Help! 2004 Audi A4 smoking...
 

Hi Guys,

When I pulled into my driveway after running a few errands (around 10Km worth of driving and I was being a bit aggressive (within legal limits)). I noticed that there was smoke coming out of my passenger side wheel well and a bit coming out of the hood (by the windshield in the middle). I was so shocked I didn't walk around to the drivers side to see if that wheel well was smoking as well. It smoked for around 1 minute.

There's a waxy red drip going onto the engine right below the coolant container, and the container itself seems to have small cracks in it. Is it melting onto the engine? Also I'm around 1" below the minimum line.

Any thoughts??



Thanks!!!

Re: Help! 2004 Audi A4 smoking...
 

What kind of smell are you getting with the smoke? Is it an oil smell or more of sweet smell? Coolant will have more of sweet smell and if the car has the pink coolant then it will stain white/pink as it dries so my guess would be coolant as well. As the drips build it can turn to a red goo so I think you have it right. The coolant tank can crack with age or it can crack because there is not enough coolant in the system so use a tester and see what temps the coolant is good until. If the coolant is still way under freezing then you can top if off and then get the motor warm so it circulates and doesn't freeze in the tank. If you are seeing cracks then replace it as soon as possible because one things leads to another and you don't want the tank to fail big time.

Re: Help! 2004 Audi A4 smoking...
 

The smoke did not smell like oil. Also when I put the car into the garage I noticed some white/grey drippings on the driveway. It wasn't oily or anything like that. I'm thinking it's drippings from my (what appears to be) melting coolant tank. Looks like another trip to the mechanic. My drive to the mechanic is around 20KM's. Do you think it's safe to drive? Or am I looking at a tow. I don't want the tank to self destruct.

Re: Help! 2004 Audi A4 smoking...
 

It should be safe to drive it there if it hasn't blown up already but you always take a chance and guessing over the Internet is not going to help. The coolant tank has a level sensor in it so if the tank does pop it will not melt the motor down right away and as soon as it drains the tank the light would be flashing so you should know before trouble really starts. You can also replace this yourself if the part is closer. There are only a few bolts, hoses, and clamps that hold this in place so it is not hard to do. You could replace it with the motor cold and you would lose a bit a of coolant but as long as the coolant in the motor is mixed 50:50 coolant:water you can just top it up with distilled water and let the motor get hot so it pulls the water through the cooling system. Not a hard job at all, the one on my A4 has darkened with age so I checked the price on it and it was only about $50 - $60 or something close.

If you are asking me if I would drive it then I would say roll the dice and see what the god(s) of cars have in store for you and just drive it there. Personally I would rather be kicked in the crotch repeatedly than take some form of public transit which is probably why I own so many cars. Once day I plan to have it where they can all just run at once but I working towards that. Those tanks are pretty strong so it should be okay but make sure to bring cell with you and I guess the closer you make it the less you will need to pay to have it towed.

Re: Help! 2004 Audi A4 smoking...
 

Pictures will greatly improve your chances of getting an accurate response from the likes of Corrado_Guy!

Re: Help! 2004 Audi A4 smoking...
 

If it is just your coolant expansion tank, then you're fine to drive on it provided that you watch the engine temp. Obviously, if it cracks and you dump all of your coolant, you're looking at a tow.

If you're sure that's where the leak is coming from - and it sounds as though it is - I'd just order a new tank, drain your coolant, and toss it in. The coolant expansion tank is very simple to replace. FWIW, these tanks are prone to cracking/leaks after several years.

Re: Help! 2004 Audi A4 smoking...
 

Hi guys,

Thanks for the advice, I drove the car to the shop today, without incident. :-) It's there right now so I'll see what my mechanic says.

Re: Help! 2004 Audi A4 smoking...
 

Good to hear it made there and hopefully it is just the tank and you get away with a small bill.

Re: Help! 2004 Audi A4 smoking...
 

Hi Guys,

Thank you for all the advice. It was the coolant reservoir and my bill for replacing it was $145, so I'm pretty happy with that. Mind you, I do find it odd that this part would fail. I've owned lots of cars in my life and this is the first time I've had to replace a coolant reservoir.

Re: Help! 2004 Audi A4 smoking...
 

Brilliant idea! Is this the first? :confused: