Nemick

HI All,

I've tried searching the forums, but I'm only getting more confused. Several weeks ago after a mean rainstorm and the ar parked on a slope for several days, I got a lot of water in the passenger side. Because the car was on a slope, most of the water collected in the passenger side rear footwell, but clearly came from the front. I've been able to get the car dried out but haven't yet found the actual culprit. I've read that I need to check the cowl drains, pollen filter cover seal and check under the battery for a blocked drain too?? Does this sound right?

On a more serious note, the flood appears to have created myriad electrical issues. The air ride dash light is permanently on as is the ABS light and the brake warning light is constantly flashing. In addition to this, the transmission seems to be in limp mode. The gear selection display on the dash is lit but doesn't indicate what position the selector is in. The sport and tiptronic options do not work. I am presuming from some things that I've read that there are one or more electronic modules under the carpet somewhere and i guess they're messed up. Can anyone tell me how to track down the specific issues, where to find any modules under the carpets and the best place to look for affordable replacements?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Neil M.

WillDig4

Remove your battery cover.Take a flashlight and look down beside the battery. If you see water your drains underneath the battery are blocked, a common problem. You will have to remove your battery. It is heavy and hard on the lower back. I rigged up wires to keep the battery connected to the vehicle as I do not have my radio security code.Once the battery is out remove the two rubber drains and clear out the crud. It is very easy to lose the plug on the driver's side down the hole if you decide to reinsert.The modules are located under the carpet in the front passenger footwell. If you have not lifted or removed the carpet it is unlikely that it is dry under the carpet as it is quite thick and absorbent. I lifted the carpet in the rear & put a heater in the vehicle using a shop vac with the air flow reversed to force the heated air under the front carpet. Corrosion at connections is a possibility, check for that before replacing. I dried my carpet immediately and my electrical problems went away so I did not have to remove the front seat or consul to access the modules.

Irish1004

I purchased a used 2002 Allroad that had this same issue. Located under the passenger seat carpet is the TCM-Transmision Control Module (assuming that you have an Automatic Transmission). These modules are not fans of being immersed in water and tend to either corrode or short out. Dry out the module ASAP and hope for the best. You'll know instantly if you have an issue as the transmission will go into limp mode and not shift gears. As I remember the dash display will also not show the gear selection as a failed TCM will not communicate with the ECM. There are many places on the web and ebay that sell used or refurbished TCMs for a fraction of what the dealers will charge. The replacement TCM must be the exact same Bosch Part number including the trailing letter or letters and should then be plug and play with no programming required. Also many local salvage yards sell them used with a 6 months to a year warranty. That's where I found a used replacement one for around $300 which is much cheaper than the $1600-1800 that an Audi Dealer wanted. Based on my experience looking for a very hard to find TCM (one that Audi used for only about 6 months of the 2002 production run) I would caution you from purchasing from AES Modules of Jacksonville Florida as they wasted 2 weeks of my time only to find out that they didn't have the correct part number even though their website and customer service showed it as "in stock". It took an additional 2 weeks and many phone calls to force a refund of what I had originally paid as they failed to respond to the many phone messages that I left.

Nemick

Thanks very much for the responses and comments. Most illuminating. I'll let you know how things turn out.

Neil M.

Kneale Brownson

Under the passenger footwell carpeting is the ESP module. Its wiring needs to be cleaned to get rid of the warning lights in the instrument cluster.

Nemick

Good info. How many modules am I actually looking for under there then? The TCM and ESP modules? Just two?

Thanks

Neil M.

John's MTM Allroad

Soon after I bought my 2002 allroad in 2005, I drove through a blizzard of love bugs in Mississippi in late September of that year that completely coated the whole front of the car. I took the car to a do-it-yourself car wash and spent almost an hour with a power washer cleaning up the mess. What I didn't realize was that there is an air intake right beside the radiator behind the four rings that goes directly into the back of the car and the following day when I found the rear footwell flooded, that was my conclusion. Since I have a six speed transmission, I didn't have any electrical issues and spent an hour moping up the water, drying it out with a hair dryer and leaving the windows of the car open for several days to make sure it was completely dried out.
Never had any more issues after that but it was a good wake-up call!!
Cheers,
John

johnak210

Nemick,

The two modules you mentioned plus:

If OnStar is in the car then it may be "flooded". Also it's battery pack that is connected.

You have to examine the cables and connectors as there is no law that says that water must run directly to the passenger floor. Side trips to the radio or other components can happen. Check the fuses to see if anything is blown. A handheld hair dryer helps with connectors, etc.

urs6_ma

Neil,

I bought a 2.7t 2004 tip allroad just over a week ago with similar symptoms. Carpet is out of the car, a replacement TCU has been sourced and we're splicing in new connectors. The water sat for a while.

I'm hoping that we don't have much more to deal with, but we won't know for a couple of days. The headliner started to separate in the rear due to the humidity, so I have an alcantara headliner lined up.

Stay tuned.

Nemick

Okay, I got everything dried out and fixed. Had to replace the ESP module due to corrosion. The TCU was okay, thankfully. I found that the pollen filter tray had a major crack in it, so I replaced that too. Sunroof and battery drains were open so I think it may have been the pollen filter. Thanks to all for the help and insight.

Neil M.