hi i recently bought a 98 a4 with 100,000 miles on it. im 17 and its my first car and i dont no that much about it yet. i recently noticed a burning oil smell when my car heats up. i check for oil leaks and i have none. i can only smell the burning oil smell when i have the heat on or i open the hood. the smell is starting to worry me does anyone have any idea of what it might be. any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

 

have you seen any smoke coming from your engine bay? i've got smoke cominng somwhere below my MAF sensor. i saw smoke coming through my vents and smelt like burning rubber or oil....im taking my car to the mechanic this week.

 

Welcome to the forums. I'm no expert but you may have an exhaust leak , blown head gasket, or whoever changed your oil let it drip all over your exhaust. Try starting your car, opening the hood and sniffing around to see if you can isolate the source.

 

Valve Cover Gasket

 

Yea, I agree -- look at the rear of the valve cover gasket (closest to the firewall). From what I understand this is a pretty common thing, and it's not real obvious unless you really look closely back there.

 

can i fix this problem myself or do i need to bring it to the shop. and if i bring it to the shop how much will it cost me
vgo can you let me no how things go with your car once you get it fixed

 

Valve cover gasket jobs are quite easy. You just need simple tools, the gasket and a bottle of permatex gasket sealer. Should be easily be able to do it in an hour. If you need the parts, I have an extra set. $30 shipped for the valve cover gasket, camshaft oil seal and timing chain gasket. PM me if you are interested.

 

hey rock, my car is at the shop now to have the cam seal replaced. to get to it, you have to take the valve cover off and also replace the gasket for that too. i've just decided for the mechanic to just replace the spark plugs too while he's at it since my car is due for a tune up.

this isnt cheap....

 

i have the same problem on mine. vgo: please post up how much the repair cost ends up being.

 

Something simple that could be overlooked, but happened to me... The oil dipstick and funnel on my car were broken and it was leaking oil causing the burning smell. Those things break all the time, so its worth checking out.