Amoore

Where the heck is this coming from? Video of the oil is here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT5iC1t1ca0

Upon further testing and inspection, oil is leaving the car via the exhaust. Literal drops of oil coming out the tailpipe... Bad news...

Hi Gareth, There may be more to the leak than the picture. I'll have to investigate it fully in the daylight. And yes, if it's burning oil, it's at a very fast rate. I have observed the exhaust while having a friend put their foot down on the accelerator to about 2500 rpm after a 50 mile run and there was nothing from the exhaust. The oil in the car is 5w30 (unsure of the brand), oil consumption is new since replacing the thermostat and the car is getting up to temperature properly. Unsure of the back pressure, as I don't have the experience to know what's good or bad in this regard. There's about 90000 miles on the car.

Hi guys, Recent owner of an Audi A3 1.6 Petrol, an oil consumption issue has arisen consuming 1L of oil per 800km. No crazy blue smoke blowing out the exhaust so I think it's got to be a leak but there's nothing on the ground after it's been parked up. I think there might be a leak near the oil filling cap as there's plenty of oil residue up there. I've cleaned it since the last top up and there was lots of oil up there again when the "low oil level" warning came on again today. My question is, is there a PCV valve on this engine? And if there is, where is it? I can't seem to find the info anywhere on the internet.

Excessive smoking/steaming has cleared up after some good long drives with the engine getting up to temperature due to the new thermostat. Thanks for the help and the replies guys much appreciated. Next up is the oil consumption since it now gets up to temperate, 1L of oil per 800km. No crazy blue smoke blowing out the exhaust so I think it's got to be a leak and I think it's up the top near the filling cap as there's plenty of oil residue up there that I cleaned off since the last top up. But I'll make a new thread for that!

How many miles ago was this thermostat changed? 40 miles What coolant mix did you use to refill the system? G12 How much coolant mix are you now adding (daily?) as a result of your assumed air locks? We take it you are topping this up to the max. mark only when cold. None, coolant level is now stable. Was the 'after a 20 minute run test' smoke test carried out how I suggested? If so, at what stage/stages did the white smoke appear? Not on start up at idle but starts to appear when revved and continues on when car is up operating temperature. You could also try the following DIY test:- Carefully remove the coolant reservoir cap when cold, to release any residual pressure. Firmly refit cap and start engine and leave it idle for 20 seconds - no more. Quickly remove cap, and you should not experience any pressure at this point. No pressure. ----- Thanks for taking the time to post. All of the above is leading me to believe that it might not be coolant burning after all. But that leaves me with the question of, what the heck is it? Doesn't appear to be burning oil, level is consistent.

Steam/vapour/light smoke seems to be coming out of the exhaust even after a good 20 minute drive. I'll keep an eye on the coolant level once I'm certain it's done bleeding itself, should hopefully give some indication but it was ok before the stat change. Is there anything else that could cause this kind of excessive steam/vapour/light smoke from the exhaust on a fully warmed up engine?

Thanks Gareth, I'll be able to take it for a good run tomorrow and report back.

Thanks for the reply, I don't think the car is losing coolant, or at least not a noticeable amount as it was at the max line before changing the thermostat, will probably take a couple of days to see if there's a drop in the new coolant once it's sufficiently bled.

I've recently become the owner of a 2006 Audi A3 1.6 (non fsi) petrol, and I really like the car. A lot. Unfortunatly though, it's been one thing after another with getting it right. Recently just had to change the front lambda sensor and the thermostat but the bigger issue I'm having is I have some white smoke coming from the exhaust that smells a lot like coolant. I'm almost at my wits end. I don't think I can afford a head gasket replacement... Anyway, here's a video of the exhaust at idle, after a quick drive, temp is at 90c (The correct operating temp, it was running cold with old stat). What do you think? Is it a head gasket leak? Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=aj2eeWvEiH4 Thanks for taking the time to read the post.