temp warning light/empty coolant reservoir
08-20-2006, 04:31 PM
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temp warning light/empty coolant reservoir
I have a 1998 A4 2.8 at 84,000 miles and had the oil and coolant flushed by the dealer on 5/30/2006 and today about 1100 miles later the engine temp warning light came on for the first time ever. I noticed the temp guage going from half to the h side but the car has been doing this for as long as i can remember but has never triggered the light. when it starts going to the h side it normally kicks on the fan and the guage goes back to the half way point. i noticed this waiting at red lights. i was able to make it home after pulling over and waiting for about 20 min then driving home with the hood cracked open and ac off. after it cooled at home i opened the coolant reservoir and it was empty and all fans seem to be working. before i drove home from work when i started the car up it made a clank, clank, clank, sound then it went away. never heard this before. do you think it is the water-pump, leaking system, bad radiator, bad sensor? i live in Tampa, fl and it gets pretty hot. do you think the dealer put in more water than coolant and it evaporated and is just low on fluid? i am lost here. i am also coming up to the big maintenance timing, belts, ect in another 6,000 miles.
08-20-2006, 04:38 PM
#2
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Probably your water pump is leaking,. They start to leak about 65000 miles
You are way past timing belt water pump change time. You car is 8 years old. Its a sealed system it can't evaporate. I would park it and have it towed to where you are having the belt change. If the pump seizes you will trash the motor big time. The dealer will want more than the cars worth to fix it.
08-20-2006, 04:41 PM
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my temp never passed 1/2 way. Clank clank, may be your pump. If I were you, I'd
top off the coolant and keep an eye out for leaks. I wouldn't drive it much and I'd do that t-belt job now. Why wait another 6K
08-20-2006, 05:03 PM
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Re: Probably your water pump is leaking,. They start to leak about 65000 miles
how much should i expect to pay to the dealer for this big maintenance timing, water pump, belts, thermostat.
08-20-2006, 05:13 PM
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The dealer is going to want a lot. seek out an independent shop that only does VW Audi work.
Expect to pay $700-1200 its about 5 hours labor. If your dealer was on the ball they would have suggested doing this earlier. If the pump seizes it takes out the timing belt and all the the valves.
08-20-2006, 05:15 PM
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Re: At the dealer? Probably around $1400, but....
outch!!! reminds me of the $1500 dealer quote to do a 4 wheel brake & rotor change & bleed the system. what sucks is that not many places around here work on VW/Audi. the only other place would be a performance shop which there are a bunch around here but most only do Japanese and American. I found 2 audi/vw places other than the dealer and a possible 3rd that specializes in vw bugs.
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08-20-2006, 06:00 PM
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Re: temp warning light/empty coolant reservoir
what's weird is that it has been untouched and i can start it and no warning light will come on and the coolant reservoir is still empty but i can feel fluid in the hose and when i squeeze it i hear the water going back into the reservoir. do you think the reservoir has a leak? if so why doesn't the warning light come back on from the sensor under the reservoir? I am guessing the light came on today from overheating and that's why it is not coming on when started. The manual says the light will come on if temp is too hot or not enough fluid. Any thoughts?
08-20-2006, 10:48 PM
#9
Well, uh... hate to state the obvious, but...
Did you put more coolant in after you noticed it was low?
It's obviously leaking from somewhere. Park in your driveway, run the car for 10-15 minutes, turn it off, jack the car up, pull the belly pan off and look underneath to see where it's leaking. You should see a pink crusty material, or if it's leaking bad enough, you'll see the coolant dripping from... somewhere.
It's obviously leaking from somewhere. Park in your driveway, run the car for 10-15 minutes, turn it off, jack the car up, pull the belly pan off and look underneath to see where it's leaking. You should see a pink crusty material, or if it's leaking bad enough, you'll see the coolant dripping from... somewhere.
08-21-2006, 11:47 AM
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dealer said 1400-1500
To change water pump, timing belt, tensioner, serpentine belt and thermostat dealer said 1400-1500. Independent shop said 1500 and the other one said 1200. For a couple hundred more I would go to dealer just for their warranty. Only 1 performance shop said they would do it. They specialize in Nissan's, Supras, Nsx's. The only reason he said they would is because i know the owner of the shop and has done business with him before and have sent him many people. I am thinking the dealer might be best.