Oil leak

vklexer

Member
Hello..
Well, it seems I bought a big problem.
Yesterday Low Oil level indicator showed up on dash board. Checked the Oil level and it really was at minimum.
The problem is that i've changed oil 4 months ago and driven only 1600km. My a2 is on the high mileage side 340000~ km driven already.
I know that my turbo leaks a bit, but damn, this much?
Any ideas on where to start? Maybe just sell it? :( a bit dissapointed

oil i used was 5x40 (maybe i should try using 10x40?)
 
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Hello..
Well, it seems I bought a big problem.
Yesterday Low Oil level indicator showed up on dash board. Checked the Oil level and it really was at minimum.
The problem is that i've changed oil 4 months ago and driven only 1600km. My a2 is on the high mileage side 340000~ km driven already.
I know that my turbo leaks a bit, but damn, this much?
Any ideas on where to start? Maybe just sell it? :( a bit dissapointed

oil i used was 5x40 (maybe i should try using 10x40?)

It is more likely that when you filled it up, the oil galleys were all empty after being drained and so it possibly was not on the "full mark (after you have run the engine for a while)

I would recommend that you top it up to the high level mark (NO MORE than that!) run it for a few miles and then dip it again. That wilkl be the level you have.
Then run it for a couple of days and see where it is now.

Also remember to dip it on level ground and at the same temperature each time you dip it.

The oil should be 5 30 and please do not change the oil to a different specification it won't affect the leaks one bit.


Steve B
 
Firstly, i wanted to thank you for helping all the time. It seems that you are always here first to lend some knowledge :)
Isn't Audi recommending to use 5x40 Castrol TD? I have 5x40 PD right now in the engine. Can i still use 5x30?
I will buy 5x30 tomorrow and do as you recommended
 
It is important to get input from the many knowledgeable members on here for confirmation.

My recomendations are only based on my own experience and there may be others that can be more technically correct.

So let's see what others have to say before changing anything, 5w 40w may well be ok as it is.

Steve B
 
It's best not to mix the oil spec.

If you intend to use 5W30 from now on, change the oil and filter.
This will also give you a chance to inspect the engine undertray to see if there is much oil saturation on it.

If you were just going to top up, use 5W40 until you are ready to chage the oil and filter.
 
oil viscocity ratings apply to the oils ability to maintain its properties under different temperatures so in a colder climate a lower rating of 5 would be advisable (as far as I know )
 
so i'll just top up using the same thing 5x40.
Talking about the bad things. What could be the worst thing?
I mean like changing the engine or turbo?
We checked the engine undertray when changing the oil and found only a few drops on it. I think it might be a good chance the oil is burning somewhere..
 
See how much oil you need to top it up to max.
From the low mark to the full mark on the dipstick it's usually about 1ltr.
Make sure the dipstick end isn't broken.

If you'd been burining oil at about 1ltr in 1600Km (about 1000 miles) I think you'd see some blue smoke from the exhaust.

If you can get underneath the car, check to make sure you don't have oil dripping off the undertray anywhere.

Cheers
Jeff
 
so i'll just top up using the same thing 5x40.
Talking about the bad things. What could be the worst thing?
I mean like changing the engine or turbo?
We checked the engine undertray when changing the oil and found only a few drops on it. I think it might be a good chance the oil is burning somewhere..

It is rare for these engines to burn substantial amounts of oil.

The turbo can be the main culprit when large amounts of oil go missing.

But I STILL think that you might not even have a problem.

Dipping oil is not a very accurate approach (you don't have any other option though)

A small difference in how level the ground iscan make the oil level vary on the stick.

Also these dipsticks can sometimes not be fully home when you insert them.

So the only real way to tell if you are losing a lot of oil is to dip the levels on level ground and at the same temperature several times over a few weeks.

Top it up now ON LEVEL GROUND (overfilling your engine can do more damage than underfilling it, so be careful)

Then check it, being careful to clean the stick properly first, do this a couple of times and then you will have as accurate a reading as possible.

Sorry to be telling you how to dip your oil but it really is important to do it properly.

I wouldn't worry until you are sure that it is losing a lot of oil regularly.

Steve B
 
Firstly, i wanted to thank you for helping all the time. It seems that you are always here first to lend some knowledge :)
Isn't Audi recommending to use 5x40 Castrol TD? I have 5x40 PD right now in the engine. Can i still use 5x30?
I will buy 5x30 tomorrow and do as you recommended

Make sure the oil you use adheres to the correct specification for the engine that you have. For engines with Pumpe Duse (PD) injectors (like the AMF turbo diesel engine in some of the Audi A2s) it is 505.01, 506.01, or 507.00.

I use 507.00 spec 5W30 Castrol Edge LL in a 2002 Audi A2 with the AMF engine. http://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united...dge/edge-product-range/edge-product-page.html

http://www.oilspecifications.org/volkswagen.php
http://www.oilspecifications.org/articles/vw_motor_oil_specifications_explained.php

PS. I agree that being consistent and careful in how you check the oil level via the dipstick is important.
 
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Today i measured again before starting the car. The orange part of the stick was completely covered in oil.
So my next step is to drive it a bit, fill it up again to the mark and then see whats happening?
Wouldn't it mean overtopping it as mentioned before?
 
Today i measured again before starting the car. The orange part of the stick was completely covered in oil.
So my next step is to drive it a bit, fill it up again to the mark and then see whats happening?
Wouldn't it mean overtopping it as mentioned before?

No, as long as you never fill up to higher than the high mark.

Never top it up if it is already at the high mark.

Steve B
 
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To check the oil level, pull the dipstick out, clean the end with a cloth or rag, put it back in fully, pull it out again, and only then look at the end to ascertain the level.

http://workshop-manuals.com/audi/a2/a2-2623.png

With the engine cold, if under 'c', add oil; if in area 'b' (between 'a' and 'c'), don't add any; if above 'a', there is too much oil, and you should probably drain some.
With the engine warm (coolant temperature needle at 90), if a bit over 'a', I think I read somewhere that it's ok, but I'm not sure. The rest is the same as for cold.

Make sure you check the oil level at the same engine temperature (i.e. cold or warm) each time you check it.
If checking the oil level after shutting the engine off, wait for at least 3 minutes before checking it.

I think that's pretty much everything there is to know about oil level checking. :)

If you want to check if there is oil leaving the system, you could do the following:
1. with car on level ground, and engine cold, check the level, and remember what it is.
2. drive car for some time (perhaps a few days, depending on how much driving you normally do, say about 100 miles).
3. with car on level ground, and engine cold, check the level again, and compare it to what it was before.

It should not be higher than it was. If it's the same, that's great. If it's lower, that's not good, especially in only 100 miles.
You should check the oil level once in a while, I think Audi suggests every time you fill the car up with fuel.

I hope that helps.
 
A2 dipsticks have a strange habit of breaking off at the tip end so this is worth checking too.
 
Got excited in my last post, but now i feel stupid to admit that i only saw what i wanted to see. It was just dirty from sliding it in.
Today i topped up 1L. Now i'll monitor a bit whats happening.
So i guess there is no "common problem" for this? Either turbo is going out or the Engine itself is not happy anymore.
I'm a bit worried about this, cause when fixing my webasto, the repair guy told a story about his friends A2. That he had a automatic, engine started to rev high and he couldnt turn off the car. This is linked to oil problems so this worries me much. Something about oil catching on fire somewhere in the engine or something like that. Fixing this kind of thing could also be very expensive
 
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If you have the "throttle" valve (I do not know which versions do), one reason it is there is specifically to prevent runaway.
 
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