Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit

[kaiser]

My engine light had been on since about 42K but since the car was running ok I waited until the 50K service to get it looked at.

The Seat main dealer diagnosed fault code:

16502 P0118 035
Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit High

They told me they thought it was a worn impellor on the water pump and wanted to strip it down, quoting me about 4 hours work. This sounded suspicious to me as, if the impellor was worn and the car was running hot it would be obvious from the coolant temp gauge which appears to be working fine (genarally sits at 90 all day long). I told them not to go ahead with the work.

Is there any credence in what they say, or from the searches that I have done should I just change the sensor to try that first.

Car is a 2003 1.8 VT in case that makes any difference

TIA

 

[panholio]

My engine light had been on since about 42K but since the car was running ok I waited until the 50K service to get it looked at.
TIA

Is your car under warranty, if so let them at it!

 

[kaiser]

Isn't the warranty 3 years? If so it run out in March.

 

[Mitchy]

My engine light had been on since about 42K but since the car was running ok I waited until the 50K service to get it looked at.

The Seat main dealer diagnosed fault code:

16502 P0118 035
Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit High

They told me they thought it was a worn impellor on the water pump and wanted to strip it down, quoting me about 4 hours work. This sounded suspicious to me as, if the impellor was worn and the car was running hot it would be obvious from the coolant temp gauge which appears to be working fine (genarally sits at 90 all day long). I told them not to go ahead with the work.

Is there any credence in what they say, or from the searches that I have done should I just change the sensor to try that first.

Car is a 2003 1.8 VT in case that makes any difference

TIA

Buddy that is daylight robbery and they should know fine well where the problem lies as its 1 of the most common fault known on our cars.

Its the temperature sensor that needs replacing, you will have a black top sensor just now, you need to upgrade it to a green top.

It seems we on here know far more than the average dealerships which is scary to say the least.

Your right if your impeller had broken, the gauge would soon show you! At the 60,000 mile cambelt service the water pump is usually changed! Wait until then

Green top sensor is about £45 and takes 10 mins to fit!

You should get it done asap because you need your engine warning light resetting incase of any future further faults. If the light is already lit, you wouldnt know about the fault

 

[Cyclone]

Green top sensor is about £45 and takes 10 mins to fit!

Got mine from local dealer 5 days ago for £27, make sure you get the replacement rubber seal too.

 

[kaiser]

I have changed the sensor but the fault light is still up, so I am not sure if it means the fault lies elsewhere or if I need to reset it somehow.

 

[Mitchy]

Yes you need to reset the light lol.

It wont go off when you have fixed the fault, you need the light resetting.

You've got 3 options really,

1. Find someone with a laptop and vagcom to reset it for you at no expense. (There are plenty people on this site who have vagcom)

2. Go to dealers and pay to get your engine light reset (Dont know how much it is but £25 rings a bell

3. Buy a fault code reader off of ebay and reset it yourself

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Seat-FAULT-CO...1821588QQihZ005QQcategoryZ30921QQcmdZViewItem

That is the 1 you need

It will also come in useful if and when another engine light comes up! You get a booklet with all the fault codes aswell to confirm the fault and instructions on how to reset. A reset takes 2 mins

I would reccomend option 3

 

[Cyclone]

Well... I'm not sure if it's meant to happen but, mine was also still up for a few days after changing the sensor.

Fitted the sensor on Friday, but not sure if the car figures out it's OK, or it just assumes after so many miles it must be? Drove 100 miles up to Northampton at the weekend and noticed it had gone out when I drove back Monday morning. Had nothing since, so I guess it's fine...

 

[Mitchy]

Well... I'm not sure if it's meant to happen but, mine was also still up for a few days after changing the sensor.

Fitted the sensor on Friday, but not sure if the car figures out it's OK, or it just assumes after so many miles it must be? Drove 100 miles up to Northampton at the weekend and noticed it had gone out when I drove back Monday morning. Had nothing since, so I guess it's fine...

It will still be logged in the ECU and may flash up again! When a dealership checks, the fault will be logged and they may charge you for clearing it!

Light doesnt always go out either

 

[Cyclone]

flea-bay and vagcom it is then!

 

[Mitchy]

Vagcom is a computer programme run from a laptop and plugs into your diagnostics port.

The ebay fault code reader also plugs into the diagnostic port but is not vagcom but like i says it can clear/diagnose faults.

Well worth the money

 

[kaiser]

Just to complete the story here, and to help anyone else out in the same situation in the future, the light went out by itself about 150 miles after changing the sensor. It hasn't come back on in the following 2,000 miles, so it seems safe to say that that was the problem.

I am going to write to Seat customer services to ask them their opinion on the fact that their dealer wanted to strip down my water pump when all that was faulty was the sensor. It may not do any good, but they need to know these things if they are to improve their service levels.