Under Valve Cover Pics - 2003 Audi A6 2.7t

[threeputtpar]

I know how everyone likes engine pron, so while I was replacing the valve cover gasket and cam chain tensioner gasket and half moon on the driver's side this weekend I grabbed some mediocre cell phone pics. Enjoy.









Yes, there are some nasties inside the valve cover but the head has been pretty clean each time I've had the covers off. I bought the car at 58k miles, and it was traded in to the dealer that it was originally purchased and serviced at. The crud in the valve cover is probably from the dealer performed 10k mile oil changes. I've always done 5k with a VW 502.00 oil that was not Castrol 5W-40. That is the oil the dealer used for the PO and those 10k mile changes.

I thouroughly inspected the cams and lifter buckets, as this engine in its earlier years had some bad exhaust cams that ate themselves or through the buckets, but no sign of any abnormal wear. The specs on the cam lobe in the 3rd last pic is just a little debris from the removal of the cover.

 

[threeputtpar]

I forgot to add in the original post that it just turned over 170k miles.

 

[Nathan]

Interesting how the intake cam has a four bolt bearing cap and exhaust is 2 bolt. Is there some sort of variable valve timing going on in this engine?

 

[dparm]

For 170k I'd say that looks good, especially with a 10k interval for part of its life.

 

[threeputtpar]

Yes, it does have variable valve timing, and those were the gaskets that I was replacing. It's 5 valves per cylinder, with 3 intakes and 2 exhaust. The timing belt runs the exhaust cams on the lower side of the head, and the cam chain tensioner connects the exhaust to the intake cam and uses oil pressure to tighten or slacken the chain to change the valve timing.

 

[SF0059]

Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
I forgot to add in the original post that it just turned over 170k miles.


What are the VAG haters going to say? Don't all their products end up self destructing prior to 100k?

Seriously, though, it looks great especially for a twin turbo. Well done!

 

[threeputtpar]

Originally Posted By: SF0059
Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
I forgot to add in the original post that it just turned over 170k miles.


What are the VAG haters going to say? Don't all their products end up self destructing prior to 100k?

Seriously, though, it looks great especially for a twin turbo. Well done!


Yep, and the turbos are still the originals. Been running stage 1 for ~35k miles or so.

 

[Merkava_4]

Looks like a severe case of varnish. Obviously the dealer 10K oil changes are not working.

 

[wemay]

11 year old car, modified, Turbo....

Looks fantastic. Congrats!

 

[G-MAN]

Originally Posted By: dparm
For 170k I'd say that looks good, especially with a 10k interval for part of its life.


I agree. I wonder how well a 15 minute flush with 16 oz of LC20 would clean that out?

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: wemay
Looks fantastic. Congrats!


That makes me the odd man out. No offense to the OP, but I think it looks terrible.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: wemay
Looks fantastic. Congrats!


That makes me the odd man out. No offense to the OP, but I think it looks terrible.


170K on the engine and some varnish on an area that gets splashed with oil? I don't see anything terrible there.

 

[Sayjac]

170k, light varnish hue, not overly focused on under valve cover which tend to look darker anyway, but I don't think looks bad either. All in all, looks ok imo.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
170K on the engine and some varnish on an area that gets splashed with oil? I don't see anything terrible there.

Maybe we're seeing two different pictures. I'm seeing varnish on everything except the gasket surfaces and the cam lobes.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
170K on the engine and some varnish on an area that gets splashed with oil? I don't see anything terrible there.

Maybe we're seeing two different pictures. I'm seeing varnish on everything except the gasket surfaces and the cam lobes.


You said it looked "terrible". I didn't think it looked terrible and based my reply on that. Keep in mind the engine has 170K miles on it. As always opinions vary.

 

[Ayrton]

I thought the engine looked decent too. A lot of miles, turbocharged, etc. Looks like there is still some life yet to go.

 

[hattaresguy]

If it runs well its fine, bolt the covers back on and forget it.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
You said it looked "terrible". I didn't think it looked terrible and based my reply on that. Keep in mind the engine has 170K miles on it. As always opinions vary.


Absolutely, we all have differing opinions, but I take no pleasure in telling the guy his engine looks terrible. However, I think the guy is entitled to an honest opinion. My opinion is I don't think the engine would look the way it does if the OP changed his oil more often. I don't think mileage is an automatic excuse for varnish.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
My opinion is I don't think the engine would look the way it does if the OP changed his oil more often. I don't think mileage is an automatic excuse for varnish.

The question is: does the engine perform as it should? If the answer is yes, then who cares about a little bit of varnish. Yes, we know, you do.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
The question is: does the engine perform as it should? If the answer is yes, then who cares about a little bit of varnish. Yes, we know, you do.


Like I said, I'm the odd man out; but if I didn't speak up and say something, the OP would've gone on thinking his engine looks perfectly fine. I don't believe varnish is healthy for an engine; it impedes the flow of oil. With that said, I should lay part of the blame on the dealership for telling the OP that 10K oil changes are fine when it's obvious they're not.