John McConnachie Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 I have a RS4 2013 with 40,000 miles and I am loosing about 1l of water a month although I don’t appear to have a leak. I’ve checked for head gasket issues but am receiving no signs. Are there any other issues that I can check before taking it to a garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arunc_88 Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 By water are you referring to coolant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McConnachie Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 8 minutes ago, arunc_88 said: By water are you referring to coolant? Arun, yes from the coolant system although I can’t find a leak anywhere. I just need to top up the expansion water tank every month or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McConnachie Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 Arun, yes from the coolant system although I can’t find a leak anywhere. I just need to top up the expansion water tankevery month or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arunc_88 Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 Hi John. So when did you last have the waterpump and thermostat housing replaced? Are you getting “white smoke” or steam out the exhausts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McConnachie Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 I’ve never had the water pump or thermostat replaced (40,000miles). I’ve done the usual checks like no bubbles from the expansion tank, no smoke from exhaust or foam from oil cap. I can’t see water leaking from anywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arunc_88 Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 Usually if you are leaking coolant you’d see excess water vapour coming out the exhaust. Sometimes the water pump can fail and the coolant gets burned off before it can settle on the ground. Worth getting the thermostat and water pump checked. The water pump isn’t great and can fail literally every 5 years or so. If you take it to a garage and ask for the coolant pressure test. That will clear up whether it’s a head gasket issue and they’ll be able to trace the leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McConnachie Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 1 minute ago, arunc_88 said: Usually if you are leaking coolant you’d see excess water vapour coming out the exhaust. Sometimes the water pump can fail and the coolant gets burned off before it can settle on the ground. Worth getting the thermostat and water pump checked. The water pump isn’t great and can fail literally every 5 years or so. If you take it to a garage and ask for the coolant pressure test. That will clear up whether it’s a head gasket issue and they’ll be able to trace the leak. Arun, Thanks very much for the advice I’ll look into it tomorrow. Much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arunc_88 Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 No problem. Are your under trays damp at all? Worth checking those too. When coolant dries it can leave a white crust so check around the engine bay for any signs of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McConnachie Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 Thanks again, if it is the water pump/thermostat do you know any upgrades rather than getting an original part if they’re that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arunc_88 Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 Not that I know of. I would stick to OEM and avoid aftermarket ones as they are even worse. Looks like something we have to live with I’m afraid. Let me know how you get on when you get this resolved/ checked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McConnachie Posted May 10 Author Share Posted May 10 Cheers Arun, hopefully it’ll be a leaky hose!! 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnet Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 Hello John, Sorry to hear of your issue, and I feel it might be beneficial to step back and give this another coat of thinking about before taking any action which might result in unnecessary expense. When you say you have checked for head gasket issues and ‘and am receiving no signs’, have you taken the car on a c10 mile run to make sure both coolant and oil are up to operating temperatures, then park the car with the engine running and getting an assistant to rev. the engine at a steady 2,000 rpm for 2 minutes while you observe the exhaust smoke - looking for white water vapour smoke? That’s a free, and progressive test. For the relatively small cost involved, it’s worth renewing the coolant reservoir top, since these sometimes can give rise to such issues. Are you sure you are not seeing any external evidence of coolant stain residue? If the above fails to reap meaningful progress then if it were mine, I would be next considering having the coolant system pressure tested, before considering changing any components deemed to be possible suspects. Perhaps you Luke let us know how you get on John. Kind regards, Gareth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McConnachie Posted May 10 Author Share Posted May 10 13 hours ago, arunc_88 said: Not that I know of. I would stick to OEM and avoid aftermarket ones as they are even worse. Looks like something we have to live with I’m afraid. Let me know how you get on when you get this resolved/ checked. Arun, I got lucky!! I’ve just had a pressure test done and a pinhole leak was found on a small expansion box return hose which ran along the bulkhead. It was swapped in 10mins and the mechanic only wanted £20 cash!! I cannot believe how lucky I was!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arunc_88 Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 That’s a fair point Gareth. I just took John’s comment about checking for head gasket literally. That’s great news John! I must say you got that pressure test booked in quick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McConnachie Posted May 10 Author Share Posted May 10 Arun. It’s a 1 man garage and he does my MOTs I just popped in on driving past and he had a delayed customer so quickly looked at mine and found it in 5mins!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnet Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 Great John. Glad the forum was able to help, and save you the cost of fruitlessly renewing the water pump. Kind regards, Gareth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McConnachie Posted May 11 Author Share Posted May 11 11 hours ago, Magnet said: Great John. Glad the forum was able to help, and save you the cost of fruitlessly renewing the water pump. Kind regards, Gareth. Gareth, Cheers for everything and everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arunc_88 Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 Good start to the weekend 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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