Smoking Turbos on Allroad??
 

I'm looking for your thoughts on this potential Allroad purchase so I'll give a brief description of the vehicle and the issues I see including the smoking thing I am unsure of.

- 2002 with 146,000 kms
- 6 sp with all the normal cool things they seem to always have
- new clutch
- new turbos at 130kms
- new cv's on front right
- new air bag for front right
- It's a friend that currently owns it and he is the 2nd owner and I have all the history of the vehicle. We havent solidified a price yet but it will be in the neighborhood of $15 - $17k cdn.
- I feel a slight shimmy in the wheel and a bit of noise from the right front wheel that i think may be a rotor.
- This is the one I'm worried about: when i stop and get out of the car, I can smell burning oil, burning as in oil dripping onto exhaust, not as in the engine burns oil. Any thoughts as to what this is? The car was parked for 5 weeks and there is no sign of oil on the ground so it must only leak from somewhere while running and/or it is not enough to leave a puddle on the ground. I also cant see anything visually from the engine bay.

Any thoughts on the burning oil smell and if this seems like a decent deal for this car. Thank you.

Re: Smoking Turbos on Allroad??
 

well i can say there won't be oil on the ground because all audi's i believe have under body panels, so the oil would drip onto that if anything

Re: Smoking Turbos on Allroad??
 

thump426er - the oil burning smell should be diagnosed thoroghly - it could mean a leak in the turbocharger oil supply and return line and if oil is going into either the turbine or compressor, this is not good for the engine and certainly not for the affected turbo(s) as it will not be getting adequate lubrication.
As for the shimmy, if this AR has those fancy twin-spoke wheels - try washing them between the spokes and then drive it again. They are notorious for collecting dirt and causing an imbalance. Other than that it can be rotors or in need of an alignment.

Added later: Also check out Allroad FAQ website and mine for expert advice here: Audiworld Allroad forum.

Re: Smoking Turbos on Allroad??
 

Oil burning on hot exhaust smell is commonly valve cover / cam tensioner / cam plugs starting to weep oil when under boost. The 2.7T crankcase gets slightly pressurized under boost and weak seals start to sweat enough oil to drip onto hot exhaust but not enough to leave a puddle. Check all around valve covers and the back face of the heads for fresh oil sweat, look straight down between engine and firewall to see downpipes, pull intake box to see pass exhaust mani, etc. Hose it down with Brake Clean if needed, then drive and recheck for drips (that's what the dealer would do).

Shimmy could be a few things, check tie rod ends and front links for play, wheel balance, Hunter Road Force test the tire for bruising, etc.

Good Luck!

Re: Smoking Turbos on Allroad??
 

Thanks for the info, I'll start by pulling more things apart to see more of what could be leaking. We'll see what happens.

Re: Smoking Turbos on Allroad??
 

Could be a leaky center differential plug, Mine does that only after getting in from a long drive, but never drips on the floor. It started after i changed the center fluid. It drips on the Cats.