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Engine coolant light keeps flashing!


sashasals

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Hey there, I have been having some issues with my Skoda Yeti. Its second hand, 52000 miles. 

 

Recently when I drive my car and then stop for a short period of time (10-30 minutes) and start driving again the engine coolant light flashes and beeps at me. This has happened about 3/4 times now but I have managed to lower the temperature by turning the heating on (to let the hot air out, as my breakdown service told me).

 

However, a few times the engine temperature has gone way over 90 and I have had to pull over and call my breakdown service. This has happened three times and has resulted in my car being taken in for repair. The first time they found a split in the coolant pipe and replaced it and then the second time they found that the water pump wasn't working, so that was replaced also. I have also had the timing belt replaced at the same time as the water pump.

 

However, the light came on again today after I stopped for 5 minutes at a drive through and then drove onto the dual carriageway. It only came on for a few seconds and I turned the heater on and it disappeared. What could this possibly be?! My dealer say they have checked everything and it all seems to be in order, so why does the light randomly come on? 

 

I am due a service, so could it be something related to that?

 

I'm concerned mainly because I have to drive up country on Sunday by myself and do not want to break down on the side of the motorway again!

 

Thanks!

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Which Yeti have you got?

Petrol, Diesel, engine size, year? You'll notice that most long standing members of this forum include info about their car as a matter of course.

It's easiest if you edit your profile and add this info to "My Car" so that it'll then appear on every post you make.

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Hi.

 

Most modern car temperature gauges don't read the actual temperature, but have software which intervenes to massage the reading.  The result is that any temperature which is within an acceptable range (e.g. 85 to 95 degrees C) is displayed by the needle as a reassuringly exact 90. Maybe this is done to stop people pestering their dealer unnecesarily.  The upshot is that if the needle is showing anything above the magic 90 it's already on the way to being too high.

 

I once had an Audi A3 where the thermostat had failed partway open.  It just went to prove that it's a crucial part of kit, as the car took an age to warm up and then the temperature would vary wildly with engine load and road speed.  If it got too hot I had to resort to the old trick of putting the cabin heat on full and opening the windows (it was summer)

 

I suggest that your temperature gauge and flashing coolant light are correcly telling you that the engine coolant is getting too hot, and the thermostat would be the first thing to check out.  Another possibility is an air lock - the cooling circuit including the water to air intercooler isn't the simplest.

 

Mechanical waterpumps on earlier VAG cars used to fail at about 5 years old due to the use of plastic impellers which split and came loose on their shafts (probably specified by some cheapskate accountant) but I thought they had learned their lesson and gone back to metal ones.

 

I would be wary of undertaking a long high speed journey in the present condition, the cooling circuit has much more work to do at 70 mph than round town.

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sorry I forgot to say that even though it beeps at me it has only risen above 90 during the times it ended up going in for repair. when it flashed and beeped today it stayed at 90 which is where it usually is =/

 

 

Hi.

 

Most modern car temperature gauges don't read the actual temperature, but have software which intervenes to massage the reading.  The result is that any temperature which is within an acceptable range (e.g. 85 to 95 degrees C) is displayed by the needle as a reassuringly exact 90. Maybe this is done to stop people pestering their dealer unnecesarily.  The upshot is that if the needle is showing anything above the magic 90 it's already on the way to being too high.

 

I once had an Audi A3 where the thermostat had failed partway open.  It just went to prove that it's a crucial part of kit, as the car took an age to warm up and then the temperature would vary wildly with engine load and road speed.  If it got too hot I had to resort to the old trick of putting the cabin heat on full and opening the windows (it was summer)

 

I suggest that your temperature gauge and flashing coolant light are correcly telling you that the engine coolant is getting too hot, and the thermostat would be the first thing to check out.  Another possibility is an air lock - the cooling circuit including the water to air intercooler isn't the simplest.

 

Mechanical waterpumps on earlier VAG cars used to fail at about 5 years old due to the use of plastic impellers which split and came loose on their shafts (probably specified by some cheapskate accountant) but I thought they had learned their lesson and gone back to metal ones.

 

I would be wary of undertaking a long high speed journey in the present condition, the cooling circuit has much more work to do at 70 mph than round town.

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First. Is the Rad Cooling Fan running when you see the temp light flashing?

 

No. Then it could be a blown fuse for the Rad sensor, Or

A faulty rad sensor.

 

Check the fan is running first.

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Has the work on your car been done by a Skoda dealer? The 1.2l TFSI engine has two independent cooling systems which are connected and disconnected by nonreturn valves and a flow restrictor. To vent the entire system it is necessary to use a specialist tool - VAS 6096 - or to use a "test program" on a vehicle diagnostic tester after carrying out work on the cooling system. I wonder if that has been done correctly. And you mention having had the timing belt changed at the same time as the water pump. The engine has a timing chain not a timing belt, so perhaps you meant the ancillaries drive belt or whatever the correct name for that is.

If you are interested in learning more ablout that engine, you can download a copy of SSP 485 courtesy of the Yeti Owners Club via the link below.

http://www.yetiownersclub.co.uk/forum/uploads/467/Audi_Self_Study_Programme_485_-_1.2l_TFSI_engine.pdf

Edited by DGW
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Has the work on your car been done by a Skoda dealer? The 1.2l TFSI engine has two independent cooling systems which are connected and disconnected by nonreturn valves and a flow restrictor. To vent the entire system it is necessary to use a specialist tool - VAS 6096 - or to use a "test program" on a vehicle diagnostic tester after carrying out work on the cooling system. I wonder if that has been done correctly. And you mention having had the timing belt changed at the same time as the water pump. The engine has a timing chain not a timing belt, so perhaps you meant the ancillaries drive belt or whatever the correct name for that is.

If you are interested in learning more ablout that engine, you can download a copy of SSP 485 courtesy of the Yeti Owners Club via the link below.

http://www.yetiownersclub.co.uk/forum/uploads/467/Audi_Self_Study_Programme_485_-_1.2l_TFSI_engine.pdf

Interesting that they state Timing Chain Replacement Interval - Lifetime.

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