Audi MASSIVE Coolant Leak? ('14 Q7 TDI)

After fixing the fussy Air Suspension on the 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, the customer wants me to address the MASSIVE COOLANT LEAK that is filling up the entire valley of the engine!
He provided all of the new gaskets and o-rings to reseal the oil cooler and pipes under the intake manifold...or ALMOST all the gaskets...
It's a MESSY, time-consuming 5-hour job that requires a lot of attention to detail...
Here are some of the highlights.
Enjoy!
Ivan

[@overboostn]

After being a tech for 30 years, these are the exact jobs I pass along now. "Aint nobody got time for that!". But good job.

[@deepthiwijekoon7283]

You are so competant in both electrical(Digital/Analog) fault finding repair along with mechanical repairs even in very complex vehicles. Nothing seems to faze you. A very rare talent! Looking forward for future episodes as it makes my day!

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Taking on more difficult jobs on "quirky" vehicles definitely keeps it interesting, and makes "regular" car repairs seem rather trivial 😄

[@NoWr2Run]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics A MAN OF MANY, MANY, TALENTS.

[@robinsonsauto]

You make every job a great learning experience for your viewers! Great job Ivan!

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Hey Will I appreciate that! Hope all is well!

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

I did a Mercedes Benz GL450 a few weeks ago that was getting oil in the coolant. It was the filter adapter and the cooler gasket on it also. OEM is the only way to go because you only want to do it once. Thanks Ivan!

[@tschuuuls486]

If you need to do a V6 Mercedes Diesel, tripple check if the surrounding area of the oil cooler is clean. Also shopvac all the oil and coolant. One of the oil galleys of the cooler goes straight to the bearings. After the change unplug the CKP and build oil pressure. If you get any debris in there or start it without oil in the galley, you are likely to kill the rod bearings.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Duley noted. Lots of little things that will kill them. Thanks!@@tschuuuls486

[@gregreitan3634]

Complexity is the enemy of reliability!

[@hokie9910]

Preach.

[@mikefoehr235]

Truth ✅️

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Or the enemy of serviceability haha

[@eltanguero60]

Nothing truer!

[@jeff7.629]

As my mentor Montgomery Scott is fond of saying, "the more complicated you make the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."

[@OneLegged-honda-mechanic]

Brilliant gutter system for the oil drain 👍

[@bernardaflores1720]

Did you stop posting videos???

[@bnana8885]

I love how you never leave a customer disappointed you just go your route fixing stuff ❤

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Customer satisfaction is priority #1! 😁

[@jeremyah78]

Eh to persevere, Ivan! I know most guys don’t like working on these things, but I personally have come to enjoy the euros. The interference fit on everything, and not always the best service info are the tough/challenging things about them. But shoot, I find everything comes apart on them. I’m rarely dealing with seized bolts, and I’m in southern Ontario, Canada! I also agree that premium (almost exclusively OE) parts are the way to go with these things! Unfortunately the market is after full of cheap parts for them, so it’s tempting for people…. But with what they’re like to repair, it ain’t worth it!!✌️

[@titaniumman_22]

Sweet job Ivan, now…if we could just agree on the seatbelt situation 😊. I have a 2017 A4 with 46k on it and not a need for any repairs ‘so far’.🇺🇸

[@dustcommander100]

I like the way your videos always have either birds singing or crickets chirping in the background. Maybe that helps you keep calm as you deal with these finicky and over-complicated engineering nightmares! I hope you are well paid, you certainly deserve it!

[@NoWr2Run]

Don't for get the " RUBBER HOSE THST MOVES IN HIS GARAGE ".

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@NoWr2Run lol thankfully not this year! 😅

[@NoWr2Run]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics I know, such a disappointment. He was a BIG ONE, YIKES !

[@candeffect]

I put a very light coat of Hylomar on new oil gaskets and used and new o-rings. 100% leak-free every time.

[@fastbagel]

Cool trick with the vacuum! Did that kit come with a new coolant valve? The part with a vacuum hose next to the broken egr cooler coolant housing connection? Those are really common to be leaking too, Also maybe was also mentioned but when it was cranking for the first start after open fuel system you could hear the injector washer seals were compromised on one or more cylinders the psh sound coming out. tell tale the copper sealing washer is blown and compression escaping out of the exit holes above the exhaust manifold. Oh and I read down, the sump plug washer is a thicker design copper one it really crushes well and yes you have to torque it and use that correct washer or it will leak, doesn’t help if it’s been previously overtightened, a little cut away near the thread allows the sump to disform if wrong washer is used or over tightened making it hard to seal

[@mikesvirtualgarage9917]

I'll be anxious to hear your thoughts on working on (and maybe finding parts for) new versus older Audi's! Either way they are really interesting creatures of technology, even way back. I was happy to see you take this job on!

[@TreyCook21]

When the word "massive" is in all caps, you know it's going to be a good time.

[@pellechi1]

Sweet oil drain hack … nicely done …

[@MrTonyPiscatelle]

I have to agree with the other commentors , you never seem to get shook up or intimidated by some old computer on wheels. You are the man !

[@amundsen575]

I learned a long time ago to only put water in engine after major repairs, any problems will only be water on floor

[@RobertCiampa9112]

All respect, I totally realize what it takes to fix these vehicles and /understand/appreciate the time and money charged for repairs. There has to be customers that question and or challenge the amount charged.

[@fieldsofomagh]

Tricky problem on the suspension. Leaks very well taken care of and have no doubt a very satisfied customer. Job well executed and the sun is shining 🌟 once more.

[@nikik89]

Standard issue by those V6 Engines.....almost everyday rituals 😂 Good job though. It is good when that plastic cover from Waterpump doesnt leaking.....dude that is a nightmare 😂😅

[@ricebike]

Once that gasket fails after x amount of years or past 100,000 miles... Others will soon follow and that is why I stay away from German cars: costs of parts and specialty fluids PS, love that oil drain diverter with a scrap windshield washer fluid bottle 😊

[@andyd9900]

I like saying there is nothing more expensive than a cheap German car.

[@jwj500]

I love my Audi A6 3.0 TDI. Only 163,000 miles and runs great!

[@hw5950]

Ah, the VW Turag v6 TDI Valley oil water leak. My 2010 what fun.

[@noelcastle3986]

A few years ago Audi, s won the car that had the most trouble calls by some australian states auto motor associations breakdown data mostly with electtrics issues. Great cars to drive but money pits down the track like alot of european and german makes.

[@HouseCallAutoRepair]

Gotta love how rubber hardens and shrinks!

[@turner0224]

Remember the first Corvette I had bought 1978 anniversary, take any normal part price and multiply x 4. A learning experience . Wanna play gotz to pay. Ha ha ha . On my sixth one now and nothing has changed. Standard oil change $165 😮 , 10 quarts of racing quality oil . I will say as far as parts you have to go with OEM quality, that used to mean made in the USA but could be as Eric would say now OEM Chineesium ha ha

[@Sandmansa]

You're an amazing tech Ivan. I kind of envy your position. You have the time to study your patients with meticulous detail. Unlike most of us that seem to have multilabel bosses making us work on a handful of jobs at once.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Yes that is why I work for myself 😁

[@scotty3981]

Hopefully you replaced the drain plug gasket. They normally will not seal when reused.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

I learned that the hard way on this one... Had to wrap some Teflon tape on the drain plug to stop the drips 😆

[@hokie9910]

These German manufacturers can’t make rubber gaskets that live long to save their life. What a difference from the tanks they built through the early 90s compared to recent years. Most unfortunate. After Lexus hit the scene and made a better car for much less money the Germans couldn’t figure out how to compete so they just made things cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. So sad, my father had an 85 325e that was a great car until a deer totaled it with 300k miles.

[@jeffjankiewicz5100]

If you have the $$$ to buy an Audi, you better have the $$$$$ to fix das German engineering. Damn Ivan, is there anything you can`t fix? The complexity on these cars is off the chain. I would look at this issue and say, Nope...not going to attempt it😁 Tip of the hat to your determination for taking on these intricate jobs.

[@clintprice2123]

Excellent job as always Ivan! Your approach to things is why you can fix things that baffles others.

[@snapdragogon69]

This happened to mine years ago after I undid the wrong bolts down there while removing something else, maybe EGR. I did them up again, but it must have broken the gasket seal and oil and water would acculumlate and slosh forward onto the belts when braking.

[@Aceintheplac3]

Did one of these a couple of years ago, wouldn't want to do one again. Out of all the german car manufacturers, Audi/VW/Bentley are the worst.

[@hokie9910]

Mercedes are not much better. Porsche is probably the best option at this point.

[@mikefoehr235]

All is German junk.

[@dakotabedwell6829]

@@hokie9910Porshe is Volkswagen

[@hokie9910]

@@dakotabedwell6829 and lambo and Bugatti. All I know is that Porsches are more reliable than most Audis today when talking with mechanics, especially the Caymans.

[@Garth2011]

So true, those type of vehicles simply will cost you much more during maintenance intervals so its best to simply accept that and buy the better brand parts such as OEM. They are very much more finicky than USA built so there's not much point in making matters worse, just dig a bunch deeper and give the vehicle what its going to take to do it right.

[@kevincampbell8298]

I have mostly found in my limited experience with mater kits stuff is missing. If it had to come apart to replace the problem leak. It probably needs to be replaced..

[@nikik89]

And when you make Oil Cooler sealent, Always but ALWAYS needs to change those coolant valves and every o-ring which is there buried in V. It is really pain in the A** again to disassemble

[@V10PDTDI]

you are right about that vac. operated coolant valve I leaned it when I had to go back and replace that plastic valve I did not know that valve was there now it I have to do it again I will replace it for sure I wonder if he is going to get a come back out of this job because to have such a major leak out of seal rings with the car parked over knight is very suspect I hope that we will se later if all is fine.

[@SalimKhan-gk1fh]

Another great video Ivan I'm glad you didn't call it a Euro trash as I'm from the UK and these are my favourite car that is not bad for 181000 mileage You won't get an American or Japanese car drivers well as one of these

[@juanrodriguez-ry6yt]

y

[@davidraezer5937]

I didn’t see a lot of black oil on yourself. You did well! I order from FCP Euro for my customers. Cheaper than dealer and lifetime warranty on parts. Service kits are priced well using OEM spec oil.

[@Paramount531]

I learned this with my second white block Volvo. The first time around I bought dealer parts for the timing belt service, including the water pump. With my next one, I bought all of the same items from FCP, OE spec, including the Volvo branded Aisin water pump with the Volvo name ground off, the cost was half of what the dealer charged years earlier for the first Volvo.

[@jonmack5359]

kudos to you Ivan for doing a great job on this german beast; I cannot understand why anyone would pay so much for what is basically a pimped-out VW,,,but thats just my opinion,,,

[@bigcrowfly]

Good money after bad, a 10yo Audi in a normal market in the US has ZERO trade-in value because of the cost to repair a likely major system failure. Unless you are doing it yourself and your time has no value, when a major system failure occurs, scrap a European car at 10yrs/90k mi in the US.

[@roxanneabbott8424]

Ivan I thought that was a 5 o clock shadow you were wearing, lol! Nice work!

[@kostelectronics]

i had to swap the same engine last summer on a Audi A7 because the timing chain guide broke off and locked the engine! when i was done, the flywheel had a loud rattle and i had to drop the transmission! believe me, i know how nice is to work on these cars :)

[@mikeluscher159]

Wear your seatbelt Ivan We'd hate to lose you 😳

[@robertsmith2956]

Guess you'll have to add a new slogan now. No Vacuuming Required..... Damn, I don't know why I never thought of making a bucket and keeping my wet vac clean.

[@maxeaves]

Hey Ivan. FYI...with all Audi/VW diesels, you need to prime the fuel filter which should be a function on your diagnosis tool. You shouldn't then have the long crank times.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

How would that purge the HIGH pressure line though? 🤔

[@maxeaves]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics It won't purge the High pressure lines; I thought you had done a fuel filter change when you did the service. Apologies if that wasn't the case. The actual function you would need is called "Transfer Fuel Pump" on Module 01 (engine) (which primes the fuel system) - you need only do this for three secs, but again, it all depends on whether you have this function on your diagnostic computer.

[@CrimeVid]

These are good cars, better than a lot of people think.

[@944play]

If your idea of good is an anonymous gray midsize crossover, perhaps.

[@zx8401ztv]

Well done ivan perfect :-D, Another feather in your cap :-D Don't they make it a pain in the arse to access. Nice that the local Audi had the propper O ring.

[@Richyrich1234]

Lost me on this one. Hope you have better success and have learned from some of these mistakes l.

[@johnt.848]

Ivan: I'm not doing this, the owner can take it to the dealer. Next video, Ivan is doing it. 😂 I love it, keep it up.

[@Runco990]

I have owned an Audi and a Mercedes. Ever since that experience I drive nothing but Hondas or Toyotas. I realized that what I drive does NOT define who I am. Still rocking my 02 Civic, which has been dead reliable since new. 21 years and only a timing belt plus "normal" maintenance. It's a manual, so I really enjoy driving it. And it still looks great! I take care of what I own. 👍 Every time I see Ivan work on Eurotrash, I just look back at my mistakes and chuckle. I don't care how nice some of these cars are, if you don't feel confident driving it across the country.... is it worth it? I am AMAZED this Audi did 180K and hasn't fallen apart, actually.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

The Euros are nice when they work well... I wouldn't own one because I don't want to work or waste money on my own cars 😂

[@Runco990]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Smart Mechanics don't waste money on their own cars! 👍

[@rkan2]

There are ok Audis and VWs with 4cyl and manual but they are mostly not sold in the US or these days at all anymore!

[@stephenkramme7063]

An old friend of mine who was a long time Audi and Mercedes Benz parts man had a saying that is very true: "Expensive cars are made of Expensive parts".

[@ElGrigonEx]

Those residual pressure chokes/valves will fail quickly again. You should`ve replace them.

[@V10PDTDI]

there are at least 3 comments about that now including me time will tell.

[@stevewaghorn2029]

WOW!, I think Ivan almost liked the "Euro trash".

[@glenharper3136]

Thanks for the video Ivan.

[@wallace3953]

Charging full price??? RU kidding me??....the owner should mail U an extra $500.00, because most Stealerships would have charged wayyyy more, and they never would have figured out the ups and downs of the suspension. Truly GREAT work! wow!

[@2491kridge]

I commend you for taking this on, I won’t touch fluid leaks in these cars lol

[@markhancox5475]

Great repair Ivan. It’ll be back soon for an air compressor I think, 400 degrees 😮you could fry an egg on that sucker🤣

[@user-my7hv5ld7b]

that a quiet diesel engine job well done

[@Kingdemarko1]

Great Job

[@JackS425]

Good call going OEM only. Especially on something as involved as this you don't want to do it twice.

[@ootyguy9805]

No wonder other mechanics stay far away as possible from Germans and European makes. Really need to appreciate Ivan for having the guts to accept such tasks. My neighbor paid $4k+ to get his radiator replaced on his Porsche Cayenne (essentially Audi) that too at an independent shop and not dealer! lol

[@adotintheshark4848]

"diesels are less complicated than gas engines"..Not any more. Good thing that the Audi dealer was honest.."Audi o-ring? That'll be $39"

[@colinredwood]

I own a 2015 Audi s3 and I have had an issue with the car for almost 2 years. I have been to 5 different mechanics including 2 Audi dealerships and 3 European shop experts and not a single one has been able to figure out what’s wrong. I have spent thousands of dollars on what they suspected was wrong but I am still getting fault codes and my car still barely starts. If you are willing to take on this challenge I will compensate you for your time. If not, any advice in the right direction would be highly appreciated. I do not know where else to turn. The problem: When starting the car it takes 3-5 times to push the ignition before the car turns over. It generally just sputters and then shuts off. Occasionally, at idle the car will just shut off. When it doesn’t shut off the idle is very rough and I can feel the whole car shaking. I don’t really notice a lack of performance once the car is started, although the more aggressively I drive the harder it is to start the next time. I have had the fuel pump replaced and the carbon cleaned from the engine. The dealer stated those would both fix the problem and they both did not work. I can go into more detail about what each mechanic told me if you are interested. The fault codes are: System too rich at idle bank 1 02 Sensor negative current control circuit/open bank 1 sensor 1 Cylinder 1 misfire detected Cylinder 4 misfire detected System too rich at idle bank 1 (permanent) I will provide you with any additional information you need and can go into much more detail about what each mechanic said. Thank you

[@dosgos]

Opel (Saturn) Astra has similar oil cooler design. Planned failure point.

[@martyg3757]

Buying Audi brand oil is just an affectation. Audi doesn’t manufacture oil, but they do set standards for the correct oil. The standards include both oil grade and additive inclusions. For Audi diesel the additive spec is VW 507 00. Many manufacturers include this spec. I’ve always used Mobil Delvac in my German diesels. Only one of many suitable oils.

[@diablo7322000]

That o ring is just a regular hydrogenated Nitrile o ring you would use for ac.

[@LesReeves]

As with any European vehicle if they are outside Europe they are expensive to maintain (and anything manufactured in Germany they are over engineered.) I will be sticking to Japnesse manufactured vehicles mainly because they require less maintance & when they do aftermarket parts are suitable in most cases which also makes them cheaper to repair.tCheers Ivan.

[@V10PDTDI]

one thing I can tell you is I did this exact same job on a VW Touareg it was leaking oil and coolant i replaced the water pump at the same time and it came back leaking coolant and when I vacuum tested the system with low amount of of vacuum it would leak and you would hear air getting in the system but with high vac level it would not leak or at least not as much the problem was the plastic vacuum operated coolant valve it was leaking on the shaft seal do yourself a favor replace that valve no question ask if I have to do this job again I will replace that valve for sure.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Yup new valve installed 👍

[@baxrok2.]

Thanks Ivan!

[@HotRod-wv4vm]

my older son has an Audi TTS Quattro. Car is in the shop more than on the road

[@zoidberg444]

Someone I worked with wanted me to work on his Audi Q7. Mate if you can afford a car like that you can afford a proper mechanic. That thing is a can of worms. haha

[@Corey497]

oooofh... that compression on the long crank

[@V10PDTDI]

two reason it took a long time to start it a Diesel and he open the fuel sytem and introduced air in and second he should've use his scan tool to prime the system before to start the engine and it seem like the battery was not 100 % the cranking speed seemed a bit low.

[@knowone6214]

that Audi looks like an over engineered complex....MONEY PIT

[@colin4850]

This video just ratifies everything I have said about the over complex and expensive design of German built cars on some of your previous videos. Never buy a German car unless its got a long warranty, even then the dealer will try and tell you its the way you have driven it that caused the problem so its not covered.

[@ischmidt]

This is why luxury cars are almost universally leased by their original owner. They're happy to eat the depreciation in exchange for not having to deal with whatever starts failing when the warranty is up. That's also why it's stupid to buy one used.

[@IgorD33]

Liquimoly makes good oil that may be cheaper than dealer oil.

[@boblynch7348]

Gee, great engineering Audi!

[@onememories8523]

Great video. can i get gasket and oring kit from the dealership? My is leaking at 120,549miles.

[@dweijers2193]

Nice job Ivan, I drive a audi A4, it is my fift audi

[@ws2664]

I keep telling you " DON'T EVER WORRY ABOUT PUTTING PARTS IN A CAR, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST IS" that's not your problem your primary concern is not having a come back.

[@additudeobx]

Do AUDI's come complete with crickets? Great JOB!!

[@BradahBri]

I just had all this done 2 weeks ago, water pump just before that and still have a leak somewhere. No codes from the car right now, any suggestions where to look now?

[@WillThat]

I know VWs constantly needing work is a meme for a reason but my 2015 TDI Golf Sportwagen has been great since new. Besides the dieselgate stuff, I've only had to replace a wheel speed sensor and an A/C pressure switch. I just recently got to 100k miles, so it's "low" miles.

[@Mind-your-own-beeswax]

My 2011 1.6 tdi passat has 215k on it and apart from a wheel alignment and a set of tyres it’s problem free. People like to slag things off they know nothing about.

[@stephen7mgte]

I mentioned this on the first vid but I had an 2002 A4 1.9tdi for 7 years and it was a superb car. Had over 300k miles on it when I eventually traded it in and it always started first flick of the key. Great car to work on as well, drop the entire front end into the service position and you unlimited access to the timing gear when the belt was due. Also I think at that time Audi still galvanised the entire chassis so rust was never an issue on the main structure

[@rkan2]

​@@stephen7mgte​​@stephen7mgte Ye, 1.9TDI or 1.8T with a manual or even the EU sold slow 1.6 8 valve and you cannot go very wrong. Many of these were not sold in the US however.

[@danielcresswell5519]

Why is it when I remove those gaskets, they always break off in tiny bits! Euro's aren't that bad to work on ;)

[@rkan2]

504/507 oil you cab certainly buy from somewhere else than the dealer. 😂

[@happy543210]

It's an Audi... you'll see it again for sure.

[@ronaldchurch6356]

You still need a separate work shop.

[@keysautorepair6038]

Not cheap building a shop and maintaining it.

[@ricebike]

​​​@@keysautorepair6038Ron probably meant like a standalone shop on his backyard (if permits are needed) Similar to watch Wes work Ivan's work ethic is good enough to get plenty of jobs down the line But then, he's out in the middle of rural country... Yet people still tow their problem vehicles to him from other states 😊

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Our local zoning won't permit that 😒

[@cullenmiller8170]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Just evict one of the horses and take over a stall. 😂😂

[@ronaldchurch6356]

Just build a new horse barn with a lift inside@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics

[@dmj802000]

gotta love those q7s, always in the shop!!!!

[@biz4twobiz463]

must ALWAYS change replay o-rings and gaskets with Audi/VW/BMW/Mercedes etc. Total bummer. Nice video and fix!! Merci

[@annathemaanderson4448]

😂This is the most ridiculously designed POS I have ever seen in my life!😢

[@fluxnerd]

I have a Touareg with the 3.0 TDI that seems to have this same issue, as a ballpark, how much can I expect to pay to have someone repair this? $1000? $5000?

[@Richyrich1234]

So your doing a job on the cooling system and did drain the Coolant first?

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

It drained itself into the valley 🤣

[@Richyrich1234]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics great job buddy!

[@andersekstrand2028]

Yup, had a Audi Q5 FSI and the plastics got brittle on the engine and I had coolant in the valley of the engine. Cost thousands to fix. Never again an Audi

[@Knight_of_NI]

Morning Ivan

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Good morning!

[@jamesfitzgerald2361]

On something like that you would think they would put a time change or mileage that recommends that you change it out .With amount of money you pay for one of those cars.

[@rkan2]

Which car manufacturer does that? I think there isn't one who recommends servicing EGR cooler. 😅

[@rjedro]

I hope you did not warranty the suspension repair. I just don't see it lasting. ☹

[@davidthomits544]

German car doing what they do best leaking some kind of fluid

[@Mind-your-own-beeswax]

Another clueless comment. Having owned a few German cars non of them have leaked anything. I’m not the only one either

[@DM-hw4cr]

Even the dealer mechanics admit that.

[@davidthomits544]

@@Mind-your-own-beeswaxI don’t believe u that’s what German cars have self lubricating chassis watch the car ninja that’s all he ever does oil leaks coolant leaks now Toyota what I own builds reliable cars every time a German car comes into the shop where I work always leaking something from somewhere because of the crappy plastic parts they use

[@richardnilsen8950]

10 year old car and that gasket was dry rotted and shot. Place your bets now Will the Q7 be back?💯🆘️😎

[@DJ-tn7vj]

Was the oil mixing with the coolant? Thanks for the heads up

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Externally yes. Thankfully not internally lol

[@nelson--mandela]

How much did this job cost? I own a 2014 a8l tdi with the same leak.

[@mohdibrahim1350]

Thanks sir! I would sell this car immediately after repair and never purchase something like this again. A lot of weak points that go wrong😂

[@annathemaanderson4448]

Not car, POS😂!