Temperature issue

jordankyle

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Turning to the forum family for this one.. so I've been having a problem with my 01 A4 Quattro, at least I think it's a problem. What's been happening is that after driving, I shut my car off and when I turn it on after a minute or so, the temperature gauge needle moves up to the first line. I first noticed this while I was driving my car, I noticed that the needle would go smack dab in the middle and it slowly climbed up a little but then would move back down as I started driving. I took it to the mechanic who replaced my timing belt and they replaced the coolant temp sensor and thermostat (again). Now, the needle would sit a tad on the cool side while driving, sometimes it would move directly to the middle but nothing towards the hot side.

But when I would turn the car off and just turn it to the on position after it reaches operating temperature, the needle is back at the first line on the hot side. So I took it to another shop and they said my cooling system pressure is 70 PSI. They said I either have a cracked cylinder head or blown head gasket (it shouldn't be since the first shop replaced it). The first shop said they ran pressure tests overnight and they say the pressures aren't high. So idk what it could be..

Is it normal for the temp needle to go up (240 F) while the car is off then back to normal (190 F) when I start the engine and begin driving? And if not, could it be from a cracked head or head gasket not properly sealed? I also noticed that the overflow hose to the top of the coolant reservoir starts bubbling in the reservoir and the reservoir gets pretty hot too.
 
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the temp needle should rise up to the "due north" position (90c here in the UK, probably 190f in the US) and it should never move from there.

The dash buffers the output for all normal operating temperatures.

Has the water pump been checked? The impellers crack and stop pumping.
 
the temp needle should rise up to the "due north" position (90c here in the UK, probably 190f in the US) and it should never move from there.

The dash buffers the output for all normal operating temperatures.

Has the water pump been checked? The impellers crack and stop pumping.

The water pump was changed with the timing belt. The VAG COM read the temperature as 116 C while the car was off (key is in the on position but engine is off). Then when I started the engine and drive, the temperature would go back down to 90 C. Is that normal?
 
i guess its possible for the temperature to rise with the engine off as the heats no longer being pumped away, 116c seems high though.
 
i guess its possible for the temperature to rise with the engine off as the heats no longer being pumped away, 116c seems high though.

I just noticed something.. so I decided to drive with my AC on low yesterday because it was 81F in winter here in Los Angeles.. and would you look at that? The temp gauge began rising. Nothing too dangerous, just above middle. So I decided to drive with the AC on high since my heater doesn't blow hot air and it went back to before the middle line. So is it a fan that's the problem? The thermostat and water pump are both new so it shouldn't be that.

Also, I noticed that when I had the AC on low, the ambient temp sensor read 7-8 degrees Fahrenheit above the actual temp. And when I would switch to high or turn it off completely, the ambient temp went down in almost an instant.
 
maybe your main coolant radiator is knackered? And the additional load of the AC evaporator is enough to push it over the edge?
 

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