Dealer repair ~$350, fix = a couple of hours and ~$50 bucks (part ~$14, coolant ~$25, tools ~$14).
Disclaimer= First and foremost, YES my motor is not very sparkly... now then: I fixed it last weekend (hence the after-the-fact pics) and may be off on minor tricks used and tool sizes, you are also responsible for diagnosing the issue, finding the parts (my dealer had it for $14 or so with sensor o-ring, I will look for the part number and update the post), what they may cost, and any damage you do using this method. Dont forget to grab some coolant while at the dealer, gotta get the special stuff apparently...
My diagnosis, coolant smell in cabin and outside of vehicle (shoulda fixed it at this point) puddle of coolant on the floor finally sparked me to grab a mirror and a flashlight to look at the back of the passenger side of the motor above the exhaust manifold to find the classic pink chalky residue and corrosion around the coolant flange. Here is what the part looks like, be careful ordering online though, the ones I saw did not seem to match exactly. Part number on old one is 06d 121 133a. Honestly, the piece looks fine but the main o-ring looks thrashed, my money says the o-ring could have fixed it alone, but for $14 and the fact that you have to remove it anyway, just replace the assembly.
Remove engine cover plate and set aside, then we have to remove the coolant resorvoir to give us some room. Disconnect one hose at a time and drain them into a cup. You can plug bottom hose to save whatever coolant you have left. Once you remove the one screw holding it in and the two hoses and sensor plug on the bottom the front lifts ups and the tank pulls out. (Channel locks or vise-grips work well on hose clamps)
Breather bolt can be backed out to allow air in so the coolant can drain easier. We unbolted and disconnected the metal coolant line (partially highlighted in yellow) to work out the flange from the drivers side of the motor since my coolant lines on that side were difficult to get loose. It wasn’t too much extra work but you may be able to get yours off at the flange. Another option is to buy the coolant hose immediately attached to the flange, then you can cut the hose to remove flange and just replace the hose. I didn’t have the size for the Triple square screw shown so we backed it out with an extractor and replaced it with good old metric. Can’t recall size of the 2 torx screws either, but they weren’t anything special. Two hoses shown yellow and coolant hose were removed for more wiggle room.
This is a view that you won’t see without a mirror or a camera, it’s at the passenger firewall above the exhaust manifold at back of motor. You can get to the two clips (don’t lose them) with a needle nose or a dentist type hook/pick to release the coolant line to the left (firewall) and sensor to the right (motor). The sensor comes right out but the coolant line was a PITA to get out, wiggle it and lean on it a bit and it should pop off, mine took some work. The flange is being replaced, but you don’t want to break the attachment on the end of the hose.
Notice the corrosion coming from below the flange. Time to remove the two #8 “4 squares” holding in the flange. The tool we used (below left) had to be held on with one hand and broken loose with the other using an open ended wrench. You may have access to better tools, but this setup actually worked out pretty good since one hand was already there to finger loosen the screws the rest of the way out. You can get one arm around each end of the motor lying on top of it accomplish this, but you’ll have to work blindly.
Once it is unbolted you can manipulate it up to the drivers side of the motor and out the top to remove the last coolant line and swap it out. There is one more coolant line that we did not need to remove that kept it from coming completely out, but there was ample room from that point to swap the flange. After that you can work your way in reverse to re-assemble. There should be an o-ring included with the flange, I think its for the sensor plug, confirm with the old piece and be sure to install it with the new one. Try to get the hose clamps back in their original position on all the hoses, and top it off with 50/50 G12 and distilled water. Run her a bit, check for leaks and recheck your fluid level after completion. Pat yourself on the back for spending a few hours to save $300 BUCKS! Let me know how it worked!
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Originally Posted by Tusin
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