temp guage not moving......

[lee_golf_v5 0]

The temp guage next to the fuel guage doesn't move on my dash. where should this sit? the oil temp on the MFA never goes above 95ish, but takes a while to warm up and stays there or thereabouts, but if this is broken is it an expensive fix........

 

thanks

 

Lee

[vr6storm 0]

more than likely you will be needing the temp guage sensor............there are two of them btw.......one for the ECU and one for the instruments.........the water temp guage should show 90-100 degrees normally

 

ps your MFA only goes up in even increments so its impossible for you to see 95 degrees on it :D

 

pps.............and unless your C has been colour-changed it won't be Mystic Blue(unless of course its a Storm)

[lee_golf_v5 0]

lol, ok sorry. It's very similar to my indigo blue golf v5, what is the correct colour name then?

 

also with regards to the oil temp i guessed from memory lol, but its around that figure lol, are the temp sensors easy to replace/expensive?

 

Lee

[vr6storm 0]

IIRC the guage sensor is around the £40 mark(tho could be wrong there) and fits into the thermostat under the housing

 

colour wise its either Aqua Blue or Moonlight Blue going by the avatar you have..........tho Moonlight normally gets mistaken for black

[lee_golf_v5 0]

here is another angle.

[KADVR6 0]

looks like a nice one mate, and its Aqua blue.

[lee_golf_v5 0]

until i get this fixed, can i rely on the oil temp as a good marker for how the engine is running? gave it a few taps and it didnt seem to come to life......

[coolrado 0]

If you replace the sensor and the needle still doesn't move its possible the guage mechanism has become disconnected, it works by a coil of wire wrapped around a bi-metallic strip, the bi-metallic strip bends as the coil of wire heats up when the current through it changes depending on the output from the sensor,

some people say to test the guage by shorting the sensor wires together but this usually forces the guage past its maximum travel and it pops off the end of its guide, its simple to sort out though if that is the problem.

[lee_golf_v5 0]

Right, spent some time on the car this weekend, but im really ill so been kind of restricted lol!

 

Still have yet to get around to trying to fix this problem but its next on my list to attempt, where is the temp sensor located in the engine bay.....if I post a picture can someone point it out please, im really a novice with all this stuff but now I have an older car again im going to attempt as much as I can myself, with most stuff being more accessable and less scary looking lol!

 

Lee

[lee_golf_v5 0]

I want to attempt this fix on the weekend, anyone that can help with what to replace to try and sort my water temp problem in the engine bay....

 

I did notice on a run through London on Sunday that the water temp needle seemed to rise very slightly for one of the first times, we are talking 7-8mm. Does this mean there is life in there somewhere, can I get the replacement sensor from a VW dealer still......

 

Is it easy to fix/attach.

 

Lee

[cata 0]

The sensor is easy to replace, you just need to pull out the clip that holds it into place inside the thermostat housing. You should know that doing this will cause a lot of coolant to spill and will require topping it up. Make sure you know what kind of coolant you are using as it's very bad for your motor to mix G12 (pink) coolant with anything else.

 

Here's a view from the top of the engine, so you can locate the thermostat housing:

2.8l 24v Climatronic system.pdfLocation.jpg[/attachment:3w38bbpx]

 

And here's a view of the dirty thermostat housing itself, as seen from the front of the engine:

Thermostat Housing.jpg[/attachment:3w38bbpx]

 

It will be the sensor on the very left side of the thermostat housing. After replacing this, create your desired coolant/water mixture with deionized, distilled water. Unscrew the top rad neck elbow and fill as much coolant mix as you can, into the radiator. Put elbow back in and the system will "burp" itself of air. Check on the coolant bottle after a few good runs and then top up as needed but with the engine cold.

[lee_golf_v5 0]

Well, my coolant was a little below the minumum yesterday so filled it up with some I bought from halfords, after a short drive the engine was steaming...does this mean I have put the wrong coolant in the car??? I had the coolant changed alongside an oil change last month.......

 

By the sounds of it I should be getting another coolant change asap along with the temp sensor.....

 

Lee

[coolrado 0]

halfords do sell a compatible coolant, its the bright pink stuff which they call OAT coolant (organic acid technology).

 

avoid any of the blue or green ethelyne glycol based coolants, they can cause hoses to go brittle and cause the coolant system to calcify and block up.

[lee_golf_v5 0]

I have got a feeling I bought the blue stuff you are reffering to, the liquid was definately blue anyway, just strange that the first 15 minute DRIVE not blast left it pouring with steam, but later that day after a round trip to gatwick at motorway speeds, 90 minute journey there was no sign of over heating..... I don't understand.

 

Also the temp needle still only moves slightly, maybe 4 mm from its starting point, and that seems to be when I should expect it to be hot, maybe when idling for a while or stuck in traffic....but will never go any further and will return to the resting point when cooled enough...

 

Lee

[cata 0]

Check your coolant system ASAP...

[lee_golf_v5 0]

how can I check it is ok?

[dinkus 10]

If the gauge is moving then it sounds like the sensor itself is probably dead and/or crusted with gunk. They're not that expensive (well under a tenner) from VW and apart from being a bit fiddly, not too difficult to change. Obviously don't do it when the coolant's hot though ;)

 

The steam could just have been some spilled water/coolant splashing on the exhaust when you drove the car... depends on where it was coming from really. If you see it again, pull over and take a look under the bonnet to see where it's coming from. You really don't want a hose bursting and ditching your coolant everywhere. Not only does it make a mess, but it's likely to cause the engine to overheat and damage the head gasket.

 

The pink G12+ (not G12 which is no longer available and hasn't been for a while) is fine to mix with previous coolant types. If you're unsure what's in there now, I'd be inclined to flush it all through with a hose and start again. You'll need 3 bottles of G12+ first and fill the rest with water. A fair slug of it is likely to drain out when you're changing the sensor anyway, so might as well.

 

Once you've changed the sensor you should get water temps again. If you don't, then it might be worth plugging the car into VAG-COM which uses the other ECU-based water temp sensor to check the water temp. At least then you'll know whether the car's running hot or cold. But obviously does mean you need to find someone with VAG-COM.

 

95ish does sound a little low for a fully warmed-up VR, they usually sit around 108 on a long run. But if you're driving for any less than 30 mins that's unlikely to happen. It's also not uncommon for the thermostat to fail and stick open, so if that's the case then it'll be flowing water through the radiator all the time and the engine will take ages to warm up. No point in going down that route until you've fixed the temp gauge though.