Technical Service Bulletin
19 Coolant temperature control implausible signal
19 16 69 2043770/1 March 31, 2016.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

R8

2007 - 2015

All

Not Applicable

Condition
One or more of the following conditions may be present:
• MIL on.
• Coolant temperature gauge does not work.
• Vehicle does not reach operating temperature.
• Cooling fan runs constantly.
• The following DTC may be stored in the engine control module (ECM), J623 (address word 01):
• DTC P218100 (Cooling system performance)

Technical Background
Coolant thermostat does not work.

Production Solution
Improved thermostats.

© 2016 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Service
Tip: It is not necessary to receive a Repair Authorization to perform this or any other R8 TSB.

Use the following instructions to replace the coolant thermostat with repair kit 079 198 121:
1. Remove the coolant thermostat housing according the
instructions in Elsa.
2. Note the position of the thermostat element within the
housing. Remove the thermostat element by removing the
three Allen screws (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Remove the three Allen screws (red
arrows) to remove the thermostat.
3. Take the seal out of the thermostat housing and replace it
with the new seal (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Thermostat housing seal (red arrow).

© 2016 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
4. Ensure that the insulation sleeve is fitted on the underside
of the thermostat element (Figure 3). Before fitting the
insulation sleeve and O-ring, lightly coat them with coolant.

Figure 3. Insulation sleeve.
5. Insert the new thermostat element (including insulation
sleeve) into the housing (Figure 4).

Figure 4. New thermostat installed.
6. Secure the thermostat element with the three new Allen
screws. Use special tool V.A.G 1624 or VAS6494, or
equivalent torque wrench (Figure 5). Tighten to 2 Nm (+1 / 0 Nm).

Figure 5. Torque wrench.
7. Reinstall the thermostat housing (with new O-ring 079 121
119 C) according to the instructions in Elsa.
8. Fill cooling system according to the instructions in Elsa. Do
not reuse used coolant.
© 2016 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 3 of 5

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Warranty
Claim Type:

Use applicable claim type. If vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical Service
Bulletin is informational only.

Service Number:

1958

Damage Code:

0016

Labor Operations:

Thermostat remove+reinstall (For V8 engines)

1958 1919

220 TU

Thermostat remove+reinstall (For V10 engines)

1958 1923

220 TU

Install thermostat repair kit

1958 9999

10 TU

GFF – Checking and clearing fault codes

0150 0000

10 TU

Road test prior to service procedure

No allowance 0 TU

Road test after service procedure

0121 0004

Diagnostic Time:

10 TU

Technical diagnosis at dealer’s discretion
(Refer to Section 2.2.1.2 and Audi Warranty Online for DADP allowance details)
Claim Comment:

As per TSB #2043770/1

All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures
Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.

Required Parts and Tools
Part Number

Part Description

Quantity

079198121

Repair kit thermostat

1

079121119C

Thermostat housing O-ring gasket

1

G 013A8J1G

Coolant additive

3

VAS 6096

Cooling system charging unit

V.A.G 1274/8

Adapter

T10007 A

Refractometer

V.A.G 1624 or
VAS6494 or
equivalent

Torque wrench (0 Nm to 5 Nm)

© 2016 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2043770) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.

© 2016 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 5 of 5

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.