Coolant Leak!
 

Just opened the garage doors and noticed a lot of water under the front of the car.:(
Popped the hood and the coolant reservoir has lost about an inch or so of coolant.:tuttut:
So will pop it in the air and have a look - hope it's just a hose that has started to perish.

Wish me luck:)

Maybe it's peeved at you cos you bought IT's 8 and relegated it! ;)
Hope it's nothing serious anyways Andy +++

No sign of any leak that I can see so far:(

Will continue to investigate !!

Could not locate any leak during my invetigation.:mad:
Away first few days this week, but will have a look when I get back and see if I can sus out what is going on

check out the dreaded plastic pipe, that was the cause of my coolant leak. Its between the oil cooler/filter housing and the engine block.

Cheers mate - will have a look tomorrow :)

Did you find anything? Just started to have a very similar problem myself (slow loss of coolant, no obvious leak) over the last week or so and it sounds very much like there's a common cause, the dreaded plastic pipe. Is it something I can replace on the drive by myself or does it need to be on a lift for decent access?

Thanks in advance +++

Shoved it in the air again last weekend and could not get it to leak!!
When it was on the driveway about a couple of thimble's worth of water (showing my age...) under the car.

Looked at AudiForums site and they reckon you have to move a whole host of kit out of the engine bay, plus lose your engine oil and coolant to change the pipe :tuttut:

Will live with it for now and decide what to do next year.

Hope you have better luck than me.

Thanks for that update, you've made my mind up for me, it can wait until it develops or it's due a service +++

Definitely prostate trouble. Go see the doctor! :)

That hurts :p

Its bound to if its prostate Andy :D

I hope you guys don't mind me turning this thread away from fingering each others bum holes but,

I am loosing a drop of coolant from the expansion bottle, but have notices the coolant has changed colour and gone a brownish, i wondering if it's mixing with trans fluid

I dont think that the trans fluid would mix with the water such that the coolant became a uniform colour. Wouldnt it be an oily (insoluble) mix?

Did the garage top up/change your coolant when the car was in?

Elsaweb states that:
"Important
The coolant additives -G11- and -G12- are not to be mixed. Otherwise, this can result in serious damage to the engine.
Identifying coolant additive
-G11- Colour Green
-G12- Colour Red
Mixed Colour Brown1)

1) Replace coolant immediately"

The garage wouldn't have topped it up or they'd have charged me for it. The last time it was done was by myself when i changed the thermostat.

I'll drain it / refill it and see what happens.

So.
Car was dropped off at the Audi Independant last Friday and picked it up this afternoon.
After 4 hours on the ramp plus a drive to get the car up to temp, nothing. No leak detected:Confused:

Good news, the guy I talked to on the phone is a fellow A8 owner so only charged for 1 hour.

Will keep an eye on it and see iv it happens again.

Cheers

Coincidentally, I had my A8 in for a few minor tasks this last week, one of them being to investigate the loss of coolant! I dropped it off last Tuesday and told them they had a few days to sort it out, I was in no rush as I was away Friday till Sunday. The main job was the final drive oil seal (thanks Ian! +++) but I also had a problem with the airbag light coming on, which they traced to a broken wire in the driver's seat, so that's sorted as well now. However, they failed to find the coolant leak, despite me making suggestions based on what I'd learned on this forum. It looks like I have much the same problem as you, so will have to wait till it develops further. :mad:

On the plus side, they brought the anti-freeze strength back up to standard just in time for the minus 10 temperature we're expecting tonight. I saw the forecast early last week for three weeks of severe weather and took that as my cue to take some prompt action, looks like it was worthwhile +++

Well - it happened :(

Text from the wife last night - temp on the car had risen to 120 degrees and the coolant warning on the DIS was flashing!
She stopped the engine straight away (luckily at home) but couldn't open the bonnet to check anything..............

This morning, put it on the drive on the ramps and the leak appears to be around the oil filter area so I assume it must be the plastic pipe thingy:mad:

Any idea what has to be done to get to it the pipe and check it/replace it??

Cheers

all you need to do!
 

Just suck it Bitches!!!!!

If you need the pipe I have aluminium one I bought from the states when I had coolant loss and thought it's the pipe broken. Can sell for whatever it cost me if you want to save the time waiting for it to arrive from USA.

Cheers for the offer - will like to take you up on that+++

Thanks :Confused:

Found an article on how to do it - front of the car out - so will have to wait as won't have time this week and away next week :(

For those who need to know HERE

Managed to start today.
Then removed the lights and disconnected the radiator followed by the alternator.
Tomorrow, hopefully drain the oil and get the oil cooler out and replace the pipe!

A few pics (nothing to exciting) - oh and the problem with car being 14 years old is some of the screws and bolts are seriously rusted on :(

The beginning -
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psc5ffd12a.jpg

Remove electrical connections in the bumper -
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psa48cee71.jpg

Pipe to the washer reservoir :
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psc9fc5dca.jpg

The pipe in the bumper to the headlamp washers:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps81d5a960.jpg

No bumper:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psff9878d2.jpg

Headlamp screws needed an impact driver to remove..:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...pse93d2c7d.jpg

No headlamps:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps8157a06e.jpg

Hopefully more to follow tomorrow.

Cheers

Drained the oil and started to remove the oil cooler - what a pita :mad:

One last bolt to undo but a really awkward position - will have to buy an 8 millimeter allan key I think but will have a good look tomorrow.

A few pics of the awkward bolt - can see it just next to the black conduit:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps3e88258a.jpg

And a view of the car minus the alternator:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psf18d374a.jpg

Cheers

Crap!!!
 

Finally got the cooler off (had to beg my local garage to borrow a 8mm hex socket as mine was to deep) and the f@cking plastic pipe is solid:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps723c541f.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps0f5a8c01.jpg

So - water pump or something else???

While the front is off I need to check as much as possible.......

Help!!

Hi Andy, now you've got that far it's a no brainer having a look. Replace that plastic pipe anyway now you’re in there. Check the thermostat as well as the block corrodes around the hole. Take the cam covers off, you might have to let the rads go at the top to give you a bit more room to check the water pump. Only other thing I can think of is the rad its self weeping and its running back down the pipe?

Slowly getting there Andy, good stuff +++
Check the rad, when I was changing my cam I wasn't happy with mine so I changed it. When I had belt off I also changed the rollers, tensioners, pump, thermostat as they all are not that expensive, but if one fails or rollers will get noise, it's all over again.

Will check the other bits tomorrow (after getting the oil cooler back on........)

Cheers

Will have a look tomorrow - need it sorted for next week as mine goes in for some work!!

Update:

Sussed it - removed the engine support arm off the front and the oil cooler just slides in +++

Didn't have to take the fan off the bracket either - just removed the blades and you can just about get a socket in there to undo the bolt, then after removing the other 2 bolts, you can move it forward and continue undoing the bolt until it comes off - simples.

Checked the water pump and the rest of the hoses and they all look good (as do the belt guides)
Just putting everything back now and will then see if I still have a leak :)

Update:

So - a few pics of the area where the oil cooler should go and also of the new metal pipe (thanks again ainarssems +++):

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps6d96ac2d.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps225dbf60.jpg

Pulled the front engine mount off and it made the process soo easy:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps0ff79d93.jpg

So now all fitted :)

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...pscd1116a3.jpg


Filled the engine up with new oil (and fitted a new oil filter) - added around 8 litres of water (wasn't going to use antifreeze) and ran it for around 20 minutes with no loss of coolant :D

Will flush the coolant tomorrow and add the anti-freeze then put the front end back on and see how we go.

Cheers

No leaks so the front was put back on but discovered that I had a cabling dangling when I went underneath to put the undertray back on - whoops:(

After asking on here - went back out and located where it should go - at the bottom of the radiator on the offside+++

Put it back together and replaced the water I had filled it up to check for leaks with a 50/50 mix of G12 antifreeze and distilled water.

Front back on with all the bits and bobs and went for a spin.

Damn - temperature shot up so had to pull over.
Lifted the bonnet and all the coolant was still there so I have another issue bu the looks of things :mad:

Could be an air lock so will check for that or could be the thermostat which I believe is another front end off - damn (sure there is a moral to this story and I am sure that someone will be along to tell me that :p)

It's not a front end off job mate you can get to it by moving the top hose out your way a bit of a knuckle scraper but it can be done. The 3 bolts may be a touch tight and make sure you pick up or have included a new O ring for it. You will loose some of that nice new antifreeze so a clean catcher under the car too.

Cheers - would it be a good move to replace the water pump to as this is in front of it?

The pump is beside the thermostat so you can change it out without even removing a cam cover. Only 2 bolts too and not 3 as i eariler suggested :tuttut:

Conan kindly removed an engine so we could get a better look.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1409572042

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1409571876

The system is fitted with bleed valves on the pipe at the bulkhead to make that bit esier for you and try that first i would.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1409571876

Yours is FL so thermostat will be behind cambelt. While it is possible to do it without front end removal it's a lot easier with it in service position. Dezzy's pictures show PF which is a lot easier to change thermostat but pump is belt off job on PF as well.

Just for reference if somebody else is looking circled in red in Dezzys pictures is thermostat, the water pump is in yellow below.
http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1409572651

Cheers both - so front off and move the cam belt forward so the coolant pipe and metal housing can be moved forward and out so the thermostat can then be removed........

Nice job for me this week then after work.

Pdf's for thermostat and cambelt attached for FL 40v engine