Alright, so my sister just bought a 2000 1.8T fwd(180) and it has a coolant leak on the back side of the block somewhere. I've been searching online for a few days and cannot for the life of me find a direct answer. I already changed out the coolant flange (as recommended) but once I got into it it was clear that it wasn't the issue. I changed it anyways as a preventative measure since I already had the driver side tore apart.

So the symptoms are it only leaks while driving/when it is hot. It is spraying on the firewall and draining down to the oil pan/transmission and burning off/going on the ground. I feel like it has something to do with the cooling for the turbo but I can't seem to find it or see anything back there. I was also told there's some sort of different flange back there?

Anyways, I'm a Cadillac man myself, so I don't know much about Audi's.. If you need more information feel free to ask and I will get it.

And as the saying goes over on the Caddy forums, a pic or you don't have it. So here's the babies sitting next to each other.

 

I think a turbo coolant line could be a good assumption. Normally the coolant flange on 1.8T Audi's is the cause when there is "a leak at the back of the head near the firewall". But in TT's the motor is mounted horizontally rather than longitudinally.

It might also be a heater core line. Those run into the firewall so it could be that there's a leak from one of those.

I hope this helps!

Jason

 

Thanks ECS. It doesn't matter if the heat/ac is on/off if that makes a difference. I forgot to mention some more information. Car has 123k, serpentine, waterpump, and timing belt were all changed at 100k and new alternator about a month before she bought it. She got it for $4500 which I thought was a pretty good deal, but now I'm beginning to wonder haha.

She can't afford the probable $1200 bill at the stealership so I got stuck with it haha.


Some pics.

Its somewhere in this area...








Could this mean anything??

 

is that the turbo side correct? i would think it might be the coolant line to the turbo that leaks but the amount that you are leaking seems to be more then a small leak. U cant hear or see exactly where its leaking when u drive the car hard and then park to hear or see the leak?

 

Correct. The leak is quickly growing as a week ago it made a 200mile trip without needing filled, now it barely makes it across town. Anyways, my buddy and I tried getting it hot then opening it up to try to find the leak and we couldn't find Sh*t. We did this 4 different times and no success haha. And what makes me think it's something to do with the turbo is when it's driven harder it sprays more lol. I just don't have the slightest clue on what lines/seals/flanges it could be or how to even get to them. Thanks yall.

 

Solved the issue and got it fixed tonight, finally!

It ended up being the water pump seal. I got a whole new pump from Audi as they said it only came as a hole, not just the seal. Anyways, with my friends employee discount picked the pump up for 89.99 so I couldn't really complain. The seal was completely ate away, so that explains the leak growing lol.

Thanks everyone for the help. I'm going back to hiding over in the caddy forums, atleast until she breaks something else ^_^