UrS4 Coolant Leak Found Not Headgasket

[Joshua van Tol]

Iain,

You might try the following:

1.) Drain enough coolant to get the level below the level of this plug. 
1/2 gallon or so should be enough.

2.) Clean the area really well, first mechanically with a stiff wire 
brush, picks, etc.  Remove all the old silicone sealant. Once all the 
gunk is mechanically removed, clean the area really well with brake 
clean or similar nasty solvent.

3.) Mix up a batch of JB-Weld or similar metal loaded epoxy. (Winzer 
sells a really slick version of this stuff that come in individual 
cups, so there's no guessing about the amount of part A and part B. Dab 
the epoxy in the plug hole, filling it all the way up. In order to keep 
the epoxy from flowing away before it sets, you may need to use a piece 
of clear packing tape over top of it to hold it in place. Let cure 24 
hours, re-fill with coolant and see what happens.

Your alternative is to try to re-crimp or replace the plug in situ 
(good luck!), remove the plug, drill and tap the hole for a pipe thread 
plug, or have the hole welded up. I think (based on your description) 
that this would be very difficult to do with the head on the car. 
You've got nothing to lose by trying a metal loaded epoxy. My previous 
experience with this stuff is pretty good. It holds up well against 
automotive fluids (except gasoline) and seems to stick very well. 
Surface prep is critical though, so be absolutely sure the surface is 
clean and dry before you do this.
On Mar 12, 2005, at 9:37 AM, <iain.atkinson at tesco.net> wrote:

>
> Well it looks i found my leak, it's coming from what i can only 
> describe as a freeze plug on the back of the head just above a water 
> hose outlet. It looks someone in the past has had the same problem and 
> dabbed some silicone round it. Any ideas on the cure for this, i 
> imagine it would be a pain to access to dig it out and insert a new 
> one due to it's proximity to the bulkhead. More silcone doesn't really 
> sound like a permanent fix to me somehow.
>
>
> Iain
>
> _______________________________________________
> quattro mailing list
> quattro at audifans.com
> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/quattro