FW: A6 oil leak

[Brendan K Walsh]

The other option is to find someone with a TIG welder, or maybe
alumalloy...
Lol
Seriously, I agree with the threaded plug, a ball bearing seems like you
may run the risk of it falling out over time from the expansion and
contraction of the metal. Then you have a real problem, what do you do
press in a bigger bearing? Or get a new head? I'd put in the threaded
plug or bite the bullet and start saving for a new head...
02

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Arman [mailto:armanmik at earthlink.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 4:23 PM
To: 
Subject: A6 oil leak


>"Edward R. Wendell IV" <erwendell at mac.com>
>Subject: Re: A6 oil leak
>
>I don't know if it's a similar issue but a friend of mine has an 98 A4
>V6 that leaks oil out of the back of the head. Audi used a ball bearing
>pressed into the end of the oil passage in order to seal it and in his
>case it just doesn't do the job. His only option is to get a new head
>so he just lives with it.


"Only option"? Maybe at the stealership . . .

That might be Audi's answer, but I think I'd try to avoid buying a new
head 
over something this simple.

If the ball bearing is deeply seated, clean the area, run a flat-bottom
tap 
into the hole, and install a threaded plug (a "bolt?") using some red
loctite.

If the ball bearing is accessible, remove it, run a tap into the hole,
run 
the engine a few moments to blow out the chips (yes, it's messy, but you

don't want those chips inside the engine), clean it real well, tap and
plug 
as above.

If there is no working room at the back of the head, you may have to
pull 
it to do this - but you'd have to pull it anyway to replace it, and a 
threaded plug is going to be WAY cheaper than a complete cylinder head.

Best Regards,
Mike Arman