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Cooling System Overhaul

       You really need to ask yourself a few questions before you start ripping stuff out:

1.) How in-depth do I want to go here?

        If your cooling system has never been overhauled (i.e. You don't know when the last time your thermostat
was replaced, coolant was flushed out with new anti-freeze, or hoses/hose clamps were replaced) or you DO
remember, and that was back when your kids were in middle school and now they're heading off to college, it
may be time to break out the wrench.

2.) If I replace all these parts, how much am I looking to spend? Can I afford it?

        After all was said and done, my costs were relatively low, for the width and breadth of this large project. I spent around 400 dollars, but DAMN, was it worth it. My car used to get hot as hell in the summer traffiiic, but now, I don't think I've seen it get past half-way all summer. I highly encourage this fix.

        If you took this to a mechanic unfamiliar with Audis, the price could go as high as 700+, and that's without
you learning a thing, and without you being able to nitpick and make sure everything is done for the long haul.

        It's your choice.
 

3.) How much time do I want to spend on this really?

        The difficulty of the project isn't daunting, but you WILL get messy and you WILL get frustrated. This is a
two-person project, but I'm sure one person could tackle it alone. Something to think about: Have you removed
your A/C system? The A/C cooler/radiator thing hangs right in front of the radiator you'll be working on, so
if you are going to do a complete refurbish including replacing that nasty old radiator, and your A/C doesn't work,
you may want to take a peek at the A/C removal procedure before going any further. It will increase your work
if it's still hanging around in that vital area.

        Ok, so now let's get into it.
 
        The parts you need will entirely depend on what you're going after.  See which profile you fit below:

Profiles:

A.) Just doing a seasonal change - If all you want is to replace your anti-freeze with a winter blend, and possibly
replace your thermostat with a winter model, you'll need these parts, listed below:

Anti-freeze (Low-tox formula recommended)
Thermostat (low-temp or high-temp, used for different seasons. Low-temp opens earlier, and cools more, great
for the summer.  High-temp opens later, and heats better. Numbers in the "Parts" section.)

B.) Feeling Adventurous - Now you're talking.  You want to get rid of those old hoses, clamps, fluid, thermostat,
but you're going to hang on to your radiator.  It may be new, or not old enough to blow 200+ dollars on a new one.
Perfectly ok, but you'll need parts in addition to the ones listed above:

6 or 7 new stainless steel hose clamps (sized and count based on what you'll be replacing, look under the hood first.)
3 new radiator hoses (listed in the "Parts" section)
new bolts for the thermostat housing (I will have to find out the size and get back to you on this.)

C.) Rough-and-Ready rebuilder - Not only are you doing the things listed above, but you think you'll tackle
the radiator as well.  You big, bad, Audi lister you! You'll need an extra few pieces:

Parts Needed:

Read Parts Descriptions below list to determine what you need.

Extra tools:

• Screwdrivers - both Phillips' head and flathead.
• Rubber mallet - because sometimes, things just need a smack.
• Dielectric grease - Protect those wires from the elements.
• Contact oil/Contact cleaner - Those wires get corroded, it's time to UNcorrode them.
• Big Bucket - don't pullute, catch that old anti-freeze and dispose of it properly.
• Simple Green or good degreaser - I don't go far without degreaser. Make things look pretty.
• Dremel/Sander/Cutting tool - Some parts need cutting or grinding. Use as necessary.

My Experience

      For my Cooling System Overhaul, I chose to go with as complete a tear-down as I could in my driveway. My radiator had been leaking about 2 liters a month in heavy driving, for about the last 6 months, and the night before, I'd seen about half a liter flow out of the driveway in just about 30 minutes. I knew my system was about to go bust, so I gathered my parts, my "helper" friend, and my courage.

      I gathered the parts listed above, and began ripping things out of Suzanne. Work went pretty well, with just about every little rusty thing holding together while I pulled and picked and plucked. Here's a breakdown of the process:

• Unplug battery cables and engage emergency brake.
• Unplug wires:
  1.) Back of rad. fan
  2.) Lower temp sender, bottom on the back of the radiator.
• Undo all plastic shrouds with screwdriver.
• Undo lower rad. hose, flushing fluid into bucket for safe disposal.
• Attach new expansion tank --> lower rad. hose to top of old hose.
• Pull old hose through, pulling new hose into place.
• Unscrew 3 screws to replace expansion tank, if desired.
• Plug in new hose to new expansion tank.
• Undo top rad. hose, replace if desired.
• Unbolt radiator mounts:
  1.) Front, attached to metal stick
  2.) Drivers' side, on side, 20 cm from top?
  3.) Bottom, holds rad. vertical. Be careful undoing this, lift straight out.
• Undo thermo. bolts.
• R & R thermo. Orient as directed (arrow up?)
• Sandblast/Dremel/scrape outside of housing, cleaning well.
• Replace bolts.
• Hose entire area down, cleaning and scrubbing all nasties away.
• Undo 3-4 bolts going through fan housing to rad.
• Screw in new rad. mounts (as many as possible)
• Replace thermo switch and gasket
• Bolt fan housing to new rad.
• Bolt in entire assembly into car.
• Reattach all hoses, wires and shrouds.

      This process was done in about -6C in my driveway, with intermittent trips back to house for warmth. As such, I couldn't do as complete a job as possible. The thermo., cleaning up housing and complete flush was done 6 months before at Huw Powell's house and took quite a while by itself. My original rad. got broken while doing this process because the aftermarket replacement radiators have all plastic pieces and some little evaporation nipple snapped off. I had to temporarily put together something a tad nasty, but it lasted and that's all that mattered.

Update: (May 2001)
Selling the aftermarket radiator, and got an all-metal radiator from Blaufernugen, selling under the name "Nissen". Paid 210, and now Suzanne is happy with her new piece.

Good Practices:

• Dielectic grease all electrical connections.
• Lube the ends of hoses lightly to ease installation.
• Replace ALL hose clamps with new Stainless Steel hose clamps. Things to note:
  1.) Face screwhead of hose clamp towards you, so you can undo it easily, later.
  2.) Slide hose clamp onto hose first, so it can just be slid back onto clamping spot.
• Replace all bolts and screws with Stainless Steel hardware.
• Replace all hoses with new Original Audi stuff.

Hope this helps,

Brendan

Copyright 2004 EndoSquid Productions

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Page last updated: April 28, 2003

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