# Temperature Gauge Needle Moving one Notch Past Center



## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

Hi Everyone,
I have a 2004 TT 225 and recently the needle on the Temperature Gauge has been moving to the next notch past the Center mark and pretty much settled there. Since I just past my 65k mark I figured
it was time to get the timing belt kit installed. Ordered the ECS Ultimate Timing belt kit that came with the Timing belt, Accessory belt, Waterpump with metal impeller, Behr Thermostat, Tensioner, and all the rest of the usual stuff. I had it installed by a reputable VW/Audi/Porsche Tuning shop here in Indianapolis for just 400 bucks. Anyway, to make a long story short. After the Thermostat and the Waterpump were replaced the needle of the Temp Gauge still wandered off to next notch past middle.
I then went to the Audi stealership and got myself a new Green Temp Sensor, thinking it could be bad but after installing it the needle still persistently goes past the middle and settles just a tad past the next
notch over. The car runs great otherwise. What is the normal operating Temperature when the car is fully warmed up? I did install a digital gauge and my readings are right at 204-206 degrees and if
I sit in traffic at rush hour it has gone up as high as 211 but never higher. I did check my fans and they are fine and running strong.
I checked my coolant level and it is fine, no oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil so it isn't a head gasket. I just don't know what else it could be? Any ideas? 
If anyone could post their operating temperature when fully hot I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you in advance for any suggestion and ideas.
Tom in Indy
04 Red Audi TT 225





_Modified by IndyTTom at 2:26 PM 6/24/2009_


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## l88m22vette (Mar 2, 2006)

*Re: Temperature Gauge Needle Moving one Notch Past Center (IndyTTom)*

Mine does that too (in hot weather) if I'm sitting at a light or in stop-and-go traffic, but quickly settles back to the middle...maybe call the dealer and ask? What kind of oil do you use?
And, BTW, how have you been man, you disappeared for months?


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## 00_Bora (Oct 15, 2005)

ive had bad green top sensors from the dealer before...just some food for thought


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## scoTT la rock (Jun 17, 2007)

*Re: Temperature Gauge Needle Moving one Notch Past Center (IndyTTom)*

i have the same exact issue and after replacing everything you did and going through 3 green top sensors, it was still happening.
i have a faulty fuel gauge and the central pixels are out, so i had the dealership do a cluster sweep and it turns out the reason mine does that is because of a bad cluster. 
maybe this may be the case for you? your car is a little newer than mine, so i dont know if youre experiencing other cluster problems?


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## ecko2702 (Sep 12, 2008)

*Re: Temperature Gauge Needle Moving one Notch Past Center (scoTT la rock)*

I always thought it was because the turbo is cooled with coolant too. So when the thermostat opens the hot coolant from the turbo goes past the CTS. Mine does it only when it real hot out or I drive it hard turn it off then turn the car back on 5 min later.


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

*Re: (00_Bora)*

I was in Hybernation








but I am back with a vengence. Just wish my TT would not have all these little issues.


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## Sinbad (Jun 24, 2003)

*Re: (IndyTTom)*

Nice, I'm not alone!! I have the same exact problem. I thought it was overheating too, replacing coolant temp senors and thermostats, but it's the gauge. Upon starting the engine it jumps up to one notch above the furthest left "cold" notch. I believe this is not normal. Also on mine it will go all the way to the notch above center and stay there after warming up for 5-10 minutes. Because it stays there and doesn't go further and because it gets there in such a short amount of time after warm up, I concluded it was the gauge, since those are faulty anyway.
Also, I determined that because it is stationary it is acting as if it were in the middle. When the car overheats the needle tends to move alot more.
There is a way to check your temps with your HVAC, but I forget how.


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

*Re: (Sinbad)*

Thanks Sinbad! That makes me feel a lot better. I am concluding also that it must be the gauge since the car runs fine and as you said that once the needle settles it does stay in that position and does not move any further the the right. I wonder if that gauge can be reset by the dealer or via a vag com or if I just have to learn to live with it that way. I do have a Scan Gauge II which shows the high temp to be between 204 and 206 degrees and the gauge does jump up to the mark after the center within 2 minutes of driving the car where my digital gauge still only shows 172 degrees so I know that there is something screwy with that gauge. Thanks for your input. 
Does anyone else have a seperate gauge that can verify that 204/206 is about the correct operation coolant temperature once the car has fully warmed up?


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## bvgoosedd (Mar 5, 2009)

i have the same thing but i got my cluster replaced already keeps happening. some told me bad fan control switch i am gonna try that cus if i have the ac on the car doesn't do it. try to see if the car still does it with the ac on?


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## Sinbad (Jun 24, 2003)

*Re: (IndyTTom)*


_Quote, originally posted by *IndyTTom* »_Thanks Sinbad! That makes me feel a lot better. I am concluding also that it must be the gauge since the car runs fine and as you said that once the needle settles it does stay in that position and does not move any further the the right. I wonder if that gauge can be reset by the dealer or via a vag com or if I just have to learn to live with it that way. I do have a Scan Gauge II which shows the high temp to be between 204 and 206 degrees and the gauge does jump up to the mark after the center within 2 minutes of driving the car where my digital gauge still only shows 172 degrees so I know that there is something screwy with that gauge. Thanks for your input. 
Does anyone else have a seperate gauge that can verify that 204/206 is about the correct operation coolant temperature once the car has fully warmed up? 


BTW there is always this for a rebuild
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ories 
I know there are some people who have done this, do a search for cluster.


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

*Re: (bvgoosedd)*


_Quote, originally posted by *bvgoosedd* »_i have the same thing but i got my cluster replaced already keeps happening. some told me bad fan control switch i am gonna try that cus if i have the ac on the car doesn't do it. try to see if the car still does it with the ac on?

Yup, I have the AC on all the time in 95 degree weather with 100% humidity.







The fans run great. So it's not the fan control.


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## TTRoadster225 (May 28, 2009)

*Re: (IndyTTom)*

Mine does this when it is warm/humid enough.


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## Village_Idiot (Oct 16, 2004)

*Re: (TTRoadster225)*

Yea like most said here when it's really warm (85+) at stop lights my car does the one or two notches up thing... But it only after I installed a custom FMIC. I spaced it about 1" or 1.5" from the radiator thinking that air would flow up front the bottom or around the IC and also to get less heat transfer from the radiator to the IC core. 
It hasn't been summer in a year but I don't recall my car doing that for a long time. Just yesterday it did the one notch up thing but that's because my car has been on the road for four days and I didn't drive it hard throughout the four days to even open the thermostat! It sucked the water down finally and I had to add some. Took forever.
Likely your cluster isn't broken, it's just that our engine compartments run very very hot, or so I believe. Also on a cluster note, I was losing A LOT of pixels in the center display about 3 months ago, Since then I've had the car on jack stands and those LED's haven't seen any power in the 7-9 weeks that I didn't turn it on for - now I'm not missing one light all week. We just have strange cars. Also it seems in cold weather that none of the electronics work in my car for a good 30 seconds to one minute and that's if I'm parked in the garage. Leave the car outside at my girlfriends house and forget seeing the gauges turn on the whole way home. The heated seats and stereo work and those are the only lights that come on. HVAC & cluster & head light swtich lights don't function and nor do gauges.


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## l88m22vette (Mar 2, 2006)

*Re: (Village_Idiot)*

That's a lot of stupid problems







You do have a 2001 TT, and it seems like early TTs have various quality problems and later-year TTs (2003+, Can-Bus electronics, BEA engine w/wideband) do not. I believe part of it due to the new electronics system and part of it is simply better quality/assembly. Apparently the workers in Hungary didn't get enough pre-production practice


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

*Re: (l88m22vette)*

Regarding the Temp Gauge Reading. Once it gets up to it's final position it never moves. Up or down. It just stays there until I turn off the engine. Then when I start the car it moves to that notch past center within 3 minutes time and stays there. And not only when it's 96 like it was today but even when I go to work about 6 am in the morning when it is only about 70 degrees out. My Scangauge II that I hooked up to shows it first reaches the mark past center at about 174 degrees then the mark never moves any further but the temps still rise to about 204-206 and then go back and forth between those two readings with the gauge being rock solid and not moving in any direction. I just need to know what your guys operating temperature is once the car is fully warmed up. 
Someone just have a Scangauge or other device that they could check and let me know what their reading shows. I pretty much believe it is a dash gauge error and the temps 204-206 are in the norm of the spectrum. But I could be wrong. Our stock Thermostat is a 87 degree Celcius unit which is about 188 degrees Fahrenheit. Now is that the degree when the Thermostat should fully open and cool the engine? Or is it feasible that it goes to 204-206 and even 211 degrees when I am stuck in Rushhour. If those temps are not what you guys are seeing I may change the Thermostat again and this time to an Authentic Audi Thermostat and not a Behr Thermostat that came with the Timing Belt kit. 
Thanks again for your help.
Tom in Indy


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## Sinbad (Jun 24, 2003)

*Re: (IndyTTom)*


_Quote, originally posted by *IndyTTom* »_Regarding the Temp Gauge Reading. Once it gets up to it's final position it never moves. Up or down. It just stays there until I turn off the engine. Then when I start the car it moves to that notch past center within 3 minutes time and stays there. And not only when it's 96 like it was today but even when I go to work about 6 am in the morning when it is only about 70 degrees out. My Scangauge II that I hooked up to shows it first reaches the mark past center at about 174 degrees then the mark never moves any further but the temps still rise to about 204-206 and then go back and forth between those two readings with the gauge being rock solid and not moving in any direction. I just need to know what your guys operating temperature is once the car is fully warmed up. 


This is almost 100% in my mind a gauge failure. He's not talking about the car going one notch above center from time to time (that would be overheating.) My car will do the same thing in the dead cold of night at 70 on the freeway. Just sit at the notch. 
If your gauge is malfunctioning it makes sense that it reaches that notch quickly but your scangauge keeps reading a lower temperature. The temperature gauge is not accurate and stays at dead middle (or one notch above) so as not to worry drivers. Accurate temperature can be measured with the hvac.
http://www.wak-tt.com/tt/climatecontcodes.htm 
Press and hold the recirculation button. Then press the manual flow control up arrow. You should see a 1c. Press the temperature up ("+") or down ("-") buttons to select a code number. Then press the recirculation button again. The value should display. Press the temperature up or down button again to display another code.
go to
51 Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) in deg C 


_Quote, originally posted by *IndyTTom* »_
Someone just have a Scangauge or other device that they could check and let me know what their reading shows. I pretty much believe it is a dash gauge error and the temps 204-206 are in the norm of the spectrum. But I could be wrong. Our stock Thermostat is a 87 degree Celcius unit which is about 188 degrees Fahrenheit. Now is that the degree when the Thermostat should fully open and cool the engine? Or is it feasible that it goes to 204-206 and even 211 degrees when I am stuck in Rushhour. If those temps are not what you guys are seeing I may change the Thermostat again and this time to an Authentic Audi Thermostat and not a Behr Thermostat that came with the Timing Belt kit. 
Thanks again for your help.
Tom in Indy


I'm not sure 204-206 is the typical running temp. That would be like 96-97 C. Thermostat should open up around 87 and keep the coolant around there or high 80s. I know there are thermostats out there that open later even if they're rated at 87C, so you can always change that. 
Sitting at that notch and moving freely past the middle mark even before the engine is warmed up still sounds like gauge failure to me.


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

*Re: (Sinbad)*

Thanks Sinbad! I am thinking it's a gauge flaw myself. I guess I could try to change the Thermostat to the Original Audi Kind and see if it would make a difference. It's just a big pain in the butt to change those in our cars. Now one thing I did notice is that my after coolant pump isn't working. Meaning that before I always noticed a pump or fan running even after my engine was shut down. Now it isn't doing that anymore. Not sure if that is only working in the winter time or also in the summer? So many little quirky things with our cars.
But if they weren't quirky they would be like any other boring box with 4 wheels.


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## Sinbad (Jun 24, 2003)

*Re: (IndyTTom)*

No problem Indy. Changing the thermostat is a PITA. I had to use some concoction of extensions and swivel sockets to get in there. 
Find out some more running temps. Right now my car runs about where yours does. 96 97 degrees C. Like I said, I'm not sure this is the correct running temp...I think my car has issues now!


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