Using Coolant, Lots of condensation?

[mcandmar]

Car is a 93 S4, 80k miles on the engine, 215k miles on the car, turbo and everything else. I think the engine is an AAN, replacement engine is from an S6.

It has recently started to use coolant, i also noticed if you drive around slowly in traffic every now and again when you look the rear view mirror all you can see is a cloud of condensation from the exhaust. Driving hard or on motorways i can’t see anything.

Coolant is clean when it stays there, oil is also clean, and it runs fine so i have ruled out the head gasket. Would it would be safe to say the coolant is leaking into the turbo hot side and evaporating?

Thanks,

Mark.

[merlin's S4]

Don't rule out the headgasket! Most of the AAN engines had the paper/fibre gasket fitted where as the RS2s and later S2s had metal ones fitted as standard. Just had my headgasket replaced with by QRSport in chester as I had similar simptoms as you although I was also losing a bit of oil. I found a very slight oil leak on the back corner of the headgasket (exhaust side) which is a fairly common problem so I had it all done with the cambelt change as it was due! You say that your engine's done 80k, has the cambelt been done?

[Billman]

I think i loose to some oil on the back side of the motor near the exhaust but i dont know if it is from the Head gasket, or the valve gasket! Havent checked it out good! Car is an RS2 !

Greetings

[mcandmar]

I would have assumed it was not paper as it came out of an S6 which is newer, will have to check that.

Cam belt has been done, we did all the acc bits when we put it in. Does have the slight oil leak at the back of the block, never worried about it as the last engine was the same and so was my CQ until i did the head gasket. Now you mention it though you have me thinking.... Going to have another look at it this evening,

Thanks,

Mark.

Don't rule out the headgasket! Most of the AAN engines had the paper/fibre gasket fitted where as the RS2s and later S2s had metal ones fitted as standard. Just had my headgasket replaced with by QRSport in chester as I had similar simptoms as you although I was also losing a bit of oil. I found a very slight oil leak on the back corner of the headgasket (exhaust side) which is a fairly common problem so I had it all done with the cambelt change as it was due! You say that your engine's done 80k, has the cambelt been done?

[merlin's S4]

I was told that even S6's as late as '96/'97 very often had the paper gaskets, it seems that Audi couldn't be bothered to change the AAN engines to the metal version!

[porkkis]

Well hope that it's the head gasket as the other option would be a badly cracked head! Can't really be much else.