Blown coolant line.....Another reason to HATE @#$%$# Audis

Tim Hancock · 08-10-2008, 03:38 PM

A small coolant line let loose while driving the fam in the A6 2.7T. To remove this tiny short section of hose, wouldn't you know it.... the whole front of the car needed to come off!!

While the front end is off (took me all afternoon to remove it), I will be changing the waterpump, timing belt, misc hoses, serp belt and I will fix the leaking cam shaft seals. Hopefully that will insure that I do not have to do this again for awhile. I don't even want to think how much this all would cost at the Audi dealership.

If you have a 2000 or so Audi that is out of warranty and you are not into DIY torture, I highly suggest you dump it fast!

126coupe · 126coupe's Garage

Looks like its leaking more than coolant with all that sludge in there.
Loving my Mercedes 500 SEC.... 1984

Tim Hancock · 08-10-2008, 04:01 PM

Yep, it is definitely leaking oil somewhere. Not enough to puddle on the garage floor, but my wife complained this past winter that she could smell oil when idling at stop lights. Even with the front off, I wont find the leak till I strip it down further. I own/maintain several old german cars and ALL are much easier to work on than this pig. Wifey's next car will be a BMW again.

126coupe · 126coupe's Garage

From my experience, burnt oil smells at idle usually 80-90% of the time are related to valve/cam cover gaskets. I am guessing to get to the top of that engine you need to remove lots of "stuff"
Dont clean anything, helps with clues.

Tim Hancock · 08-10-2008, 04:21 PM

It well could be the valve covers, but until I get more crap out of the way it is difficult to say. I got cam seals and a crank seal with the timing belt kit and though about ordering the valve cover kit, but decided to wait and see. Mainly I am just thoroughly frustrated by how difficult the Audis are to work on and many of their components are just not as well made as my old Porsches and BMW's. Nice car to drive, just not once the warranty expires.

126coupe · 126coupe's Garage

So you are changing the timing belt? If you are, I remember on 944's we had this $$$ tool that measured the timing belt tension. This measurement was fairly critical on Porsche 944's. Do you have a workshop manual?

lendaddy · 08-10-2008, 04:33 PM

Once again...I'm sorry, your wife must hate me

RPKESQ · 08-10-2008, 04:34 PM

This is common in many modern cars. On a Bentley GT it is 30 hours of factory labor to remove the engine. the entire front end needs to be disassembled (bumpers, coolant system, front suspension, engine, thats 30 hours to remove only, no repairs, no reassembly). Which is required to perform any maintenance other than oil changes.

When under warranty, the CA dealers need to obtain factory clearance to pull an engine, as one engine pull and two or three dealer visits will result in the customer utilizing the CA "lemon law" and a total buyback for the factory.

Needless to say these cars will be very cheap (compared to new) when they come off of warranty.

126coupe · 126coupe's Garage

Just curious, How many miles and has the timing belt ever been changed??

Tim Hancock · 08-10-2008, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkoff

So you are changing the timing belt? If you are, I remember on 944's we had this $$$ tool that measured the timing belt tension. This measurement was fairly critical on Porsche 944's. Do you have a workshop manual?

Yeah, I have the Bentley manual (only available on CD

) and I have a VagCom code reader set-up on my laptop. Other than having to make a few tools (camshaft and crankshaft locks), the actual timing belt change is pretty straight forward. It was done somewhere around 80k by the PO and now has 138k on it. I have done timing belts on 944's, 911 engine rebuilds and a bunch of other "not so fun" projects, so this job will get done (but not without me b!tching and moaning about it first

).

No worries Lendaddy, what my wife thinks of you does not matter

.... I still like ya

At the price you sold it to me for, I could not stop myself even though deep down I knew I should have stuck with another BMW for her from a high mileage/reliability/repairability standpoint.

126coupe · 126coupe's Garage

Good luck with your repair. I hope is does not turn into a "while I'm in there" project.

widgeon13 · 08-10-2008, 04:59 PM

At the Audi dealer, I'm guessing you might be looking at $2500+ for all that work.

artplumber · 08-10-2008, 05:05 PM

You could have done what my Dad did to an old Vauxhall on the Stelvio pass:

wrap a pair of pantyhose as tightly as possible around the leak (multiple layers). We sold the car a few years later with that "repair" still holding together.

OTOH that space doesn't look like you might be able to do even that.

I guess I'll have to sell the A6 soon......

the · 08-10-2008, 05:08 PM

Never understood why anyone would buy an Audi.

Neilk · 08-10-2008, 05:15 PM

When is Jim C. going to chime in?

That's the problem with CAD, designers can stuff everything in the smallest space but good luck repairing anything.

artplumber · 08-10-2008, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the

Never understood why anyone would buy an Audi.

It'll bull through most situations with regular old all season tires, and your passengers won't even notice. This last winter, on and off black ice in the mountains. Fam didn't even notice (it was obvious to me due to changing slip angles).

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

The ex's A8 was a freakin' limo ride that could do triple digits through the twisties without breaking a sweat (quattro and 300hp). My A3 is a fun ride that has plenty of space to haul all my stuff. Plus the interior aesthetic is great.

I love my A3 - while it is under warranty. I'm selling it a few months before it expires.

LeeH · 08-10-2008, 05:57 PM

I'm so glad we sold our 2000 A4 after owning it for one year. I just got a note from Audi this week about the 1.8T class action law suit. I think it said that if your timing belt broke with less than 105K miles they'll reimburse your for the repairs.

BGCarrera32 · 08-10-2008, 06:01 PM

I feel your pain...my alternator went on my 99.5 Audi A4, same thing, off came the whole front end. You can't get it out the bottom, the top, or the side, you gotta pull the whole front end off exactly like your pictures. I missed about 5 hours with my kids on a Saturday night f*&^*(& around with that thing and now I drive a Ford Focus with a warranty. Lame, but easy to fix.

I truly believe Audi makes a precision, solid, stellar looking, OVERLY COMPLICATED automobile.

The next German sedan will be an older 300 series Mercedes or BMW.

BGCarrera32 · 08-10-2008, 06:08 PM

Your next annoyance is indicated by the red arrows.

The bolt indicated by the green arrow will require heat, an air chisel, possibly drilling, and some potty mouth to remove.