KLS <xymergy@suds.com> wrote:

>On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 17:59:10 -0600, Ed H. <nospam@myaddress.net>
>wrote:
>
>>Well, I hope it is the sensor. I described the behavior to them Friday
>>and they agreed with the general opinion. I had the timing belt and
>>timing belt tensioner replaced in December. I'd hate to go through
>>much of that expense again if it is the thermostat.
>
>Funny you mention this because my own A4, identical model and vintage
>as yours, does/did the same thing after getting a whole new TB/TB
>tensioner, and water pump at 69k miles. Before this work was done,
>the coolant gauge would stay rock solid right on the middle hash mark,
>and afterward it would wander up almost to the next hash mark and back
>down and back again. This wandering behavior has stopped for the time
>being (our temps are freezing right now, with lots of snow and ice on
>the ground, reaffirming the perfection of the A4 for my driving
>needs). The gauge never passes that next hash mark except when the
>engine is turned off and the car is hot; once I get the engine started
>and the radiator cooling, the gauge moves back down again. I've lived
>with this now for almost $15k miles and just keep my eye on it for the
>reason you state: I really don't want to fork over the labor $$ to
>change out the sensor/thermostat.

Odd. My gauge drops to "C" as soon as I turn the key off - always has.
I assumed the gauge was electric and regardless of the engine temp, it
would not register if the car was off.

The car warms up on the inside as fast as ever, so the thermostat
can't be sticking open. The mechanic told me it would take 10-15
minutes before I got heat if that were the case, which makes sense.
The erratic behavior has subsided a bit. Wondering if it is an anomaly
similar to what you described after having your tb/tb tensioner
replaced? I am going to keep an eye on it and the oil temp. The car is
warming up - gets to *almost* 200F on the oil temp when driven for
extended periods (longer than 30 minutes) and is well above 175F even
for 5-10 minutes trips. Never gets above that in the winter. I've seen
it approach 250F in the dead of summer - gets above 95F here in TN.

More and more this looks like a faulty gauge sensor.
--
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Peter Bell <peter@invalid.org.uk> wrote:

>In message <q3tqv0pnlbpi8le3obu6jdt2i02qu71fee@4ax.com>
> Ed H. <nospam@myaddress.net> wrote:
>
>> Well, I hope it is the sensor. I described the behavior to them Friday
>> and they agreed with the general opinion. I had the timing belt and
>> timing belt tensioner replaced in December.
>
>You /did/ have the water pump and thermostat changed at the same time,
>didn't you?

No. Lesson learned. Assuming my problem isn't the thermostat and
it lasts another 60K miles, I'll get both changed at the next TB
change at around 200,000 miles.
--
___________________________
Make your PC part of the largest computer in the world
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Peter Bell <peter@invalid.org.uk> wrote:

>In message <q3tqv0pnlbpi8le3obu6jdt2i02qu71fee@4ax.com>
> Ed H. <nospam@myaddress.net> wrote:
>
>> Well, I hope it is the sensor. I described the behavior to them Friday
>> and they agreed with the general opinion. I had the timing belt and
>> timing belt tensioner replaced in December.
>
>You /did/ have the water pump and thermostat changed at the same time,
>didn't you?

No. Lesson learned. Assuming my problem isn't the thermostat and
it lasts another 60K miles, I'll get both changed at the next TB
change at around 200,000 miles.
--
___________________________
Make your PC part of the largest computer in the world
See http://www.seti-inst.edu/setiathome.html for more info

 

Peter Bell <peter@invalid.org.uk> wrote:

>In message <q3tqv0pnlbpi8le3obu6jdt2i02qu71fee@4ax.com>
> Ed H. <nospam@myaddress.net> wrote:
>
>> Well, I hope it is the sensor. I described the behavior to them Friday
>> and they agreed with the general opinion. I had the timing belt and
>> timing belt tensioner replaced in December.
>
>You /did/ have the water pump and thermostat changed at the same time,
>didn't you?

No. Lesson learned. Assuming my problem isn't the thermostat and
it lasts another 60K miles, I'll get both changed at the next TB
change at around 200,000 miles.
--
___________________________
Make your PC part of the largest computer in the world
See http://www.seti-inst.edu/setiathome.html for more info