not sure why coolant temp is f-ed up..

[casawhites4]

alright when car is sittin in traffic coolant temp is at normal temp...but when driving around it dips down to the cold side a notch and sometimes all the way to the C...does anyone know why this is??? i had my ac high pressure valve changed and my ac recharged and then this started to happen...not sure if its related or not...is this a minor issue or what?? should i not worry about it that much...i feel as in i should only worry if it dips over to the H..

already swapped to a green temp sensor...and i get no fault codes or anything...

[AudiSportB5S4]

wasn't there a thread about this by you not long ago lol, i would try the t-stat, i still say thats the culprit it used to happen to me same thing before i got all of that changed when the engine was out

[casawhites4]

thing is, isnt that a bitch to change out??? or is not...i heard its a pain in the ass...just wondering if i should worry about this or just let it go...what would the issues be??? and how hard is it to swap out...heard the whole front clip comes off..

[Rated S]

T-Stat hands down. You need to remove the timing belt to get to it, so it can wait for you to do TB job. It doesn't hurt your car, as it still runs normally, it's just annoying. I have the same problem, just waiting to do the whole TB shabang.

[casawhites4]

ive already done the damn TB job....this is bs. should i just replace my coolant sensor and see if that might be the issue for some crazy reason?

[Rated S]

ive already done the damn TB job....this is bs. should i just replace my coolant sensor and see if that might be the issue for some crazy reason?

Well, I've replaced my coolant temp sensor 4 times and it didn't help.
I heard though statistically 3 out of 5 temp sensors produced have a chance to be faulty from factory. It's a lot cheaper then T-Stat(job, T-Stat itself is cheap) hence I did it so many times, but unfortunately I have a faulty T-Stat.

[casawhites4]

and it really doesnt change performance or anything, or realizability..how long have you been driving on it...and im guessin its like the dead pixels just annoying as hell...do i need to worry about an motor damage...

[Rated S]

and it really doesnt change performance or anything, or realizability..how long have you been driving on it...and im guessin its like the dead pixels just annoying as hell...do i need to worry about an motor damage...

I've been driving with it for 10k miles, about 8 months. I've been told numerous times by MANY (reputable) individuals, it fails in 'open' so it doesn't damage anything and it just makes the gauge not work properly, but the engine is fine.

[tbone5446]

shit mine is the opposite, just starting to slide past the halfway mark.
I did the TB and both water pumps 30,000 miles ago and put a new
thermostat in when it was apart.
Think this might be the temp sensor?
the needle is going between 1 and 2 clicks past halfway
Thanks

[The_Jerbel]

I've been driving with it for 10k miles, about 8 months. I've been told numerous times by MANY (reputable) individuals, it fails in 'open' so it doesn't damage anything and it just makes the gauge not work properly, but the engine is fine.

Modern t-stats fail in the open position about 99.9% of the time.

Have the t-stat stuck open won't cause immediate damage to your engine, but if it's not getting up to operating temp, then the moisture in the oil isn't evaporating off, and can cause corrosion on the engine internals over time. It definitely needs to be replaced, but it's not necessarily urgent.

[Rated S]

Modern t-stats fail in the open position about 99.9% of the time.

Have the t-stat stuck open won't cause immediate damage to your engine, but if it's not getting up to operating temp, then the moisture in the oil isn't evaporating off, and can cause corrosion on the engine internals over time. It definitely needs to be replaced, but it's not necessarily urgent.

So then I just rebuild with forged internals?

Sigh, guess I should do TB job sooner rather then later now. Where's my Stimulus money, damnit?

[The_Jerbel]

shit mine is the opposite, just starting to slide past the halfway mark.
I did the TB and both water pumps 30,000 miles ago and put a new
thermostat in when it was apart.
Think this might be the temp sensor?
the needle is going between 1 and 2 clicks past halfway
Thanks

It's VERY rare for a t-stat to fail closed and cause overheating. Check to make sure your fans are turning on when the car is up to operating temp. If that's not it, I would fear a faulty WP before a faulty t-stat. Which pump did you put in when you did the TB?

A bad CTS usually causes erratic gauge movement and is typically extremely inconsistent.

[tbone5446]

It's VERY rare for a t-stat to fail closed and cause overheating. Check to make sure your fans are turning on when the car is up to operating temp. If that's not it, I would fear a faulty WP before a faulty t-stat. Which pump did you put in when you did the TB?

A bad CTS usually causes erratic gauge movement and is typically extremely inconsistent.

checked last night when it was up to temp and only one fan was working (passenger side)
should they both be on?
Thanks for your help

[AudiSportB5S4]

well is it always happening or is your issue constant? like if you beat the hell out of the car in the summer there is a good chance that the needle will go past half for the water temps if you dont cool your car off before shutdown.

[casawhites4]

so jerbel...what do you suggest, can i go about it for a few weeks...and just change my oil asap right now...to get some fresh oil in there...

[tbone5446]

constant for the last week
it was real hot here a week ago but now its 60s
freaking oil temp is almost hitting 250 also.
i just changed the oil, and the car is running great otherwise.
I am throwing a code for a cat going bad but that shouldn't affect the heat
of the oil or coolant.
I am guessing its a fan, but all guesses are welcome

[AudiSportB5S4]

if you go out at night on a calm drive, your oil temps shouldnt be hitting 250! that OR go over normal water temps

[tbone5446]

yeah I am aware of that, hence the question of what it might be

car doesnt get driven much at night, and what is a calm drive in an s4?

[The_Jerbel]

checked last night when it was up to temp and only one fan was working (passenger side)
should they both be on?
Thanks for your help

They should both be on. Your car will heat up naturally when sitting in traffic and not moving, both fans should be on in that scenario.

[The_Jerbel]

so jerbel...what do you suggest, can i go about it for a few weeks...and just change my oil asap right now...to get some fresh oil in there...

Yeah, that'll be fine. A few weeks won't hurt, especially if you throw some fresh oil in there now.

[tbone5446]

right on
so probably a bad fan or a bad switch
would it be beneficial to go ahead and install a remote electric fan?

[The_Jerbel]

Yup, it would be a good time to replace the fan switch (if that's the problem, which it most likely is), and do the clutch-fan delete mod and replace it with an EFK (which I can get for you if you need it). Call me anytime you like, and I can help you out. 1-403-690-7135.

[casawhites4]

i need to do the fog light mod so that i can have my efk turned on without my headlights on...any write up..or anything or is the audiworld one the best write up

[The_Jerbel]

The one on AW is the best one I know of.

[casawhites4]

yeah, i think i find the control box, but dont know how to get it out or cant even really see it at all....any pictures or anything better then the one on AW

[The_Jerbel]

Sorry, can't help you out with fog light related stuff, we didn't get fogs in our S4's up here in Canada!

[casawhites4]

haha, yeah i know that jerbel my bad, just talk to the mechanic he said its def my tstat, but i ordered green temp sensor and a low temp tstat...said its a bitch to change since its like doing a timing belt swap again...what should i do while hes doing this?? or what can i do???

[The_Jerbel]

I would get a regular temp t-stat, not a low temp.

What do you mean "what should I do?" Do you mean what other parts should you replace? I would say the WP, the serp belt, serp tensioner pulley, and the TB, the tensioner roller and hydraulic tensioner, and the idler pulley, as well as phenolic intake spacers (it's a good time to pop off the throttle body and the intake mani).

[IamEzraM]

if your engine isn't reaching the ideal operating temp's, you're losing efficiency

[casawhites4]

I would get a regular temp t-stat, not a low temp.

What do you mean "what should I do?" Do you mean what other parts should you replace? I would say the WP, the serp belt, serp tensioner pulley, and the TB, the tensioner roller and hydraulic tensioner, and the idler pulley, as well as phenolic intake spacers (it's a good time to pop off the throttle body and the intake mani).

already swapped out my TB and water pump..i got all new pulleys from ecs...and i have an efk...but lookin as in intake spacers heat wrapping..whatelse....already got a 034 snub, lightweight pulleys..new TB and water pump...

[casawhites4]

why not a low temp one..i thought that would be beneficial for the summer and what not...dont see any harm in runnin a low temp tstat at all actually..

[damnthemansam]

if the heat works good than its not the t-stat, i doubt it is, my moms a4 used to sit on C and we couldnt figure out why.. but the oil temp was normal and i dont think the oil temp could get to 200 degrees if the block was less than 100 degrees.. i think its in the gauge or something electrical

[damnthemansam]

why not a low temp one..i thought that would be beneficial for the summer and what not...dont see any harm in runnin a low temp tstat at all actually..

because your car was designed to run at a certain temperature and if its not there its going to try to get there by dumping fuel, i dont know if it will if the t-stat is only 5-10 degrees cooler but i wouldnt bother

[The_Jerbel]

I responded on AW. The engine will be slightly less efficient if it's running cooler than it was designed to. Also running it at the temp it was designed to run at ensures that the temperature is high enough to burn out any impurities and moisture.

Regarding parts: If you have already replaced all that crap then I would look at getting the phenolic intake mani spacer. That's about it.