how ugly can i expect this repair to be (coolant leak) - page 1 - Troubleshooting - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• how ugly can i expect this repair to be (coolant leak) by vern on 15 Nov, 2008 10:09
• just wondering what i can expect when i start taking this coolant housing off to fix the obvious leak, are these bolts known for breaking at all, is the gasket easy to change (can i make my own from a gasket sheet?)
  
  
  
  i'm scared to even attempt to unbolt it  
• #1 by jtanguay on 15 Nov, 2008 10:33
• i'm pretty sure it'll be plastic, so it might even be warped/cracked... good news about plastic is that you can buy some plastic weld stuff or plastic epoxy at the store.  that'll let you fix any cracks, and you can smooth out the sealing surface on a flat glass plate with maybe 600 grit sand paper to ensure it seals if its any bit warped/etc...
  
  the gasket is just a fiber gasket for that...
  
  the bolts shouldn't be that bad, but i would spray some penetrant on them just in case.  have the motor warmed up a bit when you do it.  i think the max torque you want to put on those is something like 15-20 ft/lbs... as i've broken one before... but for the bottom flange  :oops:
  
  looks like the valve cover is leaking a wee bit too?
• #2 by vern on 15 Nov, 2008 11:37
• everything leaks but i only care about the one's that leak in mass consumption.
  So you think its cracked plastic, as opposed to just needing a gasket replacement? HMMMMMMMMM i figure its just the gasket, but not sure till i take it off.
• #3 by Vincent Waldon on 15 Nov, 2008 12:18
• Quote from: "vern"

  everything leaks but i only care about the one's that leak in mass consumption.
  So you think its cracked plastic, as opposed to just needing a gasket replacement? HMMMMMMMMM i figure its just the gasket, but not sure till i take it off.

  
  
  The flange loves to warp and is 10 bucks at the most, and the gasket will be less than a buck... my recommendation is to get a new one of both and be good for another 200K !!
• #4 by vern on 15 Nov, 2008 12:53
• can i get it at the dealer for $10?
• #5 by burn_your_money on 15 Nov, 2008 13:06
• I don't think it's a gasket. I'm pretty sure it's a o-ring.
  You might need to sand the head a bit because they tend to corrode from people not changing their coolant frequently enough.
  Use a VERY, VERY small amount of silicon if you think it needs it. Do not gob it on, it will get caught in the headgasket, restrict flow and warp the head and blow the headgasket. I've seen this happen several times.
• #6 by vern on 15 Nov, 2008 13:23
• is it by chance the same o-ring size as for the water pump? i got a few of those lying around,
• #7 by burn_your_money on 15 Nov, 2008 13:29
• WP is way bigger
• #8 by Vincent Waldon on 15 Nov, 2008 14:28
• Yup, it's an o-ring... and Tyler is correct... not the same as the water pump unfortunately.
  
  The flange is under 8 bucks from BestPriceAutoParts... so probably north of 10 at a dealer.
• #9 by homerj1 on 16 Nov, 2008 05:54
• Quote from: "Vincent Waldon"

  Yup, it's an o-ring... and Tyler is correct... not the same as the water pump unfortunately.
  
  The flange is under 8 bucks from BestPriceAutoParts... so probably north of 10 at a dealer.

  
  
  Ditto on the above. The plastic flange was cracked on my engine. I replaced that flange and the one on the back of the head. -They were about $11 each via Altrom and fixed the problem.
  
  Aivars
• #10 by jtanguay on 16 Nov, 2008 11:34
• oops... ya forgot that has an o-ring  :wink:
  
  it would be a good time to flush the coolant system too...
• #11 by vern on 16 Nov, 2008 12:29
• Quote from: "jtanguay"

  oops... ya forgot that has an o-ring  :wink:
  
  it would be a good time to flush the coolant system too...

  
  
  I have changed the waterpump 3 times in the last 15 months, it gets flushed enough! lol
• #12 by Smokey Eddy on 16 Nov, 2008 19:34
• Quote from: "vern"

  can i get it at the dealer for $10?

  
  
  
  The stealership will charge you $100 to say "Hello".
  
  I hate all dealerships. Buy one from that site Vince linked. Good site, based in AB. Half the tax  :wink:
• #13 by fatmobile on 16 Nov, 2008 22:25
• Nah, plastic pieces are cheap at t he dealership,.. at least locally.
   I got a plastic ABA waterneck that's way more complicated and it was maybe $13 at the most.
• #14 by burn_your_money on 17 Nov, 2008 04:59
• Some things at the dealer are stupid, some are very reasonable. Start training your parts guy and get him to look up parts for you