I need some quick advice!!!! Was leaving town early this morning. A few minutes in to the trip the coolant low warning came on…..within a minute or so of that happening, the engine started to make a noise! I immediately pulled over, the engine began smoking. She wasn't up to temperature yet, so smoke was minimal. Coolant was all gone….I immediately thought hose burst. Refilled with water quick to find the leak……nothing! When I go to turn the engine over to get things moving, it make a terrible whining and almost grinding noise and the water level doesn't drop at all!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can see on the road where the coolant suddenly emptied out. Could the water pump have fried in the minute or so that she was running dry? What do I do??? Nearest import mechanic is 1.5 hours away and doesn't open till Monday!! I would like to have this somewhat diagnosed before then!

Why isn't the water level dropping when I start the car? The noise is painful and sounds like something is seriously wrong with the engine. There was no major "event" when this all happened….no sudden noise or anything.

Please help and ask more questions, direct me…whatever!

 

ALSO….just realized this!!! When I filled it with distilled water to find the leak, it only took about half a gallon of water!!!! Could there be a collapsed hose or something cause causing the water not to get into the system???

If she needed coolant and leaked a large amount onto the road, why did around half a gallon fill it up?

 

My first guess would be the water pump impeller came apart and isn't moving any coolant and the engine overheated and the pressure relief opened on the cap. The gauge may not read hot. If the coolant isn't flowing, it can be 250 degrees in the cyl head and only 150 where the sensor is (for example). Think running cold water into a too hot bathtub. It'll get cool by the tap and still be hot at the rear of the tub unless you move the water around. The pressure tank can be empty while the engine is still full of coolant so it may very well take only half gallon to refill. They don't hold all that much total, maybe 1.5-2.0 gallons depending on the engine.

The plastic impeller on Audi water pumps is a common failure point. If possible, try to get the best quality aftermarket you can find. Most of them have a metal impeller.