A4 Avant spewing oil

[Thomas G. Leppke-Hennig]

>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:02:30 -0500
> From: "Bares, Vittorio" <Vittorio.Bares at nuance.com>
> Subject: A4 Avant spewing oil
> To: <quattro at audifans.com>
> Message-ID:
> 	<624BC75DA4460545849070E141EBCD6B06D2C951 at BN-EXCH01.nuance.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi List:
>
>
>
> Today the A4 Avant started spilling oil like it was going out of style,
> which I suppose in the big picture it is.
>
>
>
> Followed my wifes oil trail to where she was parked xmas shopping, about
> 2.5 miles from home. Drip started in the driveway...
>
>
>
> We put oil in it and drove home. Looks like its coming from around the
> oil cooler - not the filter. I cleaned the oil and ran the car - oil is
> definitely coming from north of the filter.
>
>
>
> Its been bad cold up here in NE the last week.
>
>
>
> Any experience in terms of common failures around this - what should I
> expect to find when I start taking it apart?
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Vittorio -
>
>


You didn't mention the year or the engine, so we cannot be sure, but the
most common cause of such a leak is the o-ring behind the oil cooler. (No
oil lines on these coolers, just coolant lines.) The oil-cooler is also
the mount boss for the filter on some/most (unspecified) years and models
of VAG products. After many on/ off cycles of the oil filter, they can
come loose.

The fix is: Take off the filter, tighten the thin 'lock-nut ' that is
under the filter, holding on the oil cooler, re-install the filter, start
it and see if the leak stopped. Really, it should all get disassembled and
checked out and a new o-ring put in, but that is up to you how much of a
project you want to make of it.

Actually, take it apart to make sure the o-ring isn't cracked or slipped
out of position. Make a project out of it.

Tom LH
1995 90q