losing coolant - goo in tank

[nyrobbie77]

This is now the 2nd time in about 2-3 months i have had to top off the coolant in my '97 A8. a lil history... bought the car with a clogged after run pump (was full of sludge). flushed out the radiator, lines, block, cores etc and refilled. noticed the over flow tank had a little oily residue, but not bad. i checked all the plugs when i did the pump replacement, they look ok - no signs of burning coolant. after the first refill figured was just an air bubble that finally let loose after the previous repairs. noticed more oily residue inside the overflow tank. this refill noticed lots of build up along the inside tank wall and floaters... see pics... I haven't drained any coolant from the radiator to see how the coolant in the rest of the system looks. the other thing i've noticed is that occasionally i see a puff of smoke from the exhaust after a start up. this ONLY happens if i start the car (cold engine), move it to another spot in the driveway, then start it again a few minutes later. any ideas?

[silverd2]

Any change in oil level? Any change in oil's appearance? Any coolant leaks visible anywhere?

If it's mixing oil with coolant, it could be an internal breach in the oil cooler (coolant cooled)...or worst case, head gasket(?).

A puff of blue smoke on start-up, after a short run before (no warm-up), is VERY common with your engine (and 40V's). It comes from valve stem seals, temporarily "unsealed" from that short cold run. After warming and lubricating, they reseal.

[fusilier]

When you top it off are you using antifreeze or straight water?
straight water can cause rusting of alot of interior parts. which can lead to an intermixing of oil and water. Engine failure and transmission failure.

Its important NOT to top off your car with straight water. Must use some type of glycol in there to replenish the antifreeze and if that water gets in the oil.. Luckily the oil cooler matrix isn't prone to failing, but if straight water is run in the car for even half a year, things can go south Really fast.

Are you seeing any coolant under the car (i.e. leakage)?

[tozoM8]

Broken trans cooler causes that too. The trans cooler is integrated into the radiator and sometimes they break into each other. You need to figure it out soon because if it is the trans cooler than you are looking at a big repair bill.

[nyrobbie77]

oil level is ok - i had to top off approx a quart last month as i still have that nasty drip with the engine running. now seems the rear cam seals are leaking onto the exhaust.

i don't see any coolant leaks. have always topped it off w/50/50 mix. planning on doing valve cover gaskets, cam seals and oil change this weekend. need to degrease the underside to get a better handle on what may be leaking. will update w/what i find.

thanks all.

[morpheousx]

Originally Posted by nyrobbie77

oil level is ok - i had to top off approx a quart last month as i still have that nasty drip with the engine running. now seems the rear cam seals are leaking onto the exhaust.

i don't see any coolant leaks. have always topped it off w/50/50 mix. planning on doing valve cover gaskets, cam seals and oil change this weekend. need to degrease the underside to get a better handle on what may be leaking. will update w/what i find.

thanks all.

50/50 ?? I thought all VW/Audi/Porsche use G12 coolant? I never put any other green/blue/orange **** in my 2001 Audi A4 B5 or 2001 Audi S8 or 1997 VW Jetta 2.0 Its G12 or nothing. which is a reddish/violet in color?

[fusilier]

Well thats not good.
As Tozo and myself stated, Leaks can mess up the trans and engine.
Gunk in the coolant is likely related to a trans cooler.

[silverd2]

Originally Posted by morpheousx

50/50 ?? I thought all VW/Audi/Porsche use G12 coolant? I never put any other green/blue/orange **** in my 2001 Audi A4 B5 or 2001 Audi S8 or 1997 VW Jetta 2.0 Its G12 or nothing. which is a reddish/violet in color?

Hey...

50/50 means 50% G12 and 50% distilled (spring) water....NORMAL...Unless you bought the premixed 50/50, which will plainly state on the label that no water is needed.

[nyrobbie77]

still haven't found the source of the coolant leak. the other day noticed a big spot about 4" wide and 2 ft long behind the right front tire. am thinking mbe its leaking in the cowl area and coming out the cowl drain. only noticed it that day. i popped the driver side cowl cover off, all looks dry, peaked where the passenger side heater hoses go thru the firewall and dry there too.. prolly have to pull all the panels off and get a good look. i had to replace the after-run pump over the winter, am thinking a clamp might not be tight enough.

i replaced the valve covers and rear camshaft seals, along with a fresh oil change last weekend. i degreased and hosed down everything so i can see what else is still leaking. i still have an active small drip from behind the alternator - see pic. not sure if its from the crank seal or the oil cooler. the crap-tastic RTV oil pan seal that u can see in the pics was not my work...

need to tackle the rear trans output seal yet. love the smoke show after going up a hill. left cat is soaked in oil. audi wants $52 for the seal, unreal. ecstuning has for 7ish plus shipping. left cv axle seal might be leaking too. tough to tell, need to degrease that area again and recheck.

wondering what ur opinions on the leak in the picture may be from. thanks again!

[Prospeeder]

yea all your issues sound oil cooler related. Junk in the tank, loss of coolant, oil leak down the oil pan by the alternator.