frenchmanfl2

Hello AudiWorld,

It's been many years since I have posted on AW, but regularly benefit from the solutions posted by the highly knowledgeable members here.

I have a A4 98 B5 FWD 1.8T w/ manual transmission.

I was forced to climb over a curb ( right side of vehicle only ), last night, in order to avoid a collision with someone who nailed their brakes excessively hard at the bottom of a hill ( no I was not tailgating but the flow of traffic was sufficiently swift to necessitate an evasive move ).

Car ran fine, parked at my destination and hung out for a few hours. Got back into my car and she started up without issue. drove to next destination. I was waiting for someone, so turn the ignition but left the stereo running. No indication of battery drain.

After 15 min, tried to start her up again and the dashboard was dim and I only got on click. Found on article on my phone that suggested turning the key numerous times. After doing this, when turning ignition to start I reached the repeated clicking phase and dashboard was not back to normal lighting, but she still wouldn't turn over.

The same article suggested hitting the alternator, which I did. Bingo, although a rough turn over, she lit up and I was able to drive home, without issue.

This morning I tried to start her again and she did but the turn over was labored. It required the key to be held in position for more time than usual.

I appreciated that default response would be " take it to a shop " but I would greatly appreciate any insight that anyone might have to share, based on the fact that it was the undercarriage on the right side that took the hit. What wires / connection reside on that side of the car that might have been pulled loose or what else might cause the car to not ignite and then ignite after some fiddling and result in a slower turn over.

Getting to a shop on Miami Beach today is a complicated task and I have so much running around to do that are not of a social nature. Any advice that might at least help me pinpoint possible issues that might have been caused by the curb jump, would be deeply appreciated.

PS I am quite competent with basic maintenance, but not mechanically inclined. I do not have access to a Bently manual or VAG.

Thank you all very much, in advance, for your time.

frenchmanfl2

PSII Please excuse numerous grammatical errors in previous post. English is my native language but I hit post in haste and do not see an " edit " option and noticed AW has a " You may not edit your posts " stipulation at the bottom of the page. I am not sure what the reasoning is behind this, but I am not going to question this site given it's tenor and importance.

Thanks again, AW and it's members.

[ driven daily ]

...that you have your alignment checked ASAP. But first things first, it sounds like your starter motor isn't receiving enough power to effectively and efficiently start the vehicle. The next question, then, is why is the battery not delivering the proper output?

I'd check cable connections first. Also, if you're not above visiting an AutoZone (or other retail chain of that nature), they typically offer free charging system troubleshooting. They'll test your alternator output to ensure it's charging your battery properly.

How old is your battery? What is your volt meter reading when you turn the ignition on (not start)? You should be seeing about 12 volts or so on your volt meter prior to starting. After starting, you should see between 14 and 15, possibly 15+ if it's really cold outside.

frenchmanfl

Thank you very much for your response driven daily.

It turned out to be the battery.

The reason I went to AW was because I have never been able to re-start my car after a battery went dead, in the past. When a battery dies, without a jump, it's dead.

In my case, however, I was able to get her to start several times, after leaving her to sit. Even the rep at AutoZone, who bench tested it, said something was very weird about the readings he was getting.

I only went in to get the test to rule out the battery. To my considerable relief a quick battery replacement was all that was needed.

Beyond the oddness of the ability to re-start, was that things started going pear shaped right after hitting that curb. I unfortunately equated the two and worried.

I provide all of this explanation so that you don't feel that you took time responding to such a noob that I wouldn't recognize a dead battery. With over 25 years of experience behind the wheel, a dead battery is typically pretty simple to diagnose.

I am sincerely grateful for your having taken the time to respond. I wish you an excellent 2014.

[ driven daily ]

Glad to hear that it was a quick and easy fix. I completely understand your thought process and how it lead to your concerns. I do the same thing with my vehicle all the time! I certainly hope that my reply didn't come across as an insult to your intelligence. I apologize if so as that was certainly not my intention. A few years back I ran into a starting issue where I thought it was everything but the battery. Turns out it was just the battery. Going forward, I try to start with the easiest, least expensive fixes first!

Cheers and Happy New Year!