IHK 11

Hi Thanks for all your replies and help. I recently put the thermostat in the engine then the oring then the housing and all is fine. There are no more leaks at the housing. I bled the system when id finished and took for a drive but the temperature gauge still drops when the car gets up to speed on the road. My heater is nice and warm when the car is idling and the temp gauge sits at half way but as soon as i start driving and get up to about 40 plus mph the temp gauge drops to the top of the cold the heater gets colder. I know my thermostat works as my bottom hose does get hot when my temp gauge nears half way but when driving the temp gauge drops again. Ive now ordered a new coolant temp sender as this could be stopping the temp gauge from rising when up to speed.If that doesnt work then il try ordering a new coolant temp sensor. Im pretty sure the thermo switch on the radiator is fine as the fan comes on as soon as temp gauge passes half way immedietely. Im hoping that a new coolant temp sender may have something to do with the reason my expansion tank is always cold. Thanks for all your help Ian!

Hi Gareth sorry for the late reply. Just been really busy at work and not enough hours in the day. Il have a look on ebay to try and find a temperature gun. It would be a useful tool to have in general. I agree with you about the drive belt. It probably is something that i dont want to leave for too long. I changed the ultinator belt on 176,000 miles which was around 30,000 miles ago so i need to be changing both the drive belt and the ultinator belt asap. Its something i could easily mess up so i might just take it to my local garage who is very good and knows the car fairly well. Its worth doing for piece of mind as well. Il have a look at putting the new oring on the old thermostat on the correct side this time while ive got some time off over Christmas. Thanks for all of your help and advice. Its been a big help to me. Much appreciated. Thanks Ian!

Hi Gareth your advice sounds very good. I will try and do one thing at a time. Its a good idea what you say about removing the belt to make sure that is where the noise is coming from. Ive actually got a temperature gun which i bought to check my temperature incase i got coronavirus symptons so dont know if that would work but i could try it. Like you said previously about the heater. I should put that on hold as it works but just could be hotter. My new plan once i get time will be to put the originsl thermostat back in with a new o ring thats on the correct side and then try the tempersture gun on it. Once ive done that or even before i could remove the drive belt to check for noise. One step at a time. Thanks for your advice. Its so easy to try and change or tamper with too many things at once. Thanks a lot. Very helpful and much appreciated Ian!

Hi Gareth im mistaken sorry the water pump is cambelt driven. Which makes me worry as the guy who replaced the water pump also changed the cambelt at the same time which is fine if he has done it. Just heard hes dodgy off many mechanics. The noise seems to be coming from the drive belt tho. When the drive belts rotating if you look at it carefully it looks a bit wobbly. Im not sure if thats just because the belt needs changing or the pulley is worn. I think il just put the original thermostat back that was in the car as it was functioning fine but just thought it might be worth changing due to the lack of heat but that problems not related to the thermostat as far as i know and it seems to function correctly and is as warm as the others. This one has no make or name on it. Il make sure i get a new seal and it is on the correct side. Il also change the drive belt and see how everything seems. I see your point with checking the temperature the thermostat opens at but i dont have the tools. The fan seems to kick in exactly when it should so im fairly confident all thermostats are opening when they should. As for the heater i agree with you that the other issues need fixing first. What i dont understand tho is if the heater matrix has a partial blockage then how can the heat going up towards the windscreen be fairly warm and the heat coming out of the vents in the dash be much colder? Do you think it would be worth me putting high temp tape around the kind of tunnel that the air travels through behind the dash to the vents where the foam is quite worn? Sorry for asking so many questions and thanks for your patience. Much appreciated Ian!

Hi Gareth and thanks for getting back to me again. The water pump is belt driven and im not sure whether there is a noise coming from the water pump as the drive belt is making a noise and is right next to the pump. The car doesnt overheat or leak coolant from the water pump so i know it works to a certain extent. It might actually be ok. With the thermostat i just bought the one that was quickest to get hold of but wasnt sure where i could find a genuine thermostat from. Ive seen some advertised as original quality but dont know if thats true or not. I could get hold of a gates one. Do you think Gates would be ok? Im working every day at the moment so once i get time after christmas il replace the thermostat and seal along with the drive belt and the ultinator belt. With the heater problem i initially thought the matrix might be clogged after seeing the condition of the coolant that came out of it the first time i flushed it so although coolant seems to flow through it fine i wouldnt be surprised if it needed replacing. Apparently its a huge job and i think beyond my capability. The heater is better than it was tho to be fair but i know it should be hotter. Thanks for all of your advice and knowledge. Its been a huge help. Thanks and much appreciated Ian!

Im also not convinced that the water pump is ok either. I always wonder maybe the pumps not new like ive been told and may be too weak to fully pump coolant around the system and through the heater matrix. So many questions. I wont rest until i fix it. Thanks Ian!

Hi Gareth and thanks for telling me about circoli thermostats. Do you know of any thermostats that you would recommend or where to get one from? Also do you know of any product that would flush the heater matrix better than the forte biodegreaser ive already used? This may sound totally stupid but do you think it would do any damage if i put washing machine cleaner in the cooling system then flushed it out? I was just thinking now when i went for my mot the pulley that my drive belt is attached to makes a kind of a tappety sounding noise and the mot guy said it looked a bit wobbly when the engines running. He advised me to replace the belt which i havent yet done. Do you think this could be an issue with the car not reaching temperature or even the pulley being worn. I know when i got the water pump replaced the guy who changed it who i later found out by many honest mechanics is dodgy after this should of replaced this belt and changed coolant which he didnt but charged me for. Im thinking maybe if i replace the thermostat and seal then the drive belt and possibly the pulley this might help. I think it might be worth finding something really powerful to flush the matrix with. Thanks for your help again Ian!

Hi Gareth and thanks for replying again. I think once ive fixed the leak on the thermostat housing hopefully i can concentrste on getting more heat out of the heater. The Heaters never been great since ive owned the car but was excellent on my old coupe. The thermostat ive just bought for the car and is currently fitted is a circoli and has the part number 209440130. I bought it from euro car parts and was told it is the right one for my registration. It opens at 87 degrees like it should. When i get some time il open the housing up again and take more time to see if the stat has a groove for a seal and make sure ive got the right size seal and its on the right side. Do you think an airlock could stop my temp gauge from rising to half way when driving? Im not too sure why the heat isnt great as all leaking hoses and jubilees have been replaced. Heater matrix has been totally flushed with forte biodegreaser and water and ive put air through it with a tube as well. It was pretty horrendous the first time i flushed it but its been thoroughly flushed on about 3 different occasions in the last 6 months and my expansion tank was also pretty sludgy when i flushed it first but has been cleaned with hot water and forte biodegreaser twice and is much better. Expansion tank is always cold as well which is strange. Coolant was brown when i first drained it but is always red now. I know red isnt the correct coolant for the car as it should be green but i find the red is good quality and has not been mixed with any other colour. Do you think it would do any harm to switch the hoses to the heater matrix around to see if that would unblock anything then bleed the system then put them back the correct way and bleed again? Ive also took the glove box out and the panel under the steering wheel and noticed that the foam around the heater passageway looks fine on the drivers side but coming away a bit on the passenger side. I thought about insulating it to see if that helps increase the heat temperature. While i was behind there i noticed the metal mechanisms that move with the heater controls seem to move as they should. Sorry for asking so many questions but the heater has really bugged me since ive owned the car and ive put a lot of time and effort into fixing it as i know its capable of better. Thanks for your time and any advice or tips would be much appreciated. Thanks Ian!

Hi Gareth and Thanks for replying again. Ever since ive owned the car the heaters not been great and ive done loads on it recently. Ive totally flushed the whole system with forte biodegreser and replaced all leaking hoses and jubilees. Ive also blown air through the matrix. Radiators fairly new, car has good quality coolant and heater matrix appears clean and doesnt leak coolant into car. What is strange tho is i could drain coolant then refill and bleed system for a good half hour until coolant comes out of the bleeder hose then bleed it again the next day or day after thst and coolant would still come out the bleeder hose again. It does seem as tho air is getting into the system and its only recently ive been getting low temps on the gauge. The car never overheats and ive also replaced expansion tank cap. Everytime i bleed the cooling system nomatter whether its for 20 minutes or even an hour there is always a gurgling noise coming out of the middle of the dash which im told suggests theres still air in there. Since ive put this new thermostat in the heater is warmer but not warm enough. It seems fine coming out of the vents up to the windscreen but cold coming out of the dash vents. Im also suspicious of the water pump as the guy who replaced it has a bad reputation which i didnt know at the time. so many questions. Car runs great tho and never overheats. Ive also read about blend door being an issue with the heater or foam breaking away that acts as insulation to keep heat in. I think il try taking the housing appart and inspecting where the seal goes then replacing the thermostat seal and go from there. Thanks for all your help Ian!

Hi thanks for your reply. I tested the thermostat by putting it in a pan of boiling hot water with a cable tie attached and then taking it out and ive had the same results on 3 different thermostats. The opening temperature is 87degrees and they do seem accurate. I could go into more detail and get a temperature probe but i dont think 3 thermostats would be faulty. A friend just told me about an hour ago that the thermostat should go in directly against the engine in the housing then the rubber seal goes over it then the housing cover goes over it. I actually put the seal directly against the engine side then i put the thermostat over the seal. If the seal is on the wrong side of the thermostat then that could be causing my leak. Do you know which side the seal should go? I have also thought about the temp sender being faulty as the coolant was quite sludgy when i bought the car and may be damaged. I do think that the tempersture gauge is accurate and isnt an issue. Thanks Ian!

Hi ive got a 1990 Audi coupe 2.3e b3 and recently put a new thermostat in as my temperature gauge wasnt rising above the top of the cold unless the car wasnt moving then the gauge would reach half way as it should. My heater was also luke warm at best as the gauge was low but warmer once the gauge reached half way. My theory was that the thermostat was jammed open stopping the engine to heat up properly as the radiator was constantly cooling the car. I put a new thermostat in and the issue is exactly the same. I tested the old thermostat and it seemed fine. I noticed that coolant was leaking out of the thermostat housing and the bolts seem tight enough so i wondered if the housing requires a paper gasket. Ive searched for one but cant find one so im not sure if the car even has a housing gasket or should have one. When i changed the new thermostat i took the old one out with the old seal then put the new seal in the engine side, put the new stat in with the narrower end facing the radiator then bolted up the housing filled with coolant and bled the system. Could anyone please tell me if the housing does require a gasket and if they have a part number. Could anyone also tell me if they think ive fitted it correctly. Any help or advice would be really helpful and much appreciated. Thanks Ian! Could anyone also tell me if the leaking housing could allow air into the cooling system? Thanks again!

Ive found the brochure and the top wheels are the originals. Atleast i know for sure now.Thanks Ian!

Hi thanks for replying. The wheels you have on your v6 seem to be the wheels most people are saying are the originals. Once we get the car through the mot wel start searching. Its sad having to scrap your v6. Il let you know if we need any parts. Thanks Ian!

Hi Gareth thanks for replying. Ye il try and find a brochure. That would be really good to have in general and would be good to compare. Thanks again Ian!

Hi Gareth Thats great Thanks. I have tried phoning the nearest dealer but they never seem to answer. Il try and go in there sometime with the information youve just said. I did manage to get a brand new hose for my idle stabilizer valve from there which was of excellent quality for £24 which was actually cheaper than a not great used one i saw online for £30. Thanks Ian!

Hi ive got a 1990 Audi coupe 2.3e and i was just wondering if anybody knows the part number or the name of the coolant hose which goes from the back of the engine into the heater matrix at the bulkhead? Looking from the front of the car its the hose that goes into the right side of the bulkhead and not the bleeder hose. The hose had a leak which i repaired with self amalgamating tape but where the hose attaches to the engine the hose is quite worn so still leaking slightly and making the heater go cooler when your driving and the temperature gauge dropping. Ive looked on ebay but cant find one. Maybe if i know the right name or part number for the hose it might be easier to find. If anyone knows of anywhere i could buy this hose from it would be much appreciated. Any information would be helpful. Thanks Ian!

Hi my girlfriends got a 1993 Audi coupe 2.3e b4 5 cylinder 10 valve ng engine and i was just wondering if anybody knows which wheels are the originals for it. Ive got 2 types i think may be them but does anyone know for sure? Thanks Ian!

Hi ive got a 1990 Audi coupe B3 2.3e which has 256mm brake discs as standard. Ive noticed that theres a 280mm set of discs available for not much more in price and wondered if anybody knows if theyl fit straight on without scraping the caliper or anything else? Theyre not much bigger than the originals but dont want to buy them just incase they wont fit. Thanks Ian!!!

Hi my girlfriends got a 1993 Audi coupe B4 2.3e ng engine which doesnt start due to no spark. We did have the car running when we bought it but it just stalled and never sparked since. Weve put new plugs, leads, dizzy cap and rotar arm on it. Weve replaced all the coolant sensors and oil sensors but still no spark. Weve tried the coil and coil module on my B3 coupe with the same 2.3 ng engine and that started. Weve both come to the conclusion that the no spark has got to be due to a faulty crank sensor or a faulty ignition pulse sensor (hall sender) which is located inside the distributor. We finally located the crank sensor with a lot of research and help from the forums. We got the new crank sensor and fitted it today but still no spark. We wondered if a fault code may be showing in the ecu and need to be reset before the new crank sensor will work if that is our problem. Recently we bought a vgate scanner which is for Audis and Volkswagens of our cars era but have tried it on my girlfriends B4 coupe and my B3 coupe but both read not responding. Were not sure if the scanner does not work on our cars as advertised or we have the incorrect cable. Could anyone please tell us if we need to reset a fault code in the ecu for the new crank sensor to work if this is the fault or give us any advice or tips how to get the vgate scanner to work as this could really help us solve the nospark issue on the car. Thanks Ian!!!

Hi Gareth thanks for the names of those brokers. Thats really helpful. I remember having a reasonable quote from Adrian Flux in the past. Ye that would be a good idea to insure the 2 Audis together and it would make sense as my girlfriend and i both live together but just not married yet. The B4 audi isnt up and running yet. We bought it about a year ago. The car had been standing for 10 years and the guy who owned it just never got round to fixing it as he had other projects but my girlfriend fel in love with it so i had to buy it and i liked the idea of us both having the same car although one is a B3 and the other a B4. We got the car running after fitting a new radiator and it sounded pretty good until it just cut out and theres been no spark since. The coil and coil module are both fine as we tried them on my car. Its good having 2 similar cars for testing parts. Its got a brand new battery, rotar arm, distributor cap, spark plugs and ht leads but still no spark. Ive done a lot of research and believe the crank sensor which i think is located on the gearbox or the ignition pulse sensor also known as hall sender or eye of the distributor which is inside the distributor is the problem but while we have been trying to get a spark the intank fuel pump went. My girlfriend fitted a brand new bosch pump as she fitted one in my car about 2 weeks before hers went and knew she could do it as my car runs fine since she fitted it. When the new pump was fitted in her car it primed as it should but after not being able to do anything on the car over the winter it stopped priming so we took the pump out and it looked rusty. We cleaned it up and put fresh petrol in the car but although the pump looks ok and is not rusty it still doesnt prime so weve got 2 seperate issues now of no spark and no priming of the pump. Were changing a lot of sensors and weve got a new pump, housing and wiring so if we can get it priming hopefully its just the no spark we need to work on. Once we get it running we hope to find some original 15 inch wheels and possibly a full respray. All good fun tho. Hopefully one day we will have 2 very tidy classic Audis!!! Sorry for the long story but these old cars give us a lot of enjoyment! This is the part inside the distributor which may be the no spark cause. Thanks Ian!!!

Hi Gareth thanks for replying. Were not sure what the sensor does. It probably has got something to do with the temperature gauge but not sure. Were only changing it because it just looks like its past its best so we thought wed replace it. Weve done this with a few parts on the car. The sensor is on my girlfriends 2.3 b4 audi but il send u a photo of the one on my 2.3 B3 Audi as it looks the same and probably is the same. This is the sensor close to the hose! Thanks Ian!!!

Hi Gareth thanks for your kind regards. Im totally fine now and ive been quite fortunate in many ways. I feel that the car was something very positive to come out of the whole experience and im really happy that its in quite good condition and always something i can make better. I should get an agreed value to be fair as most insurers probably would want to pay scrap value if anything did happen to the car which would be quite sad. If you have any names of good insurers you recommend that would be much appreciated Thanks Ian!!!

Hi ive got a 1993 Audi coupe 2.3e b4 ng engine and i want to replace the coolant temp sensor. Ive removed the old one which has 4 pins part number 035919369L and ordered a new one with exactly the same part number which only has 3 pins. Every part ive tried to buy only has 3 pins. Does anyone know if the part with 3 pins will do the same job as the 4 pin original which i cant buy anywhere. Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks Ian!!!

Hi Gareth ive given a value i think the car is worth but the insurers didnt say whether they agreed or not. I think its something they dont really like to do. I dont think money could replace the car to be fair as the car holds a lot of sentimental value to me. I bought the car when i was quite unwell after having kidney failure 8 years ago and i started off by doing little jobs on it then gradually bigger ones in improving the car. I had a transplant 5 years ago and have made a full recovery but found working on the car a huge distraction and a huge help in my recovery as part of my journey so it means a lot to me. Its like a piece of history. It would be better to have an agreed value to be fair. Its something i need to look into really. Thanks Ian!!!

Hi thanks for replying. Its not so easy to find the exact original parts but there are still a good variety of parts available. It is quite an old car now being 30 years old last april and gets a lot of good comments off people in petrol stations or whenever i go somewhere. I want to try and keep it fairly original as its a good look. I just want to fit a shock absorber that will last and give the car a comfertable ride without being too hard. My girlfriend has a 1993 audi coupe 2.3e B4 and that has koni shock absorbers and the ride is surprisingly comfertable. I may go for those. Youre earlier question about cheaper car insurance. I have managed to insure the car really cheaply as its now a classic and it is only used as a second car and is more a labour of love. I use a Bmw e46 as my daily driver! Thanks again Ian!!!