FloridaThomas

Hey guys,
I was driving my 2011 A4 the other day when my Turn Engine Off and Check Coolant notification came up. I checked the coolant and It was low so naturally added more. Three days later I'm driving to work, and my notification comes up again. I'm losing coolant somewhere but I can't find any obvious leaks. It's not affecting my engine temperature yet. Where are some obvious trouble spots I need to check out? Thanks for the help guys

- Tom

treilley

Could be the water pump is failing. i had this same issue. No sign of loss in the driveway but coolant slowly going down. Thought it might be head gasket but it wasn't. WP is located near front left axle on Quattro models.

jagtoes

1st how much water are you losing. Is it a cup or a quart. Water pump would be the 1st place to look so if you can't see any antifreeze from the top of the engine looking down then you need to go underneath . Either get the car on a lift or jack stands and remove the bottom plastic tray to see if it is the WP. If it isn't the WP you'll be able to see most of the underside of the engine and if there is any other leaks. Now the next question is what does the exhaust smoke look like. Do you get a lot of white smoke even with a warm engine. You can also either suck out or insert a wire into the dip stick hole and look at the oil. Is it a milky color. You can also get an exhaust gas test of the cooling system . This would verify if you have a head gasket problem. Good luck

treilley

This is good info.

Just an additional FYI. My WP leak manifested itself as a drip on the oil pan. Found it while changing the oil.

FloridaThomas