I can smell oil being burnt... what's the likely cause?

[Niall76]

Car is a C5 2.8 quattro (petrol) and has always been serviced, always been reliable mechanically and generally pretty good.
It's covered 96,000 miles and is returning good mpg, no loss in power, car feels just the same as it always, it burns a little oil anyway - I top it up every so often (it's always been like this and from what I've read and been told pretty much all VAG cars do this) and there are no unusual noises.

Over the past 20 miles I started to notice the smell of oil being burnt. Upon start-up the exhausts smoke but that's due to the weather (white smoke - water vapour) but the other day whilst clearing the windows of ice I returned to the drivers door and noticed the smell of burning oil. It then faded...

So, I drive off to work and whilst sitting at traffic lights I notice the faint smell in the cabin (the blowers are on). It clears when I drive off and I get to work.

I finish work and I start the car then go to the boot looking for signs of trouble... It's smoking again but as before it's white (at least I think so, it's pretty dark...) I'm trying to smell it but if I thought it may have been an oily smell it's cleared pretty darn quickly... So I return to the drivers door and I smell it again, coming from the front end. No point in looking as they're is no lighting....

I go home and it's bugging me... I give it a bit of a boot a couple of times to see if there's any blue smoke coming out of the rear behind me but nothing...
When I get home and park up I leave the engine running and stick my hand over the exhuast to see if any oil is appearing on my hand - nothing. Stinky burnt petrol but no blackness (except for soot around the exhuast - again, it's always been like that).

So, what's the likely cause of this?

I seem to remember something about the cam covers ( I could be wrong) can leak a bit of oil which then runs down onto the exhuast, which in turn is burnt and thus would cause the smell.

Or is it something worse?..... Valve stem seals? Rings are shot? something else?

I won't be able to have a good look at it until the weekend and I'm hoping it's a leak onto the exhuast - which I should be able to see - although there's not much space in the bay....

If the exhausts are clean then what's the best way to track down this problem?

Many thanks

[Niall76]

anyone?...

[paul b]

Mine leaks a bit of oil onto the exhaust as you say, try giving that area a little clean first. I just mop up a bit of oil in and around that area with a rag in between services. It's only a little bit of oil, I never have to bother topping my A6 up with oil in between services (though I do check), it's always got enough.

[Niall76]

Thanks Paul.

I'm thinking and hoping that the fact I can smell it when in the car occassionally means that it is indeed coming from the oil landing on the exhausts. If it were burning oil then it would be out the back of the car via the open exhausts - thus I shouldn't smell anything in the car?......

Fingers crossed....

[Peter D]

Check the car in a dark place with a torch, this can find smoke very easily. Regards Peter

[Niall76]

Well, I had a look today in daylight at last.

I did wonder if I was getting a bit of oil burning on start up but it's all white 'smoke'. Smells a little rich but it is winter and very cold so this makes sense. Plus the white colour means it is water vapour.

Looked under the bonnet and I think I have found the problem...
The passenger side cam cover gasket is needing replaced. It is leaking oil down over and under the heat shield for the passenger side manifold. It's reached all the way down the block too so this looks like my problem - the manifold is burning the oil and the stink then makes it's way into the car via the heating system from under the bonnet.

So, now to get a hold of a new gasket, clean up the oil and hopefully that's it.

Cheers