Oil Cooler - Coolant leak
 

Hi There,

Noticed a bit of a big puddle at the front of the D3 4.2 Petrol V8 this morning. Topped up the coolant, which i'd done the day previous and popped it over to my local friendly mechanic!

Just had a call that he's had a look and the coolant leak appears to from some pipes and bits in regards to the oil cooler, though it is difficult to see without removing bits and getting a good way into the job.

He just looked up the book details to replace the oil cooler and they estimate 16hr!!!

Obviously i can keep topping things up in the short term, he said it wasn't leaking in the garage, but my drive does have a slope that i park nose down on, which may be a factor.

Anyway. Looking for advice, pointers and so forth!

Ta,
Lee

The BFM has the same plastic pipe carrying coolant between the oil cooler and the block that the D2 does, so almost certainly it is the same failure where the pipe cracks with age and heat.

Its a 4-5 hour job on a D2. I'm not familiar enough with the D3 to suggest what other stuff would take 12 extra hours to remove and replace, but tbh taking the bumper off one was enough of an ordeal so I can well imagine it being a 2-day job. For a £10 part.

Is this the reason you don't work on D3's MJ?:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZXOry89y7A

Has the job and a "quick" way to do it. Though that is on a US car so, that may be a factor.

Seems the official way involves dropping the gearbox!!!

I'm now curious where to get the metal part!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124880119...UAAOSwniRWN001

has a brass one from poland for about £20

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253756606...0AAOSwCyFbTP1-

Is an aluminium one from the states for £30+

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203545275...wAAOSwx9lhB-iZ
Plastic £10

077-117-441-A / 077117411A - appears to be the part ???

Edit - Bought the plastic and brass ones. £30 gamble and good to have options

Got my local mechanic to do this, he'd seen the video and had a pretty reasonable idea of things. Certainly wasn't a couple of hours, though maybe if you do the job regularly you know short cuts and so forth.

Also wasn't the 18hrs the guides say either.

It does end up with an oil change, new filter and a fair amount of coolant.

All in (inc vat) £540, plus the £20 for the brass part above!

The old 2" long coupler pipe disintegrated and parts had to be retrieved once the oil cooler was off, which says it was a ticking time bomb as expected!

Bit silly when a slightly more expensive aluminium or brass pipe would last the car, but i guess Audi think 18yrs and 190k is good enough and they can save a pound or two off the price!