Hey All,
I finally gave in and decided to tackle my leaky valve cover gaskets. Cars and 01 A6 2.7T tip. Well, I have the manual, I have the guides from Audiworld, and I'm still stuck. Check out these dirty pictures:

That shiny thing in the middle of the picture is in my way, and is not in any of the guides, or the manual, that I can find. I can't get the valve cover past the vacuum hose nipple. Any tips? What is it?

I also noticed oil in the outlet of the turbo, visible in this pic:

Is that enough to be concerned about? The car still runs strong, and is making full boost, as read using a the vagcom software. This pipe is from the passenger side. (edit: I think this is just running down from the top of the throttle body boot, being deposited from the driver side and PCV system, I hope)

I also noticed the crank case breather hose that was attached to the valve cover is full of, um, gunk? It's pretty f'd up. This is part of the spider hose assembly correct? Can it be removed and cleaned up, or is it best advised to just replace it?

Any and all help appreciated.

Thank You,
Gary

 

The shiney silver thing is a Kombi or EGR valve. I'm pretty sure it takes 2 gaskets. If you need to move it you will probably need to replace those gaskets. I would clean carbon build up out of the PCV pipe. Not sure about the oil in the Turbo tube but I know they go out around 100K.

You can always grab some gasket paper and make a couple of gaskets for the Kombi valve. Get the thicker paper.

 

Cool! Thanks. At least I know what it is now, but the bolts are going to be hell to get at.

 

Got the cover off! Man, the outside of this engine is dirty! The EGR valve is loose, it rotates about the location on the head, but I can't get it out. Should it just pop out of the head? I can now see the plastic plug on the back of the head, and there is a LOT of fresh oil on it/below it. I think this might be the primary source of my burning oil smell. I think I have to get the EGR valve off to get at the plug. I'll give it another try in the morning, and try to get a pic of the plug.
Thanks,
Gary

 

Thats frightening, because i know eventually i will have to man up and fix the one on my A6 as well.
Keep us posted!

 

Those plugs leak on everyone. lots of fun but you have to do it.

brush some of that dirt out of the way before you start taking things apart.

 

The right kombi valve is mounted on and "adapter" that is bolted to the head. (The adapter is a cast aluminum tube with 3 mounting screws. (2 where it goes into the head and one below the Kombi valve.) Mine was broken causing a major exhaust leak... $80 from dealer.) You'll need to feel around for the bolts/screws as you can not get back there to see them. The right adapter uses the same gasket on each end.

The left Kombi is also in the way... just slightly. I used a mix of tools from my box (10mm 1/4" socket, a 1/4" to nut-driver adapter and a very small wrench that fit the hex on the adapter) to loosen the bolts. Mark the valves, they are different from side to side.

You might as well take them off and check them. If they are bad (leaking) they will back-feed the exhaust to the Secondary Air Pump and cause it to go out even faster than it already does. From what I understand, 2.7t's with manual transmissions do not have them. That is why the are missing from most procedures and pictures.

I still haven't put it all back together. I am taking my time with this... when I hit a problem, I go away and think about it rather than just get pissed off. It has taken me over a month.... wife isn't happy. (It is HER car!)

 

Thanks Mike. I have the right one out, those bolts were a pita to get at and out. I'm taking much the same approach as you, lots of breaks, but it's my car, so I've got no one to get pissed at me, lol. I've found that a small inspection mirror and flashlight have been invaluable.
Gary

 

Say Mike, how did you get the kombi valve valve out of the head on the pass side? I got the 3 bolts out, and it rotates about the mounting point in the head, but won't pop out. I tried prying lightly, but don't want to force it, unless I have too. Took a break from that task, and replaced the tbb. Have about a day of cleaning up the gasket surfaces before I have to get back to the kombi valve, lol.
Thanks much,
Gary

 

For the benefit of those whom may want to tackle this in the near future, here's a pic of the back of the head on the pass side where that cap is, the tube you see in the pic is the adapter of the kombi valve, the entire area is covered in oil. It's hard to tell if it's coming from the cap, or if it's coming from the cam adjuster and running down, or if it was coming from the valve cover and running down, so it's all gettin' done.

How the f I'm gonna get that cap out, I don't know, but as Jackmup noted, it's gotta be done :-(
Gary