A2: normal operating temp?

If I remember back to my 86 scriocco I think the fan came on when the gauge hit 3/4

Now with my Jetta... I'll tell you as soon as I get it outside and running... (its been in a comma)

My gauge normally reads a little left of center and when the fan comes on it's a little right of center (about 2/3 of the way between cold and hot).

My 89 Jetta runs a little left of center and the fan comes on when it gets a little right of center.

My A2 jetta comes on when the thing is near 3/4... it brings it back down to half... just ran it.

Both my 88 Rocco and 87 Jetta run pretty cool right now. The coolest they've ran since I bought em actually. My Scirocco is turbo so it has some coolant hoses re-routed in a non-stock fashion and that was causing some pretty bad problems. But, after getting the system purged for the 10th time we replaced the thermo-switch and it's been running much cooler since. Before it would get up to 3/4 quickly and then the fan would come on and save it from warping the head. Now, it barely gets above 1/2 on the water temps in traffic and comes on just above 1/2 and then settles a little below half.

Thanks for the replies!!

I have a 92 Jetta 1.8L, 5-speed manual, and the temp gauge has hardly ever worked. I replaced the radiator once, and it worked for a week. Normally the idiot light blinks and the fan comes on normally, the gauge doesn't work. I don't think this is the sensor - probably the gauge cluster (the car is a Mexican Jetta and at 200K the odometer went screwy

- I have 203 K actual miles and it reads something like 467 K now).

Might this just be the cluster?

Simplstupd wrote:

Could also be a loose wire. Mine didn't work after a dealer did a repair on another loose connection and didn't plug in a wire related to the gauge again.