Audi a4 1.8T - No heat from vents when idle HELP!

[ranjuk]

Hi i own a audi a4 1.8T quattro 2001

Im experiencing problems with my heating, no hot air is blown out from the vents when my car is idle. I recently took my car to the garage which they replaced thermostat / water pump and timing belt. My car was running perfect for 2 weeks until the heating problem reoccured! Another thing i noticed was the coolant used was blue and not red/pink - will this cause any corrosion problems?

I checked the coolant tank and realised I was low so topped up but the problem was still there! I then assumed i had a airlock so released air from the bleed valve... lets just say allot of steam came out :S

My problem now is with the cooling system...I sent a hose to the coolant/water tank hoping water will release from the bleed valve, i seem to be getting allot of air/steam releasing from the bleed valve unless i rev my car. Drops of water struggle to come out the bleed valve!

Ive tested this whilst the car is on 90 and am having no luck. I assume the water pump has gone although my mechanic thinks i may have a blown head gasket!!

Ive also checked the exhaust for sweet smell / checked oil cap - no sign of cream/mayo. Could my head gasket have gone? or has the water pump given up again? I was thinking of using radiator flush to clear any possible blockages. The hot and cold pipes behind the engine had also been disconnected having flushed clean water both directions.

The problem still occurs anyone experience this problem or anything similar... help will be appreciated,

Regards
Jack

[Seerlah]

Do a coolant flush with g12 (50/50 mix of distilled water and g12 is what I do). And I mean flush the system with water, and not just drain old coolant out and place new coolant in. You can bleed the system by just letting the cap off the reservoir, while letting the engine run for roughly 2 min each cycle (that means with the water and final placement of coolant). Update once you get that done.

[ranjuk]

Seerlah thanks for your reply ... ive actually flushed the system with water using a hose.. then topped up with ready mixed coolant... and yes ive also tried bleeding the system by unscrewing the cap from the tank. Will using the G12 coolant and distilled water actually make a difference??

[Avant Nate]

I think you just have air in the system, did you raise your coolant tank to help bleed it? And the blue stuff is most likely g12+http://www.blauparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=G012A8FM1

[ranjuk]

yes, thats the problem air keeps building up in the system, thats why I bled the system from the valve (its actually not a valve but a rubber stopper around the valve tightened with a hose clamp, when stopper is removed i tend to get steam NOT water/coolant! So deffo air build up somewhere :S

it seems to me the water pump doesn't want to kick in!

[Avant Nate]

I've always just elevated the coolant reservoir and exposed the bleed valve with the engine cold.

[ranjuk]

yes that is the normal way to release air pressure (which ive done)... but still get steam build up... The other thing I realised is my car is starting to overheat and I am losing coolant rapidly! im having doubts could possibly be a blown head gasket! Is it worth me replacing the head gasket :S

I will be returning my car back to the garage and keep you informed. Thanks

[Avant Nate]

Can you do a leakdown test? I don't think changing the head gasket is all that hard, but I think you need a special tool for the head bolts. you'll want to do it before you do anymore damage. But since you didn't do the Tb job yourself, I'm assuming you'll take it a mechanic.

[Seerlah]

I doubt you have a blown head gasket. I am questioning what coolant is in there. These cars are rather picky on what fluids can and can't be used, which lead to failure (ie could have damaged your water pump).

[walky_talky20]

It sounds like this car needs to go back to the shop. I'm not entirely sure where you are even bleeding this air from. Rubber stopper? There is a coolant bleed hole directly at the heater core hose connection. That's where I'd start bleeding if there is problems getting heat.

[ranjuk]

Just got my car back from garage and they have told me my head gasket is fine BUT they still cant seem to figure out the problem :S

heres a similar pic of where the bleed valve is located, the difference is my car does not have the screw.. mine has a small nozzel with a cap/stopper/ (what ever u want to call it) tightened with a hose clamp!

http://www.dantesgiftbaskets.com/coolant/DSC03171.JPG


My point is when my car is running hot should i not get a constant flow of coolant flowing out the bleed valve??? im getting steam and drops of water!! There obviously is no flow and causing a air lock :S
ive noticed my coolant going down fast... so il keep topping up.

If it helps i will upload pics or even vids of this annoying problem!

The next thing i will try is radflush and G12 coolant. If nothing happens it will need to go to audi :(

[Avant Nate]

Weird, it must be different on 2001, cause I don't have that. Try bleeding at the heater core, and did you ever figure out what kind of coolant they put in there? Google says blue is some Honda thing, but if its purple, that should be g12++. And where is the coolant going?

[ranjuk]

As stated in my first post I have released air from the heater core (hot and cold pipes). Im thinking maybe because of the wrong coolant used my newly fitted water pump has decided to give up!

[walky_talky20]

Wrong coolant isn't going to kill a brand new water pump that quickly. If the car has heat when revved/driven/not idling, the coolant is pumping just fine.

I still don't know what you are talking about with the bleeder. I think something is wrong there. The only thing you should have on the top hard pipe is a hose that connects to the expansion tank. Like this:


If that's not what you have, post a photo of what you do have.

[ranjuk]

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...at-Replacement

check out the first pic... exact same engine! bleed valve next to the dispstick. Il put some pics up 2moro.

Thanks

[Grip99]

Is your coolant getting up to temp pointing straight up on your dash?

[Grip99]

Is your coolant getting up to temp pointing straight up on your dash?

Saying this because maybe its a faulty thermostat (sticking) even though its new.

[walky_talky20]

Oh, gotcha. You're in the UK, so you've got some different stuff. What is your engine code? (stamped on the cylinder head)

[ranjuk]

Hey guys i added some radweld into the reservoir tank today, left the car running for 45 mins with heating on full... and yes the heating gradually came on. I noticed the passenger vents were cold and driver side vents warm-ish, i kept the engine and heating running for a further 15 mins until the heating kicked in full. The 1 thing i noticed was my coolant kept disappearing :S so topped up a few times. Anyways i left my car for a couple of hours to cool down, checked the coolant level (was below min) drove around for half hour with heating on full (hot), i noticed the temperature gauge intermittently moving 90 then 80 then 0 then back to 90 NOT over 90! i kept driving and gauge stayed on 90, i now just checked the reservoir tank and the coolant level is back to normal although i noticed burning rubber smell / light smoke somewhere from the left side of the engine... i just hope its burning coolant and nothing else!

I will do a test drive 2moro and keep you informed.

[Grip99]

Almost sounds like a Sticky thermostat...Did you check to see if the Coolant hoses to the oil cooler sandwich were leaking? Sometimes they warp when old...

[ranjuk]

my cars weird! tested it as normal drove around for 25 mins, heat was hot within 2 mins.. when i hit the traffic lights heat was dropping down to warmish (which i assume is normal)... before my heating use to go cold. Anyways i thought id check the 2 pipes from the coolant reservoir - they were cold! is this normal?? or do i have to drive longer. i just want to make sure the coolant is actually flowing. ps im havin trouble uploading pics via my mac... will try pc later today

[bikerjim]

Did you get any further with this? I have similar issues.

[98A4TurboAWD]

Did you get any further with this? I have similar issues.

If you have a similar issue it's either air in the system or the heater core needs a blast of air.

I'm guessing it's air. There are 2 lines coming out of the firewall next to the battery. The one to the left has a hole in it. Pinch the claim and pull the hose back toward the front of the car until it's off the tube and you should see air bubbles. Once the bubbles stop and you get a coolant stream you should be good.

I just blasted my heater core the other day and now I got super hot heat. I pushed a blast of 150 psi of air through it and it shot out chunks of rubber seals and a bit of plastic, along with some rust sediment. I put a video on my youtube account as to how I did it, it is very simple.

If bleeding doesn't work then I'd bet that the core has some gunk in it that needs to be cleared out.

[contrldsub]

i just had a war with my car, no heat or very little. i ended up flushing the heater core with a hose and then just pulled the hose back so it could bleed and let it idle for about 45min until i got 120 degrees out of the vents, i used a candy thermometer. i buttoned it up and let it sit for a bit then tried again and i was fine.