B6 A4 Coolant Flange

[mmccollum]

So i've found that i need to do mine, the one on the back of the cylinder head.
I have seem to come across this diy Here Thanks for the tutorial but holy smokes how the hell do you get back there? the firewall is like 3 inches away + a gongshow of cables, and you can't reach it from the bottom?. lol, i can barely even see it! anyone done it before and had this frustration? or am i just missing the boat on an easier way

Thanks guys.

[RamrodA4]

i'm going to be doing the same job in a couple days. I was wondering the same thing lol

[mmccollum]

i'm going to be doing the same job in a couple days. I was wondering the same thing lol

haha, let me know? lol

[a4wd]

this is why i am paying someone to do it...along with my clutch job!!

[davyboi]

its a biotch to do!

[dolbnyc]

Mine lasted 38K miles. How many miles are on yours?
Just wondering if this is going to happen to me again in another 40K

[NCAUDI]

yeah, that job sucks. It took me a while, but I got it done. Get a small mirror you can use and remove the air box to give you more room for your arms. I also unpluged the coil packs to get some of the wires out of the way. Good luck.

[mmccollum]

Ahh... at first it seemed like an easy job up until the time when i tried to even find where it was.. i really wanted to do this on my own. oh well...

[zbrock06]

it's a complete bitch to do, i got so frustrated the first day i gave up tackled it the next morning and it was eventually completed, probably took 5 hours total to do simply because i couldn't get to the screws. You'll have some pretty scrapped up arms from doing it too.

[mmccollum]

i already have the flange and do you think 125 is a good price to get it done then?

[Dopefish]

There is the wiring harnesses, the PCV and SAI piping as well as a metal hardline running below it that also mounts to the lower bolt of the flange.

If you remove the coil packs, the airbox and unclip/unbolt the wiring running to these (SAI pump, MAF, evap solenoid, WG solenoid and the coils). You can then remove the PCV 3-way tee that is attached to the back of the valve cover. It'll take some fighting but getting it off will gain some room. You may have to unbolt the two black metal hardlines running along the exhaust side of the head which are a part of the SAI to get enough flexibility. After all of that is out of the way, the only hold ups should be the SAI valve assembly and the metal hardline below the flange. It will be easier if you can remove the SAI valve as well (3 bolts) but you should be able to work around it with a small ratchet and a small wrench.

It is easy with simplified emissions, I need to do mine and the only thing that is slowing me down is I cannot be bothered to drain the coolant. For the record, my flange is being changed for the first time, at 82k miles.

[mmccollum]

There is the wiring harnesses, the PCV and SAI piping as well as a metal hardline running below it that also mounts to the lower bolt of the flange.

If you remove the coil packs, the airbox and unclip/unbolt the wiring running to these (SAI pump, MAF, evap solenoid, WG solenoid and the coils). You can then remove the PCV 3-way tee that is attached to the back of the valve cover. It'll take some fighting but getting it off will gain some room. You may have to unbolt the two black metal hardlines running along the exhaust side of the head which are a part of the SAI to get enough flexibility. After all of that is out of the way, the only hold ups should be the SAI valve assembly and the metal hardline below the flange. It will be easier if you can remove the SAI valve as well (3 bolts) but you should be able to work around it with a small ratchet and a small wrench.

It is easy with simplified emissions, I need to do mine and the only thing that is slowing me down is I cannot be bothered to drain the coolant. For the record, my flange is being changed for the first time, at 82k miles.

Thanks for the help, Yeah, exact same car too, mine's at 86k miles :) i'll see what i can do.

[drew62]

it helps to remove the heat shield from the manifold so that you can reach around the motor (almost like hugging it) from the side - while your other arm can reach over the top.

[rocketheavy]

it sucks. but its doable.

[EMAudi]

Yeah i'm replacing mine. its a real pain but you just have to tackle it down by disconnecting tubes and wires in the way, one by one. It seems like my seal somehow expanded and slipped out of the ring, possibly causing the leak. its doable tho.

[AudiA4_20T]

I didn't take off anything... took me about an hour and 1/2. It sucks so much but I got her done

[jonan]

study the clip on the lower radiator hose if you've never seen it before...the "U" clip on the lower radiator hose is the same design as the one on the rear sensor...once your familiar with how to take off the "U" clip on the lower radiator hose, use one of these mirrors to help you see where the coolant sensor is on the back of the motor...took me 45 mins to do it with the mirror and a screwdriver...

[yakative]

This link is useful: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...Coolant-Flange

Here's a couple of pictures. Crucial to remove EGR in first pic - 3 allen bolts - not that hard. You can see some of the flange in pic 2. The bottom hose removal is similar to thermostat - the clip for the hose is metal "wire", and the clip for thermo is a plastic "U". When both are removed the thermo sensor and lower hose can just be yanked out. The third hose is clamped, but the flange can be be moved about easily enough when unbolted to get at the clamp. BTW, when I installed the clip for lower hose, I tied a string to the clip in case I dropped it. This was a PIA, but I worked mostly from the right side (passenger) of the motor, but still had to remove a lot of stuff to get in there. Forget about seeing what your are doing. All by touch.

[lencho1500]

All of the above advise is what you need to follow, it's frustrating but keep at it. It help soo much to get the air box, heat shield next to the valve cover, and the SAI pump pipes out of the way

[Pingu]

Be gentle on the flange screws, one of mine broke while screwing it in.
Also like others said, removing the EGR valve makes it 1000x times easier
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...oolant-leakage
^- my experience.

[Kodymfk]

Just did mine today. My least favorite thing to do on my car lol. Took me 6 1/2 hours. Followed the diy also. You will get a few hiccups that will slow you down. Like breaking a push valve. Good thing I have an extra A8 for parts.

[sa_seahawker]

Rear coolant flange....

....FINALLY, a repair for 'ziners with rheumatoid arthritis!

[Autobahn5]

Did mine Was a bitch. Broke the PCV plastic by looking at it but lots o super glue later it's still holding up till I get a new one.