'87 CGT "overheating" after huge snowstorm

[John S. Lagnese]

Frozen coolant?
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Butitta" <akbutitta at sbcglobal.net>
To: <quattro at audifans.com>
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2006 12:50 PM
Subject: '87 CGT "overheating" after huge snowstorm


>  First of all, I'd like to extend a big thanks to Huw for identifying the 
> radiator fan after-run relay. You're a big help, all of you. This list is 
> an amazing resource for Audi fans!
>
>  On to the problem at hand: My 1987 Coupe GT. The one with the deleted 
> cruise control (among other problems)...
>
>  So here's the story: the night before last, it snowed here. A lot. It 
> kept snowing for 12 hours. I left work early yesterday after the worst of 
> it (having to gun it in reverse to get out of my parking place).
>  On my way home, on the highway, my coolant temp. gauge started flashing H 
> (i have the digital dash) meaning engine overheat. Nothing I did seemed to 
> make it go away (sometimes, decelerating or turning left will make the 
> coolant gauge go back down to normal). It does this regularly when the 
> coolant level is low, so I thought nothing of it and drove all the way 
> home (parking in the snowbank known as our parking lot >.<  ).
>
>  I filled up the coolant the next day and dug myself out of my 'parking 
> place'. As I rounded the lot, I noticed that my coolant gauge (after 5 
> minutes of operation) was saying H, nearly overheating. My heater, on the 
> other hand, was still blowing cold air, as it would with the engine only 
> running for five minutes on a 12-degree-F morning.
>
>  Long story short(er?) -- it was "overheating" all the way to work, 
> although everything else was normal. Heat finally crept from the vents 
> about 1/4 the way to work, like it normally does.
>
>  What's going on here? In my mind, there are only two possibilities: the 
> coolant overflow tank is finally giving up the ghost (as another lister 
> predicted when I posted the pic of my engine compartment), or, the coolant 
> temp sensor is dying, rapidly.
>
>  The thermostat comes to mind immediately, except that I replaced it 
> (brand new Audi/VW part) less than 4 months ago...
>
>  So, I ask... What does the list think? Has anyone seen this before?
>
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