[s-cars] Multi Function Temp Sensor or Thermostat?

[Tom Green]

Only a masochist would claim this is an easy fix, since "you could 
drain the
radiator", means you could also remove the engine pan so you can get to 
the
drain cock and place a drain pan as any good American would.  Probably a
good time to flush and refill with that "cheap" antifreeze also since 
you will
most likely lose most of the coolant anyway or you will realize how old 
it is. ;-)

Did I mention that it's cold outside.  Hopefully you have a nice inside 
place to do all this.
It is no coincidence that the thermostat failure gets to the "fix it 
now" stage just as the polar
air gets firmly established in Canada.

The timing belt r&r procedure on urs4.com has a photo of the thermostat 
installation,
however everything in the way normally has been removed and you can't 
see much of
the o-ring underneath.
The 10 mm bolts on the plastic housing require 7 ft-lbs torque.

Tom '95 S6

Previously written:
> Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 20:59:08 -0700
> From: Brian Powell <powellb at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Multi Function Temp Sensor or Thermostat?
> To: Rich Beebe <rich at beebecomm.com>
> Cc: manuelsanchez at starpower.net, s-car-list at audifans.com
> Message-ID: <910ae2660412151959b1cb590 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
> Well, the first mark is 60C, then, the next labelled mark is straight
> up at 130C I think (I am going from memory). In between is an unmarked
> tick which is normal operating temp, 100C. You should be at or above
> that mark after a few minutes of driving. Under hard driving in 100+F
> ambient, it can get up towards vertical (though, I've personally never
> seen one get vertical).
>
> If you oil temps are not getting much above 60C, that is not a good
> thing. It sounds like your thermostat is stuck open. It is cheap and
> easy to fix. You'll need a new thermostat(should come with a seal) and
> some coolant. I find it easier to remove the intake boot, then, use
> some "wobbly" extensions with a 10mm socket to remove the two screws
> in the thermostat housing. Pull it back--coolant will pour out
> everywhere (you could drain the radiator first if you like). Get
> something to pry out the old thermostat (they stick in there nicely).
> Put the new thermostat in the same orientation as the old one (brass
> strip should be vertical), put the thermostat housing back on (IIRC,
> 12 ft-lbs torque--anyone?) and refill the coolant. I like to make sure
> the coolant is properly filled, so, I remove the bleeder valve from
> behind the firewall (under the plastic cover) and fill the expansion
> tank. It will slowly cylce into the whole system with gravity (it
> takes about 10-20 minutes) and once it starts coming out of the
> bleeder valve, close up the valve, top off the expansion tank to the
> mark, and you are done.
>
>
> On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 22:40:16 -0500, Rich Beebe <rich at beebecomm.com> 
> wrote:
>> brian et al,
>>
>> i noticed my water temps staying very low today (around the 2nd thin
>> mark), until i stopped at a red light (about 8 miles from the house),
>> at which point it rose to roughly to the first thick mark, iirc. what
>> you mentioned below about oil temps is what has me thinking, though.
>> my oil temp gauge never moves from the far left of the gauge. i
>> noticed this upon buying the car and was told that they all read
>> low and it's normal. 2 questions - where 'should' my oil gauge 'read'
>> and could i have a similar thermostat problem? tia.
>>
>> rich <-- feeling bad for asking so many questions, but i'm new to 
>> audis.
>>
>> From: Brian Powell <powellb at gmail.com>
>>
>>> The easiest way to check is to see what your oil temps are doing. If
>>> the thermostat is stuck open, it will be hard for the oil to get to
>>> operating temp. If your oil is at or past the thick mark and the
>>> coolant temp reads quite low, then it is the MFTS. If the oil temp
>>> isn't getting up to operating temp, then it is definitely your
>>> thermostat.
>>>
>>> The thermostat is pretty easy to do on this car. Just makes a 
>>> mess... :)
>>
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Cheers,
> Brian
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 23:10:04 -0500
> From: Rich Beebe <rich at beebecomm.com>
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Multi Function Temp Sensor or Thermostat?
> To: Brian Powell <powellb at gmail.com>
> Cc: manuelsanchez at starpower.net, s-car-list at audifans.com
> Message-ID: <BDE674CC.65511%rich at beebecomm.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
> well, since my oil temp gauge never seems to move at all, i'd
> say a new t-stat is in order. i'm glad this post came up, as i
> was never comfortable with the idea that the gauge should read
> (normally) where it was. thanks very much for the insight.
>
> rich
>
>> From: Brian Powell <powellb at gmail.com>
>> Reply-To: Brian Powell <powellb at gmail.com>
>> Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 20:59:08 -0700
>> To: Rich Beebe <rich at beebecomm.com>
>> Cc: manuelsanchez at starpower.net, s-car-list at audifans.com
>> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Multi Function Temp Sensor or Thermostat?
>>
>> Well, the first mark is 60C, then, the next labelled mark is straight
>> up at 130C I think (I am going from memory). In between is an unmarked
>> tick which is normal operating temp, 100C. You should be at or above
>> that mark after a few minutes of driving. Under hard driving in 100+F
>> ambient, it can get up towards vertical (though, I've personally never
>> seen one get vertical).
>>
>> If you oil temps are not getting much above 60C, that is not a good
>> thing. It sounds like your thermostat is stuck open. It is cheap and
>> easy to fix. You'll need a new thermostat(should come with a seal) and
>> some coolant. I find it easier to remove the intake boot, then, use
>> some "wobbly" extensions with a 10mm socket to remove the two screws
>> in the thermostat housing. Pull it back--coolant will pour out
>> everywhere (you could drain the radiator first if you like). Get
>> something to pry out the old thermostat (they stick in there nicely).
>> Put the new thermostat in the same orientation as the old one (brass
>> strip should be vertical), put the thermostat housing back on (IIRC,
>> 12 ft-lbs torque--anyone?) and refill the coolant. I like to make sure
>> the coolant is properly filled, so, I remove the bleeder valve from
>> behind the firewall (under the plastic cover) and fill the expansion
>> tank. It will slowly cylce into the whole system with gravity (it
>> takes about 10-20 minutes) and once it starts coming out of the
>> bleeder valve, close up the valve, top off the expansion tank to the
>> mark, and you are done.
>>
>>
>> On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 22:40:16 -0500, Rich Beebe <rich at beebecomm.com> 
>> wrote:
>>> brian et al,
>>>
>>> i noticed my water temps staying very low today (around the 2nd thin
>>> mark), until i stopped at a red light (about 8 miles from the house),
>>> at which point it rose to roughly to the first thick mark, iirc. what
>>> you mentioned below about oil temps is what has me thinking, though.
>>> my oil temp gauge never moves from the far left of the gauge. i
>>> noticed this upon buying the car and was told that they all read
>>> low and it's normal. 2 questions - where 'should' my oil gauge 'read'
>>> and could i have a similar thermostat problem? tia.
>>>
>>> rich <-- feeling bad for asking so many questions, but i'm new to 
>>> audis.
>>>
>>> From: Brian Powell <powellb at gmail.com>
>>>
>>>> The easiest way to check is to see what your oil temps are doing. If
>>>> the thermostat is stuck open, it will be hard for the oil to get to
>>>> operating temp. If your oil is at or past the thick mark and the
>>>> coolant temp reads quite low, then it is the MFTS. If the oil temp
>>>> isn't getting up to operating temp, then it is definitely your
>>>> thermostat.
>>>>
>>>> The thermostat is pretty easy to do on this car. Just makes a 
>>>> mess... :)
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Cheers,
>> Brian
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
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