Loosing coolant.FAST!

[emznjav]

Hello peeps

Ive got a 2004 Audi a3 2.0 tdi bkd 140 and its loosing coolant at an alarming rate. I started up the car one morning and the coolant light came on. The level was at the minimum so topped it up and forgot it about it for the next month or so. Then yesterday the coolant light came back on so went under the hood and topped it up again to the max level. The coolant light turned off so went to start the car this morning and it came back on. Checked under the hood and low and behold the cars lost nearly half litre of coolant in one night.

Ive checked on start up there is no white smoke and also under the car to see if there is any leaks but due to the wet weather it hard to see. Ive searched the forum and am dreading the fact that it might be the porous head issue or maybe a faulty egr cooler?

Ive got a 90 mile trip to makes tomorrow so not sure whether to risk it and take a bottle of coolant with me to top up the car if the light comes on during the journey?

Any suggestions?

 

[JJ.Foulds]

just take loads of bottles of cheap water and keep topping it up every 30 mins or so?

 

[s3_sid]

Cracked head or head gasket ?

 

[b9rgo1234]

Check the EGR cooler at the back of the engine

 

[emznjav]

Would it be safe to drive with the coolant light on?

 

[s3_sid]

No , as one its low you will have no idea when it's got too low Nd you could over heat very fast if you get to little coolant in it ! Also it's that time of your you don't want a leak as it's not like summer where u could get away with just topping up with water if it freezes your ********

 

[Geraldy212]

Best not to drive with the coolant light on. Losing that much coolant overnight sounds like EGR cooler, water pump, or radiator. If half a litre of coolant got into the cylinders, I doubt it would start at all. Check the oil. If it is creamy, or there is lots of 'mayonnaise' under the oil filler cap I would not drive it at all. Put some plastic under the car, with newspaper or cardboard on top of it. That may show where coolant is dripping out. Good luck.

 

[Dave-S3]

The radiators on those ones where faulty, they leak out of the corners, this happen on my 2006 140bkd golf gt tdi 140

 

[s3_sid]

You need a prifesional to look at it if you don't have any obvious signs if water dripping on the floor if you leave it running on the drive then get it sniff tested for hydrocarbons in your coolant and go from their

 

[l1ons81]

This was happening to mine, had to fill coolant every day..

Turned out it was bkd cracked cylinder head. Well expensive repair! I chose to sell my car and buy a new one.

 

[Chillout]

This was happening to mine, had to fill coolant every day..

Turned out it was bkd cracked cylinder head. Well expensive repair! I chose to sell my car and buy a new one.

Visually inspect it for leaks radiators are common at the ends also don't fill a hot cooling system with cold coolant/water or you could rack the head.

 

[Artimus]

You should be able to smell a hot coolant leak. Fill a 3ltr bottle with 50\50 mix and put it in your boot. don't drive with the light on, don't use plain water to top up & join a breakdown\recovery organisation.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I had the egr cooler removed because it was leaking. Also the radiator was loosing coolant et the right side end.
Befor replacing the radiator I was loosing about a liter every 2-3 days. After replacing it and all the hoses and connectors in the cooling circuit is now going from max to min in about two weeks.
This makes me believe that the head is cracked.
If you must drive than get a 3-5 liter bottle of water and antifreeze mixed 50:50 and keep topping as soon as the warning light shows.
Don't drive after the ligbt comes.

 

[emznjav]

Need to get it checked out asap. Hoping its not a porous head if it is does anyone know how much it will cost to fix or is it better to fill with k seal and trade it in.

 

[s3_sid]

Cheaper to fill it with something and get rid , I cannt remember the name if this stuff a few of my mates used its like a copper solution you put in the coolant and sets like a rock ! He put it in his shogun 7 years ago when the head gasket poped it's not missed a beat

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I don't think any of these solutions will work. The cracks are ussually between the valves and can't be filled by that stuff.
If you plan to keep the car, than buy a new head.
I saw that some people who had this problem with the head opted to replace it with one built by AMC because all OEM revision turned out to have this problem. Even rev. C
Dark Side Developments is selling AMC heads at ~650 GBP.
Beside the head (which comes with valves) you would need new gasket, new bolts, maybe new timing belt and pulley + labor. Not cheap but more reliable than K Seal & Co.

 

[emznjav]

Im unsure what to do if its worth spending that much on the car?

 

[Geraldy212]

Before getting into a depressed state, you must find out exactly what is wrong with the car. Is it a leak, or is it a cylinder head problem? Only a proper analysis (VCDS scan, coolant pressure test, good mechanic, pool of coolant, split radiator, water pump etc etc). Try to get the analysis done first, then plot your next move. There are plenty of good members here who can advise you as long as you can discover exactly what is wrong, and then they can suggest how to fix it, and what it could cost.

 

[mike foster]

A tin of K-Seal costs less than a tenner and might help you out. Can't do any harm by the sound of it !

 

[flying oyster]

i replaced my head last year i had the dreaded A casting it fixed it but last month started loosing water again pressure tested found nothing then found egr cooler was leaking deleated it took it out all good

 

[SAiLO]

I had a bit of a leak from the coolling system - small puddle underneath the car every morning on the side of the coolant tank. Small bottle of RadWeld seems to have fixed it but keeping an eye on it.