MrKid

I had a burning smell from the motor and some leaks. When I got under the hood, I could see it was coming from the rear pass. coil pack. Oil was actually bubbling out from around the seal. I have the gaskets on order.

Now, while the top of the engine is accessible, what else should I do? I plan on replacing any vacuum lines that are showing signs of wear. I'm also going to powder coat the valve covers and intercooler tubes...just because I can

Also, the tubes coming out of the intercooler was slid in with some sort of grease sealing it. Is this right, and what should I use to re-install?

John535is

Do you have the cam chain tensioner tool?
You need one to install the replacement gasket and half moon under the chain tensioner.
Really simple tool but almost impossible without it.
Check the vacuum lines from the kombi valves that run across the rear of the valve covers.
They have a fixed line with a swaged connection to a flexible end. If the flex is ruptured you can cut the swaged clamp off with a die grinder and just use vacuum hose and a clamp because the replacement hoses are over $70.
There is also a little plastic T piece for the vacuum lines from the kombi valves almost dead centre at the rear of the motor. Can't remember the size but it's like 4 or 5 mm.

Otherwise just be carefull of the hard plastic vacuum line that goes to the brake booster when your moving this around. Mine broke and they are not cheap.

MrKid

I didn't plan on replacing the gasket or half moon. The leak is isolated to the rings around the spark plugs, and lower rear corner of the valve cover. I see no oil seeping from the back of the head. Is this more common to fail than the valve cover, or just something to do "while you're in there"?
I have seen the chain tensioner, and it seems pretty easy to machine one up on my miller.
All of the vacuum lines are really good shape except for two that have a braided coating, and the one 90 degree elbow I mentioned. The car has excellent service records from a dealer, so some may have been replaced.

John535is

If you buy a 'kit' not just the gasket, it will come with the half moon and the tensioner gasket. I have done them on my 2004 2.7T and on the 2005 1.8T A4. Both times the half moon was in pretty poor shape after 10 years.

MrKid

I bought the gaskets only. They came off the car in pieces. The half moons look new. Wonder if they were done recently, and the mechanic used cheap gaskets. Very brittle, and no sealant in the corners.

I have bigger issues now. The lower front driver side valve cover nut dropped "somewhere". I figured it went into the lower turbo tube, but I ran a magnet all the way back, and didn't pick it up. No way in hell am I starting the car until I find it. I think I may try lifting the motor on one side, or hanging the engine from a hoist to drop the sub frame. I don't want fire the car up and have it sound like a Coinstar machine.

Prospeeder

Make sure you do the rear camshaft bore plugs on the back of each head. Or it will stink and leak again in short time. They leak alot on these. As well as the chain tensioner gaskets but you say they look new so.

As far as the valve cover nut falling. That sucks man, You never know if it just went into the abyss under the car harmlessly or not. I always will stuff a rag in each of those pipes heading to the turbos for this very reason.

MrKid

Now that I'm tearing into the engine to find a god @$#% nut, I'm going to replace as much as I can. I have the bumper in the service position. Tomorrow I'm going to to unbolt the mount on the driver side and rock the engine to the passenger side. This will let me get the pipe out, and hopefully find the nut. I can also foam the entire side of the engine that is currently caked with oil. It's unbelievable. I can't even see the hose clamps on the lower oil lines. "While i'm in there" is turning into a outside rebuild of all lines and hoses. I will order the plugs for the back of the head, and do the tensioners just in case. This is a nightmare...

MrKid

So I finally decided to just take the entire front end off the car. I left the ac and power steering lines intact, and just laid the entire assembly in front of the car. Good thing I did this. I found a coolant line that was cut all the way to the braiding. Under the grease and grime, with the nose on the car, I never would have caught this until it let loose on the highway in the middle of the August heat. I finally found the valve cover nut. It had bounced all the way down the lower tube, and was casually resting on the lip of the turbo...

John535is

So since you have the front off, it's good opportunity to check the fan for cracks. Plenty of discussions on here about them, long story short, the plastic fan can crack with age and is a bit of a pain to replace, but if the front is off it's an opportunity to at least check it if you haven't already. If it breaks while in operation it can be detrimental to the radiator. Lots of discussions about what to replace the fan with if its cracked, the Allroad replacement fan is expensive, the A6 fan is a lot cheaper but you need to replace the fan clutch as well as they have a different bolt arrangement, then there's always aftermarket electric if you feel the need. Anyway, check it for cracks while you have the opportunity.
Good catch on the 'casual' valve cover nut, well done.

MrKid

Thanks.

The fan is cracked between each blade. I have read that this is a back-up fan? Is it necessary to replace it, or can I just remove it all together? If it is needed, I'll just go multi speed electric. I may be able to free up a whole HP or two without the clutch fan