Hello I am currently replacing the timing belt on my '01 Allroad (tip, 2.7T, ~100k miles). It;s the same setup as my '01 S4 this is why I am reaching out to you S4 guys out there...

I noticed two things I have not seen on my previous Audis and current '01 S4:

1. oil leak engine left side: not exactly sure where it is coming from but it seems to drip through the engine mount, down on the sway bar and then on the floor; trying to localize the leak is hard because of visibility. It does not fell/look/smell like engine oil (may be tranny?) I am hoping by opening the front while doing the timing belt I could be more useful. I read other threads mentioning issues with valve cover leaks. Could that be the issue? If so, can one replace a gasket without replacing the engine? If it's a head gasket, same question as above.

2. While removing the bi-pipe and throttle boot (I am replacing them while I am in there) I noticed there was some oil in there and my heart started to panic a little. I don't a full understanding of turbo mechanics and I wonder if it is normal to have oil in some piping that seem to be (at least I thought) for air intake / cooling only. If this is not related to turbos, could that be related to my issue/leak in para 1 above?

Thanks a million in advance for all's your help.

Ginga52

 

Don't worry about the oil in the bipipes. 99.5% it's just condensed oil from blowby gases from the PCV system that feeds into your Y-pipe. If you want to clean it up, just put in an oil catch can.

 

thanks bings4!



I have a feeling it may be a torn engine mount because (now I realize) I hoisted the car from the transmission belly rather than the crossmember and my assumption is that the weight of the car may have been all on those engine mounts and one of them may have torn and that's why I saw oil (pinkish) dripping on the garage floor.

Questions:

1. Is it possible it's a torn mount which needs to now be replaced?

2. if so, how can this replacement be done "simply" without having to remove the entire engine?

3. what are the impacts of a bad mount on driving safety, component wear etc... would anyone highly suggest i get it replaced if the procedure is too complicated and time consuming?

I currently am done with the timing belt change and the spark plugs. While I have everything apart, this could be the opportunity to replace the mount (if it needs to be replaced) -- and possibly the other side, if this is recommended.

Thanks for the help all!

 

It could be an engine mount or tranny mount as these are filled with oil (and smells foul from what I remember) and these can crack an lose fluid.

You shouldnt have any problems with component wear or anything like that - the main purpose of the hydraulic mounts is to absorb engine vibrations and give you a quieter ride in the cabin. Plenty of people replace the mounts with something more solid to reduce slop from the stock mounts.

Replacing the valve cover gasket is no biggie. The head gasket requires substancially more work. Neither gasket requires replacing the engine although you might have to pull the motor (at least partially) to get clearance to remove the head.

You probably don't need to pull the motor entirely to remove the mounts but if that part of the Allroad is anything like the S4 it won't be that easy either. My guess is you would have to disconnect enough of the engine stuff, like fuel lines, coolant hoses, and so on, to get enough slack to lift the motor enough to remove and replace the bad mount.

My suggestion: if it is the mount that is leaking oil then the leak should stop pretty soon (there's not much in there). Clean it up and see if the leak continues and what volume of oil there is.

Don't bother doing all the work just to replace a bad mount. Both engine mounts on the our Passat had the same problem and we haven't had any problems other than a louder ride. Save that for when an engine pull becomes necessary.

 

Almost certainly you have a blown engine mount, which would explain the pinkish fluid. (At least I think it's pink - maybe purple?) Anyway, while you have the front off the car for the TB is the time to change the engine mounts. You'll have to remove (but not detach) the A/C motor to get to the driver side mount - I think the other can be done without removing too much. Replace them with 034 or Stern or something along those lines. They're not that expensive and now is the time to do it before you put everything back together. Driving with a bad mount will cause more wear and tear along the rest of the drivetrain.

Good luck!

 

I don't think the tranny mounts have oil in them. My stock tranny mounts were just rubber and I don't think they changed over the model years. The stock engine mounts do have oil though.

 

They do, at least the ones on the 2000 MY sedans do. I disassembled one of my stock tranny mounts just for the hell of it when I did the turbo swap ( I had 034 street density replacements). They are the same as the motor mounts just on a smaller scale - the top rubber portion extends into the base and rests on a small rubber foundation filled with some type of oil. It smelled like gear oil, only much more....pungent.

 

Huh, now I have to go tear mine apart for the fun of it...