RobsMods

Hello,

I guess I'll start at the beginning. I'll try to keep it brief.

I have an 01 A4 2.8 Quattro. I haven't had any problems lately with it besides needing rotors and brake pads. Nothing big. Runs good and starts up no problem. Did the timing belt and gaskets last year and no issues since. So yesterday on my way home from work I decide to grab some fast food. I know terrible right..but I skipped lunch so cut me some slack Then as I was sitting there idling in the drive thru the idle started to get a bit doggish. But I grabbed my food and headed home. Once I started moving it was fine and the car ran the same as it always did. So I chalked it up to sucking in some foul air from the exhaust in front of me or bad gas etc. It wasn't so bad as to stall, Just a bit lower rpms than it should have been while sitting there.

I hang at the house for an hour or so and then go out to start the car and it starts for a split second and dies. Then I try again and it sounds like it wanted to start for a split second again and then it just kept cranking. It did that a few more times and then after that it didn't even try anymore and just kept on cranking. So I got a ride to my destination instead. When I got home tried again and same story.

So after some research I thought one of the culprits could be the coolant temperature sensor among a few other things. I called the guy at the small dealership I bought it from and I explained the problem. First thing he says is "Many times when I had a VW or Audi that wouldn't start but would crank like that it was the coolant temperature sensor". So I get home and decide to give it a go. I took apart the air box and hoses to get better access and was able to spy it down in there. I could see the rounded back of the C-clip facing the firewall. So I grabbed the longest screwdriver I had and got it down in there. The screwdriver wasn't anywhere near as long as I should have had but I eventually got a good hold on it and applied pressure. The stupid plastic clip broke. The rounded part that you grab broke off and all that is left is a little nub on the one side. Can't even see any other part of the clip. Only that little nub. Now thinking that it may not be putting pressure on the connection at least since it's broken at its bend, I tried to pull the sensor up and it wasn't budging. The stupid clip is still holding it in and there's really no way..at least not with the tools at my disposal currently..of getting that clip out of there.

Any suggestions other than give up and take it to a shop? I was going to go and try to find a long pair of hooked needle nose pliers tomorrow and see if I could grab that nub and pull it out. But even then it may not come since it's so hard to get leverage working in that tight space. Or maybe the C-clip isn't really holding it anymore since its broken and the temp sensor is just melted and frozen into place over time.

Sorry so long..was trying to keep it brief but wanted to tell the whole story incase anyone has a different suggestion of what to attempt next if the sensor doesn't fix the issue.

Thank you for your consideration
Rob

RobsMods

RobsMods

Well after about 3 hours today I finally got it. Bought some long needle nose pliers with a 90 degree turned end. I was able to grab the nub that was left and ended up tearing the nub in half. At this point I was completely frustrated. But I kept at it and I started pushing the nub with the tip of the pliers. It started turning and coming out of the slot. Eventually I got it to pop out of the slot and fall to the ground. I couldn't see the other side of the clip and whether it had fallen out or what. But at this point I started trying to remove the CTS. I rocked it back and forth for a bit and it finally gave way and came out. The O-ring was completely goopy and falling apart. It came out in 2 pieces but left behind a bunch of tiny pieces. So I wiped around inside the hole with a shop towel around my finger a bunch of times until it wasn't coming out with any more bits of black O-ring.

Putting in the new one wasn't hard at all. I took a strip of duct tape and taped it to the back of the C-clip and then taped the other end to my finger. This way I could let go of the clip and it wouldn't drop. Got the new CTS installed and put everything back together. Jumped in the car and turned the key..and NO GO! Car just kept on cranking and not starting.

I went and borrowed the VAGCOM connector and laptop. Threw 6 codes. 5 of them wouldn't stop the car from starting but the 1 was for Throttle Actuator mechanical failure. So now I'm looking into that.

Wish me luck

Rob

ynot5105

Sounds like fuelpump to me - ouch!


My A6 2.8 Avant stalled on me like that and I needed a tow.

Turned out to be a dead petrolpump. Very expensive from Dealer (in South Africa any way), so I took the risk with after market - so far so good.

Hope you got sorted out OK!

Tony

RobsMods

Yeah, It was the fuel pump. I forgot to reply to this thread when I found out the problem and fixed it. The next day after I had the new CTS in, I took a rubber mallet and started smacking the top of the fuel pump cap. This made the car start temporarily. I was able to hear the pump struggling and dying.

So I bought a replacement pump on ECS Tuning made by Vemo. This did the trick. The hardest part was getting the pump holder to twist in the basket that holds the pump down in the tank. They sell a special tool but of course I didn't buy it. So I got the longest flat heat screwdriver I could find and started tapping it with the mallet against the plastic ridges and finally got it to spin after some serious whacks. But other than that it was a simple job and the car started right up when I was done.

Now it's been awhile since this incident and recently my cam chain tensioner went on me on drivers side. When the shoe exploded It threw so much slack into the cam chain that my cams went out of alignment. I was about 5 miles from home when this happened and I didn't know I was out of time. So I drove it home. This screwed me pretty bad. I have bent valves now. I replaced the cam chain tensioner but I don't have the time or the garage space currently to do a valve job. So It's sitting at the mechanic where I bought the car because he gives me a discount on labor, and he knows his stuff about Audis. Hoping he gets to it in about 2 weeks. In the meantime I'm driving a borrowed Hyundai