The top picture shows the vac (red dots) hose that goes from the throttle body to the plenum. That's the best picture I could take. It's all very hard to see without the plenum removed, but there it is. The blue dot shows where the hose continues on to the plenum, the green dot shots where it goes towards and into the TB.

The second picture shows partly the removed plenum. I don't think this is my picture, but I did find it in my A4 folder, so thanks to whoever took it. Right under the driver side crankcase breather hose connection you can see a tiny shroud, behind which the vac hose barb is hiding. On my car that hose was popped off for half a year or more, and the whole engine got soiled with oil. The mechanic blamed a leaky head gasket... Make sure this hose is on. In fact you may want to replace it with a slightly longer hose. For access to the hose barb on the plenum, remove the coolant expansion tank. You'll still lose some skin, though. ;-)

<img src="http://home.earthlink.net/~qoo/tb_to_plenum.jpg">
<img src="http://home.earthlink.net/~qoo/plenum.jpg">

 

After looking at your pic and remembering what a b!tch it was to replace that vacuum hose, I am glad I have the stage 3 hose kit, now.

 

Typical! I even removed a red cirlce from it. And I added the text. :-P

It would be nice to have the Stage 3 kit, with which access is much better. Don't think I can get away with it in strict California...

 

It had a red circle! Than that was definately my pic. I took it for Scott12v. :-)

 

Many thanks for the picture. I'm back at school now so I'm going to have to wait 3 weeks until I get home for spring break to go after that hose.

Speaking of the coolant tank, I'm trying to figure out my coolant situation. After filling to 'Max' and bleeding, I ran the engine for about 10 minutes, until it warmed. The coolant level rose to about ¾ of an inch above the Max line in that period. After this, I drove about 5 residential miles over a day and a half.

Tonight before leaving for the 230 mile trip to school I checked the level, and it was still at Max. However, when I got here and checked the level about 20 minutes later, the level was the better part of an inch below the Min line. My understanding is that under heat the level should rise, not fall, so I don't think the drop is related to the long trip. I put in just under two gallons of coolant and water, and I believe the 12v's coolant capacity is 2.25 gallons, so I think maybe it was slightly underfilled. Doesn't explain why it wouldn't have lowered after the 5 miles of residential driving though.

Oh, and I think I have a decent handle on the oil situation. I checked the oil before departing after the car had sat for an hour or two, and after arriving at school after it had sat for 10 minutes. The longer sitting had a thin sheen to the halfway point between Min and Max, soon after the long drive was a bit higher, not quite 3/4. I've driven about a thousand miles since the change. If I'm not mistaken, that's about a quarter to a half of a quart of consumption, assuming I correctly topped it off after the change. Not a disaster. When is the best time to measure oil level?

 

<i>Speaking of the coolant tank, I'm trying to figure out my coolant situation. After filling to 'Max' and bleeding, I ran the engine for about 10 minutes, until it warmed. The coolant level rose to about ¾ of an inch above the Max line in that period. After this, I drove about 5 residential miles over a day and a half.

Tonight before leaving for the 230 mile trip to school I checked the level, and it was still at Max. However, when I got here and checked the level about 20 minutes later, the level was the better part of an inch below the Min line. My understanding is that under heat the level should rise, not fall, so I don't think the drop is related to the long trip. I put in just under two gallons of coolant and water, and I believe the 12v's coolant capacity is 2.25 gallons, so I think maybe it was slightly underfilled. Doesn't explain why it wouldn't have lowered after the 5 miles of residential driving though.</i>

The coolant level should be between "min" and "max" when the engine is cold, and may rise slightly above the "max" mark when the engine is hot. And inch above "max" seems high, and excess coolant may be expelled through the pressure cap on the expansion tank, which is messy. Just make sure that the coolant level is between "min" and "max" when the engine is cold, and not more than slightly above "max" when hot. I'm not sure how your coolant level would fluctuate form 1" above max to 1" under "min." I can only surmise you still got some air in the system?

<i>Oh, and I think I have a decent handle on the oil situation. I checked the oil before departing after the car had sat for an hour or two, and after arriving at school after it had sat for 10 minutes. The longer sitting had a thin sheen to the halfway point between Min and Max, soon after the long drive was a bit higher, not quite 3/4. I've driven about a thousand miles since the change. If I'm not mistaken, that's about a quarter to a half of a quart of consumption, assuming I correctly topped it off after the change. Not a disaster. When is the best time to measure oil level?</i>

Generally, you should check the oil when the engine is either cold, or about ten minutes after turning it off (Gives most of the oil time to flow back into the sump). Hot oil increases slightly in volume, so the hot oil level is a tad higher than the cold oil level (maybe 1/8"). To get an idea of oil consumption, I prefer to check the cold oil level after the car has been sitting for a few hours. Just top off the oil exactly to the "max" mark on the dipstick, write down how many miles are on the clock, then check your oil level regularly until you are right between "min" and "max." Multiply the miles driven until this point by 2, and you have your oil mileage per quart. One quart for every 1000 miles is acceptable by most car maker's standards. What oil are you using now?

 

j/k! You should see my collection of engine pictures! Most of them fell off a truck. ;-)

 

<b>The coolant level should be between "min" and "max" when the engine is cold, and may rise slightly above the "max" mark when the engine is hot. And inch above "max" seems high, and excess coolant may be expelled through the pressure cap on the expansion tank, which is messy. Just make sure that the coolant level is between "min" and "max" when the engine is cold, and not more than slightly above "max" when hot. I'm not sure how your coolant level would fluctuate form 1" above max to 1" under "min." I can only surmise you still got some air in the system?</b>

I didn't notice any residue inside the hood, which I'd assume would be there if excess was expelled through the cap. Kris Hansen's advice was that there was probably still some air left in the system and that it 'burped' out and caused the level to drop like it did. He thought that the coolant rising as much as it did was likely due to the air heating rapidly. I did bleed the system, but only once while filling, so it's certainly possible. And like I said, I believe the capacity of the tank is another quarter of a gallon past what I added, so it makes sense. Back to the dreaded dealer! I'm gonna buy a foot of their braided vac hose for the TB-to-plenum also, I don't want to use POS Pep Boys hose on something that isn't easy to get back to. Hopefully they'll be open...

<b>Generally, you should check the oil when the engine is either cold, or about ten minutes after turning it off (Gives most of the oil time to flow back into the sump). Hot oil increases slightly in volume, so the hot oil level is a tad higher than the cold oil level (maybe 1/8"). To get an idea of oil consumption, I prefer to check the cold oil level after the car has been sitting for a few hours. Just top off the oil exactly to the "max" mark on the dipstick, write down how many miles are on the clock, then check your oil level regularly until you are right between "min" and "max." Multiply the miles driven until this point by 2, and you have your oil mileage per quart. One quart for every 1000 miles is acceptable by most car maker's standards. What oil are you using now?</b>

When you say "cold" you mean even if the car has been sitting for a day? My understanding was that you were supposed to run the engine, then let it sit for some time, and then measure. Like you said, about 10 minutes. The second reading I took was 10 minutes after the long trip. The level is at or a bit above the halfway point, which leads me to believe the consumption is about a quart every 2000 miles (Valvoline DuraBlend 10W40). I'd be okay with it if I knew where the hell it was going. No obvious smoke from the exhaust, and no obvious drips on the ground.

 

The coolant level should be between "min" and "max" when the engine is cold, and may rise slightly above the "max" mark when the engine is hot. An inch above "max" seems high, and excess coolant may be expelled through the pressure cap on the expansion tank, which is messy. Just make sure that the coolant level is between "min" and "max" when the engine is cold, and not more than slightly above "max" when hot. I'm not sure how your coolant level would fluctuate form 1" above max to 1" under "min." I can only surmise you still got some air in the system?

I didn't notice any residue inside the hood, which I'd assume would be there if excess was expelled through the cap.

<b>Agreed, you'd see a powdery residue.</b>

Kris Hansen's advice was that there was probably still some air left in the system and that it 'burped' out and caused the level to drop like it did. He thought that the coolant rising as much as it did was likely due to the air heating rapidly. I did bleed the system, but only once while filling, so it's certainly possible. And like I said, I believe the capacity of the tank is another quarter of a gallon past what I added, so it makes sense. Back to the dreaded dealer!

<b>Air in the system is the only thing I can imagine.</b>

I'm gonna buy a foot of their braided vac hose for the TB-to-plenum also, I don't want to use POS Pep Boys hose on something that isn't easy to get back to. Hopefully they'll be open...

<b>Naw, you can use the Pep Boys' hose. Once you know where that hose goes you can always replace it with a better (silicone) hose, if you absolutely must.</b>


Generally, you should check the oil when the engine is either cold, or about ten minutes after turning it off (Gives most of the oil time to flow back into the sump). Hot oil increases slightly in volume, so the hot oil level is a tad higher than the cold oil level (maybe 1/8"). To get an idea of oil consumption, I prefer to check the cold oil level after the car has been sitting for a few hours. Just top off the oil exactly to the "max" mark on the dipstick, write down how many miles are on the clock, then check your oil level regularly until you are right between "min" and "max." Multiply the miles driven until this point by 2, and you have your oil mileage per quart. One quart for every 1000 miles is acceptable by most car maker's standards. What oil are you using now?

When you say "cold" you mean even if the car has been sitting for a day?

<b> "Cold" as in not having run for a few hours. The car should also be in the same spot when you check, because you want consistency. Nothing ever is really level. Everything is built slanted so that water will drain.</b>

My understanding was that you were supposed to run the engine, then let it sit for some time, and then measure. Like you said, about 10 minutes.

<b>That works, too, but how do you know the car is level, or at least tilted the same amount compared to where you checked the last time?</b>

The second reading I took was 10 minutes after the long trip. The level is at or a bit above the halfway point, which leads me to believe the consumption is about a quart every 2000 miles (Valvoline DuraBlend 10W40). I'd be okay with it if I knew where the hell it was going. No obvious smoke from the exhaust, and no obvious drips on the ground.

<b>Don't forget you switched from dino to a blend. Your oil consumption may still stabilize or improve. Also, don't trust the dipstick too much, because of various parameters like temperature (volumetric expansion), time the engine has been off (oil still draining), and position of the car (more or less level). It will take you a few thousand miles to get an accurate idea of how much oil the engine needs. Apart from that, 1 quart for every 2000 miles isn't all that much. Porsche allows 1 quart for every 600 miles!</b>

 

<b>Air in the system is the only thing I can imagine.</b>

I hope so. I got worried that something was leaking, like the drain. I wrenched the drain plug back on very hard, probably too hard, but it took a lot of force to break it loose so I figured I'd return the favor.

<b>"Cold" as in not having run for a few hours. The car should also be in the same spot when you check, because you want consistency. Nothing ever is really level. Everything is built slanted so that water will drain.</b>

The same place would be back at home. I'll add enough to top it off probably either before I leave for home next time or after I get back. After I get back and replace the TB-to-plenum hose would probably be better, in case that's the root of the issue.

<b>Don't forget you switched from dino to a blend. Your oil consumption may still stabilize or improve. Also, don't trust the dipstick too much, because of various parameters like temperature (volumetric expansion), time the engine has been off (oil still draining), and position of the car (more or less level). It will take you a few thousand miles to get an accurate idea of how much oil the engine needs. Apart from that, 1 quart for every 2000 miles isn't all that much. Porsche allows 1 quart for every 600 miles!</b>

I think it's about consistent with what I experienced before. I need to fill it, make sure it's filled, and keep a very close watch on the level over time. I can live with that level of consumption as long as it isn't aggravating other issues, which it doesn't seem like it's doing. I'm definitely hoping it's the TB-to-plenum hose, but from what you described that unleashes a lot of oil down the back of the engine and I haven't really seen that kind of thing.

Anyway, thanks.