slow coolant leak

[Dolphin S4]

Just wanted to run this by some of you really quick...

My b6 s4 has been sitting for 8 months and I recently moved it to find out it has a puddle of coolant sitting right underneath the engine; about 2 ft In width.

Things I've noticed: I have leaky valve covers so the block is kinda sweaty with oil thus being said the coolant had a little mix of oil in it.

Also on first start up I noticed either the drivers side or the passenger side (I think the driver side) was burning off a little coolant.

So what this tells me it's up top somewhere.

Any common areas that's known for leaks? Any tips / tricks to pin point the leak?

It doesn't seem to serious but it's enough to bug me.

Thanks for your input

[emilio]

inspect all the coolant fittings around the airbox side of the radiator. these get soft and crack, and they get stressed since they mount to various areas that vibrate differently.

i also had a coolant hose burst that was dead center, dead middle, of the rear of the engine. that was not fun to replace, but it is possible to do without moving the engine. look down the top rear of the engine with a flashlight and see if there's anything around the transmission.

and, of course, inspect the coolant reservoir since these are prone to cracking.

- emilio

[Aok303]

check by the air box too, those lines love to pee a little

[jakeoboy67]

try to figure out if the leak is coming from the front or the rear of the engine,

front leak could be any hose/couplings
rear could be : coolant temp sensor, crossover pipe flanges , heater core coupling(on the crossover pipe)

[Rirruto]

Do you have your belly pan on? Without noticing anything first glance up top it would be hard to pinpoint without jacking the car up, pulling that off, and taking a look to see if it's coming from the front or back of the engine. Take a look for any white residue and follow the trail to the leak if you don't see any obvious pink oozing.
As others have already alluded to the main culprits, you'll need to get underneath the car to check all those spots. A good flashlight and inspection mirror should help you track it down. The hardest one to find is from the crossover pipe on the back of the engine. I've had this leak for about the last year and half. I don't drive it that often, but it's actually gotten to the point where it's just pissing coolant. I'm actually in the middle of fixing it right now. It's a PITA; hopefully your leak isn't from this area.