# Haldex fluid leak



## tt92103 (Nov 23, 2010)

I have a 2001 quattro 225, about a month ago I spotted an oil leak on my garage floor towards the back of my car. Since another car parks in my garage sometimes (roommate), I just wiped up the leak and forgot about it. But now a month later, stupid me I just realized that maybe it was a Haldex fluid leak.
I had my mechanic replace the Haldex fluid and filter about 1.5 years ago (charged me an hour of labor @ $100 and $60 for the fluid and filter!)

I guess there is no way to check the fluid level without dumping it all out and replacing it, correct?

What would be the symptoms of a partial leak and what would happen if it all leaked out?

I just ordered the Haldex refill kit from ECSTuning with the $60 filter removal tool, but it won't be here until next week. I hope it is still safe to drive the car... not sure if I should stop driving it until the fluid refill kit gets here.


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## tt92103 (Nov 23, 2010)

Forgot to mention, the leak on the floor was yellowish and looked like vegetable oil.


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## Boulderhead (Oct 21, 2012)

Get the read end of the car up in the air and you should be able to tell quite easily if you are leaking from the Haldex drain plug or not. When I replaced mine, I got a little over zealous tightening the drain plug and messed the threads up so it wouldn't tighten enough and not leak.

It cost me a tube of fluid, but I drained everything, put some high temp copper permatex on the drain plug head, filled it back up and then tightened the plug and ran a small bead of permatex around the head of the drain bolt and the haldex housing. Its been dry for just over a year now.


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## tt92103 (Nov 23, 2010)

I got my Haldex refill kit in the mail and I was gonna try it tonight but the oil tube was not what I was expecting. I have to go to the store and buy some kind of tube assembly to go from the plastic screw fitting to a smaller tube that will fit inside the drain plug hole.
ECS Tuning if you are reading this, it would have been nice if you told me before hand that this "kit" is not complete and I have to build something to make it work!!


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## Boulderhead (Oct 21, 2012)

tt92103 said:


> I got my Haldex refill kit in the mail and I was gonna try it tonight but the oil tube was not what I was expecting. I have to go to the store and buy some kind of tube assembly to go from the plastic screw fitting to a smaller tube that will fit inside the drain plug hole.
> ECS Tuning if you are reading this, it would have been nice if you told me before hand that this "kit" is not complete and I have to build something to make it work!!


Did you not get something that screws onto that nipple? It should have been part of the kit (came the last two times I did this job).


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## tt92103 (Nov 23, 2010)

Figured out the problem after wasting an hour trying to find a way to squirt the oil up into the drain hole.
The tube of Haldex oil ECS Tuning sent me came without a nozzle. Had to go to an Audi repair shop and buy another tube for $32. And all I needed was the nozzle.


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## tt92103 (Nov 23, 2010)

I drained the oil and discovered that it was about 75% empty. Now I will see if it leaks out again, and try to figure out where it is leaking from.


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## tt92103 (Nov 23, 2010)

Finally got the Haldex oil refilled. This job should be 30 minutes but turned into almost all day for me.
I'm not totally sure where I should be jacking up the car from but I used this point near the back bumper. Appears to be a threaded hole there, what is that thing for?










Drained the oil out and it was dark brown instead of yellow.

After going to the shop and buying a new tube of oil WITH THE NOZZLE, it was easy to squirt the oil up into the drain hole with my caulking gun. Lost about 10% of it trying to get the bolt screwed back in. BTW the bolt has two washers. What is the reason to have two washers??

There is a plastic cover thing on the bottom of the car that impeded me from using the filter removal tool and changing the filter. I got two of the screws off but couldn't get the third one off. Next time I get the car up on a real lift, I am going to cut a big notch in the plastic thing so I can get in there with the Haldex filter removal tool.










I read on other Haldex DIY guides that there is an oil level inspection hole somewhere, but I never could locate it. (Also supposedly you can fill the oil from that hole also).

Now I cross my fingers and hope the oil doesn't leak out again, and I hope that driving around for a month with 75% oil missing didn't damage anything.

If anyone in the San Diego area wants to use my Haldex filter removal tool (and share Audi TT repair tips), PM me. I also have an extra tube of oil...


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## Boulderhead (Oct 21, 2012)

That threaded hole is for a recovery toe hook to be screwed into. You also have one behind your front bumper (behind the passenger lower vent). I usually use ramps to put the car in the air, but in the garage I will put the jack in the center of the car and lift at the flat spot on the subframe and then toss the jack stands under both tires.

I would get back under the car in a week and check for dampness around there (hopefully you cleaned it up real good) and if not.. u have the 2nd tube of fluid and you can throw some permatex on the bolt and seal things up good.


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## tt92103 (Nov 23, 2010)

So, after spending a half day replacing my Haldex fluid a couple weeks ago, I now have another pool of fluid on my garage floor. It is leaking out again. I checked under my car for the first few days and there were no leaks. So I'm not sure why there is a leak now. Just went under there with a flashlight and I don't see where it is coming from. Any ideas where it could be leaking from, besides the drain plug?
By the way, I actually don't even know if my AWD is working. I've been meaning to put it up on stands and test it. I have had the car for 4.5 years and for all I know, the AWD has never worked. I have read about the Haldex pump common failure and it was on my list to check up on that.


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