Oil leak from passenger side valve cover- cam seal?
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Oil leak from passenger side valve cover- cam seal?
Hello Everyone,
I just got a 1993 90cs for my sister- it's the first Audi I've had experience with. It's a great car- to be honest, I was surprised, because I'm admittedly a BMW fan. I have a fair bit of experience (side-job) working on Bimmers, Land Rovers, and Mercedes, but VW/Audi is new to me.
Anyway, on to my question:
The 90cs is shockingly dry- it didn't have any leakage or seepage when we got it, but several days later it has sprung a considerably large leak on the passenger side of the engine. I traced it back to the rear of the valve cover- it's coming from a circular metal plate on the back, held in place by two bolts, probably about 3" in diameter.
Is this is a simple cam seal leak? Just pull the cover off and replace the seal?
I just got a 1993 90cs for my sister- it's the first Audi I've had experience with. It's a great car- to be honest, I was surprised, because I'm admittedly a BMW fan. I have a fair bit of experience (side-job) working on Bimmers, Land Rovers, and Mercedes, but VW/Audi is new to me.
Anyway, on to my question:
The 90cs is shockingly dry- it didn't have any leakage or seepage when we got it, but several days later it has sprung a considerably large leak on the passenger side of the engine. I traced it back to the rear of the valve cover- it's coming from a circular metal plate on the back, held in place by two bolts, probably about 3" in diameter.
Is this is a simple cam seal leak? Just pull the cover off and replace the seal?
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From: Charlotte, NC
Welcome to the Forum. At the top of the page, go to Resources, Tech Articles, Engine. Then scroll down to 80/90 12V V6 Timing Belt/pump/seals. About 3/4 of the way into the article are the cam seals, but just the fronts. Rears are the same. Audi has a group of specialty tools to remove and install the seal but the author shows how to do it on the cheap. You won't need to remove the valve cover. There is a note in the manual that says don't lubricate the seal when you install it.
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Thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately that is not the case with this engine; I removed the cover tonight and there isn't a seal that I can find. Here's a photo:
Is the seal behind that black cap? If so, how do I remove it?
I feel a little bit dense here... I'm thinking the valve cover gasket was leaking too, but I'd like to replace the rear cam seal while I'm back here if there is such a thing.
Is the seal behind that black cap? If so, how do I remove it?
I feel a little bit dense here... I'm thinking the valve cover gasket was leaking too, but I'd like to replace the rear cam seal while I'm back here if there is such a thing.
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From: Charlotte, NC
I did not replace my cam seals when I did my head gasket job, so I yield to someone who has. However, I'm thinking your cam seal may be missing. Looking at the diagrams from the manual, there's just not that much else in there, and everything in the photo looks like metal.
Last edited by hubturn; Nov 10, 2011 at 07:41 PM.
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Yeah, I suspect its behind the cap or underneath the camshaft bracket, but I don't want to put too much force on that cap until I verify that it is indeed a cap. Hopefully someone will chime in soon.
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I looked at Mitchell at work today. Turns out the rear cam seal is just the o-ring on the dust cap - the silver one that's on the back of the head. The black round object in the photo is the end of the camshaft.
Removed the old, cracked o-ring and replaced it with a new one (223mm?) and replaced the seemingly original valve cover gasket. Bone dry!
Removed the old, cracked o-ring and replaced it with a new one (223mm?) and replaced the seemingly original valve cover gasket. Bone dry!
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