CEL FLASHING, CAR STUTTERING, SULFUR SMELL - HELP!!
12-30-2009, 07:06 PM
#31
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one you prob got **** coil packs (look to be replacing them again) two, you dont even know what the problem is, three legally that policy means ajck squat and can be changed whenever the owner wants . four i would bet money electrical parts are exempt, for reasons seen, five it says if your not satified, not if you bought **** you dnot need with out doing research.
sory if you dont like my posts, but i honestly could give 2 flyin ****s about you and your nice list of standard weekend warrior bolt ons. you dont see me here posting inane posts about problems with my car, then not actually doing any diagnostics on it to see what the problem actually was, instead of throwing money at it.
sory if you dont like my posts, but i honestly could give 2 flyin ****s about you and your nice list of standard weekend warrior bolt ons. you dont see me here posting inane posts about problems with my car, then not actually doing any diagnostics on it to see what the problem actually was, instead of throwing money at it.
12-31-2009, 03:25 PM
#32
Ok - little update. Today I had the time to spend and take everything apart down to the plugs. I examined all coil wires and noticed no rips/tears/signs of aging. I then pulled the old CPs and examined them - not noticing anything in particular that could visually suspect failure; however my 6 new CPs came in yesterday, so I figured I'd put the new ones on and save the old ones. (Always good to have back up! lol). Pulled the spark plugs and examined them, also re-checking my gap settings. Some of them seemed to have a little larger gap than others (ranged from 0.30-0.40 b/t all 6) so I regapped all of them to 0.28 (they are Pulstar's and I have a 93 APR chip and I've read on here many chipped owner's use 0.28). Reinstalled the plugs, tightening to spec (22), installed new coil packs, and reattached everything (MAF, airbox, etc.) (Inspected everything as I was doing this - all looked good). Started her up and at first she was idling fine - then all of a sudden it started sputtering again. Not as bad as before, but was still there. Ran OBD II again, and this time got the P0300 code, not the P0302 code. I have the new ICMs in the mail as we speak...if they don't fix the problem, I will then suck it up and bare the drive to Audi lol
01-01-2010, 10:58 PM
#33
AudiWorld Senior Member
So you went from cylinder 2 misfire to random misfire? That's encouraging. Maybe the misfire is metastasizing.
I don't want to add insult to injury, so I won't remind you that the best deal on coils and ignition control modules is to not have to buy them at all. That, and I'm sure that if you're smart enough to do whatever you do to make enough money to constantly throw parts at your car like this, you have already considered that.
You mentioned earlier that your battery had the right voltage or something. To be clear, did you put a meter on the battery and test voltage and amperage, or are you just going by the dummy gauge on the dash? Given the way you're buying parts that are a long shot just in case they fix the problem, you'd think you'd use the same logic and test things that are a long shot and could be causing the problem.
Also, since it's a turbo car and it's sputtering under load, I just want to make sure none of your plugs are oil fouled. I know a 2.7 is nothing like a 1.9L TDI, but if the turbochargers are anything like the VNT-15s on the ALH, I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled an intercooler and found it full of oil. Do you remove the same amount of oil during a change as you put in following the previous change? It's a long shot, but the sputtering could be knock retard from oil in the CC's.
Still, my money's on the battery. On top of your description of the symptoms, the dealer told you the battery was too small, which might not be a problem, but i can't see it helping. And if you're certain you don't have good spark in one or more cylinders, you have to wonder if it's an electrical problem causing the parts not to work properly, rather than the parts themselves. I would almost bet money that when you do the free autozone battery/alternator test, they tell you that your alternator is fine and your battery is bad.
Take the money you would have spent overpaying for parts in a pinch and buy yourself a real daily driver - a small japanese car or truck, a vw TDI, etc. - something reliable, inexpensive, and efficient. Then you can take the Audi off the road for a couple days while you properly diagnose it, rather than throwing parts at it until its problems magically go away.
I don't want to add insult to injury, so I won't remind you that the best deal on coils and ignition control modules is to not have to buy them at all. That, and I'm sure that if you're smart enough to do whatever you do to make enough money to constantly throw parts at your car like this, you have already considered that.
You mentioned earlier that your battery had the right voltage or something. To be clear, did you put a meter on the battery and test voltage and amperage, or are you just going by the dummy gauge on the dash? Given the way you're buying parts that are a long shot just in case they fix the problem, you'd think you'd use the same logic and test things that are a long shot and could be causing the problem.
Also, since it's a turbo car and it's sputtering under load, I just want to make sure none of your plugs are oil fouled. I know a 2.7 is nothing like a 1.9L TDI, but if the turbochargers are anything like the VNT-15s on the ALH, I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled an intercooler and found it full of oil. Do you remove the same amount of oil during a change as you put in following the previous change? It's a long shot, but the sputtering could be knock retard from oil in the CC's.
Still, my money's on the battery. On top of your description of the symptoms, the dealer told you the battery was too small, which might not be a problem, but i can't see it helping. And if you're certain you don't have good spark in one or more cylinders, you have to wonder if it's an electrical problem causing the parts not to work properly, rather than the parts themselves. I would almost bet money that when you do the free autozone battery/alternator test, they tell you that your alternator is fine and your battery is bad.
Take the money you would have spent overpaying for parts in a pinch and buy yourself a real daily driver - a small japanese car or truck, a vw TDI, etc. - something reliable, inexpensive, and efficient. Then you can take the Audi off the road for a couple days while you properly diagnose it, rather than throwing parts at it until its problems magically go away.
01-02-2010, 06:51 AM
#34
it is not the battery. The battery has nothing to do with the voltage of the electrical system when the car is running, the alternator does. Beyond that, if it was a charging system problem you would see other indicative issues and codes.
If the car has ben dumping raw fuel into the cat for long enough your cat already may be dead, but obviously you need to find out why it's dumping raw fuel before you deal with the cat.
Personally, I would get rid of the aftermarket plugs (replace with new OEMS) before I went any further, and now that you have random misfires, it's more complicated, but if you have misfires if specific cylinders you can always swap components (wires, coils, icm's between banks) to try and isolate what the problem is by recreating the problem an another cylinder that was previously fine.
If the car has ben dumping raw fuel into the cat for long enough your cat already may be dead, but obviously you need to find out why it's dumping raw fuel before you deal with the cat.
Personally, I would get rid of the aftermarket plugs (replace with new OEMS) before I went any further, and now that you have random misfires, it's more complicated, but if you have misfires if specific cylinders you can always swap components (wires, coils, icm's between banks) to try and isolate what the problem is by recreating the problem an another cylinder that was previously fine.
01-02-2010, 10:04 AM
#35
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So you went from cylinder 2 misfire to random misfire? That's encouraging. Maybe the misfire is metastasizing.
I don't want to add insult to injury, so I won't remind you that the best deal on coils and ignition control modules is to not have to buy them at all. That, and I'm sure that if you're smart enough to do whatever you do to make enough money to constantly throw parts at your car like this, you have already considered that.
You mentioned earlier that your battery had the right voltage or something. To be clear, did you put a meter on the battery and test voltage and amperage, or are you just going by the dummy gauge on the dash? Given the way you're buying parts that are a long shot just in case they fix the problem, you'd think you'd use the same logic and test things that are a long shot and could be causing the problem.
Also, since it's a turbo car and it's sputtering under load, I just want to make sure none of your plugs are oil fouled. I know a 2.7 is nothing like a 1.9L TDI, but if the turbochargers are anything like the VNT-15s on the ALH, I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled an intercooler and found it full of oil. Do you remove the same amount of oil during a change as you put in following the previous change? It's a long shot, but the sputtering could be knock retard from oil in the CC's.
Still, my money's on the battery. On top of your description of the symptoms, the dealer told you the battery was too small, which might not be a problem, but i can't see it helping. And if you're certain you don't have good spark in one or more cylinders, you have to wonder if it's an electrical problem causing the parts not to work properly, rather than the parts themselves. I would almost bet money that when you do the free autozone battery/alternator test, they tell you that your alternator is fine and your battery is bad.
Take the money you would have spent overpaying for parts in a pinch and buy yourself a real daily driver - a small japanese car or truck, a vw TDI, etc. - something reliable, inexpensive, and efficient. Then you can take the Audi off the road for a couple days while you properly diagnose it, rather than throwing parts at it until its problems magically go away.
I don't want to add insult to injury, so I won't remind you that the best deal on coils and ignition control modules is to not have to buy them at all. That, and I'm sure that if you're smart enough to do whatever you do to make enough money to constantly throw parts at your car like this, you have already considered that.
You mentioned earlier that your battery had the right voltage or something. To be clear, did you put a meter on the battery and test voltage and amperage, or are you just going by the dummy gauge on the dash? Given the way you're buying parts that are a long shot just in case they fix the problem, you'd think you'd use the same logic and test things that are a long shot and could be causing the problem.
Also, since it's a turbo car and it's sputtering under load, I just want to make sure none of your plugs are oil fouled. I know a 2.7 is nothing like a 1.9L TDI, but if the turbochargers are anything like the VNT-15s on the ALH, I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled an intercooler and found it full of oil. Do you remove the same amount of oil during a change as you put in following the previous change? It's a long shot, but the sputtering could be knock retard from oil in the CC's.
Still, my money's on the battery. On top of your description of the symptoms, the dealer told you the battery was too small, which might not be a problem, but i can't see it helping. And if you're certain you don't have good spark in one or more cylinders, you have to wonder if it's an electrical problem causing the parts not to work properly, rather than the parts themselves. I would almost bet money that when you do the free autozone battery/alternator test, they tell you that your alternator is fine and your battery is bad.
Take the money you would have spent overpaying for parts in a pinch and buy yourself a real daily driver - a small japanese car or truck, a vw TDI, etc. - something reliable, inexpensive, and efficient. Then you can take the Audi off the road for a couple days while you properly diagnose it, rather than throwing parts at it until its problems magically go away.
Here are some helpful hints.
MotoGP bikes (and my track bike for that matter) don't have batteries permanently installed. GP and Superbikes have pads with rollers (like treadmills) that spin the tire to start the motor. My race bike has a plug in battery that stays in my pit tent while I'm out on the track.
Manual transmission cars don't even require a battery as long as you park on a slope.
Alternator = 14V
Battery = 12V
Now do the math. If the alternator is putting out 14V, how can the batt put out any juice? IT CAN'T. While the car is running the batt receives not produces! 14>12
Stop it with the battery stuff man. You're killing me.
Last edited by JerzyBoy973; 01-02-2010 at 10:06 AM.
01-02-2010, 10:08 AM
#36
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it is not the battery. The battery has nothing to do with the voltage of the electrical system when the car is running, the alternator does. Beyond that, if it was a charging system problem you would see other indicative issues and codes.
If the car has ben dumping raw fuel into the cat for long enough your cat already may be dead, but obviously you need to find out why it's dumping raw fuel before you deal with the cat.
Personally, I would get rid of the aftermarket plugs (replace with new OEMS) before I went any further, and now that you have random misfires, it's more complicated, but if you have misfires if specific cylinders you can always swap components (wires, coils, icm's between banks) to try and isolate what the problem is by recreating the problem an another cylinder that was previously fine.
If the car has ben dumping raw fuel into the cat for long enough your cat already may be dead, but obviously you need to find out why it's dumping raw fuel before you deal with the cat.
Personally, I would get rid of the aftermarket plugs (replace with new OEMS) before I went any further, and now that you have random misfires, it's more complicated, but if you have misfires if specific cylinders you can always swap components (wires, coils, icm's between banks) to try and isolate what the problem is by recreating the problem an another cylinder that was previously fine.
and check to make sure the firing order is correct.
01-02-2010, 10:37 AM
#37
AudiWorld Senior Member
Firing order?? What is this, a jeep forum? What is the rating of the alternators on these cars? 40A? 140A? If the system is drawing more current than the alternator will support, the battery comes in very handy. I suspect the stator on your bike can more than support the electrical loads of the ignition system, ECM, and fuel pump. As I've been saying, voltage is not the only number to consider.
01-02-2010, 01:33 PM
#38
lol you guys and this battery bickering...I love it 
Or maybe I'm just in a good mood because she's fixed after today! I went out last night to advance auto and bought 6 brand new NGK silver platinum plugs (I figured hell with the Pulstars, I'm sticking with what I know works), came home and swapped 'em in - she ran a little better but was still sputtering and throwing PO300. Got the 2 new ICMs and got them in today - she fired right up and purrrrrred like a kitten. Sat and let her idle for bout 15 mins, absolutely no sputtering! No codes (cat converter cleared itself - no more smell at all and all exhaust smoke (being that it's 16 friggin degrees out it is very easy to see) all is normal. After idling, I decided to take her for a drive cycle so the OBD II could reset itself and relearn it's monitors - left the scanner plugged in the whole time and after about 15-20 mins of driving around I passed all monitors - light turned green and no codes I thank everyone who had mentioned to check the ICMs to me, as I had no idea what they even were before this incident - and I thank everyone else for their inputs/advice! Yes, even you redneck w/ the battery advice lol (Just to be clear, yes I did end up getting the meter and testing the battery - was A-OK @ 12V. lol) I know I did throw money at her and that is the first time I did it like that, honestly, I have spent enough money in maintenance over the last 2 years that I can't stand putting anymore into her - let alone just want to throw it at her...but I was in a pinch where I had to be at work and needed my car back STAT. I'd rather buy 6 new CPs on my own for a great price and be able to return them - then to go pay the damn stealership twice as much and get raped in the **** w/ labor. But hey, I got brand new spark plugs, coil packs and ICMs...she should fire up like a monster truck for a long time - and all in all, I don't think that's a loss of money - it's called preventative maintenance.
Or maybe I'm just in a good mood because she's fixed after today! I went out last night to advance auto and bought 6 brand new NGK silver platinum plugs (I figured hell with the Pulstars, I'm sticking with what I know works), came home and swapped 'em in - she ran a little better but was still sputtering and throwing PO300. Got the 2 new ICMs and got them in today - she fired right up and purrrrrred like a kitten. Sat and let her idle for bout 15 mins, absolutely no sputtering! No codes (cat converter cleared itself - no more smell at all and all exhaust smoke (being that it's 16 friggin degrees out it is very easy to see) all is normal. After idling, I decided to take her for a drive cycle so the OBD II could reset itself and relearn it's monitors - left the scanner plugged in the whole time and after about 15-20 mins of driving around I passed all monitors - light turned green and no codes I thank everyone who had mentioned to check the ICMs to me, as I had no idea what they even were before this incident - and I thank everyone else for their inputs/advice! Yes, even you redneck w/ the battery advice lol (Just to be clear, yes I did end up getting the meter and testing the battery - was A-OK @ 12V. lol) I know I did throw money at her and that is the first time I did it like that, honestly, I have spent enough money in maintenance over the last 2 years that I can't stand putting anymore into her - let alone just want to throw it at her...but I was in a pinch where I had to be at work and needed my car back STAT. I'd rather buy 6 new CPs on my own for a great price and be able to return them - then to go pay the damn stealership twice as much and get raped in the **** w/ labor. But hey, I got brand new spark plugs, coil packs and ICMs...she should fire up like a monster truck for a long time - and all in all, I don't think that's a loss of money - it's called preventative maintenance.
Last edited by 01A6Turbo; 01-02-2010 at 01:42 PM.
01-02-2010, 03:18 PM
#40
If you're asking me - I can only guess...lol I didn't even know what they were until this problem arose and people pointed them out they may be a culprit. My guess would be either the electrical part of them with age/wear/dirt/etc. Mine's just under 114k now (she's getting middle aged now) 
hehe Or it may be the connectors/pins start failing?
Anyone have any ideas?
hehe Or it may be the connectors/pins start failing? Anyone have any ideas?