B5 S4 Won't Start
02-25-2010, 06:20 PM
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B5 S4 Won't Start
Hello. I’m new to the forums but have been lurking for a while. Tons of good info here and other forums so thanks to all those that have contributed. I have a 2000 S4 that is having some problems. Here’s the story, it’s a bit long so my apologies and thanks in advance.
I purchased the car about 15 months ago. At that time it had 87K miles on it. Today it has 112K miles on it. It’s a tiptronic and as far as I can tell, bone stock. The valve cover gasket on the driver side was leaking oil when I bought the car. Took it to a mechanic and he verified it was the valve cover gasket and also checked to see if the timing belt had been replaced. He said that since the timing belt on the car was not from the stock manufacturer it had been replaced. Seemed like sound reasoning to me. He replaced a vacuum line that looked like it was about to go and changed the oil for me (I always run synthetic). This mechanic definitely seemed like a wild child of the 60’s and maybe had a bit of perma-fry from one too many doses of acid. He charged me about $250 for said work. I quickly decide that learning to wrench was in my best interest.
I decide to do the valve cover gasket replacement myself. I take my time and label everything as if I’m doing brain surgery. I use the write up from Audiworld and it gets the job done, or so I think. Come to find out months later she’s still leaking oil. It’s an incredibly slow leak so I decide to let it go while I save for my first house I end up buying about 9 months ago. Another forum member suggested it could be the cam chain tensioner gaskets which was certainly over my head at the time.
Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago. My wife takes it to EZ Lube for a quick oil change. I then let the car sit for a week. I take it for a spin one morning and after about 10 minutes of driving she’s bellowing smoke from the engine compartment. I smell something electrical burning while at the same time I hear the HVAC fan behind the glove box struggling. I assume the fan is causing the smell and EZ Lube over filled the engine and maybe spilled some here and there. I pull over, grab some coffee and let it sit for a bit. I drive it home and all seems fine after that. Though the HVAC fan is definitely dead.
My wifes Ford Focus is getting a bit long in the tooth so we take the Audi to a couple dealerships to test drive cars. Big mistake. After the second dealer, the Audi gets viciously jealous and decides not to start. We try jumping it and it just won’t go. The tow truck driver says the alternator is dead or the engine has seized. We tow it home.
I find a mechanic on Craigslist to come and take a look at it. Miraculously he gets it to start on the first try. He says it’s a quart low and the valve cover gasket definitely needs to be replaced. He also says the timing belt is sounding strange and needs to be replaced. For $375 he replaces the driver side valve cover gasket and timing belt (minus the cost of parts I procured through ECS Tuning). He gets it started and it runs that night. I take it for a spin the next morning and she’s sounding terrible. When I gun it there’s zero turbo response and little to no power. She keeps trying to die on me and seems to have trouble shifting through the gears. I get it around the block and it dies. I get it started again and get it home. I pop the hood and notice there’s several tubes disconnected that obviously explain the lack of turbo response. I connect everything back up and try to start it. It exhibits the same problem I had at the dealer. Try’s to turn over but just won’t do it. I have the ECP, CEL and Red Battery (Alternator?) lights illuminated on the dash.
I run the symptoms through the forum archives and it’s pointing to the MAF. I Have the Bosch so I that could obviously be it. I take it apart, clean the MAF with MAF cleaner I read about on the B7 forums. Plug it all back in and it still won’t start. Same symptoms. The belts on the engine turn, but she just won’t fire up. I don’t hear a clicking from the starter at all. I test the battery with my multimeter and get 12.87 volts. I know it’s not the battery and everything is pointing to the alternator.
This is where things get dirty. I tear the front end off and put it into service mode. With the right tools this is way less of a headache than the forums had led me to believe. For any other noobs out there, just make sure you have the right socket sets and go to it. I get the alternator out and take it to Autozone. It passes with flying colors. The guy there says confidently it has to be the starter. I look up how to take the starter out of the car and decide that procuring a VagCom is the best idea before yanking more parts out.
The Vag-Com shows up last night. I quickly wire things up and run the autoscan. I get a ton of fault codes. It’s obvious the car has not been cleared in a very long time. I clear just the engine codes hoping to find something easy to fix like the main crank sensor. Try to start the car again and I can at least hear the starter clicking now. After clearing the engine codes I scan again:
VAG-COM Version: Release 409.1-S
Chassis Type: 8D - Audi A4 B5
Scan: 01,02,03,08,15,17,25,35,45,55,56
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 01: Engine
Controller: 8D0 907 551 B
Component: 2.7l V6/5VT G 0003
Coding: 06651
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
Readiness: 0110 1101
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 02: Auto Trans
Controller: 8D0 927 156 DR
Component: AG5 01V 2.7l5VT USA 1819
Coding: 00002
Shop #: WSC 00000
4 Faults Found:
18265 - Load Signal: Error Message from ECU
P1857 - 35-00 - -
17086 - Transm. Control Module Electrical Malf. (SAE) or Control
Module Defective (VAG)
P0702 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent
18227 - Pressure Control Valve 2 (N216): Open or Short to Ground
P1819 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent
18222 - Pressure Control Valve 1 (N215): Open or Short to Ground
P1814 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 03: ABS Brakes
Controller: 8E0 614 111 A
Component: ABS/EDS 5.3 QUATTRO D00
Coding: 0273004284
Shop #: BB 24334
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 08: Auto HVAC
Controller: 8D0 820 043 P
Component: A4 KLIMAAUTOMAT D57
Coding: 00160
Shop #: WSC 06325
Note: Excessive Comm Errors
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skipping Address 15-Airbags
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 17: Instruments
Controller: 8D0 920 980 D
Component: B5-KOMBIINSTR. VDO D11
Coding: 02264
Shop #: WSC 00000
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 35: Centr. Locks
Controller: 8L0 862 257 N
Component: CV-Pump D11
Coding: 16140
Shop #: WSC 06325
8 Faults Found:
01367 - Central Locking Pump Run Time Exceeded (Likely Leak)
35-00 - -
01371 - Alarm triggered by Door Contact Switch: Driver's Side
35-00 - -
01372 - Alarm triggered by Door Contact Switch: Passenger Side or Rear
35-00 - -
01374 - Alarm triggered by Terminal 15
35-00 - -
01370 - Alarm triggered by Interior Monitoring
35-00 - -
00991 - Interior Lights
28-00 - Short to B+
00955 - Key 1
09-00 - Adaptation Limit Surpassed
00956 - Key 2
09-00 - Adaptation Limit Surpassed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 45: Inter. Monitor
Controller: 4B0 951 173
Component: Innenraumueberw. D03
Coding: 00101
Shop #: WSC 06325
1 Fault Found:
01382 - Alarm triggered by Anti-Theft Sensor: Front Left
35-00 - -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 55: Xenon Range
Controller: 4B0 907 357
Component: LEUCHTWEITEREGLER D003
Coding: 00012
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 56: Radio
Controller: 8D0 035 195 A
Component: Radio D00
Coding: 00115
Shop #: WSC 06325
1 Fault Found:
00668 - Supply Voltage Terminal 30
07-00 - Signal too Low
End --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I decide the best thing to do is clear all codes and try again. Then I get this:
VAG-COM Version: Release 409.1-S
Chassis Type: 8D - Audi A4 B5
Scan: 01,02,03,08,15,17,25,35,45,55,56
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 01: Engine
Controller: 8D0 907 551 B
Component: 2.7l V6/5VT G 0003
Coding: 06651
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
Readiness: 0110 1101
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 02: Auto Trans
Controller: 8D0 927 156 DR
Component: AG5 01V 2.7l5VT USA 1819
Coding: 00002
Shop #: WSC 00000
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 03: ABS Brakes
Controller: 8E0 614 111 A
Component: ABS/EDS 5.3 QUATTRO D00
Coding: 0273004284
Shop #: BB 24334
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 08: Auto HVAC
Controller: 8D0 820 043 P
Component: A4 KLIMAAUTOMAT D57
Coding: 00160
Shop #: WSC 06325
No Faults Found
or DTCs not supported by controller
or a communication error ocurred
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skipping Address 15-Airbags
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 17: Instruments
Controller: 8D0 920 980 D
Component: B5-KOMBIINSTR. VDO D11
Coding: 02264
Shop #: WSC 00000
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 35: Centr. Locks
Controller: 8L0 862 257 N
Component: CV-Pump D11
Coding: 16140
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 45: Inter. Monitor
Controller: 4B0 951 173
Component: Innenraumueberw. D03
Coding: 00101
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 55: Xenon Range
Controller: 4B0 907 357
Component: LEUCHTWEITEREGLER D003
Coding: 00012
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
End --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretty much nothing useful. I try to jump the car and it’s a no. No belts will spin now. It’s like the motor is seized or something. I checked the battery and it’s not holding a charge. It’s falling quick from 12 volts with the jumpers connected, then with them disconnected to 11, then 10, and lower.
That’s pretty much where I’m at. If anyone has any ideas please post back. And again, thanks for enduring the incredibly long post.
I purchased the car about 15 months ago. At that time it had 87K miles on it. Today it has 112K miles on it. It’s a tiptronic and as far as I can tell, bone stock. The valve cover gasket on the driver side was leaking oil when I bought the car. Took it to a mechanic and he verified it was the valve cover gasket and also checked to see if the timing belt had been replaced. He said that since the timing belt on the car was not from the stock manufacturer it had been replaced. Seemed like sound reasoning to me. He replaced a vacuum line that looked like it was about to go and changed the oil for me (I always run synthetic). This mechanic definitely seemed like a wild child of the 60’s and maybe had a bit of perma-fry from one too many doses of acid. He charged me about $250 for said work. I quickly decide that learning to wrench was in my best interest.
I decide to do the valve cover gasket replacement myself. I take my time and label everything as if I’m doing brain surgery. I use the write up from Audiworld and it gets the job done, or so I think. Come to find out months later she’s still leaking oil. It’s an incredibly slow leak so I decide to let it go while I save for my first house I end up buying about 9 months ago. Another forum member suggested it could be the cam chain tensioner gaskets which was certainly over my head at the time.
Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago. My wife takes it to EZ Lube for a quick oil change. I then let the car sit for a week. I take it for a spin one morning and after about 10 minutes of driving she’s bellowing smoke from the engine compartment. I smell something electrical burning while at the same time I hear the HVAC fan behind the glove box struggling. I assume the fan is causing the smell and EZ Lube over filled the engine and maybe spilled some here and there. I pull over, grab some coffee and let it sit for a bit. I drive it home and all seems fine after that. Though the HVAC fan is definitely dead.
My wifes Ford Focus is getting a bit long in the tooth so we take the Audi to a couple dealerships to test drive cars. Big mistake. After the second dealer, the Audi gets viciously jealous and decides not to start. We try jumping it and it just won’t go. The tow truck driver says the alternator is dead or the engine has seized. We tow it home.
I find a mechanic on Craigslist to come and take a look at it. Miraculously he gets it to start on the first try. He says it’s a quart low and the valve cover gasket definitely needs to be replaced. He also says the timing belt is sounding strange and needs to be replaced. For $375 he replaces the driver side valve cover gasket and timing belt (minus the cost of parts I procured through ECS Tuning). He gets it started and it runs that night. I take it for a spin the next morning and she’s sounding terrible. When I gun it there’s zero turbo response and little to no power. She keeps trying to die on me and seems to have trouble shifting through the gears. I get it around the block and it dies. I get it started again and get it home. I pop the hood and notice there’s several tubes disconnected that obviously explain the lack of turbo response. I connect everything back up and try to start it. It exhibits the same problem I had at the dealer. Try’s to turn over but just won’t do it. I have the ECP, CEL and Red Battery (Alternator?) lights illuminated on the dash.
I run the symptoms through the forum archives and it’s pointing to the MAF. I Have the Bosch so I that could obviously be it. I take it apart, clean the MAF with MAF cleaner I read about on the B7 forums. Plug it all back in and it still won’t start. Same symptoms. The belts on the engine turn, but she just won’t fire up. I don’t hear a clicking from the starter at all. I test the battery with my multimeter and get 12.87 volts. I know it’s not the battery and everything is pointing to the alternator.
This is where things get dirty. I tear the front end off and put it into service mode. With the right tools this is way less of a headache than the forums had led me to believe. For any other noobs out there, just make sure you have the right socket sets and go to it. I get the alternator out and take it to Autozone. It passes with flying colors. The guy there says confidently it has to be the starter. I look up how to take the starter out of the car and decide that procuring a VagCom is the best idea before yanking more parts out.
The Vag-Com shows up last night. I quickly wire things up and run the autoscan. I get a ton of fault codes. It’s obvious the car has not been cleared in a very long time. I clear just the engine codes hoping to find something easy to fix like the main crank sensor. Try to start the car again and I can at least hear the starter clicking now. After clearing the engine codes I scan again:
VAG-COM Version: Release 409.1-S
Chassis Type: 8D - Audi A4 B5
Scan: 01,02,03,08,15,17,25,35,45,55,56
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 01: Engine
Controller: 8D0 907 551 B
Component: 2.7l V6/5VT G 0003
Coding: 06651
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
Readiness: 0110 1101
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 02: Auto Trans
Controller: 8D0 927 156 DR
Component: AG5 01V 2.7l5VT USA 1819
Coding: 00002
Shop #: WSC 00000
4 Faults Found:
18265 - Load Signal: Error Message from ECU
P1857 - 35-00 - -
17086 - Transm. Control Module Electrical Malf. (SAE) or Control
Module Defective (VAG)
P0702 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent
18227 - Pressure Control Valve 2 (N216): Open or Short to Ground
P1819 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent
18222 - Pressure Control Valve 1 (N215): Open or Short to Ground
P1814 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 03: ABS Brakes
Controller: 8E0 614 111 A
Component: ABS/EDS 5.3 QUATTRO D00
Coding: 0273004284
Shop #: BB 24334
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 08: Auto HVAC
Controller: 8D0 820 043 P
Component: A4 KLIMAAUTOMAT D57
Coding: 00160
Shop #: WSC 06325
Note: Excessive Comm Errors
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skipping Address 15-Airbags
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 17: Instruments
Controller: 8D0 920 980 D
Component: B5-KOMBIINSTR. VDO D11
Coding: 02264
Shop #: WSC 00000
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 35: Centr. Locks
Controller: 8L0 862 257 N
Component: CV-Pump D11
Coding: 16140
Shop #: WSC 06325
8 Faults Found:
01367 - Central Locking Pump Run Time Exceeded (Likely Leak)
35-00 - -
01371 - Alarm triggered by Door Contact Switch: Driver's Side
35-00 - -
01372 - Alarm triggered by Door Contact Switch: Passenger Side or Rear
35-00 - -
01374 - Alarm triggered by Terminal 15
35-00 - -
01370 - Alarm triggered by Interior Monitoring
35-00 - -
00991 - Interior Lights
28-00 - Short to B+
00955 - Key 1
09-00 - Adaptation Limit Surpassed
00956 - Key 2
09-00 - Adaptation Limit Surpassed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 45: Inter. Monitor
Controller: 4B0 951 173
Component: Innenraumueberw. D03
Coding: 00101
Shop #: WSC 06325
1 Fault Found:
01382 - Alarm triggered by Anti-Theft Sensor: Front Left
35-00 - -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 55: Xenon Range
Controller: 4B0 907 357
Component: LEUCHTWEITEREGLER D003
Coding: 00012
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 56: Radio
Controller: 8D0 035 195 A
Component: Radio D00
Coding: 00115
Shop #: WSC 06325
1 Fault Found:
00668 - Supply Voltage Terminal 30
07-00 - Signal too Low
End --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I decide the best thing to do is clear all codes and try again. Then I get this:
VAG-COM Version: Release 409.1-S
Chassis Type: 8D - Audi A4 B5
Scan: 01,02,03,08,15,17,25,35,45,55,56
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 01: Engine
Controller: 8D0 907 551 B
Component: 2.7l V6/5VT G 0003
Coding: 06651
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
Readiness: 0110 1101
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 02: Auto Trans
Controller: 8D0 927 156 DR
Component: AG5 01V 2.7l5VT USA 1819
Coding: 00002
Shop #: WSC 00000
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 03: ABS Brakes
Controller: 8E0 614 111 A
Component: ABS/EDS 5.3 QUATTRO D00
Coding: 0273004284
Shop #: BB 24334
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 08: Auto HVAC
Controller: 8D0 820 043 P
Component: A4 KLIMAAUTOMAT D57
Coding: 00160
Shop #: WSC 06325
No Faults Found
or DTCs not supported by controller
or a communication error ocurred
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skipping Address 15-Airbags
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 17: Instruments
Controller: 8D0 920 980 D
Component: B5-KOMBIINSTR. VDO D11
Coding: 02264
Shop #: WSC 00000
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 35: Centr. Locks
Controller: 8L0 862 257 N
Component: CV-Pump D11
Coding: 16140
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 45: Inter. Monitor
Controller: 4B0 951 173
Component: Innenraumueberw. D03
Coding: 00101
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 55: Xenon Range
Controller: 4B0 907 357
Component: LEUCHTWEITEREGLER D003
Coding: 00012
Shop #: WSC 06325
No fault code found.
End --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretty much nothing useful. I try to jump the car and it’s a no. No belts will spin now. It’s like the motor is seized or something. I checked the battery and it’s not holding a charge. It’s falling quick from 12 volts with the jumpers connected, then with them disconnected to 11, then 10, and lower.
That’s pretty much where I’m at. If anyone has any ideas please post back. And again, thanks for enduring the incredibly long post.
02-26-2010, 05:36 AM
#3
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02-26-2010, 05:56 AM
#4
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02-26-2010, 05:56 AM
#5
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02-26-2010, 06:20 AM
#6
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02-26-2010, 06:28 AM
#7
^ I lol'd... I didn't read all that, but can you compression start it? It's a 6speed right? Just roll down a hill and pop the clutch in first gear with the key in the on position. Also you might try looking at this post and see if the clutch pedal sensor is in there right..
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...php?p=13122271
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...php?p=13122271
Trending Topics
02-26-2010, 06:30 AM
#8
^ I lol'd... I didn't read all that, but can you compression start it? It's a 6speed right? Just roll down a hill and pop the clutch in first gear with the key in the on position. Also you might try looking at this post and see if the clutch pedal sensor is in there right..
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...php?p=13122271
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...php?p=13122271
sorry...
02-26-2010, 07:30 AM
#9
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No worries, thanks for checking. Just dropped the battery off at Autozone. Guys says it looks "funny". The volts are dropping up and down. He's going to try charging it. I'll pick it up later and what the verdict is. If the battery doesn't pan out, the starter comes out this weekend.
02-26-2010, 11:44 AM
#10
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well i havent had the pleasure of wrenching on an s4 yet, but typically ill put a wrench on the crank pulley bolt and spin the motor over a few times just to make sure its not frozen up. if you cant turn it by hand you have a lot bigger issues than starters and batteries
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