Low coolant

robby

robby

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I've just bought a TDi 140 (late 06 plate with 43k) and noticed the coolant is down to the MIN mark.
The oil cap and dipstick have no mayo on so i don't think it's the cracked head problem?

Do A3s suffer from leaking radiators like the mk5 Golfs or is there anything else to check?

Cheers
 
mine leaked from cracked pipes, EGR, Rad and clyinderhead. pressure tested showed nothing and there was no way for the garage to indicate if it was the head and it turned out to be.

good luck, hope you dont have the problems i had
 
Thanks Lex, so do you remember which pipes?

Last VAG i had was a mk5 Golf 2.0fsi petrol which leaked coolant, it turned out to be the water pump and egr but the local VW dealer said they were replacing radiators at 1-2 a week!! seemed they corroded at the bottom corners
 
N8 - did yours have mayo on the oil filler cap or dipstick? what mileage had it done?

mine has 43k and will come with 12 months RAC warranty which i'm told can be used at the main dealers
 
I have very recent experience of this. My A3 2.0tdi (mar-07) started going through coolant 1 year ago and progressively got worse (to the point of requiring a full top up every 250 miles). I had emulsification on the dip stick (grey and gluey) but not immediately and probably only started showing a couple of months ago (10 months after problem started).

It has been into the dealer several times for "investigation". First they replaced the EGR valve. Second time they replaced the coolant reservoir tank. Third time, they rang and said that after a full overnight pressure test that they couldn't find the problem.
After a week Audi finally decieded to remove the cylinder head, consequently found all the missing coolant mixed with the oil and then found a crack on the inside of the cylinder head and have now replaced it. The fact that they have now broken my reverse gear selection is another story!!!

Anyway - hope that helps! :icon_thumright:
 
I too was losing lots of coolant. A pressure test at Audi didnt indicate a cracked head so they fitted a new EGR valve. 2 weeks later and I was still getting coolant loss. 2nd time in at Audi they confirmed the head was cracked and replaced it FOC under warrenty.
 
What sort of mileages are the heads cracking at?

i'll be getting a years RAC warranty so will be covered but as it's a know problem shouldn't Audi be replacing the heads at their dealers?
 
I need to top mine up every 2 weeks or so, I dont do alot of mile's ad im worried that it might be the head. I also done a pressure test and it showed up nothing.
 
Isn't the same engine used in the mk5 Golf and Seat Leon (maybe Skoda)? wonder if those cars have the same problem, haven't heard of any
 
Mine started losing coolant around 36k. Got it fixed and its now on 49k and I check the coolant once a month and its not dropped at all.
 
oh, just to add, I never noticed a change in the cars performance or anything else while coolant was being lost, it still felt and drove the same, only thing to tell was losing coolant!!!!
 
Mick a3 said:
I need to top mine up every 2 weeks or so, I dont do alot of mile's ad im worried that it might be the head. I also done a pressure test and it showed up nothing.
Click to expand...


I strongly suspect you do have a cracked head. You should NOT need to top your coolant up this often!!!
 
I would agree with Mikey. The pressure tests showed nothing up on mine at all and I still had a cracked head. It was only when audi took the head off the engine they found the coolant in the engine and the problem!! They also had to replace the intercooler because it was full of gunk.

Having just got mine back after being fixed, it's having a good test at the end of the week when I'm due a 500 mile round trip.... finger crossed!!
 
Ah ****! another trip to the garage to get this checked out and hope its not too costly if it is cracked. I done a 300 mile round trip the other day and all seemed fine and the coolant still hasnt flashed up since, any other signs or symptoms of a cracked head apart from maybe white smoke from the exhaust?

I'm having no luck with this audi at all!
 
i had the same problem but mine was that the coolant sensor was leaking water asoon as i put new oring n clip on problem was solved
 
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