---We had the same issue last summer.
Here are a couple of things to check;
-the o-ring or seal on your reservoir cap can get old, brittle and
not seal things properly. Replacement ones can easily be found at an
VW place, or via Europarts (Steve) or gowesty. A cheap and easy fix.
Also the Temp sending unit (which just gives you the temp reading for
your gauges, doesn't control your fans, (those are high and low speed
fan relays, so fortunately if one fails (which they often do) the
other would most likely be still working). We replaced ours sending
unit and the van did seem to run at mid temp vs cool as indicated on
the gauge below. Driving up the Coquihalla hwy in BC in the wee
hourse one morning, the temp light started blinking. The temp gauge
didn't indicate any issues, though there was a slight smell of
coolant when the hood was lifted. We suspected the Reservoir cap,
kept an eye on things and continued home. A week later, I was
driving it over to the Mechanics (for another issue) and 2 blocks
from the shop, blew a rad hose. It has a slight pin hole in it from
rubbing on an adjactent fitting and decided to blow.
Just keep that in mind if you find that light still blinking after
changing the reservoir cap, and the temp sending unit.
good luck with it!
cheers,
Nicki
In ev_update@..., "Kenny Cummings" <nycnorton@...> wrote:
And I guess my next question(s) is, how can I determine if the v-
belt
is actually spinning the water pump? Is it visible through the
hood?
Should I be concerned the motor is not being properly cooled, or
because the temp gauge shows normal temps I can feel with confidence
this is a sensor problem?
--- In ev_update@..., "Kenny Cummings" <nycnorton@>
wrote:
Thanks folks.
My reservoir for coolant was translucent at one time but seems to
have
clouded after all these years. I put water into the reservoir
and the
fluid level came all the way up to the cap, but I couldn't see any
visible fluid level near the min/max line. I assume this means
it's
full (probably too full), but doubt this is my problem.
If I were overheating, or had a faulty circuit board, wouldn't my
temp
gauge be fluctuating? It was not - it was reading as it should -
right in the middle between cool and hot.
-KC
NYC
--- In ev_update@..., "Stephen Kramar" <sgkramar@>
wrote:
I also suspect the sensor based on your description. I've never
had a
problem with mine, but IIRC others have reported cleaning the
sensor
-- I don't know if that is just cleaning the connector or if
there is
something to clean on the end of the sensor.
On 6/4/08, gti_matt <gti_matt@> wrote:
--- Kenny Cummings <nycnorton@> wrote:
Today I took my EV out for a 40-mile errand. No problems at
all on
the way out - free-flowing highway all the way. I was out of
the van
for about 2 hours. When I got back in to come home, I turned
on the
ignition and the temp warning light immediately blinked and
continued
blinking. Temp gauge was low - not hot at all. I drove for
about 5
miles and pulled into a "service" station and read the
owner's
manual,
which says it's either a coolant level issue, a blown rad fan
fuse, or
a v-belt off a water pump(!).
The manual is mixing causes and symptoms there in one
paragraph.
The light is an indicator of either low coolant level or
excessive
temperatures, period. However
some of those things listed in the manual aren't actually
sensed
as a
problem but are potential
causes of the problem that is sensed (if that
makes...er...sense).
Anyway, when *cold*, make sure your coolant level is at the
MAX
mark.
If that doesn't fix it, you might be overheating for one or
more
reasons
(v-belt off of pump,
stuck thermostat, etc.). But if you're not overheating, then
the
sensor
itself is probably
flaking out on you.
Well, this "service" station had no water, but I verified the
coolant was
high enough. The fuse
was not blown. I started it up and the light went off, so I
drove
it down
the highway. After
about 10 minutes it started blinking again. I pulled off
again
and turned
off the motor. After
about 5 minutes, I started up and the blinking light was off,
and
didn't
come on again and I made
it home with no issues. It should be noted that at no time
did the
temp
gauge go up beyond a
normal level.
An overheated engine isn't likely to cool down enough in just
5
minutes and
not re-trigger the
light and so therefore I'm now suspecting that the sensor is
flaky. Check
the connector on the
sensor on top of the coolant reservoir and make sure that's
fine
(make sure
the wiring connector
is tight). The engine temperature sensor though I'm not sure
exactly where
that is (I had a VR6,
not an I-5).
--
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