Slow EGR cooler coolant leak in 2004 Jetta Wagon

kennethsime

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2010
Location
California
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon GL TDI 5-Speed Baltic Green
Hey all,

I've been out of the TDI world for a long time but have been looking for a new car recently and a nice 2004 Jetta Wagon popped up for sale in my neighborhood The only real issue seems to be a "Slow EGR cooler coolant leak."

I'm waiting to hear back from them. How serious of an issue is this?

Also, am I crazy for wanting to buy a 2004 wagon?

Best,
Kenneth
 

JETaah

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
mi 48836
TDI
96 B4V, 1999.5 jettaIV,2005 BEW Beetle
How many miles on the car?
I love mine (2005 JW) but at 360K miles it needed some work. I got it at the right price though.


Do you know if it is leaking externally? It would show as pinkish residue.

A leak like an EGR coolant leak is fixable and some work but it is on the surface of the engine not inside. The hard part about it in Michigan is that the bolts and nuts on exhaust related items get really corroded and can make it difficult work. In California, that may not be the case.

You might be able to bypass the coolant to the cooler for the short term. There was a time when TDIs did not have an EGR cooler. Maybe it is different for the later cars.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
EGR coolers can be bypassed or outright deleted, although the laws in California may require some creativity to maintain visual inspection (unless You Know A Guy).


An external leak may not be a big deal, but I would be concerned about an internal leak where the coolant goes into the intake. FWIW there were a huge rash of exhaust leaks from EGR coolers from inept stealerships that didn't follow instructions during the EGR cooler recall (https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=147545) and cracked the flex pipes. Some of these may have also suffered coolant leaks as well.


As JETaah mentions, look for pink crusty stuff around the cooler. Or get a cheapo LED black light flashlight and look around at night or in a dark garage. G12 coolant glows under UV light! http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=241413



The cooler itself is about $412 from IDParts, so you could fix it fairly easily. Or maybe it could fall off forever? The coolant hoses can be tied together in any case.
 

kennethsime

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2010
Location
California
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon GL TDI 5-Speed Baltic Green
How many miles on the car?
I love mine (2005 JW) but at 360K miles it needed some work. I got it at the right price though.

Do you know if it is leaking externally? It would show as pinkish residue.

A leak like an EGR coolant leak is fixable and some work but it is on the surface of the engine not inside. The hard part about it in Michigan is that the bolts and nuts on exhaust related items get really corroded and can make it difficult work. In California, that may not be the case.

You might be able to bypass the coolant to the cooler for the short term. There was a time when TDIs did not have an EGR cooler. Maybe it is different for the later cars.
Only 136k. :)

Thank you for the heads up! Going to go take a look tomorrow. If the leak is external think I can fix it myself. At the price they're asking I think I can buy a new cooler or fix up the hoses.
 

kennethsime

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2010
Location
California
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon GL TDI 5-Speed Baltic Green
EGR coolers can be bypassed or outright deleted, although the laws in California may require some creativity to maintain visual inspection (unless You Know A Guy).


An external leak may not be a big deal, but I would be concerned about an internal leak where the coolant goes into the intake. FWIW there were a huge rash of exhaust leaks from EGR coolers from inept stealerships that didn't follow instructions during the EGR cooler recall (https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=147545) and cracked the flex pipes. Some of these may have also suffered coolant leaks as well.


As JETaah mentions, look for pink crusty stuff around the cooler. Or get a cheapo LED black light flashlight and look around at night or in a dark garage. G12 coolant glows under UV light! http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=241413



The cooler itself is about $412 from IDParts, so you could fix it fairly easily. Or maybe it could fall off forever? The coolant hoses can be tied together in any case.
Thanks for the heads up re: the blacklight, I'll see if I can pick one up from O'Reilly's tomorrow before heading to check it out.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
What sucks is, during the recall, those EGR coolers were about $30. Seriously. I wish I would have bought a few and stashed them away.

But anyway... many times the little coolant vent hose assembly swells up and leaks where it goes under the tandem pump and/or to the cylinder head right near it, due to oil (or worse, fuel) leaks. This vent assembly also goes back to the EGR cooler changeover valve.

Seen plenty of broken BEW EGR coolers due to missing brackets, but cannot say I have ever seen one leaking coolant. But I suppose it is possible. I'd also look closely at the quick couplers at the heater core on the firewall, as those have little o-rings in them that can degrade and leak a wee bit over time.
 

kennethsime

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2010
Location
California
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon GL TDI 5-Speed Baltic Green
What sucks is, during the recall, those EGR coolers were about $30. Seriously. I wish I would have bought a few and stashed them away.
But anyway... many times the little coolant vent hose assembly swells up and leaks where it goes under the tandem pump and/or to the cylinder head right near it, due to oil (or worse, fuel) leaks. This vent assembly also goes back to the EGR cooler changeover valve.
Seen plenty of broken BEW EGR coolers due to missing brackets, but cannot say I have ever seen one leaking coolant. But I suppose it is possible. I'd also look closely at the quick couplers at the heater core on the firewall, as those have little o-rings in them that can degrade and leak a wee bit over time.
Damn, that's a steal!
Thanks Oilhammer! Going to look tonight. Looked around for a BEW engine diagram but couldn't find one. Anyone have one available?
I was able to identify the parts, and read about a common issue where the EGR cooler bracket is left off during the recall - damn dealers.
 
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