AudiGang

I recently bought a 2001 Audi A6 Quattro 4.2L and I love it! But my dream quickly turned into a nightmare soon after. The problem started with an oil leak. I bought valve cover gaskets and the repair shop I went to said that wasn't the problem and told me take the parts back. After "tightening a loose part" he sent me on my way with the problem seemingly gone. He informed me of a coolant leak as well. A few days later the problem returned and was worse. The engine began to sputter abf thick clouds of white smoke with a burning smell come from the exhaust. A friend informed me that I may need new head gaskets. I began to call repair shops and one mechanic told me if I replace the head gaskets in about a year I will need a whole new engine because my engine already has 146,000mi on it. I'm really bummed because I love this car and I don't want to get rid of it so if you guys could give me some type of advice as to what I should do (besides divorcing my love lol) I would be extremely grateful. Thanks guys

Grapeking

The 4.2 engine is quite robust and most here seem to have very few issues with the longevity of the engine. You are at 146,000 which really is not that high a number.....assuming, of course, that the previous owner took proper care of the engine. So that wild card makes it anyone's guess as to what the likely outcome is.

N_Jay

If both head gaskets went at the same time, I would suspect an overheating event.

How bad was the coolant leak?

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Darn 4.2 has a few likely places:
1. Crossover pipe between banks, at back of engine. Have to pull intake manifold to get it off and put in new O-rings. But you should be able to SEE it leaking there with the engine cover off.
2. Pipe from that crossover pipe to the front of the passenger side head. There is an O-ring from the t-out on the crossover to this pipe…the pipe can only be accessed with the intake manifold off. This pipe/O-ring often wears or leaks if someone diddled with the crossover pipe in the back without removing the intake manifold and replacing the O-ring.
3. Oil cooler coolant transfer pipe..it's in the oil cooler assembly on the rhs of the engine…takes about 10-12 hours to remove the first time you do it, took me about 6 hours the second time.
4. Plastic tube from expansion tank to upper radiator hose. If it's 10 years old, just replace it. Because it WILL break when you move the expansion tank out of the way for something.
5. Expansion tank itself…they seem to last 5-7 years and then 2-5 yrs after that…don't ask.

Head gaskets, not so much. Unless you have a clean piston top (look in the spark plug hole with a borescope) or steam coming out the tailpipe (big steam!) and are in danger of a hydrolock, chances are head gasket isn't blown.
There are also testers that can sense ($50 or so, good for 20-30 tests, more you buy more test fluid) exhaust gases in the coolant that are indicative of a head gasket leak.

jseklund

I don't know WHY he would say replacing the head gasket will cause the engine to fail in a year? Sounds like an idiot mechanic to me.

You can do a compression test and see if you have a leaking head gasket - that is where I would start. You may just have an oil leak that is coming out onto the exhaust and burning....

I've never worked on the 4.2 engine - but the 2.7T has a "spider hose" which is part of the PCV system that clogs. It will cause those same smoking exhaust symptoms...badly. I mean, clouds of smoke and you can't see the car behind you.

I would do a compression test, and then check for oil leaks, and then check your PCV system. Also, pull codes. And finally, you may want a new mechanic...

AudiGang

Thanks everyone for all the help and you guys have given me new hope. A new mechanic told me it's not the head gaskets for several reasons one being that the car doesn't overheat and still runs good. The problem is white smoke out of the exhaust which prevents me from seeing behind me and is extremely embarrassing due to the fact that it's a really nice car even better than my 99 Audi A6 Quattro 2.8T. The new guy told me it is most likely my valve cover gaskets or a seal somewhere deep down that has been damaged. There is an obvious leak coming from these gaskets and I was informed that upon replacement the problem should be no more. However if ths doesn't work I will attempt to do a compression test along with an oil leak test to see exactly what's leaking. Hopefully the can shaft seal will be what fixes the problem. As for the Coolant leak I believe a new coolant reservoir will solve that problem. I hope this works lol thanks guys!

AudiGang

Ok so i replaced the valve cover gasket sets on both sides (including the rings that came with the set) and the radiator overflow tank. And its still smoking. The mechanic told me it could either be the pcv or a plastic piece underneath the heads. I'm totally lost now and I thought I had it fixed. Now I'm ordering the pcv valve or pcv suction pump and hopefully that will be the end of this fiasco. Thanks for any and all help guys.

AudiGang

I've tried several stores and they assure me that ths part is not available for my car. I looked online and can clearly see the part exists. My question is is this part on the 2001A6 Quattro 4.2l model and if so would replacing that fix the smoking or would I need head gasket seals or something? Please help

Airbag

of course a lot of it depends what is causing the smoking in the first plac e. it seems to me this thread is all over the place . I would be backing the truck up a whole ton .

firstly . is smoke coming from tail pipe or just from the engine ?
is the smoke white or blue , does it smell sweet or is it blueish ( hard to tell as the cats weill be working overtime ).
are you sure it isnt just condensation for the change in weather ...

there is no "magic" bullet for smoke such as if i swap this part will i fix it. depending what you are seeing "smoke" from the tailpipe could be

- oil drawmn into the combustion chamber . PCV issue
- bad rings
bad valve guides
head gasket ( although likely to be white steam )


i think there are some good troubleshooting tips here but dont get lost looking for the magic bullet.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

try the audi dealer or ecstuning. the pcv valve is that round thingy in the back of the engine right behind the intake manifold about 4" in diameter.