Car: 1.8T '98

So I'm replacing the thermostat. I purchased the thermostat and the gasket and went to town. Afterwards I put in a bit of water to look for leakage (there was non prior) and like clock work it began to leak. I thought it was the bolt on the right because that one was hard to reach. After a few tries I just moved that bracket out of the way and was able to tighten both fine. Still I saw leakage. I thought it was the hose clamp, I got a new one. Still leaking. By this point I noticed the screws were actually dry so I assume it's leaking from one of the sides of the thermostat housing.

What should have taken an hour I will have to finish tomorrow, but does anyone have any background on this? I had to go from home back to the store constantly to get another object I thought was causing the leak replaced (hose, gasket, clamp).

I'm going to look for a new housing tomorrow. It looks fine to me, but I don't know if that's part of the usual ordeal. Any advice I would appreciate.

Thanks guys.

 

am I trippin? Napa shows both a thermostat gasket, and a thermostat housing gasket. I wasn't mentioned this at autozone. Please advise

 

should I use some sort of goo seal?

 

If you check out ECS Tuning's website:
OEM / Performance Parts for Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Mini, Porsche & Volkswagen - ECS Tuning
You'll see it's just the thermostat o-ring. Make sure you have it installed properly; I know from experience that installing the o-ring/housing in the wrong order IS possible and WILL cause coolant to leak. If this isn't your issue, make sure the o-ring is seated properly as it can be a pain to get right.

 

The coolant has found the least path of resistance, most likely just a pin-hole, therefore impossible to seal unless you redo the installation from scratch.

 

I'm with metalman on this one. Having just done my tbelt service last month, its surprisingly easy to install the t-stat backwards or put the o-ring on the wrong side. Both will cause problems.

 

engine block, o ring, thermostat (dick facing towards engine block), housing. That's it right? Are you saying the o ring itself has an up and down side?

 

This is for the Audi A4 B5 (AEB engine)
Engine Block
Thermostat (long end)
O-ring
Housing
Lower Radiator Hose