Hey all, fairly new to this forum but long time Audi/VW forum user. Cross posting this from AZ as there’s probably more TDI gurus here. Had a fun go-round with my ‘13 Q7 last night.
Wife was getting on the interstate last night and heard a “new noise” shortly before a “loud noise” then the steering went out. She managed to pull off safely and when I arrived here’s what I found:
So we got her towed and I’m now trying to assess the damage.
All pulley wheels spin freely, which rules out something seizing up. But there’s a lot of liquid on the front of the engine. A side/back story is a mysterious coolant leak that I can smell but can’t track down, potentially in the valley.
Here’s a couple attempts at capturing what it looks like:
Upon inspection of the water pump, there’s a slight amount of play and I’m wondering if it’s leaking out the pulley shaft.
Looking for any opinions on where to start. The liquid appears to be oil based on the color. I checked the oil level last week and didn’t show signs of any major loss but that doesn’t rule out a new leak. The water pump is also suspect and I’m not sure how old it is - might be worth replacing either way.
I also made the mistake of getting it towed to a local shop I trust but just remembered they don’t work on TDIs. It’s about 5 minutes away from another shop or my condo and wondering if I can risk driving it or need to get it towed again.
Thanks in advance!
Wife was getting on the interstate last night and heard a “new noise” shortly before a “loud noise” then the steering went out. She managed to pull off safely and when I arrived here’s what I found:
So we got her towed and I’m now trying to assess the damage.
All pulley wheels spin freely, which rules out something seizing up. But there’s a lot of liquid on the front of the engine. A side/back story is a mysterious coolant leak that I can smell but can’t track down, potentially in the valley.
Here’s a couple attempts at capturing what it looks like:
Upon inspection of the water pump, there’s a slight amount of play and I’m wondering if it’s leaking out the pulley shaft.
Looking for any opinions on where to start. The liquid appears to be oil based on the color. I checked the oil level last week and didn’t show signs of any major loss but that doesn’t rule out a new leak. The water pump is also suspect and I’m not sure how old it is - might be worth replacing either way.
I also made the mistake of getting it towed to a local shop I trust but just remembered they don’t work on TDIs. It’s about 5 minutes away from another shop or my condo and wondering if I can risk driving it or need to get it towed again.
Thanks in advance!