Car is smoking under the hood

[S4 John]

Hey guys,

this morning when i drove to work i noticed a burning rubber smell. it was coming from the front of the car and i popped the hood. there was a decent amount of smoke coming from under the airbox area. what is under there that would cause the burning rubber smell.

John

[Audiudo]

I have the same issue! I have a C5 and noticed it and smelled the burning rubber. The car sat for a period of time before I drove it (about 1 or 2 weeks) so that is the only explanation I have now. Right now I don't see the smoke but the smell is noticeable at times.

[s4killer]

valve cover gasket

i have the same problem but i fix this week

[PSU S4]

Are you sure its rubber, its fairly easy to mistake rubber burning smell with burning oil. Leaky valve cover gaskets leak right down onto the exhaust manifolds. That would be my guess since the lower side of the head is right next to the airbox and i had that problem before diagnosing it as valve cover gaskets. Fairly cheap fix of about 40-60 bucks if you have a couple hours free on the weekend. Good luck

[RolledMySTi]

Are you sure its rubber, its fairly easy to mistake rubber burning smell with burning oil. Leaky valve cover gaskets leak right down onto the exhaust manifolds. That would be my guess since the lower side of the head is right next to the airbox and i had that problem before diagnosing it as valve cover gaskets. Fairly cheap fix of about 40-60 bucks if you have a couple hours free on the weekend. Good luck

+1

[hellrot98m3]

valve cover gasket as stated perviously

[julex]

I would say "Valve cover gasket" but it is a misnomer. In 99.99% it is actually the cam plug leaking. Buy new cam plugs and replace these first to see if that cures the problem. Replacing Cam plugs doesn't involve taking valve covers out and takes 15 minutes per side, fairly easy DIY.

Cam plug:

[imola]

You sure it's not just something along these lines?

[Blake2423]

How exactly do you replace those cam plug i bought them but did not know how to install

[julex]

Jam a screw driver (with a hammer) into each and pry them out. Press new ones in by hand.

They are located on the back of engine, towards the top.



You can see the driver's side right on the back edge of motor, on top of head in the corner where it meets red valve coves.

[DonnieDark0]

valve cover gasket

i have the same problem but i fix this week

i got my whole valve cover gasket kit! ( cam seals blah blah blah ). fixing sometime this week!

[Blake2423]

The engine is still in so it may be difficult to reach, should I still put a bead of sealant on it?

[julex]

The engine is still in so it may be difficult to reach, should I still put a bead of sealant on it?

They are not that hard to reach at all.

So, absolutely no sealant. Just press them in. I made a mistake of putting sealant on one and it popped out next time I was pressure testing... silicone prevented ribs from digging into the metal.

Driver side requires you to remove three screws from expansion tank and move it aside.
Passenger side requires removal of accordion hose and MAF housing.

[Blake2423]

I jammed screw driver in there and a seal pick but nothing allowed me to get at it. I was just peeling the rubber off the outside. The car has 120000 miles on it should i just pry at it harder?

[Johann2.7t]

I jammed screw driver in there and a seal pick but nothing allowed me to get at it. I was just peeling the rubber off the outside. The car has 120000 miles on it should i just pry at it harder?

i hammered a very small tipped screw driver in there and pulled it out.

[The_Jerbel]

It's probably the VG gasket, rather than the cam plug in this case. You should see residue from the area the leak is coming from...

[s4bg1089]

Do the valve cover gaskets and cam tensioner seals. Seen it more than once at my shop for the same complaint. Only issue is you need a tool to release the tension off the tensioner chain, other than that not a bad job. Good luck