P2181 Cooling system performance. Help

Mine is doing the same. Is the majority changing the thermostat and that fixing it? My car is t over heating or anything no loss of coolant no leaks (that I can see) every once in awhile it takes long then normal to get to temp so I'm guessing thermostat. Or could it be temp sensor? I hooked up my VAGCOM and the 3 times its been on its all trip the CEL at 73, 73, and 75 degrees. (75 was a hotter day). Thanks for the help guys.

yeah i had to replace my thermostat to get rid of that code too

Looks like I'll change the thermostat

So this question has been asked for years, anyone have a good DIY for replacing the thermostat?

I'm getting the P2181 code with the temp gauge sitting at 180 as well. I'm going straight to the thermostat replacement since that seems to be everyone's fix that I've red.

I'm new to working on cars. I've only replaced my N80 purge valve and breather hose on my '06 GTI (stock). Am I in over my head if I go for this? Removing the alternator sounds without an experienced working knowledge on the car sounds risky.

I do own the Bentley and Hanes manuals and I'm a quick learner. BUT a DIY would be GREAT!

Thanks

The reason why if you have a faulty always open or getting stuck thermostat is because it regulates, based on temperature, how much flow the radiator gets of the hot coolant. Thermostat begins to open at 203F (95C) and is fully open at 221F (105C) for the TSI, but it's similar for the FSI.

So it constantly regulates the temperature of the coolant at the middle mark, it's why when it's working normally the needle won't budge more than 1 mark from the 190F mark.

Here's a good DIY: http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/f47/thermostat-diy-8603.html (note: it's for the TSI)

There's a reason why there aren't so many DIYs on this, it's a 3-4 hour job at best and if you don't have a lift it's even more complicated, because on our cars the whole assembly is all located under the intake manifold. The mechanics I saw do this all put the car on the lift and did the whole job from under the car. Took them 2-3 hours.

Here's a good DIY video:

seanpryan87 said:

So this question has been asked for years, anyone have a good DIY for replacing the thermostat?

I'm getting the P2181 code with the temp gauge sitting at 180 as well. I'm going straight to the thermostat replacement since that seems to be everyone's fix that I've red.

I'm new to working on cars. I've only replaced my N80 purge valve and breather hose on my '06 GTI (stock). Am I in over my head if I go for this? Removing the alternator sounds without an experienced working knowledge on the car sounds risky.

I do own the Bentley and Hanes manuals and I'm a quick learner. BUT a DIY would be GREAT!

Thanks

Click to expand...

The alternator is the easiest part of this job.

The Bentley will get you through this but you have to be willing to wrestle the hell out if coolant lines. This is a crappy first "bigger" job because the coolant lines are such a pain in the ass to separate and they are not in a great place to get to.

Allot yourself a weekend in case you get stuck on something. Have a spare car ready in case you break something and need to go to the store and maybe have a friend handy in case you get frustrated.

It probably took me four hours or so last winter in my driveway and I had to drill of a few bolts.

I feel like I could do it in under 3 hours if I did it again but I've been doing this stuff for a long time.

Bump... moving this up my subscribed list

Are you looking for more info on this?

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Tutti57 said:

Are you looking for more info on this?

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No I replaced the thermostat this week, thanks though for the offer. Car was throwing code P2181. Got to it from the top by removing the intake manifold. Was a nice chance to clean the intake valves for carbon. Also did the timing belt, timing chain and tensioner, waterpump, and bunch of other things so it was a big week. The thermostat is was by far the biggest PITA job, and would take longer than all the other jobs if it was done as a standalone project. There is no way I'd attempt to replace it by going in from under the car ...not only would that require removing the A/C compressor and having it recharged, but you'd have a much harder time just seeing what you were doing and having access to hose clamps, bolts, screws, etc. I definitely recommend going in from the top.

So I have this code as well and my small radiator fan doesn’t come on I’ve replaced the assembly the temp sensor as well I know it an old article but my car over heats with the ac on a d that’s the code I get it also runs rich. 2007 DSG GTI

Cizx said:

So I have this code as well and my small radiator fan doesn’t come on I’ve replaced the assembly the temp sensor as well I know it an old article but my car over heats with the ac on a d that’s the code I get it also runs rich. 2007 DSG GTI

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http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/18613/P2181/008577

Have a scan tool that can look at the temp sensor for correct function and to do an output test for the fans. This could be a thermostat issue but if you log the temp sensor from a cold start that will tell you if it bad or not.