What do you do if your car is leaking engine coolant for an Audi A4?

Answer 1

1. Find out where it's leaking from. a. After driving it, look under the hood before it cools down to see if steam is coming from anywhere. (including the radiator cap - mine leaked there) b. before you start it in the morning, see if there's a puddle under the car. Note what's above it.

2. If the leak is from a hose or other connection, replace the hose and/or tighten or replace the connecting clamps.

3. If it is leaking from the radiator or engine, try using a "stop leak" chemical solution. There are different kinds. Start with the easiest to use.

4. If the leak is in the radiator and too big for the chemical to fix, fix the radiator or have it fixed at a radiator shop. Replace it as a last resort.

5. If the engine is leaking and no level of chemical "stop leak" will fix it, see if a freeze plug is blown out. If not, you may be in big trouble.

AnswerJust to add in: Check for a faulty head gasket.

1. Check oil for coolant, coolant for oil. 2. Smell the exhaust, is it sweet? I hope not. 3. Check coolant reservoir, is it always empty even though you fill it? 4. Check spark plugs for coolant, is the engine running rough? Coolant may be getting into the combustion chamber, by the way, not good for the engine at all. 5. Has the car overheated, or come close? If so you could have blown your head gasket.

If you find your haed gasket is blown then take it to a mechanic as soon as possible, it will only get worse and is bad for your engine. STOP-LEAK is only a temporary solution, just to get to the shop or to work and back until you can come up with the money.

AnswerYou said leaking right? That means you see it on the ground which is very good because when you don't see it, you might have the above mentioned head gasket issue which is very bad.

The most likely place these cars leak is from the water pump. When hoses go, they go, so it probably isn't a hose. Crawl under the engine with a flashlight and look up under there at the water pump connection of the lower radiator hose. If the lower radiator hose has fluid on it, it is 99% likely that your water pump is sending a message of impending failure.

Replace it, cheap and easy on this car.

1. Drain radiator using petcock or by removing lower radiator hose at the radiator. Remember, anti-freese is poison and will kill many animals including dogs, cats, etc since it tastes sweet so dispose of properly.

2. Remove the four bolts that hold the variable speed fan propeller. You have to do this before you remove the serpentine belt or it will just spin.

3. Remove serpentine belt by sticking a 1/2" drive breaker bar into the square by the alternator and pulling back the spring tensioner, you can then pull off the belt. You might draw a diagram or take a digital picture first in case your photographic memory happens to fail when you go to reinstall the belt.

4. Remove the bolts that hold the water pump on. If you look, you will know which they are. Once they are removed, you will be perplexed because the water pump still seems stuck on and it is. First try to grab it and wiggle, some come off this way, if not, take a rubber hammer or something and give it a few taps whicle holding it. It will break loose with a gush of green blood and if you are not holding it, you might punch a hole in your radiator. I sometimes cut a peice of cardboard to put in front of the radiator to protect it but if you are careful it is not needed.

5. Clean the mounting surface to remove the old gasket material from the block. I use a sharp chisel and a razor blade but go easy as you can scratch it if you are not careful. Then clean all the bolt threads with a wire brush.

6. Coat the mounting surface of the new water pump with Blue RTV, let dry 10-15 minutes. Press the gasket to the RTVed surface and coat that with Blue RTV. Let it dry 15 minutes. Coat all of the bolt threads with a light coating of Blue RTV as some of the bolts go into the water jacket.

7. Put it back on following a reverse procedure.

8. When done, double check the four propeller bolts are tightened after you put the serpentine belt back on since if that comes loose.......

9. Fill the radiator with new coolant. There are several kinds available and not all can be mixed so check it out. It should take a gallon at this point.

10. Put the heater on max temeperature and fan and start engine with the radiator cap off. After the engine reaches temperature, the thermostat will open and you will see the fluid drop way down out of sight and the flow begin. With the engine running, fill the radiator with more coolant up to about an inch or so below the neck. Recap and then top of reserviour with water after driving it for awhile.

Just saved yourself $400