[s-cars] coolant fog

[Tom Green]

I thought at first the best thing to do was ignore this post since I  
don't
like to send out bad news.  But, you need information anyway.  There are
some good posts around detailing how to do this, and some more that
want you to spent your time on shortcuts that won''t save a lot of time.
I think the best was from the C4 or 12v list that you could probably  
find
from their FAQ on Audiworld forums.  There is only one source for  
coolant
in the cabin, and that is heater core.

I think your best bet is to just remove that center console rear and  
center
covers.  It will make it easier to get to the airbox boot to reattach  
it.  You
will need to remove the center airbox under the plenum cover behind the
engine compartment.  It's major surgery so you will need two or three  
days
to remove it, replace the heater core, and reinstall the box on a new  
gasket
and reattach everything inside.  Do the fan while you are there as  
well, flap
actuator motors??  Check the codes to ensure they are performing  
properly.

If you are near one of the dismantlers, a replacement box could save  
some
time.  I don't know if I would depend on a used heater core, but you  
could
replace it on that box before starting dismantling your car.

Tom

> Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2008 23:00:42 -0800
> From: "David Giannandrea" <david.giannandrea at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: [s-cars] coolant fog
> To: <s-car-list at audifans.com>
> Message-ID: <002b01c88021$aa8db970$1f0aa8c0 at HP762N>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
>
>
> After changing thermostats I noticed that I was running at a bit  
> higher
> temperature. About a week of that and the increased pressure seems  
> to have
> sprung a cooland leak in the cabin. Smells like coolant, hard to  
> defog.
>
> How bad is this repair going to be? A whole day?  Two days? I  
> assume I'm
> going to be removing most everything center console related. Any  
> guidance?
>
> I've been going through a nightmare of repairs since the car sat  
> for over a
> year waiting for the rebuilt engine. I just want it to run reliably  
> again. I
> know I'm close.
>
> David
> 93 S4

>