My 2002 audi a4 3.0 quattro coolant gushed out then overheated
First off, the bad news:
DO NOT DRIVE it while you have coolant missing/leaking. If your engine over heats (and it sounds like it already did if it shut off) you could crack the engine block, which means you'll be in for a HUGE thousands of dollars repair).
Secondly, the optimistic news:
It sounds to me like all you have is a broken radiator hose, which is probably less than a $20 part. Start by checking all the hoses, find the one that's broken/cracked or leaking and replace it.
Thirdly the less optimistic news:
You could have a bad radiator. If you're radiator is leaking you need to replace the radiator. Probably a few hundred dollars for a new part.
If it's none of the above then it could be leaking from around the water pump, head gasket, or some other part.
Fill your radiator back up with water (when the engine is cold) and look for leaks. If you see nothing, start it back up for (no more than a minute or two) and look for the leak. Once you've found the leak, flush the cooling system and fill it back up with the proper coolant (not just any coolant, get the right coolant for your car at the auto parts store or dealership, just ask them what you need- they can look it up). Be sure to use the proper procedure for returning coolant to the system (you need to fill it up wait for the thermostat to open, then add more coolant- missing the last step could cause your engine to over heat again, and crack the block. Never add coolant/water to a HOT engine (or you could crack the block).
If you find the leak, replace everything that's leaking, replace all the coolant, and find that you're still slowly losing coolant mysteriously (no drips anywhere) then you did indeed crack the block.
Good luck James. Let us know how it goes.
4/8/2014 11:26:37 PM •
2002 Audi A4
•
Answered
on Apr 08, 2014