so I'll degrease it, get it tested early then take it off the road, book a few days leave when the weather forecast is reasonable and deal with the shaft seals.

[Jim Haseltine]

Well, all it's dropped overnight is a patch of what appears to be washer fluid with a very small spot of oil which I'm hoping is just a bit of the mess draining off. I'm now thinking (or hoping) that there's a small leak from the headlamp washer which has been mixing with oil dropped onto the tray from the pump shaft.

[Stiggles]

My passenger headlight washer jet feed had a split in it when it went for the oil pump seal, it would leave puddles of washer fluid on the floor, Audi attempted to fix it, but they didn't do a good job so it was resolved independently. They also missed the oil leaking from my crank oil seal so now I've to get the front end stripped off to replace that one... Useless is an understatement

[Underachiever]

My passenger headlight washer jet feed had a split in it when it went for the oil pump seal, it would leave puddles of washer fluid on the floor, Audi attempted to fix it, but they didn't do a good job so it was resolved independently. They also missed the oil leaking from my crank oil seal so now I've to get the front end stripped off to replace that one... Useless is an understatement

Unit 20 noticed that my crank oil seal was leaking. Turned out it was my oil filter housing seal leaking. Take a close look at the block through the inlet manifold. It fills up and drops off the front of the engine and hits the crankshaft pulley, throwing it everywhere. Fitting the o/s top radiator hose was a chore.

[Stiggles]

My passenger headlight washer jet feed had a split in it when it went for the oil pump seal, it would leave puddles of washer fluid on the floor, Audi attempted to fix it, but they didn't do a good job so it was resolved independently. They also missed the oil leaking from my crank oil seal so now I've to get the front end stripped off to replace that one... Useless is an understatement

Unit 20 noticed that my crank oil seal was leaking. Turned out it was my oil filter housing seal leaking. Take a close look at the block through the inlet manifold. It fills up and drops off the front of the engine and hits the crankshaft pulley, throwing it everywhere. Fitting the o/s top radiator hose was a chore.

Will get a look around the filter housing and inlet before going for the crank seal, would I be correct imagining the crank seal is still a problematic issue?

The oil on mine was distributed in a very similar way to how you've described so hopefully it is that. Thanks!

[Stiggles]

Update, looking through the inlet manifold tonight I noticed puddles of oil at the upper section so imagine this is the filter housing seal issue.

[c3nturi0n]

Recently I noticed ever so small patch around my driver side intercooler... washed it, changed the hose + clips and it's been fine thus far.

Worth checking if that is / could be something that you have had...

[Underachiever]

Update, looking through the inlet manifold tonight I noticed puddles of oil at the upper section so imagine this is the filter housing seal issue.

I replaced my crankshaft oil seal before realising it was my oil filter housing seal. Once I had the rads off, you could see the oil thrown around off the pulley. Still count really see where it was coming from, so cleaned up, new seal and aux belt but still leaked. Searched the net and found it quite common on the s6.
If you slide forward the engine trim (think it says v10) grab a torch and you can see where it leaks over the front of the block, down towards the pulley.

[Jim Haseltine]

Planned to remove bumper to chase this today - and an odd rythmnic thump (about once every couple of seconds) that I noticed last night. Very odd, seemed to becoming fron just behind the radiator by the RH headlight and continued a couple of thumps after the engine stopped.
So, bumper off, found what I think is the leak - well more than one; every joint in the headlamp washer pipes is leaking or weeping and so is the gear box cooler pipe connection. They should be easily fixed once I've got hold of some clips.
Then on to the thump. Very odd, seemed to be coming from the RH airbox, so pulled the filter which had a bit of oil on it. Refitted the inlet pipe without the filter or airbox cover - still thumping and comming from the turbo hose. Hang on, it's more of a 'glug' than a thump - intercooler hose off and loads of oil poured out (despite me cleaning it out a few months back). Measured it, - well over 700mL. So that's where the oil went when I replaced the cv joint last month. Now I need to work out how it got there - pcv blockage?

[Jim Haseltine]

Pulled the intercoolers - that was a fun job. All 4 of the lower airduct bolts sheared off as soon as I looked at them that's nothing - the big gaps at the front of the car have revealled that somebody has been in there in the past and lost/damaged a few things. And the forward most upper exhaust stud on the right hand bank has sheared level with the head - at least it's one that I might be able to replace in situ.

[Jim Haseltine]

AAAnnnnddd.... theres a hole in the left intercooler.

[IanH755]

Ouch - Every owner must go through this, were you think the car is fine but when you reeeealy start looking, well then all the nightmares start!