Low oil warning, EGR valve leaking oil, burning oil smell - please help!

**toff** · 06-01-2012,05:06 AM

Hi,

A warning popped-up today telling me that my oil had reached the minimum level.

I pulled over and topped-up (she's done 165k, so it makes sense to carry some oil, although I've never needed it before!)

Having done this, the warning light went off. Shortly afterwards, there was a strong smell of burning oil. I noticed that the area below EGR valve was "wet" with oil:

I know they are renound for leaking a little oil (due to the pressure they're under etc) but it looks as if the oil is coming out (more than a few drips) and leaking onto the exhaust manifold below - hence the burning oil smell.

Is there gasket or an o-ring that is known to fail / need replacing in due course?

Any advice / insight greatly appreciated.

Toff.

PS: I have seen a few people talking about deleting the EGR all-together. Has anybody done this & if so, are there any side-effects?

**towcestervag** · 06-01-2012,08:52 AM

they usually leak from a vent hole and this is common
you can do a egr delete but this will need to be programmed out and should have no ill affect

**trioptics130** · 07-01-2012,10:03 PM

apparantly this egr valve is known to give fault and audi have an upgraded version available for £130 please dont quote me on this as its only hearsay on the cost im told

**Crasher** · 07-01-2012,10:55 PM

Ignore it, no big deal but I bet your plenum chamber drains tubes have been removed...

**toff** · 08-01-2012,05:51 AM

Thanks for the replies guys.

Originally Posted by Crasher

Ignore it, no big deal but I bet your plenum chamber drains tubes have been removed...

Crasher, thanks for your input. Do you mention the plenum drain tubes because if they were present, the oil burning smell shouldn't make it's way round to the cabin air intake?

It's not the leaking of oil that bothers me (any diesel block over 100k is bound to be shimmering with oil!) it's the fact that there appears to be a bad leak from the EGR unit.. which is dripping onto the exhaust manifold.. this has never happened before and the low oil warning light has never come on before.. do you reckon a seal or gasket has gone somewhere all of a sudden?

Any insight appreciated...
Toff.

**Crasher** · 08-01-2012,03:18 PM

Oil is always passing through the EGR valve from day 1, as the engine and turbo ages this increases and as the EGR valve wears, oil vapour normally blown though to collect in the intercooler and other lower areas, makes it way out of the EGR valve. If the drain tubes are removed, smells from the engine bay will be drawn into the heater as the drains are in the base of the plenum chamber. How much oil are you using between 10K mile ish oil changes? VAG put a 1 litre per 1000km figure on this being the max, so roughly 1 litre per 620 miles which is very high.

**toff** · 09-01-2012,06:00 AM

Hi,

Originally Posted by Crasher

How much oil are you using between 10K mile ish oil changes?

I don't keen a precise eye on on how much oil I use, but I'd guess I use 3/4 of a litre topping-up each year. I do about 6,000 miles per year.

I topped-up last Tuesday and the level is already below the hatched markings on the dip-stick, so I definately have a problem. Please take a look at the photo below..

If you look at the oil running down the intake manifold, I think it's it's too abundant to be a slow leak / expulsion from the EGR valve - what's your take please?

On a seperate note.. I'm suprised to see the 1.9 isn't a cross-flow block! Is that only advantageous in petrol engines?

Cheers for your help
Toff.

**Crasher** · 09-01-2012,10:56 AM

That oil consumption (ignoring what has happened since you topped it up) is very good and totally acceptable but that is not to say you have not developed a problem recently. If you came to me and were worried about this, taking into account the cars mileage, I would recommend a turbo rebuild, new cam cover, after market sourced OE Pierburg EGR valve and having the inlet manifold cleaned out, about £1.5k's worth of work. On the subject of manifolds, the 8v TDI (there is a 2 litre version) just came like that, VAG have a long history of their 8V engines (petrol included) being non cross flow, in fact off the top of my head I can only think of two odd ball 8v petrol engines that were cross flow, used in certain late Golf 3's,the US spec Golf 3 and Golf 4 2 litre plus Beetle and I can't think of a cross flow 8v diesel from VAG. The 16v TDI is cross flow. I think the 8v petrol came about due to crash regulations with the inlet manifold being too close to the bulkhead.