my car is now overheating starting yesterday evening. i searched on here for realated posts, and after doing some reading and checking my own car im thinking my water pump needs to be replaced. i felt both hoses going into/out of the radiator. the one leading into it is hot after the car has reached operating temp. the one out of it near the bottom of the car is not however. is this most likely a problem with the water pump and/or thermostat? if so how easy is it going to be for me to reaplace it myself? i feel like i am a fairly good DIY guy (did all the work on my old car, a camry, and yes i they are easier to work on than audis). any and all help or input is greatly appreciated. oh its a 96 A4 2.8 quattro 12v. thanks.

 

to check if the pump is working, remove the coolant cap and run the engine up to temp and look into the expansion bottle you should see the coolant flowing into the expansion bottle, cheapest and most common fault is the thermostat and it might just be sticking

 

Both fixes aren't hard. Replace the thermostat first. If it still overheats replace the waterpump.

 

i checked the coolant, and its not moving at all in the expansion bottle. so i guess the water pump is the problem. am i going to have to take off the bumper and radiator to get to that or not? im basically trying to figure out if this is going to take over my weekend. i dont have a benltey manual, does anyone know of something else i can use as a guide? i need to get this problem fixed asap. thanks

 

....also how can i check to see if the thermostat is stuck? i just bought the water pump, thermostat and all the necessary gaskets for $85 shipped. does that seem like a reasonable price?

 

If your thermostat is stuck shut then your coolant will not move at all. More often than not it will be the thermostat that needs replaced not the pump.

 

You need to drain the coolant then climb under the car the thermostat housing is right in your face. Pull it out and throw it away then put a new one in. If you want to be a tight @ss about it take the thermostat and drop it in boiling water if it opens it's good, but 9/10 times they are toast.

 

ok so looks like ill be doing that this weekend. do i need to worry about what coolent i re-fill it with?

 

Dealer item..........

 

yeah so im having a little trouble finding the thermostat housing. i have a 2.8 so is there anyone familiar with one of those that could help me out?