Shyam27

Good afternoon Gents, (Good evening or morning wherever you are in the world)

I am new to this site so I'll start with a small introduction to get the ball rolling. I'm 24 years of age and have had a few cars in the 5 years I've had my license. Don't want to bore you with the details but I have some ability to work on cars, however more so the older stuff with less of the electronics. My first car was a 1984 mk2 Ford Fiesta where I swapped the little 1 litre engine out for a 1.6 xr engine and gearbox, nothing spectacular but was a fun little car to drive which I kept for around 3 years. Since then, I've had a Renault Clio, BMW e39 520i (both gone) and I am currently restoring a Mercedes W123 280CE.

Last week, I had swapped my BMW 520i for an 1997 Audi 80 Cabriolet with the 1.8 ADR engine 114k miles on the clock which I plan to run as a daily, however it came with it's fair share of issues. I was wondering if any of you fellas could help me identify and fix some of the issues I'm facing, all suggestions are welcome! The issues are as follows:

1. The car has a slight misfire on idle, however once in motion, the car drives faultlessly. I imagine this is down to shot spark plugs which I'm planning to replace sometime this week with oil/oil filter change and clean out air filter.

2. Everything on the left side of my cluster (Rev Counter and Temp Gauge) does not work or move at all. My initial thoughts are lose connection??? Can anyone tell me how to safely remove cluster and connection points of sensors? Or if there's something I've missed?

3. The driver window does not respond to switch, no sound is coming when I click the switch to pull window down. My thoughts are that the motor needs replacing? Or am I missing a trick with the relay/fuse box?

4. Roof opens from handle at center however does not move when I click switch to take roof down. All the windows go down (EXCEPT DRIVER WINDOW) and then nothing happens. There is no sounds from roof mechanism either. No response because driver window is not functional?

5. Boot lid just does not want to open. I've tried opening it at different rotations and clicks but everything I try doesn't seem to work. Is this issue related to the roof and driver window issues?

6. The 2 out of 3 of the gauges at center in front of gear stick do not seem to be giving me correct readings. Oil pressure is always stuck at maximum and Oil temp dial does not move from minimum.

I really enjoy the driving experience this car has to offer so I'd like to invest some time into sorting out these issues. As I mentioned before, I'm pretty useless when it comes to complex electronics, so I'd appreciate any feedback/input/suggestions anyone has to offer.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,
Shyam

hubturn

Welcome to the board. Your Cabriolet is obviously a non-US or Canadian model. Most people here are versed in the '94-'98 as depicted in the Bentley's manual covering the V-6, cast iron block, 12 valve motor typically referred to as the 12v. That doesn't mean you can't glean information as many members have other Audi's with the 1.8T. Lets start. The instrument cluster is easy to remove. Take out the two screws holding the two piece shroud just behind the steering wheel. They are accessed from below. With that exposed you will see two screws holding in the instrument cluster. Take them out. Now the cluster will have to be gently rocked back and forth to free it up. You may need something like a butter knife to go around the edge to break it free from the dash, but it will tip out exposing one or the other side, but only a short distance. Wiring connectors will have to be removed to get it out. Before you remove it, there is one connector on the left side of the cluster that may have come loose and probably powers that side. make sure it hasn't simply fallen off. One or two of these have a different color locking clip that will have to be pulled up to free the connector. You may have a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) bulb that has it's own wiring and will have to be removed. Air bag or brake, I can't remember which. Now the cluster is free. ( For future reference, you have to do this to replace the electrical part of the ignition switch when it fails, and it will). You need to remove the back cover of the instrument cluster. 6 small torx screws, I believe. These are NOT phillips screws. You are going to look for bad solder joints, or de-lamination of the printed circuit board and failure of the circuitry. It will appear as a corroded or discolored area. bad solder joints look gray and are not shiny. If you have a multi-meter, which you are going to need sooner or later so buy a decent one, test the connections for continuity. If that all looks good, there is a voltage regulator device that has been know to fail. It is small and black and has three pins coming out of it. I forget how to test it but I'll look it up later. That's a start. You will also need the small torx screw driver mentioned in the 12v.org article. Go buy a set.
Next. The top. Some of the European Cabriolets have a manual top. No hydraulic pump for that and I can't remember how the cover compartment unlocks. Ask the Previous Owner (PO) if it was manual or automatic. Lets assume automatic. The Convertible Top Control Module (CTCM) governs everything related to the top. It is a complex over engineered German system that is beautiful when functioning correctly and a total pain when it isn't. The car has to be stopped. The parking brake has to be set. The T-handle at the window bow is opened, and the windows move down. Since the driver's side did not move, you should be getting a flashing Top Malfunction Indicator Light in the dash. The system shuts down because the CTCM requires the windows to move approximately 15 centimeters down or it stops the whole thing. This means you have to figure out the window issue before you can continue with the top. It would be helpful to know if all the windows move when you use the all window switch in the center console. I am assuming they don't. Before thinking the window motor is bad, there are a few things to consider. Does the drivers side switch illuminate when the car is running? It has a red background light. If not, then there is a relay that is bad. I just happened to have the same problem recently, but the center switch still worked. You could also merely have a bad switch. The lower side of the arm rest is a cover that will pop off with some prodding. Remove the screws and the arm rest will come apart exposing the switch assembly. Pull the connector off the drivers switch and test the switch for continuity with your recently purchased multi-meter. There will be several prongs showing. Start with two and clip your multimeter alligator clips to them and test for continuity (Ohms) by actuating the switch. The point to all of this is that you have to start from a known position. Yes, my switch is good. However, the CTCM doesn't use the switch to lower the window. It sends it's own signal to the window relay to lower the window. But it still is good policy to know the status of your components. If you are referring to the boot, you are probably in the UK, where I just happen to be right now. And yes, the boot lock is also controlled by the CTCM and must lock or the top won't come down. Have to fix the window first. Ok, I'm not home so this is all for today. Feel free to PM me, but give me some time as I travel. Oh, go here https://www.audiworld.com/forums/aud...rally-2909746/ and read the PDF's I added to that post.

Shyam27

Hubturn, what a great detailed response. Thank you very much for your time, I appreciate it my friend. I noticed that there isn't many workshop manuals for the Audi 80 cabriolet, just the one you mentioned (Bentley publishers). I just can't justify the price at this moment in time..

So with regards to the instrument cluster, I had removed it yesterday as you have described and had removed the two Phillips screws behind the temperature gauge. I then proceeded to clean the contact areas and then screwed it back in. I also checked/cleaned all the other connectors which seemed to be in good order. I then went for a short drive and presto, the temperature gauge began to move and became constant at a figure between 75-90. (Im unsure if it was an accurate reading or if this is normal running temperatures for ADR engine). The tachometer remained unfunctional so I took out the instrument cluster again and took out the back supports and cleaned the areas which seemed tarnished. I then bolted the instrument cluster back in and switched on the car. Unfortunately, at this instance, a couple of backlight bulbs had failed and neither the temperature gauge nor the tachometer were responding. The radiator fans came on after a while of idling so the temp sensors must still be functional leaving me to believe that I need a new instrument cluster oh well, that's something I will try to sought this weekend.

With regards to the roof/window/boot lid, the backlight of the switch is illuminated when ignition is turned. The roof switch in the center near the handbrake brings all the windows down except the driver side window. Does this mean that it is the motor/regulator issue or are there dedicated relays/fuses that I should check before I start removing door panels??

I hope you are enjoying your stay UK and the local people are treating you well, where are you travelling? It's ashame the weather here is very poor at the moment. We're not all a gloomy bunch, I promise . Haha

Look forward to hearing back from you.

hubturn

I'd be suspicious of the window motor as well. You could check the fuses, called circuit breakers in the wiring diagram, but they will probably be OK since the other windows move. Same for the relay as well. Wiring could possibly be an issue since Audi wiring tends to break at flex points, such as the trunk (boot) hinge for the top wiring, and possibly the door hinge for windows etc. Attached are some diagrams for all that. Since this is most likely a right hand drive, I am curious as to where the fuse box in the engine area is located, as the relay panel is below it in the interior. Right side (driver's) or left side? At issue is whether Audi made the cars as a mirror image or just moved the steering to the right side. No guarantee about wiring colors on the diagrams. I have a '95 Cab and it has '94 wiring. Removing the door panel is also included. You have to fit a small screwdriver through a slot to pop off the underside cover. Then remove screws to get the handle apart . The latch requires you to pull open on the lever and a opening appears to remove a screw. The plastic part of the opener lever trim slides forward and then the entire latch is free. There is tape wrapped around the connections and take a picture of this after you remove it. The brass clip and and brass collar on the cable MUST go back in correctly in the plastic holder or the outside latch will not work. You must retape it to hold it together. Of course the cable hook has to be slipped out of the hole. There is a plate on the end of the door that I think has to be removed, if I remember correctly. The door panel is held onto the door by plastic hooks molded into the door panel. The entire panel move up about 3/4 inch and then can be removed. If it doesn't move, look for a screw that you forgot to remove. When the door panel is free, you will see the slots that the hooks ride on. There is a piece of rubber that goes over the bottom edge of each slot that probably has fallen off. Look for it in the bottom of the door or they are still connected to the hooks. With the window up, this may all be a bit tricky. Good luck. Oh, I was in London.

Shyam27

Okay Hubturn apologies for not replying sooner, I've had some other issues arise. So just an update of the goings on this weekend.

I changed the Spark Plugs, Oil, Oil Filter and Air Filter as planned (not got around to doing the fuel filter yet). I carried out a compression test whilst plugs were out and was making a balanced 220-225 psi in every pot which isn't bad at all. (Engine has done 115k miles) After giving it the service, miss fire issues had been resolved. I had taken it for a spin afterwards and the power increase was evident. Amazing how much difference an all round service can make.

I had then planned to attend to the window/roof/getting the boot lid open the following day. Next day comes...I drive the car to gym in the morning, pump some iron, sweat my ***** out in the sauna n steam rooms, then get back into the car to come back home. On the way home literally on the final road up to my house, I notice no power steering! Absolutely devastated. So I get the car home, open the hood and have a look, check the hydraulic fluid levels. Fluid is on maximum level, however it did look a bit dirty and mucky. The fluid also looked red, but the cap says 'mineral hydraulic fluid only' which I thought was a ''green'' fluid, and synthetic being ''red''. could this be the reason for power steering failure?

Also noticed that there was a lot of slack on a belt that drives the power steering and water pump. However when I took a look from underneath, I saw another belt that's driving the power steering, so the slack on the belt in front is normal I assume? Anyways any further input on this matter would be much appreciated.

I think the most cost effective method will be to flush out the fluid, replace it with mineral hydraulic fluid. If that doesn't work then I will go ahead and replace the pump. Turning into a bit of a money pit!

Long story short, I spent most of this weekend getting the motor to run sweetly, which it does now! However I have no power steering and don't have the motivation to attend to the other issues before I get this car in good running order.

Hubturn, I did take a look at your response and will take action once power steering failure has been sorted. Thanks for the input fella.

hubturn

I am not experienced with that engine, but slop in the belts is not a good thing. The power steering fluid is the green stuff, same as the convertible top motor fluid. I experienced a similar issue when I bought my Cab. Red tinted brake fluid. Some idiot at a quickie oil change place probably put the wrong fluid in the reservoir. I'm guessing you have the same issue with the power steering. Flush that stuff out. If that is transmission fluid in there it can wreak havoc on the seals. The fluid is supposed to be changed at a set mileage. My experience with the Germans is that when they say change out a fluid at such-and-such time, then do it. Their tolerances are so tight that contamination can be an issue. You will see a lot of crud come out with that oil. The end seal on my power steering cylinder blew and I had to rebuild the thing. Audi makes a seal kit which is cheap compared to a rebuilt cylinder but it is a real pain to remove the thing. If you have a failure, a pump failure is preferred as it is significantly easier to replace.