I was driving for a good 4-6 hours.. a little rest here and there. I was going from CT to NY. The weather is HOT and HUMID and i had the air condition on the whole time. suddenly without warning i noticed that the temp gauge was at a 120 degree angle and increasing. I shut my car off and we used one of my friends cars. later i went back to my car and started it and had the same problem. one of my friends suggested I turn off the air... and sure enough the temp went back to normal. I only used the air a little since and havent had any problems... im concerned, and don't have the $$ for major repairs. I did a search and did not find anyone with a similar problem. Any guesses?.. suggestions?.. .warnings? is it the thermostat? little help pls

 

If you have electric radiator fans, check to see if they are running when it overheats. If you have an engine driven fan, check if there is a fan clutch.

 

To be honest I don't know? can anyone else answer a6hcw? I have a 2002 2.7t, per my sig.

 

You have a fan driven by a clutch that is used by the engine to cool itself. You also have an electric fan that turns on whenever the A/C is on. Sounds like the electric fan is not turning on when the A/C is turned on. To check, start the car with the A/C off, then turn the A/C on and listen for the fan (or look). The electric fan in my car is loud, like a quite leaf blower. You will hear when it turns on, it is not a quite fan. You should be able to see it next to the mechanical (fan clutch) fan.

Jeff

Edit: if your electric fan is not turning on, it could be for several reasons. A bad relay, bad fan, bad climate control(unlikely). Most likely the fan died or the relay is bad.

You should be able to use your A/C when on the highway with no issues, but in city if will start to get too hot.

It is also possible your mechanical fan has died. But I think it will turn out to be the electric fan. Otherwise the engine would be getting hot even with the A/C off.

 

I have seen this issue with several A6's. 8 times out of 10 the fan is bad. The easiest way to check is to turn the car on and turn the AC on then pop the hood and the electric fan that is closer to the passenger side of the car should be turning if the AC is on. If it is not, that is your problem. Not a very expensive fix.

 

i had the same problem but it turned out that i cracked my radiator and all the coolant leaked out, check your coolant man it might solve your problem

 

i'm in C.t to homie where u at?

 

well, I live in Meriden, but spend an inordinate amount of time in NYC (Queens) where I'm originally from. I work out of New Haven. you?

where do you go for maintenance?