primoj

I'm overheating, coolant is dissapearing, and there is some white smoke, not a ton, coming out of my exhaust. If it is not the head gasket, anyone have any other ideas? How bad is a head gasket replacement on a '93 90, in terms of money?
thanks.

Duker90cs

If it is the head gasket, and if it is the 12valve V6, then you are looking at about a 10 hour job to replace both sides (they say it is worth it to do both at the same time since they have the engine apart anyway. In Canada, I believe the parts are about $300 Cdn, so maybe about $200 US.

I would think that you would be experiencing an oil leak as well if it is the head gasket, but I could be wrong.

Mike

primoj

I have had a slow oil leak for quite a while now.

SiV6Qcoupe

Is there evidence of coolant outside the engine - e.g. on top of the expansion tank or around pipe joins?
I had a waterpump fail which resulted in coolant overheating and being forced out of the expansion tank and at one point my exhaust blew thick white smoke. During coolant overheating the coolant is under great pressure and it will be forced past the weakest points - pipes, gaskets anything!

Good luck!

primoj

My waterpump is 10K miles old. No coolant visible anywhere under the hood.

Duker90cs

So have I, but I can't find the source. The Volkswagen dealer said it could be a head gasket, but they aren't sure. They just quoted me the 10 hours of labour to replace the gasket.

Check your coolant for an oily/bubbly appearance. If it is the head gasket, apparently you may see oil in the coolant.

Mike

MikTip

Most dealers and professional mechanics charge on average $65 an hour for labor. So there's $650 just in labor for head gaskets. Which sounds way too low of an estimate, compaired to what I've heard in the past for a head gasket job on the V6.

Before you "invest" in a head gasket job, you need to get your coolant system static pressure tested. This will test the system without the engine running, and can often pin-point the exact location of the leak, and verify if a head gasket is bad.

I've changed my head gaskets on my 93 90 V6, and its quite a job!

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/6607/work.jpg" border="0">

Lots of engine items to remove just to get at the heads. Then while your in there, you'll find other items which "need" attention!

Spanglear

Is there any water in the oil? or oil in the water? this will show up as creamy froth if you look into the oil filler cap or as creamy brown sludge in the water header tank (this was evident when my HG went).

Is the engine running rough or missing?

Is it hard to start (damp in cylinders)?

Other possibilities for over heating/coolant loss I have come across:

Fan not working - thats how my HG blew. The fan chafed right through the wires and didn't blow the fuse to tell me

leaking heater matrix/core - are your carpets damp? do the windows steam up?

Bad thermostat - stuck closed.

bad header tank cap (leaking).

other leaks

Any substantial leak could cause overheating as pressure in the system is lost/reduced so that the boiling point of the coolant is reduced.

Overheating can promote head gasket problems, and a blown head gasket can cause overheating. Chicken and egg?

HTH

JustinOOOO

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primoj

There is no froth in the oil, and no oil in the froth, er, rather coolant. I have the dreaded green stuff in there. I know, I know, I was just getting around to having it switched.
Starts great, runs great, but running hot. Was driving to NYC Thurs. afternoon and I noticed it running a little hotter than normal. By the time I was 20 minutes away from the city, after driving for an hour, I had the heat on full blast to keep the needle below the peg right of 12 o'clock. Driving home on Sat. afternoon the heat was cranked the entire way, with the needle holding steady at the high point of 2 days earlier. Never anywhere near the red. Three miles from a friend's house I noticed that the heat was not blowing out hot air, and then 60 seconds later I noticed a small amount of steam from under the hood. Stopped at friend's house. Added 1/2 gallon of water to car and 12 oz of rolling rock to me (it was all they had in their fridge). Waited 20 minutes and then drove another 3.5 miles to a party ( it was great- home made catapults shooting pumpkins 700 yards). Parked at the party, with the heat blasting, hot air now, turned off car and there were some strange sounds coming out of the heater vents(too many to impersonate), but no smell of coolant. Checked it yesterday, started fine, some white smoke(not a lot(+ it was a little chilly outside)), but still has its usual power and idle.
So how do I check the pressure of the coolant system, or if the thermostat is working. I really do not want to have a new head gasket installed. Does anybody know some moonlighting Audi mechanics in Western CT, Westchester County, or Western Mass?
Oh yeah, I have a blown cat,( the free flows are sitting in the trunk) which I believe causes the engine to run a bit above normal, but not much. Would that be the cause of anything?
Thanks to anyone who sat through my droning.