Hello All

I've been a lurker for a while thought I would post to see if anyone can shed any light on a problem I'm having.

I have an 04 plate Fabia 1.9TDi

The engine management light came on a few months ago after I had been doing mostly short journeys. I was advised to put some fuel system cleaner in and this seemed to make it go away.

It's come back on again, but recently I've only been doing motorway journeys.

One thing I've noticed which started recently but before the light came on is that Occasionally when I'm driving the temp gauge drops to nothing for a few minutes and then comes back up to normal.

The car is still running fine (mpg not drastically different) and I've checked the oil and the G12 expansion bottle both of which are fine.

Does anyone know if this a common problem and do you think might be related to the engine management light?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Welcome.

Yes it's a common problem across the whole of the VAG range, it's your CTS (coolant temperature sensor) which has failed, they are cheap enough (less than £30 IIRC from a dealer) and easy enough to change yourself.

Do a search on here and you will find a 'walk through' on how to change it.

As above, it's your coolant temp sensor.

Not a difficult job to change, but a bit of a faff as it's at the back of the engine. It's easier to get to if you remove the intake pipe and airbox.

One thing to take into account is it's a low point in the system, so when you remove it, your coolant will come gushing out. Make sure your engine is absolutely stone cold otherwise you could end up with a nasty burn.

Brilliant thanks for the info.

I had seen similar posts for the 1.4 petrol, but wasn't sure if the TDis had the same problem.

Is it still safe to drive with the temp sensor on the blink?

Brilliant thanks for the info.

I had seen similar posts for the 1.4 petrol, but wasn't sure if the TDis had the same problem.

Is it still safe to drive with the temp sensor on the blink?

Yes but get it changed asap. In this hot weather there is obviously more chance of overheating without realising.