A4 coolant leak

[spud]

So my '98 A4 2.8 quattro is leaking coolant in the front right. It is a very very slow leak... i filled it about 3 weeks ago and its not even half way back down to the add line again. But there is a very small drip puddle under it each day. I had it looked at and they said "probably a cracked radiator", but they didn't actually take it apart. Anyone else have a problem similar to this or have ideas for what it could be or what I should look at to figure this one out?

Someone had mentioned Polygard Radseal to try sealing it. There's no problem mixing this with the Audi antifreeze (G12) right? Also, I read something about waterpumps, would that be of a concern?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[a4quat]

i have exactly the same problem on my 1.8tsq, but al i am going to do because it is such a slow leak is let it develop and see what hapens!

 

[albgut1]

I had such a slow leak for almost a year LOL topping up every other week or so, in the end I went to get some of this radseal stuff from GSF for bout £7 and over 6 months later still no leak.

 

[AndyMac]

Are you just going on where the puddle is or can you see where it's coming from?
The puddle maybe nowhere near the actual leak. Water pump is a worry, mine was leaking and when they removed the old one it was so corroded you couldn't turn it by hand. When that seizes you can say goodbye to most of your 30 valves. Turns out it was the water pump that was causing the car to stall at traffic lights as it was putting such a strain on the engine idle speed.
Any idea if the pump was changed with the cambelt? If it wasn't or you're due a cambelt change soon then get it done at the same time as the labour is astronomical and it's basically the same amount of work.

 

[spud]

Hey, thanks for the replies... I was just going by where the drips were on the ground, I haven't been able to find the exact spot.
The waterpump and timing belt have not been changed yet. I am at about 65,000 miles on the car. Is it recommended that the waterpump is changed at a certain millage as well? Maybe I should bring it in and just get both of those changed if I am going to need to in the near future? Any thoughts on that?
Also, would you recommend an actual Audi Dealer (they seem expensive), or have you had good luck with others doing this kind of work?

My car seems to still be running perfect now, I am just keeping an eye on the coolant level and the temp.


Thanks again!

 

[Broken Byzan]

your car is due its cam belt anyway, so tbh for the cost difference ( £30) get the waterpump done for safetys sake. Any decent garage could do it if you wanted, i aim to keep my car for a while, so the value of the Audi service history is negligable to me.

 

[AndyMac]

£800+ from a dealer vs £450 from a specialist. No contest really as it's mainly labour and the front of the car has to come off. Just make sure they do the tensioner and water pump as well as the cambelt. Audi dealer did mine at 80k for £800 and did not change the water pump. Surprise, surprise water pump then failed 10k miles later and I had to get ti all done again. Nice one Audi, but I guess at least they saved me £35 at the time. Luckily second time round I'd found a decent specialist and they were nearly half the price.