Any advice or knowledge appreciated!

[Adds]

Just bought an A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI last week. 05 plate with 93000 miles

Been driving it round for a while with no complaints.

After taking it on the A1 for short stint I noticed the temperature gauge rise up to the limit. Been driving it round short journeys and the temp stays solid 90, it only rises when going above 60mph?

The car starts great normally, however when the engine is warm it struggles to start.

Coolant tank has a slight brown tinge to it and the exhaust seems to be quite smokey when pulling away (white smoke). The car has no loss of power drives incredibly nice.

I have a feeling this is going to be a huge expense, Anyone got any ideas for me?

Going to take it to the garage on Tuesday see what they come up with.

Thanks.

 

[Dave-S3]

Those cars from that year had major issues with cylinder heads cracking amongst other things, but i hope for your sake it isn't! If you only just bought it from a dealer? and it is goosed, you probably have a fairly strong case with CAB (citizens advice) to get it repaired or your money back!!

 

[YSN]

I think white smoke means that you are burning water/coolant.

 

[Adds]

Unfortunately I bought it privately.

Ahhhhh no this sounds expensive.

 

[Dave-S3]

Is it losing coolant? Check the oil cap for mayo type stuff, I'm no expert in this field, but they're the basics? If you have the mayo substance on the oil cap then its oil and water mixing so to do with the head & potential gasket gone..

 

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Cheers for the responses,

I've been monitoring the coolant and oil and there appears to be no change. Checked the oil and it's normal :/

Just going to have to get it in the garage and see what they say.

 

[fangio]

White SMOKE is excess fuel, usually after ticking over for a while. Watch a bus pull away after a prolonged stop with it's engine running.
White VAPOUR is water being consumed.

If the white stuff stinks, it's diesel.............and no problemo!

 

[DriverN00B]

Cheers for the responses,

I've been monitoring the coolant and oil and there appears to be no change. Checked the oil and it's normal :/

Just going to have to get it in the garage and see what they say.

Get the head pressure tested mate, it may well be a cracked head. You know what revision the head gasket on the car is? If you pull your engine cover off and take a look at the head there should be a code... with the last letter being either an A, B or C.

A - almost all heads cracked, B - not as many and C - most were fixed.

Came across the above on another thread here, can't find it now though!

 

[fangio]

Except he's not losing water. If the gasket had gone, it would be blowing water out.

If the white 'smoke' is only there when the engine's cold, then it is water vapour but only condensation.

 

[Dave-S3]

Why is the temp gauge rising then when more load is placed on the engine?

 

[max69vk]

White smoke is excess fuel being burnt in the exhaust. Check the air filter isn't full of muck & also check the MAF isn't full of muck either.

 

[fangio]

Why is the temp gauge rising then when more load is placed on the engine?

Knowing Audi, maybe an electronic fault?

 

[Adds]

Right had the air filter out and it looks like it has been replace recently.

The code on the head ends in a B.

I also forgot to mention that my heaters don't get, hot even on a long run they still blow cold.

Cheers for any help .

 

[fangio]

Bleed the cooling system?

 

[mk2vr6]

Agreed, Could be that it had work done before you bought it, and coolant system was drained and refilled.

A blast has shifted air round the system and it has an air lock.

Have you got pics of the coolant tank and the scum that you mentioned?

 

[MartayMcFly]

Brown tinge in coolant could be rust? I don't know the system well enough to be sure, but 9 years and almost 100k miles is surely long enough for any steel work to start corroding. As for white smoke, my un-educated guess would be over-fueling. Get the MAF checked (since you've said the filter looks clean), could just be running 'rich'.

A quick google turned up a few Honda forums with people talking about coolant leaks after intake replacements, I think the culprit is issues with swapping gaskets and old material not being cleaned so the new one doesn't seal properly. Do you know if the car had any manifold work done recently?

 

[MartayMcFly]

Also, don't worry about it being a big expense until that's the only option left. I've made that mistake before, only to find a wire had come out of a sensor, or a bolt somewhere was loose.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Thermostat blocked

 

[Adds]

Bit the bullet and dropped it off at the garage this morning, I'll let you all know what they come up with.

I'll add a few photos of the coolant tank when I get it back if the fault is still unresolved.

Thanks

 

[Adds]

Just got it back from the garage, 'cylinder head is gasket is at fault, system pressurising and gases detected'


Ahhhhh no, gutted!!

 

[JohnE]

Gasket is not as bad a cracked head at least

 

[MartayMcFly]

Just got it back from the garage, 'cylinder head is gasket is at fault, system pressurising and gases detected'


Ahhhhh no, gutted!!

To be honest, that's pretty much the best outcome (other than a loose hose or something that would take seconds to fix). Good to have a diagnosis.

 

[fangio]

Gases detected means there's a leak between a combustion chamber and the water jacket. I don't think it can tell the difference between a gasket leak or a crack in the head, so be prepared!