Oil change on 1996 Audi A6 - V6 2.6 litre engine (UK)

Hi all,

I can see the sump at the back of the engine with a drain plug in the
centre, but I can also
see an oil pan (?) with a drain plug at the front of the engine (this
is where the oil filter is).

Do both have to be drained for an oil change, or does the oil from the
front pan drain into the sump when stationary?

thanks

"Mark" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I can see the sump at the back of the engine with a drain plug in the
> centre, but I can also
> see an oil pan (?) with a drain plug at the front of the engine (this
> is where the oil filter is).
>
> Do both have to be drained for an oil change, or does the oil from the
> front pan drain into the sump when stationary?
>
> thanks
>

There's only one you need to use. The one in the oil pan.
Use synthetic oil and change the filter too. Both will last for 30.000 Km.
The other one is the gearbox and needs no new oil.
Those are factory advises which I think are just fine. On my 2.6 this has
worked well for over 10 years now.
Many people in this group however change oil weekly or so it seems.

Ronald

R@L wrote:
> "Mark" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I can see the sump at the back of the engine with a drain plug in the
> > centre, but I can also
> > see an oil pan (?) with a drain plug at the front of the engine (this
> > is where the oil filter is).
> >
> > Do both have to be drained for an oil change, or does the oil from the
> > front pan drain into the sump when stationary?
> >
> > thanks
> >
>
> There's only one you need to use. The one in the oil pan.
> Use synthetic oil and change the filter too. Both will last for 30.000 Km.
> The other one is the gearbox and needs no new oil.
> Those are factory advises which I think are just fine. On my 2.6 this has
> worked well for over 10 years now.
> Many people in this group however change oil weekly or so it seems.

Thanks. The front oil pan looks a little small to be holding 5 litres
of oil or whatever
the capacity is. There doesn't seem to be a Haynes manual for this
engine.

I take your point about synthetic oil, but having only had the car for
just over a year
and not knowing what was used before, that might be a bit risky. At
almost 200K
miles, I don't want to end up with oil leaks.

"Mark" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> R@L wrote:
>> "Mark" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>> > Hi all,
>> >
>> > I can see the sump at the back of the engine with a drain plug in the
>> > centre, but I can also
>> > see an oil pan (?) with a drain plug at the front of the engine (this
>> > is where the oil filter is).
>> >
>> > Do both have to be drained for an oil change, or does the oil from the
>> > front pan drain into the sump when stationary?
>> >
>> > thanks
>> >
>>
>> There's only one you need to use. The one in the oil pan.
>> Use synthetic oil and change the filter too. Both will last for 30.000
>> Km.
>> The other one is the gearbox and needs no new oil.
>> Those are factory advises which I think are just fine. On my 2.6 this has
>> worked well for over 10 years now.
>> Many people in this group however change oil weekly or so it seems.
>
> Thanks. The front oil pan looks a little small to be holding 5 litres
> of oil or whatever
> the capacity is. There doesn't seem to be a Haynes manual for this
> engine.
>
> I take your point about synthetic oil, but having only had the car for
> just over a year
> and not knowing what was used before, that might be a bit risky. At
> almost 200K
> miles, I don't want to end up with oil leaks.
>

having just oil/filter changed my 2.4 V6 and confirm it is the front plug
near the filter. My engine held 6 litres inc oil filter.

I used Castrol Magnatec 5W30 from Halfords. This magnatec states it leaves a
oil on surfaces when the vehicle is left standing for a few days. Mine
stands from Friday evening to Monday morning so I thought to give it a try.

DJ
in UK

"R@L" > wrote in message
l...
>
> "Mark" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I can see the sump at the back of the engine with a drain plug in the
> > centre, but I can also
> > see an oil pan (?) with a drain plug at the front of the engine (this
> > is where the oil filter is).
> >
> > Do both have to be drained for an oil change, or does the oil from the
> > front pan drain into the sump when stationary?
> >
> > thanks
> >
>
> There's only one you need to use. The one in the oil pan.
> Use synthetic oil and change the filter too. Both will last for 30.000 Km.
> The other one is the gearbox and needs no new oil.
> Those are factory advises which I think are just fine. On my 2.6 this has
> worked well for over 10 years now.
> Many people in this group however change oil weekly or so it seems.

I am running my A4 2.8 on a similar regime. 19,000 mile oil changes with
longlife oil. It has been run like this from new and I am at 94,000miles. I
have always been a concerned about it and have worried about engine life
servicing this way. Can you elaborate a little the oil you use and mileage
etc.

Sorry for going a little off topic to the OP but I am interested in peoples
long term experience of extended oil drain intervals.

Thanks Richard

"Richard Goulding" > wrote in message
...
>
> "R@L" > wrote in message
> l...
>>
>> "Mark" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>> > Hi all,
>> >
>> > I can see the sump at the back of the engine with a drain plug in the
>> > centre, but I can also
>> > see an oil pan (?) with a drain plug at the front of the engine (this
>> > is where the oil filter is).
>> >
>> > Do both have to be drained for an oil change, or does the oil from the
>> > front pan drain into the sump when stationary?
>> >
>> > thanks
>> >
>>
>> There's only one you need to use. The one in the oil pan.
>> Use synthetic oil and change the filter too. Both will last for 30.000
>> Km.
>> The other one is the gearbox and needs no new oil.
>> Those are factory advises which I think are just fine. On my 2.6 this has
>> worked well for over 10 years now.
>> Many people in this group however change oil weekly or so it seems.
>
> I am running my A4 2.8 on a similar regime. 19,000 mile oil changes with
> longlife oil. It has been run like this from new and I am at 94,000miles.
> I
> have always been a concerned about it and have worried about engine life
> servicing this way. Can you elaborate a little the oil you use and mileage
> etc.
>
> Sorry for going a little off topic to the OP but I am interested in
> peoples
> long term experience of extended oil drain intervals.
>
> Thanks Richard
>
>

It maybe a 2.6 12v or a 2.8 12v or 30v, they are all pretty much bullet
proof engines, best oil to use is the VAG long life stuff, Castrol SLX is
the brand name, look for the VAG markings.

I had a 2.6 12v and sold it a year ago with 170k miles on the clock, and it
was still going perfect.

It's horses for courses, the Americans change their oil every 2k miles or so
it seems, and we in the UK change it when the handbook tells us, or the car
itself lets us know.

I change mine, approx every 10k miles, or 20k depends on my mood, If I use
cheap oil etc.

Castrol SLX for long life, Mobil 1, Syntec etc if you change every 10k

Remember though, long life is really only beneficial if you do mostly
motorway miles, if you potter round town, lots of stop starts, then use a
good quality cheaper oil and change it more often.

"Mark" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> R@L wrote:
>> "Mark" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>> > Hi all,
>> >
>> > I can see the sump at the back of the engine with a drain plug in the
>> > centre, but I can also
>> > see an oil pan (?) with a drain plug at the front of the engine (this
>> > is where the oil filter is).
>> >
>> > Do both have to be drained for an oil change, or does the oil from the
>> > front pan drain into the sump when stationary?
>> >
>> > thanks
>> >
>>
>> There's only one you need to use. The one in the oil pan.
>> Use synthetic oil and change the filter too. Both will last for 30.000
>> Km.
>> The other one is the gearbox and needs no new oil.
>> Those are factory advises which I think are just fine. On my 2.6 this has
>> worked well for over 10 years now.
>> Many people in this group however change oil weekly or so it seems.
>
> Thanks. The front oil pan looks a little small to be holding 5 litres
> of oil or whatever
> the capacity is. There doesn't seem to be a Haynes manual for this
> engine.
>
> I take your point about synthetic oil, but having only had the car for
> just over a year
> and not knowing what was used before, that might be a bit risky. At
> almost 200K
> miles, I don't want to end up with oil leaks.
>

It's the front ne all right. And the 5 litres (exactly) are not hold in the
pan; it's not a dry sump!
It's also not true that thinner oil leaks easy. All oil will leak when the
seals are gone.
The pressure ( 5 Bar) is the same at all oils.

Ronald

"Ronny" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Richard Goulding" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "R@L" > wrote in message
> > l...
> >>
> >> "Mark" > wrote in message
> >> oups.com...
> >> > Hi all,
> >> >
> >> > I can see the sump at the back of the engine with a drain plug in the
> >> > centre, but I can also
> >> > see an oil pan (?) with a drain plug at the front of the engine
(this
> >> > is where the oil filter is).
> >> >
> >> > Do both have to be drained for an oil change, or does the oil from
the
> >> > front pan drain into the sump when stationary?
> >> >
> >> > thanks
> >> >
> >>
> >> There's only one you need to use. The one in the oil pan.
> >> Use synthetic oil and change the filter too. Both will last for 30.000
> >> Km.
> >> The other one is the gearbox and needs no new oil.
> >> Those are factory advises which I think are just fine. On my 2.6 this
has
> >> worked well for over 10 years now.
> >> Many people in this group however change oil weekly or so it seems.
> >
> > I am running my A4 2.8 on a similar regime. 19,000 mile oil changes with
> > longlife oil. It has been run like this from new and I am at
94,000miles.
> > I
> > have always been a concerned about it and have worried about engine life
> > servicing this way. Can you elaborate a little the oil you use and
mileage
> > etc.
> >
> > Sorry for going a little off topic to the OP but I am interested in
> > peoples
> > long term experience of extended oil drain intervals.
> >
> > Thanks Richard
> >
> >
>
> It maybe a 2.6 12v or a 2.8 12v or 30v, they are all pretty much bullet
> proof engines, best oil to use is the VAG long life stuff, Castrol SLX is
> the brand name, look for the VAG markings.
>
> I had a 2.6 12v and sold it a year ago with 170k miles on the clock, and
it
> was still going perfect.
>
> It's horses for courses, the Americans change their oil every 2k miles or
so
> it seems, and we in the UK change it when the handbook tells us, or the
car
> itself lets us know.
>
> I change mine, approx every 10k miles, or 20k depends on my mood, If I use
> cheap oil etc.
>
> Castrol SLX for long life, Mobil 1, Syntec etc if you change every 10k
>
> Remember though, long life is really only beneficial if you do mostly
> motorway miles, if you potter round town, lots of stop starts, then use a
> good quality cheaper oil and change it more often.

Thanks for the info.

Mine is the 2.8 30v and I do use Castrol SLX Longlife II. The car is setup
for AVS so the car tells me when I need an oil change but I always seem to
get about 19,000 miles. I don't hammer the car and I do mainly longish
journeys.

Its good to hear your engine was ok after 170K miles. I am sure it would
have started to show problems by then.

My engine does leak a little oil from one of the cam seal adjuster but this
is 'normal' for these engines. I may get it fixed but its hardly a problem
at the moment. There is however a lot of valve clatter starting from a cold
start (overnight) for the first few minutes but I put this down to
hydraulic lifters and an oil change made no difference. I also read a tsb
saying it was normal if it disappeared within a few minutes. Other than that
the engine seems as smooth and powerful as it ever did.

Richard

"Richard Goulding" > wrote in message > Thanks for the
info.
>
> Mine is the 2.8 30v and I do use Castrol SLX Longlife II. The car is setup
> for AVS so the car tells me when I need an oil change but I always seem to
> get about 19,000 miles. I don't hammer the car and I do mainly longish
> journeys.
>
> Its good to hear your engine was ok after 170K miles. I am sure it would
> have started to show problems by then.
>
> My engine does leak a little oil from one of the cam seal adjuster but
> this
> is 'normal' for these engines. I may get it fixed but its hardly a problem
> at the moment. There is however a lot of valve clatter starting from a
> cold
> start (overnight) for the first few minutes but I put this down to
> hydraulic lifters and an oil change made no difference. I also read a tsb
> saying it was normal if it disappeared within a few minutes. Other than
> that
> the engine seems as smooth and powerful as it ever did.
>
> Richard
>
>

FWIW my 2002 1.8T quattro is now on 130k and gets serviced on AVS and this
equates to 30k mile services, which is unbelievable, that's all motorway
miles.

I also have a slight cam seal leak that is common as hell on these cars, but
it does not bother me, and I only keep the car untill 150-170k miles, and I
expect this one to last just as long, I always buy quattro.

I lose around 5k on my trade-in when I come to change it, which is not bad
for 3 years of trouble free motoring, just had another MOT and it flew
through, as all my Audis have done

All Audis sound like diesels first thing in the morning, don't worry about
it, just enjoy driving it hehe

R@L wrote:
> "Mark" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> >
> > R@L wrote:
> >> "Mark" > wrote in message
> >> oups.com...
> >> > Hi all,
> >> >
> >> > I can see the sump at the back of the engine with a drain plug in the
> >> > centre, but I can also
> >> > see an oil pan (?) with a drain plug at the front of the engine (this
> >> > is where the oil filter is).
> >> >
> >> > Do both have to be drained for an oil change, or does the oil from the
> >> > front pan drain into the sump when stationary?
> >> >
> >> > thanks
> >> >
> >>
> >> There's only one you need to use. The one in the oil pan.
> >> Use synthetic oil and change the filter too. Both will last for 30.000
> >> Km.
> >> The other one is the gearbox and needs no new oil.
> >> Those are factory advises which I think are just fine. On my 2.6 this has
> >> worked well for over 10 years now.
> >> Many people in this group however change oil weekly or so it seems.
> >
> > Thanks. The front oil pan looks a little small to be holding 5 litres
> > of oil or whatever
> > the capacity is. There doesn't seem to be a Haynes manual for this
> > engine.
> >
> > I take your point about synthetic oil, but having only had the car for
> > just over a year
> > and not knowing what was used before, that might be a bit risky. At
> > almost 200K
> > miles, I don't want to end up with oil leaks.
> >
>
> It's the front ne all right. And the 5 litres (exactly) are not hold in the
> pan; it's not a dry sump!

I see what you mean - the oil dipstick is at a point back a bit from
the pan.

> It's also not true that thinner oil leaks easy. All oil will leak when the
> seals are gone.

I've heard that switching to synthetic after using regular dino oil may
accelerate seals going south. Perhaps semi-synthetic would be a safer
compromise?