Constantly getting air in coolant

[s2driveruk]

Jamo, are you topping up coolant regularly and its not leaving a wet patch when parked up then you might have the same prob i had with our A6 last summer. It was pressure tested by Audi 3 times and each time they said no problem. it was ingesting about 1ltr every 200 miles of motorway driving When Tom got hold of the car and lifted the head, there was serious corrosion to the block as it had been run so long with the problem and never been diagnosed correctly as a leaking gasket. Essentially the head/block were stripped and skimmed. After replacing most of the obviously worn bits, new clutch etc the final bill was over £2.5k

DONT wait to get it sorted - the a6 showed no coolant contamination and was running perfectly happy, just had a hell of a drink (G12) habbit and a very sweet/acrid smelling exhaust

[CHEN]

I would get the coolant chemically tested (for combustion gases) but it doesnt sound good, I would guess headgasket

[volcano rs]

Me? Take the head off?

How much am I looking at for a head gasket change if the worst comes to the worst?

anyone can take the head off its putting back together thats a problem

[merlin's S4]

anyone can take the head off its putting back together thats a problem

LOL!! I can confim that this is true!

[pixsaudisex2]

i had this problem the other week and after much hunting i found that the temp sensor was broken and leaking water out of there once again cheers sal for the cheap part to fix ( the sensor with the four pin plug going to it..) ..

[Jamo]

Depends where you go totally and also what is done while the head is off.....it should for sure be pressure tested and machined for flatness...and block mating surface ideally as well but not practical with engine in car!!

Also, depends if the problem has done any damage such as corrosion or other damage to any engine parts or anclilleries

All being well average case scenario I would hazard a guess around ~ £500-£600 but i could be wrong!

HOW MUCH?! Surely thats a joke?

[s2dude]

HOW MUCH?! Surely thats a joke?

not a joke but a guess
As I said i could be well out....I just estimated the labour x by an estimated rate + parts.
but if the head needs machining flat...+ the cost of a pressure test + metal headgasket @ £50 iirc etc. I wouldnt expect any change out of £500 myself (including the dreaded VAT)
Hope I am wrong though!!

[lune]

I agree with £500 mark, had mine done in October:
£60 - head skim & pressure test
6hrs Labour remove & replace (+ labour for replacement of valve stem oil seals & de-coke?)
£100+ for metal HG

It all add's up

Hope you get it sorted

[Jamo]

I agree with £500 mark, had mine done in October:
£60 - head skim & pressure test
6hrs Labour remove & replace (+ labour for replacement of valve stem oil seals & de-coke?)
£100+ for metal HG

It all add's up

Hope you get it sorted

Metal head gasket set ( Victor Reinz ) complete with all other gaskets I can get for £70 or under.

Head skin & pressure test + 6 hours labour I estimate a total bill or around £400 then not good.

What I need is there any suggestions of tests that can be done before booking this in as it's allot of money for a possible fix?

[s2driveruk]

Jamo, as mentioned get a test done to see if any combustion gases are present in the coolant, if not and you are losing water the gasket is more than likely leaking on the water side only. If that the case the only thing left to do is a) pour in G12 and live with it (not a great idea) or b) lift the head and get it sorted. Leaving it will only leave u more likely to face a bigger bill as it starts to affect other areas....

To put some perspective on it, when I asked audi how much it would cost to replace the head gasket on a common as muck 115bhp pdi diesel a6 they said it would START at £800, to lift and inspect and then replace the gasket. that was before any machine work, xrays etc etc etc. it ended up costing £2.5k with Tom on the case (plus a few other items changed whilst having it in 100's of pieces).

take it to someone u trust, sit tight and just hope its a simple gasket failure and a skim of the head only. Good luck

[Corey]

Pressure testing the coolant system when cold show's if you have an external leak anywhere. We have seen the small coolant return hose under the turbo leak when hot, due to the pressure but be sealed when cold, you said you have a wet sump?

[Jamo]

The coolant inlet and return hose on my car are effin big stainless steel braided hoses, I'll check though

[Jamo]

Mate has told me to run the engine without the cap on the expansion tank and see if water is pushed out of the system. I'll try this as well.

[volcano rs]

Mate has told me to run the engine without the cap on the expansion tank and see if water is pushed out of the system. I'll try this as well.

i dont think that will tell you anything . get it pressure tested before you spend any money on it .

[Jamo]

i dont think that will tell you anything . get it pressure tested before you spend any money on it .

Theory is if i'm getting exhaust gasses in the system the coolant will be pushed out the expansion tank.