1.9 TDI ATD oil under car after valve cover gasket replacement

Hey guys, i recently replaced the valve cover gasket on my TDI because it was slightly leaking, however after replacing it I noticed little puddles of oil under my car and a burnt oil smell in the cabin after letting it warm up, so I bought another, higher quality gasket and no luck, the puddles seem.even bigger now.

Is there oil running down the block from the top. Sounds like either you're not torquing the cover down right, bad gaskets, or another gasket is failing.
The ALH requires a new cover and there's no replacement gasket available. You might need to go that route if you've unevenly torqued the cover and warped it.

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golf4tdipd said:

Hey guys, i recently replaced the valve cover gasket on my TDI because it was slightly leaking, however after replacing it I noticed little puddles of oil under my car and a burnt oil smell in the cabin after letting it warm up, so I bought another, higher quality gasket and no luck, the puddles seem.even bigger now.

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From pictures that I've seen on line, the ATD is a PD configured engine with a valve cover similar to a BHW or BEW.
(Can't tell you if that is actually true because it is the internet.)
So, the gasket in this case looks to be replaceable. But that is only part of the equation.

Are you putting sealant in the corners of the gasket where it arches over the cam bearing blocks? That is essential.
Even with your best intentions, the cover can become warped and will not seal properly. I ran into this on a BHW engine and had to replace the cover. You can check it if you have a flat surface to see if the cover sealing surface lays true to it.

I took mine off, cleaned everything up then used a thin smear of red hylomar above and on the gasket, never leaked again.



I think the cover maybe warps or something, maybe that's why vw only sell the complete cover and gasket together.

Well we first tried putting the sealant only at the points, but it still leaked, even more, so we put silicone all over the gasket and it seems to not leak anymore, not sure, have to run the car a few times to be sure, it doesnt seem to leak when the car is cold. Do I need a new cover? Engine is ATD.

Do I need to tighten it specifically? I tightened it specifically the first time, the next few times was just random tightening.

Okay I just found out I had put on the wrong gasket apparently, because the one I put on the rubber around the screws was too small and it looked differently. Hopefully the new one that looks just like the old one will fix it.

Tighten from the middle out alternatively and torque to 7lbs from center out alternatively.

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This is the one that was on there before



This is the one I put on, already ordered one that looks like the old one, hopefully thats the cause

Could be the issue, and most likely is.
Don't usually need gasket maker.
Not sure if you realize it, but, gasket maker is supposed to be out on then set into place finger tight to begin, then torque properly after an hour or so.


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Theres not a massive leak, I only see a small stream from under one of the screws, but its enough to leave a oily smell in the car and a few drops under it. Thanks for the adivce guys, will let you know if the new gasket fixed it (hopefully it does, cause its making me crazy). Also, do I need to fully degrease the surface of the head with brake cleaner and a cloth?

I like to use simple green and the car wash wand to spray it off.
For the seal, just use a good rag or paper towel and wipe it clean.

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golf4tdipd said:

Theres not a massive leak, I only see a small stream from under one of the screws, but its enough to leave a oily smell in the car and a few drops under it. Thanks for the adivce guys, will let you know if the new gasket fixed it (hopefully it does, cause its making me crazy). Also, do I need to fully degrease the surface of the head with brake cleaner and a cloth?

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Look closely for any fractures in the plastic. When the oil gets hot and runny it can make it through the tiniest crevices. A screw bore would be a typical place for that to happen.

Alright, replaced the gasket and the area under the valve cover seems dry now. I still smell oil burning a bit but thats because since replacing it i only drove twice, so its prolly some residual oil. Also, got a question regarding the n75 vacuum line to the turbo, mine has some sort of plastic thingy that is bigger on one side. Which side should it be facing? Its facing the N75 valve now.
It looks like this, but slightly bigger on one side

I've not seen one on mine, can't be one way so it shouldn't matter.
N75 had three ports, one goes to turbo, one to vacuum and one to airbox to release the pressure and boost.
That's one thing I would get rid of as it serves no function unless it changes the size of the vacuum line. As I said I've not seen one.

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Don't throw it away!

This is a reducer that adapts the large 5 MM hose size to a 3MM.

The bigger 5MM side goes toward the bigger middle N75 port...the smaller end toward the turbo actuator. That is so you don't mix hoses up. It's designed to fit only one way to the N75.