Ifitbleeds

New here.

Thus not my video but looks interesting.

nickcarguy

There have actually been previous postings from Tech Guru members with photos of the dash , steering wheel, etc completely removed.
Seems too good to be true.
Maybe the other postings were for removal of the A/C evaporator...

Ifitbleeds

I'm no pro, but if there were an issue with the whole system, fans don't work or some other elissue and the whole hvac system needed to come out I could see tearing the dash apart. But just to change out a clogged heater core this seems quite plausible.

Also from the looks of my 2002 A6 2.7t it could be done this way.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

It's a helluva lot easier than pulling the heater core on my old 1977 Datsun 280Z!

Ifitbleeds

So if I'm getting little heat at idle but more cruising would you think it's the heater core or the thermostat?

Car doesn't over heat at all. I have read on other sites about the core getting clogged over time.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

And judging from the video and my take on the eBahn instructions (LOL…such as they are!) it's essentially trivial to remove the core. You might try removing the the hoses from the transfer pipes in the engine compartment (use a hose clamp to avoid losing a lot of coolant) and blowing out the core with compressed air and then back flushing the core. If water flows easily it may not be the core although there is certainly lots of cut up cores on the internet that indicated differently.

A new core ranges from $33 to $100 more or less; one from the dealer might be considerably more.

Ifitbleeds

That's a great idea to blow it out and then back fill it to see if that's the issue.

I have some euro parts guys here in south eastern CT that have great prices.

This is my first audi, I really like this car and want it to last another 100k, so the timing belt kit will be next in the spring.

Airbag

I had this exact issue but on a 2.8 12v. car was undrivable at -20c at the dead of winter if you got caught in bumper to bumer traffic n the highway . As soon as the car went to idle it would blow freezing. After 5 years of trying to fix it I got rid of the car. Even Audi could not fix it.
I replaced all heater hoses, thermostat a few times water pump a couple of times , replaced the heater core . tried putting in an inline coolant booster pump. car did not have a heater valve but yours might.

Harleyguy

If your thinking about a back flush, I have a suggestion. If you check some of the shops that work on older vehicles one of them may have an "old school" type of power flush machine. They might be able to fabricate some nipples that would allow connection to the hoses, then proceed to power flush under controlled pressure. These machines can usually tell a skilled operator the extent of clogging and assist with leak detection. Just an idea.

Ifitbleeds

Would the type of coolant being used cause an issue? The current coolant is green, from what I have seen on line audi coolant is blue, red or purple.