GTI Engine Temp / Engine Light

[Mutley251]

Hi there

I've noticed in the past week on my GTI that the turbo has been staying on after engine shutdown, it didn't do this in the first few months I had it. Also noticed the needle engine temp gauge and the digital one seem to be very different from each other, with the needle gauge at times barely moving beyond 60 to 70 degrees.

Today the engine light stayed on (glowing). The engine sounds and feels fine.

Anyone had something similar or have any ideas? Shocking time to have to need service!

[a239947]

Your turbo cannot stay on after engine shutdown. It is the engines exhaust that turns the turbo so without it, it will not stay running.
The sound your hearing is probably your radiator fans. The will stay on after the engine has been running to cool things down and I find they will stay on if your aircon is on also.
Dont worry about your temp needle so much, as long as its not in the red it should be fine and the temp will never move much once at operating levels.
If you have an engine light on your dash get it booked in and checked asap. It usually means somehing is wrong, not just a service.

Sent from my GT-I9100

[Lucas_R]

The temp guage on your dash is WATER temp. The digital gauge on your dash is OIL temp. Oil takes alot longer to warm up than water does - hence the difference from one gauge to the other.

Turbo stops spinning when your engine turns off - what you are hearing is either your water pump or radiator fans.

[AdamD]

As Lucas alluded to, what you may be hearing is an electric water pump that often runs for a few minutes after shutdown, that controls the cooling of the turbocharger if it's still warm after you switch the engine off. In the bad old days of turbocharged engines, you needed to keep the engine running for several minutes after having "used" the turbo, to ensure that the turbo cooled in a controlled manner; otherwise you could get burning oil, seized turbo bearings, cracked/split turbo housings and manifolds... nasty.

If your CEL (Check Engine Light) is on on the dash, when the engine is running, you will need to take the car to the dealer without delay; a fault code will have been logged so the service dept will be able to check the fault, even if the light was only on momentarily. If the light is still on, a brief description of the error condition should be displayed on the information page of the MFD.

[Mutley251]

Thanks guys, really appreciate your replies! Yes I will have the car checked ASAP, easier said than done over Easter.

[AdamD]

Thanks guys, really appreciate your replies! Yes I will have the car checked ASAP, easier said than done over Easter.

BTW, don't panic about it, just don't go doing more kms than you absolutely need to. The CEL can come on for many reasons - several of which have nothing (or virtually nothing) to do with the engine, and/or have no long-term consequences for the well-being of your car.

[tonymy01]

Was there any note/warning in the MFD warning menu?
Also, if the water temp gauge is abnormally not moving, perhaps the water level is too low below the temp. pickup sensor?

[Mutley251]

The car went into the shop this week. Thermostat and water pump replaced. Dealer said it's the first GTI 7 that has had this issue. Some things I am happy not to be first at :)

[Brendan_A]

Glad to here it got sorted quick! How many Kms on yours?

[Mutley251]

Glad to here it got sorted quick! How many Kms on yours?

11,000 on mine. It's come back from the shop and running like a treat. I had a Passat for a couple of days, it was a nice car but nothing on the GTI. Not driving the GTI for a few days made me appreciate it when I got it back.

[LumpyLungChunk]

I have the exact same problem with mine. Its been in the shop for weeks now as the local guys here cannot seem to resolve the issue.
(details here: I love my GTI 7 but... - GOLFMK7 - VW GTI MKVII Forum / VW Golf R Forum / VW Golf MKVII Forum (http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4318))

Any idea what exactly they did to yours? Maybe a contact email address for the workshop that fixed yours?