Hi All,
Sorry to only post when my car has issues. But.... I have a '99 2.8 A6 with 150K miles that started losing a reservoir full of coolant (water at this point) about every 40 miles. Yes, I have some little pink residue around hoses and tank sensor. But... not that much and I can't see it dripping anywhere when car is warmed up. Water pump is pretty new and I see no water residue under car. Oil is not milky. And... if there is steam from exhaust it must be subtle because I can't see it. So... how does one nail this down? And, if it is head gasket, are there any Audiforum How To articles from others that have replaced theirs? I doubt it is much fun. How much have others paid or is it time for a new car?
Thanks as always,
J

 

IMO, check the oil cooler hoses and rear coolant rail...very common leakers on aging 2.8s. A leak from either place can be difficult to detect, but pink residue around anything can be cause for concern.

 

LOL -- I lived with a leak that I couldn’t find (I did not look too hard.) on my 97 2.8 Avant for about a year. I drive 100 miles a day and would refill the reservoir every two days with water in the summer and antifreeze mix in the winter. In the fall I’d switch to adding straight antifreeze until the mixture tested -30. I did not use “Official Audi” antifreeze because it is too expensive.

Finally this summer it began dropping enough for the low water light to come on in less than two days. I remembered an old trick we used and found a bottle of premixed AlumaSeal and poured the stuff in the reservoir expecting to screw everything up. To my surprise the leak slowed and I now add water every 4 weeks. If it begins leaking again I’m spending another $3.89 and looking for a complete tune up kit in a jar for $2.98