Where's my coolant going?

[Tex Terry, II]

 As you mentioned below, the white cloud seems to disappear after some
driving time.  This sounds like the head and / or the block has become
warped.  When the block gets really cold, then the separation will allow
the coolant to pass on into the cylinders.  As the block becomes warm
again, and expands, the space between the head and the block is once again
tight enough to seal with the gasket.  Once you take the engine apart to,
make sure a straight edge is used on the mating surfaces to check the
warpage.  This is something that is very common to aluminum heads, but does
also happen on cast heads and blocks.  I mention this from past experience
on other engines (but not on my '83 Audi), in particular a 350 chevy engine
in a '79 truck.  Ran fine in Texas, but first cold winter in the northeast
and this problem, of coolant loss and white smoke until warmed up, showed
up.  After two head and gasket replacements, the block was checked and
found to also have a warped surface.  A '79 Blazer started doing the same
thing, and after teardown, the same results were found.  Just some food for
thought to help your decision about repairs.  Tex.

> Message: 9
> To: Audi_80 at email.msn.com
> Cc: quattro at audifans.com
> Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 22:46:06 -0500
> Subject: Re: Where's my coolant going?
> From: Lawrence C Leung <l.leung at juno.com>
> 
> Alex,
> 
> You have the classic signs of a leaking head gasket. A cylinder leakdown
> test could find the likely culprit, but either way, you'll have to
> install a new head gasket, with any luck, not need to plane either the
> head or the block. You haven't recently overheated the car, have you?
> 
> LL - NY
> 
> On Mon, 22 Jan 2001 13:34:53 -0500 "Alexander van Gerbig"
> <Audi_80 at email.msn.com> writes:
> >    Now that I have replaced the heater core I still seem to loose 
> >coolant,
> >just as badly as before.  Though sometimes I pop the hood in the 
> >morning and
> >the coolant level is at MIN, other days it's below MIN by enough to 
> >trigger
> >the level sensor when I accelerate hard while cornering.  I longer 
> >smell
> >coolant in the car, so the heater core ain't leaking anymore.  My 
> >mechanic
> >did a pressure test and he said the coolant system lost pressure 
> >pretty
> >quickly, but he didn't see any leaking, anywhere, and for that matter 
> >I
> >don't see coolant leaking anywhere myself.  For the past year or so 
> >I've
> >noticed lots of water dripping from the downpipe / catalytic junction. 
> > It
> >doesn't smell like coolant when I sniff it.  Lately the car has been 
> >making
> >water evap clouds out the rear for longer than usual, but it is pretty 
> >cold
> >here.  I can go for a 20 mile drive and still have an evap cloud 
> >behind me
> >when I jam on the gas, but it usually goes away after 20 miles or so.  
> >I am
> >deathly afraid this might be a headgasket problem.  What else could 
> >be
> >happening?  The system loses pressure, no visible leaking or spotting
> >anywhere, no foamy white stuff in the oil, no oil in the expansion 
> >tank, new
> >heater core, cloud tailpipe for longer than usual, and I think that's 
> >it...
> >
> >TIA!
> >
> >Alexander van Gerbig -- '88 80
> >
> >The Audi  80 Pages-----------------
> >http://surf.to/the80pages.com
> >
> >North Ferrisburg, VT 05473