Greetings Forum!
Have a 2000 A6 2.4L that will not reach operating temperature, Gages show 60 degrees for oil and water and the temperature of air coming from the heating system and coolant confirm (have run the car for 20 mins and am able to plunge finger in reservoir).

I am thinking that it is a thermostat stuck in the open position which is normally an easy fix - right? After a little digging I found that around 4 hours of labor are required. Question I have is while I am in there, what other components should I replace (cam belt, water pump, serpentine belt etc...)

Any advice you guys have is appreciated.

./me

 

To be honest, I am not that familiar with a 2.4 motor. In US there is only 2.8 and 2.7T. Anyways, if it is a similar V6 setup, then I would recommend a full timing belt job. Pretty much what you said, but here is a list of items to be considered.

- Timing belt
- Timing belt tensioner
- Timing belt rollers
- Water pump
- Thermostat
- Front cam seals
- Crank seal
- Serpentine belt

You will need to take out everything except the front cam seals and the crank seal to replace the thermostat. It shouldn't add more than 30 minutes to replace the seals on top of the other labor hours required.

 

Thanks for your advice hxgaser,
Think the 2.4 is v. similar to the 2.8, its a 30 valve v6, but not certain how similar they really are...

Was hoping to get the job done this weekend, looks like it will have to just be a flush while I save some pennies to make the job worth while.

Thanks again, any recommendations for good gasket sealant for the thermostat housing and water pump? Gonna have to take lots of pics, google isn't turning up much technical info for this job... youtube has a good video though.

Rgds,
./me

 

No gasket sealant needed. Just use the supplied gasket with the water pump and the supplied o-ring with the thermostat.