losing coolant between engine and firewall

[lekkasje]

Hi.
Audi A6 2.4 V6 yr 2000.
Coolant leak is serious 2 ltr per 100 km.
It loses water while driving, however when engine is shutoff it can really pour out.
I saw this happen while up on car lift. Very hard to see, but appears to come from right angle tube attached between hoses, between engine and firewall. Either that or dripping on to it from above.
Any ideas appreciated, especially regarding pouring after engine is shut off.
I can see liquid being returned to expansion tank at engine shut off. I can also smell coolant when engine is warm in passenger compartment. Position of leak is directly above the transmission on left hand side.
Thanks
Phil

[Doctle Odd]

Sounds like a fractured pipe, do you top up the coolant regularly? Water isn't a good idea as coolant as it will create rust. Just replace the pipe

[lekkasje]

Hi, top frequently, always with correct coolant mix of 50:50. That was my guess. However checked at garage today, they cannot see the leak, but believe it is a bakelite seal on metal pipe that I think transfers coolant between left and right cylinder heads. They have done a few before. Will post when I know more after wednesday.
Thanks

[Doctle Odd]

Ok but look into coolant issue it's shouldn't be dilute

[s-express]

just fixed this exact issue on my S6 (v8) - it was a pain to get to as it meant removing quite a lot of stuff including the secondary air pump valves and pipes etc. Turned out to be a knackered seal on the water manifold that links the 2 heads, so i replaced all the seals (they're all standard O rings so no need for Audi parts). In total probably took me 6 or 7 hours of labour but at least it cost nowt! I have pictures - pm me your email and i'll send them across.