WHEN will it END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[A4 TSCHUSS]

Foreshadowing. I drove my car and coolant gauge started acting up going to hot but then would go back to normal. I stopped to check and car wasnt hot so I continued on. It would do this every now and then. I got home and checked codes which said something about the temp sensor so I said ok I need to get a new one.

The next night I decide to go driving with a friend and the gauge started screwing around again so I didnt pay attention to it and continued driving, I had went about 7 miles and all is well. I dropped down and pulled through 1 or 2 gears then cruised more. The gauge continued to move around and was in the H for part of the time and then the coolant light came one which I then figured was now acting up due to the gauge. I drove another mile and then pulled 3rd and 4th gear but the car started to not pull and felt week so I let off some and at this time I smelt coolant. I then hit the gas again and it felt like a coil pack had went and then the car died. I dropped the clutch with it in gear and it fired back up but still no power, I drove another 3/4 of a mile to the off ramp and it died again and then as I rolled up to the light smoke began to pour everywhere.

I popped the hood and coolant had sprayed everywhere. The upper radiator hose that connects to the hard pipe that runs over the intake manifold had popped off. I tried to start car again but it wouldnt. My friend and I pushed the car to gas station and left it there over night. I went back next day and pulled the plugs and there was coolant in each cylinder so I figured I must have blew the head gasket or warped the head. I checked the oil but no coolant in the oil. I filled coolant up and dried off plugs and tried to start again but no good. Took out plugs and once again little bit of coolant in the cylinder and on the plugs.

I went and got a uhaul trailer and towed the car to my house. I took the intake manifold off just now and a little coolant dripped out of it and some was down on top of the valves. I was a little confused by this wondering how the hell there was coolant in the intake. I continued to take the front end apart and all that good stuff since I was gonna take the head off to have it checked.

I disconnected the intercooler pipes and about a 1/2 cup of coolant came pouring out of the piping and intercooler! I now assume that the seals or jacket whatever it is on the coolant side must have went bad or something allowing coolant to go from the coolant chamber in the center of the turbo and into the compressor of the turbo and into the intake system. Does this make sense to anyone else? Is this possible like oil leaks through on the other side if the seals go causing it to go in the exhaust. Needless to say this sucks big time.

[yoogene83]

yikes

[A4ringedONE8T]

Ahhhhhhh fun huh? I told ya shit happens, its not the walk in the park you thought it was going to be!!!

[dougyfresh]

The next night I decide to go driving with a friend and the gauge started screwing around again so I didnt pay attention to it and continued driving, I had went about 7 miles and all is well. I dropped down and pulled through 1 or 2 gears then cruised more. The gauge continued to move around and was in the H for part of the time and then the coolant light came one which I then figured was now acting up due to the gauge. I drove another mile and then pulled 3rd and 4th gear but the car started to not pull and felt week so I let off some and at this time I smelt coolant. I then hit the gas again and it felt like a coil pack had went and then the car died. I dropped the clutch with it in gear and it fired back up but still no power, I drove another 3/4 of a mile to the off ramp and it died again and then as I rolled up to the light smoke began to pour everywhere.

Most likely overheated the motor and blew your head gasket for starters. Clint did this and he's onto a new motor now thanks to running WOT on an overheating motor (amongst shitty machine work on the bottom end for the first build).

Why your IC pipes have coolant in, I do not know. Might want to check the CHRA on the turbo like you are thinking...



Sorry to hear about this. Let us know if you need anything.

It is tough to 'say no' and not drive the vehicle when you think something's amiss. Look at me, I was going WOT with a blown exhaust gasket and a faulty serpentine belt tensioner this past weekend. Last night I put the car in the garage and ripped 'her apart to fix the problem. I've waited too long to break something more. Gotta cut it off at the pass.

[A4 TSCHUSS]

only thing is there is no coolant in the oil so that is why I think the head and gasket are fine but I could be wrong. I am thinking it is just the turbo that is leaking coolant somehow into the intake track.

[dougyfresh]

only thing is there is no coolant in the oil so that is why I think the head and gasket are fine but I could be wrong. I am thinking it is just the turbo that is leaking coolant somehow into the intake track.

Hmm. Guess I'd suggest looking at the turbo first before pulling the head off? Might behoove you to pull the intake manifold off and look down the intake ports on the head as well.

[A4 TSCHUSS]

I did take it off that is when I first saw coolant when it dripped out of the intake mani and that is when I got confused. There is a little coolant sitting on the top of the intake valves

[dougyfresh]

Which probably got there through the FMIC and TB if you're seeing coolant on the turbo exit now that I think about it and have read your first post over again. Hmm.


Only thing I can think of as to how it got there is somehow you overheated the turbo and blew the jacket like you are thinking? Is there any way to verify this without sending the center section to ATP or Garrett?

[A4ringedONE8T]

I did take it off that is when I first saw coolant when it dripped out of the intake mani and that is when I got confused. There is a little coolant sitting on the top of the intake valves

Makes sense but the oil seals are typically way more heat sensitive. Obviously your motor was running at an extremely hi temp coolant wise which would have transfered to your oil temp as well

[OneBadAudi]

This is one main reason why if the coolant gauge or light goes crazy, i turn the car off and figure it out...i would bet it went through through the IC to the TB if ur seeing coolant there, Time for some trouble shooting....Good luck

[A4ringedONE8T]

Just asked Adrian if blown coolant seals would allow coolant into the charge pipe, he laughed and said hell no. The only way coolant in the IC was possible is from the turbo sucking it up through the intake. If you had coolant everywhere in your engine bay, pretty good chance you could have sucked it up.

[A4 TSCHUSS]

no way it sucked up coolant. My filter is way down on the passenger side up against the fender under the head light and it wasnt wet. And also it wouldnt be able to suck that kind of water into the intake track unless the filter was submerged not just some water spraying around on top of engine from the hose. Way on that side of the engine and especially down low there is not really much sign of coolant like there is all on the driver side.

[absolutegtr]

Remove all the coolant from the cylinders and compression test it to see if the headgasket is blown or not.....

[A4 TSCHUSS]

yeah I am gonna compression test, I need to borrow a guage though from a friend.

[A4 TSCHUSS]

See where my filter is. And like I said this is also under the headlight so that coolant would have been amazing to get around all the obsticles and over to the filter. And there is no coolant residue (stickyness) on the MAF or filter like everywhere else.

[bmags88]

I can't read this thread. It make me cringe!

[Audi Skate Snow]

check your turbo. something might have happend with the coolant passage causing it to leak into the outlet of the turbo and into your intake manifold etc.... it would explain coolant in there and also loosing coolant causing the higher engine temps.

for sure do any test to check for warpage from the high engine temps.

[A4ringedONE8T]

Thinking about it, the coolant jacket is not at all connected to the shaft of the turbo, its just a seperate housing surrounding the center section of the turbo. There isnt anything there to fail as you are suspecting

[F16HTON]

Pressurize the coolant lines to the turbo and check to see the the seals are allowing coolant to leak into the compressor...

The only thing is that if you have that much coolant get into the intercooler, hydrolocking is a possibility.

[A4 TSCHUSS]

The engine never had a problem spinning over and all the intake valves were holding coolant/gas on top of them so they arent bent.

[A4 TSCHUSS]

Thinking about it, the coolant jacket is not at all connected to the shaft of the turbo, its just a seperate housing surrounding the center section of the turbo. There isnt anything there to fail as you are suspecting

Bob @ qed power said the turbo doesnt have coolant seals and is a jacket and cant leak too like you are saying Shawn. I am so confused how this damn coolant is in my piping!

[AudiA4_20T]

when you toasted the headgasket coolant could have gone through the head....

this is what Mtbrider did and he had coolant all in his catch can

[A4ringedONE8T]

when you toasted the headgasket coolant could have gone through the head....

this is what Mtbrider did and he had coolant all in his catch can

If the headgasket goes typically he would have coolant mixed in the oil as well which he does not

[A4 TSCHUSS]

when you toasted the headgasket coolant could have gone through the head....

this is what Mtbrider did and he had coolant all in his catch can

through the head where? And how would it get all in my intercooler/piping. Unless I am crazy the only way for the coolant to be in the intake track is through the turbo on the compressor side. Now how does coolant get in there if it isnt sucked up through the intake such as would be the case if I went through a deep puddle submerging the filter. Since that isnt what happened then how does the coolant enter the intake track (intercooler and piping) and then I assume get blown in to the cylinders through the throttle body down into the intake manifold.

And like Shawn said, I have clean oil so no coolant/water in my oil. I am gonna do a compression check a little later too when I get the gauge.

[A4 Moda]

All signs are pointing to the turbo.

[Don Supreme]

Puzzled.

[A4 TSCHUSS]

All signs are pointing to the turbo.

Yes but at the same time people are saying it isnt possible to have coolant leak from the coolant jacket into the compressor housing which I dont know to be true or false. In my mind I see that coolant could leak through from the jacket into the compressor since the shaft of the turbo goes through there so why couldnt it leak there if something wasnt right to seal out the water, but then I am told there isnt a seal but then how does the shaft go through into the compressor from the water jacket with no seal.

[AudiA4_20T]

through the head where? And how would it get all in my intercooler/piping. Unless I am crazy the only way for the coolant to be in the intake track is through the turbo on the compressor side. Now how does coolant get in there if it isnt sucked up through the intake such as would be the case if I went through a deep puddle submerging the filter. Since that isnt what happened then how does the coolant enter the intake track (intercooler and piping) and then I assume get blown in to the cylinders through the throttle body down into the intake manifold.

And like Shawn said, I have clean oil so no coolant/water in my oil. I am gonna do a compression check a little later too when I get the gauge.

ahh true, that might account for the plugs but not the IC piping...

[A4 TSCHUSS]

now that I look at a turbo diagram cut out I think the water jacket is completely seperate and the shaft doesnt go through it because it is on the outer side of where the shaft runs through and there is an oil seal on both sides so only oil could leak into the compressor. I think that pic is of a oil only turbo though.

[A4 Moda]

You haven't much luck in the past with your center cartridges man. I wouldn't look past it.

You think that might be related? Is your water pump F*ed? That's why you've blown your center cartridge twice on the GTRS?

And now again on your BAT?

Yes but at the same time people are saying it isnt possible to have coolant leak from the coolant jacket into the compressor housing which I dont know to be true or false. In my mind I see that coolant could leak through from the jacket into the compressor since the shaft of the turbo goes through there so why couldnt it leak there if something wasnt right to seal out the water, but then I am told there isnt a seal but then how does the shaft go through into the compressor from the water jacket with no seal.

[Don Supreme]

No oil seal on GT turbo.

[A4 TSCHUSS]

This diagram I think would show more how the coolant passage is seperate from where the shaft is which kills me since I dont see how the coolant would get in the intake any other way!

[A4 TSCHUSS]

No oil seal on GT turbo.

how do you figure? I blew the oil seals twice on my gtrs.

[Audi Skate Snow]

shit man... hard to say with out really inspecting that shit. I would have thought its turbo related with coolant being in the intercooling piping...

keep us posted and inspect the shit out of it.

[dougyfresh]

Yes but at the same time people are saying it isnt possible to have coolant leak from the coolant jacket into the compressor housing which I dont know to be true or false. In my mind I see that coolant could leak through from the jacket into the compressor since the shaft of the turbo goes through there so why couldnt it leak there if something wasnt right to seal out the water, but then I am told there isnt a seal but then how does the shaft go through into the compressor from the water jacket with no seal.

Instead of listening to everyone and making your head spin in multiple directions leave your computer and go do your own troubleshooting around your engine bay. Inspect everything and come back with the results. We'll then go from there. In the meantime anyone and everyone will continue to suggest things from your turbo jacket to landing on the moon. Who knows what really happened......

[AudiA4Turbo22]

time for a new motor or car david, u've had tons of headaches with this one man, don't know.

really check the turbo, could be Bob made the whole thing up for starters. Check the turbo, pressurize the coolant lines u'll find out where it is coming from, i say run a whole new set of coolant lines throughout the engine bay made of silicone after the issue is fixed this way u prevent any further issues. Check ur water pump too.

[Don Supreme]

how do you figure? I blew the oil seals twice on my gtrs.

You didn't blow 'oil seals' you blew something else. The "seal" on the compressor side is to stop an air leak and the other seal is there to stop the exhaust gas from mixing.... As I undestand it. If you don't believe me than you can call up a Master Level Garrett Distributor and ask them about oil seals.

I have no idea how coolant got into the charge pipe.

[A4 TSCHUSS]

Did a compression check and have 0, 30, 15, 160. Guess I have a bad head gasket and or warped head.

[dougyfresh]

/\
Ouch!

Time for ARP head bolts so you can re-use them.

[A4 TSCHUSS]

You didn't blow 'oil seals' you blew something else. The "seal" on the compressor side is to stop an air leak and the other seal is there to stop the exhaust gas from mixing.... As I undestand it. If you don't believe me than you can call up a Master Level Garrett Distributor and ask them about oil seals.

I have no idea how coolant got into the charge pipe.

The proper term was turbine side "piston ring" and "bearing retainer" that was the caused failure Atp turbo told me after taking the turbo apart and checking/testing everything.