Audi Case Study · 106

Audi A3 oil separator and valve, replaced.

An Audi A3 came in burning oil, idling rough, with misfires and a flat spot. The oil separator and its valve had failed. Both replaced, the running smooth and the oil use back to normal.

Job done

Mechanical Repairs Engine Repairs Audi Specialist
Audi A3 parked at the workshop, in for an oil separator diagnosis.

The brief

The A3 had a cluster of symptoms going at once: oil disappearing faster than it should, a rough idle, misfires, a flat spot and a general loss of power. He brought it in. That points at the oil separator and its valve in the crankcase breather. As the engine runs, oily mist builds up inside the crankcase, and the breather system vents that back into the intake to be burned cleanly, with the separator catching the oil and the valve regulating the flow and the pressure. When the separator fails, raw oil gets pulled into the intake and burned, that's the oil consumption, and when the valve goes the crankcase pressure isn't controlled, which roughens the idle, causes misfires and saps power. A failed separator and valve don't recover, so they need replacing.

Diagnostics on the Audi A3 showing the crankcase ventilation fault codes.

The diagnosis

Diagnostics confirmed it, fault codes for the crankcase ventilation system and a lean mixture with misfire counts logged, and a check showed the separator wasn't holding pressure and the valve wasn't regulating it, pulling oil through the breather. The intake, the injectors and the rest of the engine checked out, the oil burning was coming through the breather. That's a replacement of the oil separator and its valve, sealed components you don't rebuild on the car, so the call was the complete units.

The old oil separator and valve removed from the engine.

The work

The old oil separator and valve were removed and new genuine Audi-spec parts fitted with fresh seals, the breather hoses checked over while everything was apart. Then the fault codes were cleared and the engine's fuelling adaptations reset so it could relearn against a breather system that was working. A road test confirmed a steady idle, no misfires, no flat spot, and the power back.

The new genuine Audi-spec oil separator and valve ready to fit.

The outcome

Steady idle, clean response, no misfires, no warning light, and the oil consumption back to normal. The A3 went home running properly again. A failed oil separator and valve quietly feed the engine its own oil and keep the running unhappy the longer they're left, so changing both and letting the engine relearn put it right.

Got something similar?

Burning oil on your Audi?

If your car uses oil, idles rough, misfires, or feels flat, the team can run diagnostics and find the cause, oil separator or otherwise. Drop us a message.

← Back to Audi case studies