DM

Hi All,

My first Audi: an A3 1.8T Sport with DIS (onboard computer)

We have had a lot of very cold weather as I live directly next to the north
sea and went to my local VW dealer (nearest Audi dealer is 100+ miles
away) for advice on long life anti freeze (the red stuff audi uses) and if
it needed topping up before the onset of winter.

The ever so friendly mechanic told me that if its servicing was up to date
then antifreeze should be fine as long as its up to the level (it is).

Start up the other day .... DIS performs self-check = OK then after couple
of minutes of running (before I set off) the "Critical Coolant Warning" came
on - so I switched off and checked the engine.

Coolant level was fine, coolant temp couldnt be too hot (just switched on
engine) - any ideas what could have triggered it?

Any advice for a newbie appreciated.
Dan.

Graham

X-no-archive: yes

"DM" <dann_xtc@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4017d160@news.greennet.net...
> Hi All,
>
> My first Audi: an A3 1.8T Sport with DIS (onboard computer)
>
> We have had a lot of very cold weather as I live directly next to the
north
> sea
> Start up the other day .... DIS performs self-check = OK then after couple
> of minutes of running (before I set off) the "Critical Coolant Warning"
came
> on - so I switched off and checked the engine.
>
> Coolant level was fine, coolant temp couldnt be too hot (just switched on
> engine) - any ideas what could have triggered it?

Could be the switch thats on the way out or not adjusted properly.

Rune Skigelstrand

"Graham" wrote in message
> X-no-archive: yes
>
> "DM" <dann_xtc@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:4017d160@news.greennet.net...
> > Hi All,
> >
> > My first Audi: an A3 1.8T Sport with DIS (onboard computer)
> >
> > We have had a lot of very cold weather as I live directly next to the
> north
> > sea
> > Start up the other day .... DIS performs self-check = OK then after
couple
> > of minutes of running (before I set off) the "Critical Coolant Warning"
> came
> > on - so I switched off and checked the engine.
> >
> > Coolant level was fine, coolant temp couldnt be too hot (just switched
on
> > engine) - any ideas what could have triggered it?
>
> Could be the switch thats on the way out or not adjusted properly.

Exactly the same happened to my wife's -98 A4 Avant 1.6 only days after
delivery. Dealer took it away on a flatbed truck and performed what they
described as a "Ctrl-Alt-Del" on the computer. To be absolutely sure they
changed the sensor for coolant level/temp (?) some months later. We still
have the car and this problem has never appeared again.

Rune S.

DM

Thanks for the replies.

Well the cold (-5C) weather has gone and everything looks fine, have used
car several times since.

Its going for a service next week so will have to mention it then. I wonder
if the very cold weather caused the water to contract and the level to drop
and as engine got warm it expanded again and came back to level... Who
knows?!


----- Original Message -----
From: "Rune Skigelstrand" <skigel@fjerndette&hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: alt.autos.audi
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 8:25 PM
Subject: Re: A3 Coolant Warning


> "Graham" wrote in message
> > X-no-archive: yes
> >
> > "DM" <dann_xtc@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:4017d160@news.greennet.net...
> > > Hi All,
> > >
> > > My first Audi: an A3 1.8T Sport with DIS (onboard computer)
> > >
> > > We have had a lot of very cold weather as I live directly next to the
> > north
> > > sea
> > > Start up the other day .... DIS performs self-check = OK then after
> couple
> > > of minutes of running (before I set off) the "Critical Coolant
Warning"
> > came
> > > on - so I switched off and checked the engine.
> > >
> > > Coolant level was fine, coolant temp couldnt be too hot (just switched
> on
> > > engine) - any ideas what could have triggered it?
> >
> > Could be the switch thats on the way out or not adjusted properly.
>
> Exactly the same happened to my wife's -98 A4 Avant 1.6 only days after
> delivery. Dealer took it away on a flatbed truck and performed what they
> described as a "Ctrl-Alt-Del" on the computer. To be absolutely sure they
> changed the sensor for coolant level/temp (?) some months later. We still
> have the car and this problem has never appeared again.
>
> Rune S.
>
>

"Rune Skigelstrand" <skigel@fjerndette&hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:__dSb.412$rj4.6114@news2.e.nsc.no...
> "Graham" wrote in message
> > X-no-archive: yes
> >
> > "DM" <dann_xtc@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:4017d160@news.greennet.net...
> > > Hi All,
> > >
> > > My first Audi: an A3 1.8T Sport with DIS (onboard computer)
> > >
> > > We have had a lot of very cold weather as I live directly next to the
> > north
> > > sea
> > > Start up the other day .... DIS performs self-check = OK then after
> couple
> > > of minutes of running (before I set off) the "Critical Coolant
Warning"
> > came
> > > on - so I switched off and checked the engine.
> > >
> > > Coolant level was fine, coolant temp couldnt be too hot (just switched
> on
> > > engine) - any ideas what could have triggered it?
> >
> > Could be the switch thats on the way out or not adjusted properly.
>
> Exactly the same happened to my wife's -98 A4 Avant 1.6 only days after
> delivery. Dealer took it away on a flatbed truck and performed what they
> described as a "Ctrl-Alt-Del" on the computer. To be absolutely sure they
> changed the sensor for coolant level/temp (?) some months later. We still
> have the car and this problem has never appeared again.
>
> Rune S.
>
>

Michael Burman

DM wrote:
> Its going for a service next week so will have to mention it then. I wonder
> if the very cold weather caused the water to contract and the level to drop
> and as engine got warm it expanded again and came back to level... Who
> knows?!

Higly unlikely, as you're only talking about -5C. These coolants are
anyway designed to work in various temperatures, and they should work in
-40C also. So I'd say you have something wrong in the sensors there.

- Yak