Hey everyone and thanks in advance for reading this.

My coolant gauge is starting to act weird. First of all it seems the car warms way faster than usual and the gauge goes all the way to the middle like it should. But after a few highway miles, it passes the middle and stays at around 10-15% more than the middle. Also the oil is running hot, around 225-230 (usual temps were around 180 i think). Checked fluids, all impec well within the marks

Saw some threads mentioning that it could be the coolant temp sensor?

Also car has 137xxx with thermostat + tb + water pump done at 90xxx

Any help is more than appreciated!
Thanks

 

check your belts.

 

I checked the serpentine belt and it seemed ok. Belt wasn't shinny and I couldn't feel any cracks and the ribs seemed to be all at the same depth.

Another interesting thing is I vagged and read the measuring block for cooling temp. When the coolant temp gauge was sitting at the middle, the temp readout was floating between 79-85ºC. As the oil was getting warmer (it finally stopped at 225ºF), the coolant gauge was between the middle and the first dash after the middle, but the vag still registed coolant temp 85ºC and below. Shouldn't the coolant temp in the vag be higher since the gauge is showing that the coolant got hotter? Could this be a bad coolant temp sensor?

thanks in advance for any help.

 

id say so

 

you might as well replace it, the coolant temp sensor is only a $10 part and only takes 15 minutes and a screw driver to do.

 

+1 to the CTS.

Josh

 

hi guys,
i seem to be having the same problem with the temp gauge on my 98 A4 2.6 front wheel auto. it goes from normal to cold. i was told that i can find a temp sensor at auto zone for about $25 but they come up with a part thats $200 plus and not the same vin # of my car. any suggestion? or where i can find the right temp sensor on line? thanks
TB was done at 90000 Miles