Hi there,

I'm a noob, just bought an '97 Audi A4 2.8 12V (do I need to list more acronyms to properly id this bad boy?). The guy who sold it to mentioned that the heat doesn't work and that it needs a '$50 chip' to get it working again but that it's a $300 job at the shop. It blows air just fine, when I crank the temperature all the way, it is gets maybe 1 or 2 degrees warmer when I rev it up on the highway...

What is he referring to? I've searched the forum re: heat problems. I don't think it's the thermostat because my engine temperature appears to be normal, same for the oil temperature. The heated seats work fine (so it's not THAT bad of a situtation).

So my next logical guess is that it's the temperature sensor, but which one (and where to get best replacement+ how to do it)?
If you think it might be something else, please share your ideas.


Thanks a lot!

 

Oh I forgot to mention and this might be an indicator as to what the problem is:
the car claims 13.5 average overall MPG. I do mostly city driving but that still seems terribly low. I think I've read that thermostat affects gas mileage? so maybe it is the thermostat after all??

 

Repairing heating - vehicles from Model Year 1997[/align]Removing and installing fresh-air blower series resistor -N24[/align]










β€’Remove the glove box [/ul]
β€’β†’ Detach connector from series resistor.

β€’Remove the bolts -A- and detach the resistor holder -B-. [/ul]

Removing the series resistor from its holder










β€’β†’ Drill off the fasteners -A- on the series resistor, break off if necessary.
β€’Press back the lugs -C-.
β€’Remove the series resistor -B-. [/ul]
Note:
When installing the series resistor, secure with a self-tapping screw -D- ΓΈ 3.2 x 10 mm.


picture 2 shows the resistor that fails and its cheap to replace

[IMG]local://upfiles/12092/C93D81181E8F4A2E8F30BAEE14E9F41B.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/12092/3D1E7DEBFBAA448B80A8BA8812E28FC9.jpg[/IMG]

 

Ok sounds good (and fairly easy to do). Thank you I will try that sometime today or tomorrow morning and let you know the results