Okay so I send a lot of time asking questions.

I rememeber reading a post about the valve covers and the pump that takes the gases out. Simular to the PVC system in most cars or valve cover breathers.

I smelled oil when I was sitting in the car idleing at the light after getting off the 401 and thought that I had broke something (paranoia is not a pretty thing). So I went under the hood to see what I had done and could find nothing. I took off the cover on the top of the motor and saw that there was a hose type (actually looked like a split loom) that had electrical tape all over it. Actually there was more tape then hose showing.

Could this be my problem and what have you all done to fix this?

 

Bump! Same Issue!

 

I tlked to some one at Mantis Racing in Oakville and he is telling me that the Vacuum system for the valve covers is probably not my issue. He is telling me that the 2.8 was well known for leaks at the rear of the engine where the camshaft seal is. I looked up the repair and I'm bringing it in to an Audi Mecanic to look over. I will let you know what I find out.

 

Okay here is what I found out. The smell is coming from a leaky Camshaft seam at the rear of the engine I was hoping that this was not the case as it is a $1000 repair job. I found a site that takes you through the repair so I might try to do it myself this summer. For now I will just live with the smell. The mechanic says that it is not that bad.

As for the Breather hose problem in all 2.8L Audi's here is a link to the repair that I talked about earlier.
AudiWorld Tech Articles

I hope it helps others with this problem.

For those of you who have had to do this repair, how long did you go with out doing it and did you have any problems other then the occasional sniff of oil.

 

The cam seals are fairly simple to change, but take your time and ensure that you install it properly - I've heard many stories of new ones leaking due to improper installation.

 

Thanks Cheeba,
Have you seen any set by set instructions for this. I was pretty sure that I saw something on a thread somewhere but I can't remember.

 

I did this repair on my wifes old passat... 30 minute job after figuring out where they are. Dealers have these in-stock! Just pop out the old ones with a screw driver and carefully but firmly snap in the new ones (busted knuckles and lots of cursing omitted for clarity).

They are both back there... and leaking - I promise!

 

Yea, I had a similar problem, but it was leaking with out burning. But I dished out 1200.00 to fix it. Oil leaks are my biggest pet peeve

 

Cam seals leaking directly onto exhaust manifolds are a pain in the ***, you never see the oil hit the ground, but you sure can smell it, especially on cold start, drive 5 mins, first time you come to a stop on a slope, you will smell it

 

If your thinking about doing this yourself please take plenty of pics and post up a DIY after for everyones benefit. Thanks