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Car Forum / Audi Cars / November 2006Car stalled at stop sign, now it won't start
Hi, I just bought a 2001 A4 1.8T Fwd Trip with 116K miles on it a few days ago. This morning the car started up fine (the OK! display came on) and I drove to the end of my street where I stopped at a stop sign. At the stop, the car turned off by its-self and wouldn't restart after that. Here's what happens when I try to restart my car. 1. All the lights turn on and everything electronic works fine. 2. The engine makes a "whiirrrrr"ing noise, but does not turn. I didn't think it was the battery, but I tried jump starting it anyways. That didn't work, so its not the battery. I've spent a considerable time searching the forum and from the info posted I think its the starter. To me it sounds like the starter is turning but its not connecting to the engine crank. Someone in a previous post suggested that tapping the starter with a hammer to see if that works. I'd like to try that but I have no idea where the starter is and what it looks like :( Also, I'm still not 100% convinced that its the starter because that still doesn't explain why the car died in the first place. So what do you guys think? Starter or something else? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'd really be grateful if someone in the area (Orlando, FL) would be willing to stop by and help me solve this problem or if someone could recommend a good (and relatively inexpensive!) mechanic who I can take the car to. Someone in a previous post recommended Hans in altamonte springs, but that was a year old post. Any comments or other alternatives? Also, I'd like to get involved with local Audi owners, I don't know much about auto repair but I'm handy with tools and willing to learn. If someone has any projects that they need some help on, I'd like to help. (Or if someone would like to help/guide me though repairing my own car!) Get in touch with me guys, I'm in the UCF Area. I see lots of nice looking A4's cruising along. Where art thou? :) Please somebody come around and help me figure out what to do with my current problem, it'd be great if somebody could bring a VAG! Don't laugh, but... Do you have a cigarette lighter low on your console? Is the lighter in it? My son threw his change on the area in front of his shifter, and a coin fell into where the cigarette lighter is when he hit the brakes car died. my2cents.  Signatureplease reply to bargerw NO @ SPAM bellsouth.net and remove the NOSPAM > Hi, I just bought a 2001 A4 1.8T Fwd Trip with 116K miles on it a few > days ago. This morning the car started up fine (the OK! display came [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] > Please somebody come around and help me figure out what to do with my > current problem, it'd be great if somebody could bring a VAG! lol..thats funny, thanks for the idea though! :) > Don't laugh, but... Do you have a cigarette lighter low on your console? Is > the lighter in it? [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > > Please somebody come around and help me figure out what to do with my > > current problem, it'd be great if somebody could bring a VAG! > Hi, I just bought a 2001 A4 1.8T Fwd Trip with 116K miles on it a few ... I guess you mean 'Tip' as in Tiptronic! [Snip] > 1. All the lights turn on and everything electronic works fine. > 2. The engine makes a "whiirrrrr"ing noise, but does not turn. Okay, so the starter is spinning, but the engine itself isn't turning over? It should be a pre-engaged starter, so won't spin until it thinks the gear is meshed with the ring gear on the flywheel. I would guess, then, that a tooth or two has stripped from the ring gear. The best thing to do is to turn the engine over slightly, by hand and then try the starter again. Since it's an auto (Tip), you won't be able to turn the engine by selecting a gear and pushing te car. The best way to turn the engine would be to get a spanner onto the nut holding the crank pulley. SignaturePeter Bell (Note Spamtrap - To reply, replace 'invalid' with 'bellfamily') Hey, thanks for the detailed reply. I want to give it a try, but someone suggested that the timing belt might have broken (what do you guys think?) and if that has happening, actually turning the engine might cause engine damage right? Do guys think it might be a timing belt snap? Somebody else told me that its probably not the timing belt because the engine would still turn when I try to start the car. > In message <1163783045.995371.265...@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com> > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > -- > Peter Bell (Note Spamtrap - To reply, replace 'invalid' with 'bellfamily') > Do guys think it might be a timing belt snap? Somebody else told me > that its probably not the timing belt because the engine would still > turn when I try to start the car. I guess it's possible. The crank would still spin, and the pistons move up and down but, because the camshaft drive fails, there's little compression and the engine spins very easily. There would have been a rattle when it came to a stop, as valves/pistons collided. Turning the engine over slowly is unlikely to do any more damage than has already occured. SignaturePeter Bell (Note Spamtrap - To reply, replace 'invalid' with 'bellfamily') >To me it sounds like the starter is turning but its not connecting to >the engine crank. Sounds like your timing belt went. Hope it didn't eat many valves in doing so. yeh i talked to an audi mechanic today, he said the same thing. damn, and i just bought the effing car. > >To me it sounds like the starter is turning but its not connecting to > >the engine crank.Sounds like your timing belt went. Hope it didn't eat many valves in > doing so. >yeh i talked to an audi mechanic today, he said the same thing. damn, >and i just bought the effing car. > >> >To me it sounds like the starter is turning but its not connecting to >> >the engine crank.Sounds like your timing belt went. Hope it didn't eat many valves in >> doing so. That shows why it is so vitally important to have a competentent mechanic inspect the car before you buy it! And to insist on seeing all past service records. If previous service records are not available, then a wise buyer will assume they have not been done, and factor these into the final price. I'd say you've learned a painful lesson in buying a car, and you have my sympathy. Hopefully it won't cost too much to repair. >>yeh i talked to an audi mechanic today, he said the same thing. damn, >>and i just bought the effing car. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >I'd say you've learned a painful lesson in buying a car, and you have >my sympathy. Hopefully it won't cost too much to repair. In fairness, one could have had all the advantages as listed, and still end up with a tb failure in short time. The originally recommended tb replacement interval has since been fairly well shown to be optimistic by at least 20K miles... /daytripper '00 s4 6spd >>That shows why it is so vitally important to have a competentent >>mechanic inspect the car before you buy it! And to insist on seeing [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >/daytripper >'00 s4 6spd I won't argue that! <bg> Though I do believe a good inspection is vital, there is always the possibility that something will fail regardless. One reason to buy from a dealer who gives a warranty, or a used car with a factory warranty that is transferable. Sometimes you can get a third party warranty on a used car, subject to inspection... Any way, I hope the OP's problem is easily fixed... I second that! When you have something as critical as the timing belt on an interference engine, then it is a good idea to replace it as soon as you purchase the vehicle. I have managed to save two 16V engines when their timing belts broke at a stop sign. No noticeable engine damage, only needed the timing belt and tensioner. They were very lucky, but there was one 16V engine that had it's belt bread at speed and needed some valves repaired. Oh and when you do get that engine running again then make sure you check the engine for sludge. Some people will use some cleaner/flush with the oil and reduce the sludge inside in the 1.8t engine. SPECIAL synthetic oil and a nice large oil filter is desired. Good luck! later, dave (One out of many daves) >>yeh i talked to an audi mechanic today, he said the same thing. damn, >>and i just bought the effing car. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > I'd say you've learned a painful lesson in buying a car, and you have > my sympathy. Hopefully it won't cost too much to repair. Hey guys, thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. Whats really ironic and sad is that before I bought the car, i had it carfaxed, I called audi and asked if they had service records for the car (they said they did till 99,XXX miles) and I had it checked out by a mechanic. The mechanic had gave the car a clean bill of health but obviously couldn't check the timing belt. As a precaution I decided to set an appointment with the dealership to go over the records, to do a diagnostic and to possiblly change the timing bet. This appointment is (was) for this coming monday. I figured the car should be ok for a week, but, ^%#*$, the belt broke after 4 days. So, yeh, as daytripper mentioned, you can try and plan all you want, but crap happens. I guess there's not much you can do accept kick something, swear a little bit, accept it and move on. Dave, thank you for your input. I'm really really hoping that there isnt any significant engine damage. The car was stopped and it turned off without any noticeable drama (no noises, vibrations or otherwise odd behavior). However, I was talking to my passenger, so I could have missed a slight rattle. There's still hope that it could be something else! Admittedly its a very small small hope. :( The mechanic I've decided to go with comes pretty well recommended and he's going to charge me 750 for the timing belt plus any damage repair costs. (please please GOD let there be none!). Do you guys have any suggestions as to anything else that I should have checked/replaced while the engine is open, I guess it'll save labor costs from having to reopen the engine at a later point to check/fix something else. I'm definitely going to talk to the mechanic about the sludge problem. I've been reading up on that on audiforms.com too. Any suggestions for what kind of cleaner I should use? The car will be towed to the mechanic on Monday for an assessment and estimate. I don't know when I'll be able to afford to fix it though, depends on the quote. I'm out of money right now and college life doesn't pay much. :s Anyone want to contribute to the "save the silver A4" fund? :D lol thanks for all your help, //SD > I second that! > When you have something as critical as the timing belt on an interference [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > I'd say you've learned a painful lesson in buying a car, and you have > > my sympathy. Hopefully it won't cost too much to repair. >Hey guys, thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. > [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] > >//SD Other things to check/fix: 1. Fan belts 2. Water pump 3. I usually check alternator brush wear when doing these since the alternator is out and easy to work on (brushes are cheap). 4. LOF (of course! <g>) What would be funny is if you only ran it out of gas!!!! I have seen that more than a few times and it has almost stumped a few mechanics too! ;-) Good luck and let us know what happens! later, dave (One out of many daves) http://vwdoc1.tripod.com/ > I second that! > When you have something as critical as the timing belt on an interference [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] >>I'd say you've learned a painful lesson in buying a car, and you have >>my sympathy. Hopefully it won't cost too much to repair. Jesus, you wouldn't want to sink the boot in would you... Poor bugger doesn't need a lecture now - especially from the smart alecs on this NG. He asked for advice, not a lecture!!! >> I second that! >> When you have something as critical as the timing belt on an interference [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] > >He asked for advice, not a lecture!!! Well, we'll keep that in mind! Of course the advise you gave was incredibly useful to him, wasn't it? ok I maybe be showing my newbie-ness here, but what are: OP and LOF? :) > >> I second that! > >> When you have something as critical as the timing belt on an interference [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > >He asked for advice, not a lecture!!!Well, we'll keep that in mind! Of course the advise you gave was > incredibly useful to him, wasn't it? > ok I maybe be showing my newbie-ness here, but what are: > > OP and LOF? OP can be 'Original Poster' in this case. LOF might be 'Laughing On Floor' or 'Little Old Fart' or ? 8^) Hey you can come up with some new ones if you want! lol (laughing out loud) this site should be bookmarked by you http://www.acronymfinder.com/ later, dave (One out of many daves) >> ok I maybe be showing my newbie-ness here, but what are: >> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >LOF might be 'Laughing On Floor' or 'Little Old Fart' or ? 8^) Well, as this is a car group, how about "Lube, Oil and Filter"? "daytripper" <day_trippr@REMOVEyahoo.com> wrote in message >>LOF might be 'Laughing On Floor' or 'Little Old Fart' or ? 8^) > > Well, as this is a car group, how about "Lube, Oil and Filter"? Hey I like it! ;-) >>> ok I maybe be showing my newbie-ness here, but what are: >>> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Well, as this is a car group, how about "Lube, Oil and Filter"? Ba-ting! The man win again... (was it 'my bad' to use an acronym that wasn't 'computer' here? <bg>) >yeh i talked to an audi mechanic today, he said the same thing. damn, >and i just bought the effing car. My grandson had a early 90s Audi (don't recall the model or year). His heater stopped working. I told him it was his thermostat and it would cost alot to get it fixed, and since they are down there to replace it they may as well replace the water pump and the timing belt. He thought it cost too much, so he didn't have the extra repairs done. Within two months, I had to go and rescue him on I290; his timing belt broke and ate all the valves. He got it fixed but it was never the same. Today he has a chipped 00 S4, and a 95 A4 that he uses for work. Both of them have had their belts changed. d;o) His dad drives my old 00A6 4.2 and HAS had the TB changed. Dave RS6 (which will have its TB changed under warranty next September) > RS6 (which will have its TB changed under warranty next September) Under Warranty??? As far as Audi UK are concerned, this is a service item, and we have to pay for it - cost me GBP880 to have mine done. SignaturePeter Bell (Note Spamtrap - To reply, replace 'invalid' with 'bellfamily') >Under Warranty??? As far as Audi UK are concerned, this is a service >item, and we have to pay for it - cost me GBP880 to have mine done. Yep. It is supposed to be done at 50k miles, exactly when the warranty ends. I'll have about 40 on it next September. I've already had the front brakes done at 25k miles, under warranty. d;o) > >Under Warranty??? As far as Audi UK are concerned, this is a service > >item, and we have to pay for it - cost me GBP880 to have mine done. > > Yep. It is supposed to be done at 50k miles, exactly when the warranty > ends. I'll have about 40 on it next September. I've already had the > front brakes done at 25k miles, under warranty. d;o) Well Audi UK stipulate that the belt should be changed every 3 years or 60k miles, but no way will they cover it (or brake pads/discs [rotors?]) under the three year warranty. SignaturePeter Bell (Note Spamtrap - To reply, replace 'invalid' with 'bellfamily') >Peter Bell (Note Spamtrap - To reply, replace 'invalid' with 'bellfamily') Is this the same Peter Bell that was fly fishing in Alaska last year with his wonderful wife Jullie? From Devon (I believe)? > >Peter Bell (Note Spamtrap - To reply, replace 'invalid' with 'bellfamily') > > Is this the same Peter Bell that was fly fishing in Alaska last year > with his wonderful wife Jullie? From Devon (I believe)? Nope, not me - but Jullie souds interesting! SignaturePeter Bell (Note Spamtrap - To reply, replace 'invalid' with 'bellfamily') >Nope, not me - but Jullie souds interesting! LOL. She was (is). They are a very nice couple and very good fishermen (fisherpersons?) While Peter and I were busy catching 12 to 14 pound silvers, she was busy landing 16 pounders. US warranty on the RS6 is 4 years/50K miles and includes brake pads (not rotors) and the timing belt at the last scheduled maintenance (50k). Be well. Dave > Hi, I just bought a 2001 A4 1.8T Fwd Trip with 116K miles on it a few > days ago. This morning the car started up fine (the OK! display came [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > starter with a hammer to see if that works. I'd like to try that but I > have no idea where the starter is and what it looks like :( DO NOT HIT TH STARTER WITH A HAMMER. It contains ceramic magnets that can be easily shattered. > Also, I'm still not 100% convinced that its the starter because that > still doesn't explain why the car died in the first place. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Please somebody come around and help me figure out what to do with my > current problem, it'd be great if somebody could bring a VAG! You may have broken a timing belt. If so do not try to start the engine. You will ruin the valves because they are out of time with the crankshaft. The engine may be stuck with the valves resting on the pistons and not allowing the starter to turn the engine over. If this is you problem (and this is just a guess) keep it in neutral and flat bed it to a reputable mechanic. Check on AudiWorld.com for your local Audi owners in the regional forums. Your problem may be something much less critical like a transmission interlock switch or ... but be careful. |
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