Won't turn over after sitting for 6 weeks

[JCougar]

You guys are going to love this. So I left for San Francisco for a conference for 1 week, and left my 1996 A4 12v on the street, and it didn't start when I got back. I've had that happen before, where I left the car for about a week and the battery was drained. Not totally dead, but drained enough so it cranked once or twice and then was finished. Everything normally works fine if I start it up at least every other day, though. I'm a law student, so I just said "**** it" and left it there until after exams (which just ended) because I had zero time to even get a new battery, and I live close enough to school that I could just bike. So the battery was completely dead by now (6 weeks later). I opened my driver's side door to find about 4 inches of water on the driver's side (nothing had spilled over to the passenger's side. There was also pooled water in the battery well. It turns out there's a drain for the battery well underneath where the battery sits, but it had gotten clogged with leaves. I took a wire hangar and unclogged that drain. I'm not sure if that was the reason rain water was seeping into my car or not, but anyhow, I got the water cleared out. I also got a free replacement battery because it was under warranty. But I just put the new battery in and nothing's doing anything. The radio works, power windows, etc., but the car won't crank or turn over when I turn they key. I don't really hear anything -- nothing happens. I got some liquid starter spray to spray into the air intake because I though maybe some moisture might have accumulated in the cylinders or something, but that didn't do anything. I have a VAG COM cable, but there's no fault codes. Given the long 6-week layoff, the water that seeped through, is there any place I should begin looking? If your battery is dead for too long, will that mess up the CPU? Could the water in the battery well have damaged something related to the starter? I'm not really sure where to start.

[GTA_Driver]

If your turn ignition "on" without starting the car, does everything seem to work? Like climate control, instrument cluster lights up, etc...

[JCougar]

Originally Posted by GTA_Driver

If your turn ignition "on" without starting the car, does everything seem to work? Like climate control, instrument cluster lights up, etc...

Yup. Everything electrical works otherwise. HVAC, power windows, etc.

I'm worried that it's something like the engine seizing up. Are there any relays or fuses going to the starter that might be bad? How would I test the starter itself?

[quirt61]

If you can clip a positive end of a jumper cable on the positive starter stud then clip the other end to the positive side of your battery. Then attach one end of the negative lead to your battery and touch a convenient ground on the engine with the other negative end. If the starter engages and the motor turns over, the problem is somewhere else. You'll also know if seizing is the issue though I doubt after such a short time the engine would be seized. Good luck.

[quirt61]

one other note - you might want to check the driver's side pillar drain to see if that's clogged. Maybe water entered through the clutch master firewall seal if the water got that high. Just a thought. I had a 1996 Passat wagon with 10 miles on it fresh from the dealer. Left it in my driveway the first weekend and went to visit the folks in another state. Monday morning I found 2" of water on the floor right behind the driver's side. No where else. Took it back the dealership three more times over the next couple of years with the same water intrusion problem. It was very intermittent. They never solved it and I turned the car in after the lease was up. Very frustrating.

[quirt61]

one final note - you didn't mention if your car was manual or auto. If manual, make sure it's out of gear before you test the starter. My friends dad crushed his knee against the garage door when he forgot to take a mustang out of gear before jumping the starter. Be safe.

[JCougar]

Originally Posted by quirt61

You'll also know if seizing is the issue though I doubt after such a short time the engine would be seized. Good luck.

How would I know if it's a seizing issue?

[JCougar]

I'm wondering if the clutch sensor might have gotten shorted out by the water. Does anyone know what fuse that's on or where to find the sensor?

I mean that would explain everything else electrical working but turning the key doing nothing. If the water was coming through the clutch master firewall seal, it might have damaged it. How does that apparatus work? Is there any way to bypass it?

[AudiMick]

Originally Posted by JCougar

I'm wondering if the clutch sensor might have gotten shorted out by the water. Does anyone know what fuse that's on or where to find the sensor?

I mean that would explain everything else electrical working but turning the key doing nothing. If the water was coming through the clutch master firewall seal, it might have damaged it. How does that apparatus work? Is there any way to bypass it?

96 doesn't have a clutch interlock.

Check ignition switch, they have a high failure rate with several recals.

[JCougar]

Originally Posted by AudiMick

96 doesn't have a clutch interlock.

Check ignition switch, they have a high failure rate with several recals.

I replaced one of these already about 3 years ago. It was an aftermarket replacement. I can't remember how I tested it the first time, though. How do you figure out whether the ignition switch is the problem?