Temp warning light flashing

hey guys,

is this a common fault? whats happening is the temp light gauge is flickering just befor the temp gauge gets to half way.

today it went over half way and pulsed steadily.

the engine did not feel like it was over heating and did not feel overly hot. any sugestions ? where is the sensor located?

thanks

Hi There

Yes - the flickering red light on the temp guage is a fairly common fault - although opinion seems varied on what the repair is.

Mine can go for days / miles without flashing - then it flashes for a bit and then doesn't come on again for days.  other times it seems to flash more often ….

I was told by a reputed VW expert in Nottingham  - that the cause is the wiring behind the clocks and that a fix involved a dasboard strip down / some soldering.
Others say to check out the coolant sensor in the expansion tank. - other say check the temp sensor on the coolant outlet manifold from the cylinder head - it has a couple of sensors on it  - but the one with a single red/ yellow wire connected to it (this connects to the temp needle) is the coolant temp sensor.

If you are happy that the car is not over heating / the rad fan cuts in and out ok / the expansion tank coolant level is ok i wouldnot worry unduly - I would research more on the site to see if anyone has had success and  then it seams to be acase of trial and error.

Fixing mine is on the list of (many) things to do.

hope this helps. 

Rivage5 is right don't worry.

My car does the same, flashes intermittently and especially if I go over a bump or pot hole.

Mines been doing this for 4 years, more annoying than anything else.

I don't have a fix to tell you about as its not really broken don't fix it

Had same problem on my 83 gti turned out to be a loose earth strap coming from the rocker cover to the coil mounting bracket, this also sorted out some other dash gremlins. Cant say this will fix your fault but defo worth a look also check the multi plugs on the back of the clocks for loose/bad connections.

Hi read your post about flashing water light. I have a 1990 mk1 gti cab with same problem. Changed led in dash light still flashes. Put new temp sender in water intake manifold only , cost eight pound and abit of anti freeze still flashes.Checked all earths and it still flashes. Spoke to a friend with same problem on his 1983 cab said i need relay 43 in fuse box as he changed his and it fixed it. Checked fuse box details doesnt have relay 43 on  my year…cf_emoticons__BangHead:….. So put new level sensor in reservoir and quess what …. Lgiht comes on start up and goes off and stays off as it should and part is available from dealer at a mere twenty three pounds and im glad its sorted put up with it as many have. So now ive sold it and bought a mk2 gti  in a box .Possibly with the intention of putting a smaller engine in so my son can drive ?????? Anybody got any ideas on this.

thanks for all your replys.
what concerns me is that it only comes on when the temp gauge is around the halfway point. it doesn't flicker or anything befor it gets there.

it flickers a bit just before half then at just a tad over half it stays there and pulses?

ive bought myself a manual ( waiting for it to come ) then i will check all you have said. thanks

SOLVED my flashing coolant light problem.

Its relay 42 on mine that is at fault also relay 43 is the same which is what I've replaced it with.

Mine was a poor connection on the clocks, no soldering required. Take clocks out, clean the blue ribbon contacts. Then put a couple of turns of Leccy tape round the black plastic tab the foil contacts sit over. This allows for a better contact between the foil contacts and the actual connector. The Brown/white Eire is the earth for the block and clocks via a braided earth strap.