adidamac

Hey people,

I recently bought a 2003 Audi A4 used done 87,000 miles. Its a 3.0 V6. I noticed an oil leak and got it shown to the service station that changed my oil, the official Audi dealer and another reputed mechanic. The Audi dealership diagnosed that the leak is either in the cam seals or in the 'adjusters'. They state that if the oil leak is due to cam seals the cost will be $2700 (which includes the cost to replace the timing belt and other maintenance; the seals themselves or only 20 bucks, 80% cost is labor).

If the leak is from the adjusters it will need new engine gears and adjusters, which will cost $6000 USD. They cannot determine where exactly the leak is from as both possibilities are very close to each other. He said this is an important fix to perform as the oil is leaking onto the timing belt, which will eventually slip then snap and lock down the engine.


The other reputed mechanic I took the car to said that they can't diagnose as the leak is from within the engine and will require special tools only Audi can provide.


I do not know what adjusters are. What is the probability that the leak is from cam seals and not adjusters? I'm not too sure but I think the leak only happens when the car is moving and not when the car is parked. The engine revvs and moves absolutely smoothly, no problems there. I feel there might be a reduction in acceleration capability, though it may just be my mind playing on it.

This will be a costly repair that is almost impossible for me to pay for. What are the chances I can attempt the repairs myself and where can I find the needed guides and manuals?

Any kind of help or tips will be really appreciated.

dxrustam

i JUST had this issue last week.
Took it to the dealership and they quoted me $1200.
I took it to my local shop and they did the job for $400

adidamac

dxrustam,

Thanks for your reply. You said you had this issue last week, could you be more specific? was the leak in the cam seals or the adjusters? Did the local shop diagnose in any way or tell you how to differentiate between the two possible problems?

Thanks once again

dxrustam

i was told that it was the cam adjuster seal that was leaking.
It was leaking pretty bad as well...my oil light came on.
I'm sorry but I cannot tell you what the differance is between the seal and the adjuster

cheeba

I'm not certain about the 3.0, but many VAG engines leak from the cam-chain tensioners. Unless they're buried and you have to drop the engine to change the cam-chain tensioner seals on the 3.0, $2700 for that and a timing belt is crazy. Post the actual cost you were quoted for just the seals. $6000 to replace the actual tensioners is robbery, no matter how much of a PITA job it is...

I obviously can't make a diagnosis over the internet, but if you're not getting any noise from your valvetrain, your problem is likely just the seals.

adidamac

Thanks for your reply!

The exact quote stated by the dealer said that if the problem is with the cam seals only, the total cost would be approximately $2700 (He would replace the timing belts and other nitty gritties which were affected by the leak). He said the seals themselves are dirt cheap the labour to get there and replace on a V6 is intensive.

If the adjusters are where the problem is at (i'm still not clear what the hell they are supposed to be) then it will need a change of the gears inside the engine. O_o


Regarding noise from the valvetrain...what exactly should I be trying to notice? I have revved the engine while standstill and it sounds absolutely smooth...refined....and I have actually revved it real hard a few times to the extent that the car literally bended to one end...but no signs of weakness...clean pure V6 symphony. It is possible however that I'm not able to make out the noise you state as the leak has been on the car ever since I bought it recently.