so i just had a bunch of maintenance done on my 96 12v a4q and they told me that my thermostat is stuck open. since the regular job to get that fixed is to do the whole timing belt and water pump with it, it would have been a relatively expensive fix. i know that they are correct in their diagnosis because my car will get hot when its just sitting, but drops all the way down to cold when i drive anywhere.
so here's the question- my car had its timing belt, water pump, and thermostat changed at 75k. it now has 138k. since the approach mark for the service is coming soon, should i wait until then and the car will be fine? this will probably be around a year and a half from now. or, is there some way that i can whack the thermostat with a magic wrench and it will start working again?

 

Nope - you won't be able to smack it to get it going. It's buried in the center of the engine's face. It requires putting the car into service position (front removed, and core support opened up). You may as well do the service though. I know a lot of documentation floating around has said that 75k is the interval, but most people look more at 60-65k for doing it, which would put you smack in the zone.

You should go to your profile page and fill in your location (it'll show up in the upper right in each post you make). You may find that there are other AF members local to you that would be willing to pitch in for beer and pizza and help you do the job. Alternatively, you CAN change the thermostat without removing the timing belt. You'll need a second set of hands. I did mine that way a couple months back - we pulled the timing belt forward on the passenger side exhaust cam, slid it forward about halfway off the sprocket (your second set of hands will be used to hold the belt in place at this point). It gives you enough clearance to move the channeling plate off of the thermostat, change it, and reposition the plate again, and at that point you can reassemble.

If you are interested in doing that and want more info, let me know and I can dig up some pics of doing mine, as well as give you more details on the teardown. If you're near upstate NY, we have a core of guys here and can knock this out in a few hours with you.

 

thanks. yeah i didnt mean literally smack it just if there was something to be done about it. thats good news because a thermostat is like 20 bucks. and im in central cal so thanks for the offer but unless your willing to drive a gang of guys 3000 miles, i'll look around here! oh, thanks for the tip about the profile too.

 

If you can, do the whole job.. I know it hurts after having just had the other stuff done, but... you did just have other stuff done.. Dont let it be money down the drain.

 

going ghetto for a bit. trick we used to do in colorado for all the old cars that couldnt take the cold. piece of cardboard stuck in the slip behind the radiator. keeps the temp a little higher. it'll go until the service now. but i am savingup again so i can get it done as soon as possible. need my baby to run strong!

 

Be very careful with that cardboard trick. You'll find under stress the car can overheat.

 

For cars like mine with electric fans, you can block the side of the radiator NOT on the main fan half and still be good.. If you find the car stays warm but the fan runs excessively, then cut back the cardboard till you get to a good balance...

 

wasn't there a way to reach the thermostat by going under the car in audi's 1999?
I read a DIY on it once, sure wish I had it right now...

 

Not in the '96 2.8's

 

,but! For 1.8t?
I'm pretty sure there's a DIY somewhere.. I just can't remember where I saw it..