Engine warning as soon as i cut my car on

tdiguru · July 30th, 2010, 11:54

Okay so i have a 1999.5 Volkswagen jetta tdi, as soon as i turn the car on it beeps and the red thermometer comes on but the gauge says it is not hot at all, so is this just a system faught and is it okay to drive? Also when i crank it up everything is normal nothing is unusal it sat over night so i know it cant be hot.

d2305 · July 30th, 2010, 11:58

Check the coolant level.

tdiguru · July 30th, 2010, 11:59

its kinda low not to low just a little below the line, what kind of coolant does it take?

Fixmy59bug · July 30th, 2010, 12:06

If the thermometer light is coming on and staying on, it could mean low coolant or the sensor in the bottle could have gone south. If you top up the coolant and the light stays on, then the coolant bottle needs to be replaced.

But if the light is coming on and flashing, then that means the cluster thinks your car is overheating due to a bad ECT.

BobnOH · July 30th, 2010, 12:07

G12 coolant only.
you might want to hook up VCDS and read the ambient temperature of your coolant, Group 007

tdiguru · July 30th, 2010, 12:08

IS this a easy fix or lots of money? we used to have a 2002 1.8t but sold it becasue of the trans. but it had the same problem but it was fine and we never fixed it.

tdiguru · July 30th, 2010, 12:21

If i keep a eye out on the temp. and i put coolant in it, is it ok to drive? as long as it doesnt overheat?

\/\/0J0 · July 30th, 2010, 12:33

Top up your coolant and keep an eye on the level. If it keeps dropping, you likely have a leak somewhere. I just replaced the radiator in mine(same year) after the seams lost their integrity. Do you have VagCom? It will help in sussing out this issue and any that you will have in the future...
Also, depending on where you are in NC, there are some real gurus around that will be able to help you further so check the list.

tdiguru · July 30th, 2010, 12:34

Also the light blinks it does not stay on. But nothing gets hot.

MayorDJQ · July 30th, 2010, 13:23

A coolant temp sensor is $16. The coolant bottle is another $16. They're easy to replace. Also buy a $13 bottle of G12.

Don't be a cheapskate. If you overheat and blow the headgasket and/or warp the head, it's going to cost a lot more to fix.

tdiguru · July 30th, 2010, 13:31

Im not trying to be a cheapskate, but there is no point to do something that does not need to be done. But i am going to refill the coolant and see if that works if not ill go from there, but believe me as soon as i see the temp going up past normal i will pull over and have it towed in. ive learned my lesson before

MayorDJQ · July 30th, 2010, 13:55

Using that same logic, why bother doing any maintenance, preventive or otherwise?

The temperature gauge is not a reliable way to tell what your engine temp is. "Normal" on the gauge can range from ~170* to ~220* because it's nothing more than a fancy idiot light.

If the level sensor in the bottle is bad, you could have a hose split and all the coolant dump out....and then you overheat. If the ECS is bad the water pump impeller could come off the shaft...and then you overheat.

$45 in parts and a hour of labor may wind up saving you a lot of money.

tdiguru · July 30th, 2010, 14:54

Well actually thank god, i drove halfway down our long long driveway and it went off, and once it got to its normal temp it stayed there so maybe a system glitch or something idk? but i will make a trip to get some g12 coolant tomorrow and fill it up just to be sure but thank gosh it is drivable.

tdiguru · July 31st, 2010, 11:49

it just needed coolant. thanks everyone

\/\/0J0 · July 31st, 2010, 15:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdiguru

it just needed coolant. thanks everyone

As I advised previously; there's usually a reason that coolant is low. You have fixed the symptom, now look for the cause. ..my .02