3.0 TDI Oil Cooler Leak - Part One ( Porsche Cayenne Diesel )

On todays episode of My Home Garage we tackle the oil and coolant leaks from under the intake manifold of the 3.0 TDI Diesel from the Porsche Cayenne. This is part one of two.
parts.audirichmond.com/a/Audi...
do your own research please make sure the parts fit your car. it is not there when you search parts catalog.
@Oleg K 059-121-506-H
059-121-737-AM
059-145-215-B
059-145-865
059-129-718-A x 6
059-129-717-N x 6
059-117-070
059-117-070-B
059-117-070-A

[@jwj500]

I have a 2014 Audi A6 3.0 TDI with 164,000+ miles with stage 1 software. It's been a great car and I started to smell coolant a little while ago. I added a few cans of BG Cooling System Sealer and so far so good. Not adding coolant and no more smell. May be a temp fix but for now it's working.

[@MyHomeGarage]

Yeah. It’s usually a small leak just pools up in that valley. Sometimes oil sometimes coolant.

[@jwj500]

@@MyHomeGarage I was loosing a little coolant but could smell it. Knowing where it was coming from I thought I could buy sometime. the BG sealer worked but took a few cans at different times to stop, (for now). I'm sure it's the gaskets but when I tear into it I will replace most of the items associated with this cooling process. I've had numerous Audi's, (4000, 5000, A4, A6, (3.2) A6 2.0 and an A6 TDI. The A4 had 275,000 miles before my brother bought for his kids. My 3.2 A6 had 280,000 miles and I donated to a charity, (got my wife the 2.0 A6). My 3.0 TDI has 164,000 miles and running strong. They like the stage 1 software upgrade too.

[@RAWPILOT]

Respect !

[@brandonfriesen5389]

I have a 2014 Touareg TDI. I really hope I never ever have to do this. I’d rather have to pull the engine out than do this job.

[@MyHomeGarage]

Haha. It would be easier with engine out but the hours to drop engine/transmission. AirCon, lines, harnessed, prop shaft ect.

[@jamocerwin5841]

Magnificent video, it seems to me that I have the same problem in my Touareg 7p 3.0 v6 tdi CASA. Here where I live there are no workshops unfortunately able to solve it. I'll have to do it myself because a lot of smoke comes out of the engine bay.

[@MyHomeGarage]

Yeah. This seems very common. I wanted people to see a time lapse of the scope of work. In a wee or 2 ill have the installation video. It is a pain and tight quarters. Especially the lines 'hoses and wiring harness on the back everything just seems to be in the way.

[@jamocerwin5841]

@@MyHomeGarage Because I'm in Spain, otherwise I brought the car to you! Greetings! 😜

[@MyHomeGarage]

Haha. Eu so Portuguese. I was born outside of Lisbon. So maybe one day. I come back

[@jamocerwin5841]

@@MyHomeGarage If you have a moment, could you take a look at the link video? It's my car, let's see what you think, the smell is burnt oil rather, thank you very much

[@jamocerwin5841]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/h56lZmeio6hgbdU

[@MrMechanicandy]

Well saw the 2013 tdi Audi and fluid is mixed under intake looks pretty challenging told him $2000 or less now after watching maybe 1500 or less he was hoping for 500 or less to do it I don’t think I’ll even do it for that

[@MyHomeGarage]

Parts and labour or just labour? 7 hours labour is probably close to book time. But there alot of cleaning. Intake throttle all the carbon soot.

[@laapulsford]

I have a question for you. What were the symptoms that caused you to do this work? I ask because I had and Audi A8 which had two serious issues. Both oil and water were being lost from the front of the engine. After a short 3 mile run the front of the engine and radiator were dripping with oil and the coolant had lost about two pints. My mechanic changed many external parts but this did not fix the issue. Finally the inlet manifold was removed and the oil cooler with all gaskets were replaced ($2000 job) and this stoped the leak. However we never did find a smoking gun and in the end I sold the car because I did not trust it.

[@MyHomeGarage]

Low coolant, oil light came on once

[@eddiebrito4515]

Great vid! Much appreciated. Only thing I found cringe worthy during this whole vid was you not pluging up the intake holes to prevent any FOD entering the engine. Would love to see more vids like this on the cayenne diesel.

[@MyHomeGarage]

Haha yeah. Off camera I vacuum the ports and inspected all the holes. Before it all went back together. Don't think it didn't cross my mind.

[@denisohbrien]

Ive seen more troubles with people forgetting to remove tape/rags/whatever from plugging up holes than just leaving them open, and making sure every nut and bolt is accounted for. Theres always exceptions, and obviously it depends on the job your doing, but for this job, id also leave them open, indeed I am leaving them open :)

[@tmolne117]

TECH TIP: If you take off the driver side fuel rail, it’s way easier to remove and reinstall. It only takes a few minutes and it can be done with a 17mm open end wrench and a triple square bit for the bolts.

[@MrMechanicandy]

I have one friend believes it is rear main but on identifix all oil leaks are under the intake , I was wondering does it leak so much that eventually it goes over the valley and or a drian oil in the valley let’s oil drian out the the rear bellhosuing area ? Thanks

[@MyHomeGarage]

Yes because coolant is heavier then oil so the oil sits on top of the coolant and would be thr first to go over. I'm not 100% but my friend says his is leaving puddles of oil because of the valley. I told him to confirm it isn't the valve covers. We'll see what he says.

[@sebastiankrueger-kiefer7696]

Diesel fuel line that runs along the top of the intake, does it have to be bled after removal? and how do I properly relieve fuel pressure? Thanks!

[@sebastiankrueger-kiefer7696]

No, injectors do not need to be bled, crank time will be a few seconds longer to get fuel back through the cross-over fuel rail

[@blagoja3294]

hi friend thanks for the video. I have similar problem but my car has FUEL instead of coolant/oil in that area between the V... Can you help me guess what could cause it? After a long drive i get diesel smell in cabin and between the V there is big amount of fuel... I thought maybe cp4 fuel pump but if it leaks I think the car will lack power... have you ever encountered a problem with fuel leak between the V on these 3.0tdi 2gen engines? thx

[@MyHomeGarage]

There is a crossover fuel line, the fuel line from the crossover to the pump and thr feed line. And or the pump itself that's all the fuel related items. In the valley. Never heard of a fuel leak from there

[@bambam23-vi1kl]

Not a cheap job. The front cover and housing on rear of timing inner cover leaks as well.

[@MyHomeGarage]

22hrs

[@sardororipov1302]

thank you for the video. I had my cayenne diesel egr cooler replaced at porsche 2 years ago due to leaks. Should I be worried about leak you are fixing. I dont have any leaks yet but thought about preventive maintenance

[@MyHomeGarage]

Same leaks technically. You would they replaced all thr seals. But those plastic parts also are know to leak.

[@mrtopcat2]

I was looking to do this job on a friends car and found your video searching. From what I have seen and your video has just confirmed it; this is the worst possible design that I have seen so far in my life and I am working on cars already for over 35 years. VAG group has completely lost it's ways. I have seen all kind of other VAG issues, but this tops it all.

[@MyHomeGarage]

It isn’t that bad. Chrysler 3.6 oil cooler leaks in the valley and is worse then this.

[@mrtopcat2]

@@MyHomeGarage Unfortunately, this type of coolant-to-oil cooler has become standard with nearly every manufacturer. They are ALL subjected to the SAME conditions, notably with the SAME gaskets that over time harden out and hence sooner or later they ALL LEAK, regardless of brand. What bothers me on this particular VAG engine is the designed INACCESIBILITY of the key parts. On top of that many such key parts follow current trend of being made of plastic. Other than the main thermostat (plastic housing), this engine has 2 more control valves with plastic parts as well, plus another crackly plastic coolant crossover cover that is purportedly only removable after removing the front plate. And then I have not even mentioned the needlessly complicated timing chain arrangements, on top of all on the firewall side. This is engine is the pinnacle of engineering incompetence and highlights major issues within VAG group.

[@MyHomeGarage]

@mrtopcat2 I agree with you 100%. I come from Honda technician for 15 years. Maybe I was spoiled with how well engineered stuff was.

[@coreyhook9965]

From start to finish how much time did the removal and install take (minus the break between waiting for parts)? The video fast forward/ acceleration through the removal makes it hard to know just how much time to expect this to take. Thank you for the video, very informative.

[@MyHomeGarage]

7 hrs start to finish incouding cleaning intake and throttle body

[@damandan3670]

At $120 an hour plus parts for a 7hour job, these cars have obvious reasons why there values drop so quickly second hand. Add injector problems etc and you won't have much left in your wallet.

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@damandan3670 actually thr 2013-2016 cayenne diesels hold there value where I am mostly because of a large population of Europeans and a lack of diesels in general. Let alone nice ones. Q7,Touareg,cayenne with the tdi just command money the gas price hit didn't help so I expect to see a decline.

[@kurt_yates]

I've looked through all the comments and haven't quite found an answer for time on this job. I have a 2014 Cayenne that desperately needs this done. Any idea of time this takes for someone with a basic mechanical experience?

[@MyHomeGarage]

5-7 hours in and out

[@BeshevGames]

I've had an Audi A6 C7 3.0BiTDI for about 3 weeks. Today I went to check the coolant level and found out "milkshake"(not much, but present) in the expansion tank and the coolant level was a bit low. Could the oil cooler have caused the problem?

[@MyHomeGarage]

100% anywhere where oil passages and coolant passages have gaskets inbetween them. Even if thr transmission cooler runs through the radiator. But the oil coolers are known issues.

[@ihahaoo]

when you mix green and pink cooler fluid it will get like milk coffe .

[@MyHomeGarage]

Mocha

[@VWRalf]

Just found your video as I'm currently trying to get my manifold off to see any tips. Saw another video where they replaced the whole oil cooler. Since I haven't gotten to the oil cooler yet, I don't know if it's bad but I wonder if it's just the seals that cause the leak? Noticed that's all you replaced besides the coolant elbows.

[@MyHomeGarage]

The oil cooler is super expensive. All the seals are available to replace way cheaper. If you have time take it apart and replaced anything brittle and hard. It's all labour.

[@VWRalf]

@@MyHomeGarage That's what I'm hoping, because I already checked on the price of the oil cooler and EGR cooler and was not happy about that. 🙂 Did you take the EGR valve out while you had everything apart to clean it? Any gotchas with that task if you did?

[@jwj500]

@@MyHomeGarageNew oil coolers are about $50. Getting the plate with gaskets too is $100. PartsGeek. Rockauto was out of stock. 4-2024

[@Redlinedorg]

Do you have a parts list by any chance? I’m going to have to tackle this soon.

[@MyHomeGarage]

You need to know the the vin of the vehicle and or year and model. Here is a 2014 Touareg TDI ( volkswagen.7zap.com/en/rdw/touareg/toua/2014-748/1/115-115050/ ) 24, 27,22,23 are needed. recommended intake manifold gaskets be replaced and or anything your remove and its gasket...

[@amirhodzic4927]

Hi! I have a Vw touareg 7p 2013. I had an oil leak under the car. The car loses just a little bit of oil and this is noticeable at the bottom of the transmission. I drove the car to a car mechanic. One said it was leaking from the oil cooler and the other not. He said he was looking with the camera but did not disassemble anything. Is it possible for him to be 100% sure that the oil cooler is not leaking if he only looked with the camera, without reaching oil cooler, and did not disassemble anyting?

[@MyHomeGarage]

It's not 100% possible but you can usually see something. Check back of valve covers they leak down the motor to the transmission. It's hard to see unless on a lift.

[@amirhodzic4927]

If the valve covers were really leaking, would the car change the sound? The car is super preserved considering the age. The oil doesn't even drip, there are no traces on the floor or lid, no smoke on the exhaust. There are simply drops of engine oil on the gearbox. I drove 8000-10000 km and consumed 1l of oil.

[@MyHomeGarage]

The car in video has a valve cover leak back corner.

[@amirhodzic4927]

Thank you for the Answer

[@Richard-ps7ht]

Great video. I have just ordered all the parts to do my audi q7. I have oil and coolant leak

[@MyHomeGarage]

Goodluck brother.

[@Richard-ps7ht]

@@MyHomeGarage cheers. By the sounds of it i will need all the luck i can.

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@Richard-ps7ht take your time don't rush and maintain low levels of frustration

[@Richard-ps7ht]

@@MyHomeGarage thank you. I will let you know how i get on..👍

[@Richard-ps7ht]

I done my Q7 Today. All went to plan. Your video helped thank you.

[@davekingsley966]

Hello, I had the Audi dealer do this job to my 2016 Audi Q5 TDI, they called me and said that the engine is making a knocking noise now, there was not any engine noise when we took to them, then they used a bore scope to view inside the engine and the bore scope broke off inside the engine. My question is What do you think would cause the engine to knock after they completed the work?. Dealership has the car since October 2022.

[@MyHomeGarage]

Here is a senerio they didn't clean up the carbon build up. It can become like a hard rock of carbon and fall in to the cylinder. There is a name for it. It can get jammed between the valve and the head. Clean up is critical. Maybe the dropped the scope inside to get authorization to go in. Lol which is engine out job. 40hrs.the job does not involve internal engine work. So unless it got starved for oil ran dry and ruined a rod bearing. Or wrist pin on the piston. Keep us updated on the situation. Email me if you want more in-depth convo.

[@davekingsley966]

Update: they drop a”bolt” into cylinder #2 and the tech didn’t know that it happened and started the car. The cost to repair it is more than the value of the car. It now turns into a insurance claim. We are very upset. We are blue collar workers and it’s the holidays, did not plan on this.

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@davekingsley966 I am very sorry to hear that. That is a very unfortunate situation. Make sure you fight hard for every penny from insurance. Had a car stolen Fee years back and you really gotta fight them and prove your vehicles value to get what's deserved.

[@SP_Hatter]

@@davekingsley966 worst nightmare, wow. Sorry that happened to you. Hope they make it right.

[@MrMechanicandy]

Did you post part two with part numbers ? Thanks

[@MyHomeGarage]

I don't remember but it depends which model you have cayenne q5 q7 touareg thr year there are some variations in there so I didn't post. It's easy on a parts catalog to find what you will need.

[@MrMRHYPERSNIPER]

How many bolts are there in total holding down the manifold? Can’t seem to get the manifold to budge.

[@MyHomeGarage]

I can't remember the number exactly but it does require some persuasion once there all removed.

[@MrMRHYPERSNIPER]

@@MyHomeGarage okay thanks mate, I’ve removed 12 bolts does that sound about right?

[@MyHomeGarage]

Atlease because there are 6 runners. I followed with my eyes all around thr manifold to confirm some kind hide. Especially in the back.

[@chuckrangel7207]

Great video. This convinced me not to buy any Audi. One of the issues I find with German cars are the over engineering on most of the engine.

[@MyHomeGarage]

Just a few gaskets and it's fixed. Chrysler has thr same issue with the 3.6 oil cooler fills the Valley. So many v6 have these issues.

[@lcambilargiu]

I have a C7 A6 3.0 TDI and am facing a similar job. Thanks for posting the video as I have a good idea of what I'm now faced with. Did you remove the drivers side fuel lines to the injectors as well?

[@MyHomeGarage]

I’m pretty sure I did not remove any fuel lines. I just pryed the rear line to the fuel pump to remove a clamp.

[@lcambilargiu]

@@MyHomeGarage just faced it. Wow. I was slow with my exploration i actually had to remove the manifold twice as I dropped the rear inside left bolt into the abyss. My car now has a lot more pickup as I removed a lot of the soot. I actually had all the parts except the o-ring on the part that everyone breaks... had to reuse that, thank god for o-ring grease and loktite 3258z

[@lmbk88]

I cannot get the screw out of the intake in the back left by that one fuel line. Most frustrating experience. Any tips? One guy said to flex the fuel line a bit out of the way? Do I need to disconnect from the rail on passenger side and then convince it to move over?

[@MyHomeGarage]

Fuel line needs to be persuaded to remove the intake manifold and get at the screw back passenger side (left side facing engine). There's no way around it. I only removed the fuel line connecting the 2 rails. And the fuel line that needs to be massaged out of the way. Goodluck. I made sure to say in my video very difficult repair. Even for me 20+ year tech.

[@lmbk88]

I've been repairing engines most of my life and this one is by far the hardest! 😆 Only reason I'm doing it myself is because the repair shops near me wanted to replace a bunch of other parts to see if that fixed things instead of the oil cooler and EGR valve that I suspect are the main culprits.

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@lmbk88 it's messy too lol. Drain the coolant and oil best you can and have a way of sucking it all up for clean up. Vacuum coolant extractor would have been a life saver

[@lmbk88]

Finally got the intake off after much wrestling. There's a rubber support on that back fuel line the causes the intake to not want to come out. Shoving it up on the fuel line helps. Now that I have everything disassembled though, I realize I should replace the two little coolant hose elbows buried in there and I didn't order those. Also, I sucked up everything and started reassembling. Theoretically the dripping should be gone, but I'm still seeing coolant drip down to the ground? 😬 Potentially much worse issue? Or maybe the front of engine just needs a good cleaning and this is residual?

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@lmbk88 yeah clean up too forever with me. The coolant probably just found its way over around dinner the front a good cleaning. Now your a pro. I think once you do one it shouldn't be to bad a 2nd time

[@bonzaimolly]

Out of interest, what is the torque settings for the oil cooler bolts?

[@MyHomeGarage]

In video. 12nm I believe

[@bonzaimolly]

@@MyHomeGarage is that the cooler to the plate or the plate to the block? Sorry I should of said. Its the plate to the block I was wondering mate, cheers

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@bonzaimolly all the same torque even manifold. Cheers

[@bonzaimolly]

Thanks mate, keep up the good work 👏

[@douglasb.1203]

My 2014 Touareg tdi is going into an independent shop nearby that is charging me labor. I've sourced the cooler and it looks nothing like this. Touareg has 170,000 miles and I love the tank.

[@MyHomeGarage]

Which cooler are you changing.

[@douglasb.1203]

@@MyHomeGarage oil cooler. It's using quite a bit of coolant and it's easily smelled from the front of the engine with telltale signs of leakage and the insulation under the plastic tdi shroud is starting to droop like a GM headliner from the 80's. I purchased the replacement from Autohaus (ironically their warehouse is about 25 miles away from where I live) and it has a tab on the back edge with a bolt hole. Did VW redesign the cooler when they went from 4 chains to 2? Love the 'Reg but this is giving me some anxiety.

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@douglasb.1203 email me a picture of the oil cooler. [e-mail] . I'm pretty sure the design hasn't changed since 2011 atlease. 4 or 2 chain. I know the egr has changed in that valley in different generations. I wanna see what you got.

[@douglasb.1203]

@@MyHomeGarage will do

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@douglasb.1203 I send you an email with some links. Take a look. to me that part you're sent is incorrect. I cross-referenced the part number online and it is for a supercharged/hybrid model. I sent you the correct part number and link to the same Nissin cooler you have just the correct model. check my video I believe the cooler has only one hose attachment. Keep us updated brother. goodluck.

[@nunoseixo3273]

What is the average miles on this engine to have this kind of problems?

[@MyHomeGarage]

After 100,000 kms for sure

[@1993kjetil]

do you have the partnr? for the different components?

[@MyHomeGarage]

It all depends on year and model. Vw,audi,Porsche part catalog and go through it not very difficult. Goodluck. I wish I had the part list but it's year specific for some of the seals and gaskets.

[@1993kjetil]

@@MyHomeGarage alright, its an 2012 cayenne 😁 I’ll figure it out👍 great video btw

[@MyHomeGarage]

tps.trade/ check it out if your in Europe. Thanks by the way. Trying to make the best content possible as the vehicles around me break lol.

[@shpenddemhasaj5910]

Do you have the specs for the 2015 q5 tdi for how much nm for the manifold, oil cooler etc? I’m having a hard time finding it. I appreciate it thanks

[@MyHomeGarage]

It's the same as the cayenne all 3.0 tdi I believe I mention it in the video I made on it during the reinstall video

[@shpenddemhasaj5910]

@@MyHomeGarage thanks. I saw the video I just wanted to be double sure. Same with the transmission bolt? Keep up the great videos!

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@shpenddemhasaj5910 transmission bolt?

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@shpenddemhasaj5910 thanks. There is some more touareg, cayenne coming there having some issues lol. Electrical

[@shpenddemhasaj5910]

@@MyHomeGarage yeah how tight should it be?

[@olegk455]

Oh boy! Not looking forward to this job on my 2013 Q7. At what mileage does this usually happen?

[@MyHomeGarage]

Its all over. That cayenne had 90,000kms. My touareg has 170,000kms and my wife just yesterday said she is smelling coolant and the coolant light on. So fantastic lop. My buddy has a q7 140,000kms his is gushing oil and coolant... I believe it's more about hest cycles. If you do alot of on off hot cold that how the gaskets get brittle.

[@olegk455]

@@MyHomeGarage Thanks for the info. Yes, I agree about the heat cycles and driving profile. Mine is at 168,000km currently and doesn’t leak any fluids at all from anywhere and have been dead reliable but I feel like it’s a matter of time and none of the 3.0TDI engines get away from developing this ailment eventually. It’s a CNRB model by the way and I love that clattering, hot mess of an engine.

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@olegk455 I love this engine, it's failures will always be gaskets, emissions system and of course timing chain tensioner.

[@olegk455]

@@MyHomeGarage Thats why I am thinking if I should coincide this oil cooler gasket repair with an actual EGR and DPF delete but I haven't settled on the decision yet. They start running a lot colder after the delete.

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@olegk455 the carbon build up from the egr inside thr intake and throttle body will blow your mind.

[@blankblank124]

Does this happen on the 957’s Aswell?

[@MyHomeGarage]

Didn't know they came with a 3.0 TDI

[@blankblank124]

@@MyHomeGarage yeah 2009-2010 last models. It must be the same engine anyways.

[@MyHomeGarage]

@@blankblank124 it is the same engine but there were updates and changes in chain design and egr. So becareful with part numbers.

[@denizmehmed9399]

how many hours of work is everything

[@MyHomeGarage]

7 hours all in removal and install including intake and throttle body cleaning. This is how long a professional takes. Dyi less experience would be longer. Goodluck

[@denizmehmed9399]

@@MyHomeGarage thanks👍

[@Lucky_Z_Danut]

Hello, I want to do this job on a Audi A8 2011 3L V6. What's the name of the part and gaskets please?

[@MyHomeGarage]

I'm not sure. Just go on the audi parts catalog and check it out. It's all about seeing what your removing and what needs to be replaced. In the parts department or something like.rockauto can help

[@michaelroberts9049]

Where are you located at sir?

[@MyHomeGarage]

Ontario, Canada

[@coop795]

how did anyone follow this?

[@MyHomeGarage]

I agree, as the person who made the video. Very difficult working position, along with filming, and figuring out what needs to be removed. Considering I couldn’t find any other videos. But it shows what is involved. The time and effort. Most people will be paying for this service. This shows why it isn’t a cheap job and what is involved in just the removal aspect. No including cleaning and reassembly. I will be preforming the same service at some point this year on. 14’ Touareg TDI and I will do my best to be more of a step by step and show locations of bolts and more in-depth. My apologizes for the difficult to follow repair.

[@dorumiftode9730]

Stuff you music