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I have a 2002 a4 1.8T with 62,000 miles. It recently began overheating under a specific set of circumstances:

- Outside temperature over 97 degrees F
- Driven for at least 30 minutes
- Engine temp begins to spike when idling or under low acceleration (in traffic for example)
- Temperature decreases once under acceleration

I had the thermostat replaced as this seemed a likely culprit (before I read the sticky in this thread) and the situation improved slightly -- longer time to overheat, cooled more quickly but the problem is not solved. I also noted the last time it began to overheat that the fan was not running even though the temperature gauge was above 3/4.

I since noted the sticky on this forum which suggests water pump and timing belt as the likely culprits. Before I bite the bullet and get those rather expensive repairs done, I wanted to get some input on:

1. Could it just be the fan, fan switch/controller or fan temperature sensor? I wouldn't have thought of it except I noted when it last overheated the fan wasn't running when (I believe) it should have been.

2. Do both the water pump and timing belt need to be replaced at the same time (or is it economically more feasible to do so) or can they be done in sequence to try to solve the problem? If so, which should I do first?

3. For this type of repair, am I better off taking it to a small local shop or to a dealer?

Thanks for the input, and I look forward to being an active member of this community.

 

I recently had the same issues that you had, and the resolution was to replace the coolant fans entirely. They were not working, but highway driving was fast enough to get some air through the radiator to cool the coolant down.

There are a few relays underneath the CPU that you can check. Also, the coolant fan control module is a metal box that sits right above the fans. I replaced that before taking it in to the dealership to have the fans replaced, but it did not fix the problem. I mentioned it to the dealer that I had replaced it, and they told me that typically when the fans go bad, it will short out the control module anyways.

Just a bit of advice, I tried fixing this on my own, and was unable to. On the way into work one day, my thermostat froze on me, overheating the car, and ended up blowing the head gasket too. Don't let yours go to long before having it looked at.

 

I have an Audi A4 2002 1.8 turbo. I am having the same problem i replaced the thermostat that a branch of the audi dealership had diagnosed that wasn't it. It is still overheating now they r saying the radiator is plugged or could use a new one. I just spent over $500 dollars on the thermostat, and thats not even what was wrong with it. My name is Vincent.

 

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