86 Audi 5000s stalls while driving
m...@doc.us.dell.com
Hello,
My car 1986 Audi 5000S dies while running. It doesn't do any good
if I worm it up for 15 minutes or 2 hours (I did it once) if you start driving
it will just die after couple of minutes of driveing. RPM goes down to zero,
and sometimes, it starts back again by itself. Usually, I have to turn on
hazrd light and hope no one will hit me from behind while I put it on park
and start it back again (auto transmission). The problem accures often if
I am driving in the cold mornings. One thing I noticed is if I turn on
AC or Heat on Low it will not die.
What do you think might be wrong with it? Any suggestions are welcome.
-md
-
STEADI RIC
(m...@doc.us.dell.com) writes:
Try checking your fuel pump fuse. I to had lthe mysterious stalling
problem on my '81 Coupe and it turned out to be the fuel pump fuse under
the dash. (After I bought a new $200 fuel pump for the car thinking that
was it. OUCH!!)
Eric Fletcher
Instructor FAST COMPANY RACING SCHOOL
'87 5000CS Turbo Quattro
'81 Coupe GT
John Mallick
Or it could be the fuel pump relay...mine developed a crack on the
little circuit board inside, and the car would intermittently cut out.
A little bit of soldering and it was as good as new. The relay for
mine was in the fuse box under the dash (an '84 4000Q).
Good luck.
John
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John A. Mallick WA1HNL E-mail: mal...@crd.ge.com
GE Corporate Research and Development Phone: (518)-387-7667 (W)
Schenectady, NY 12301 FAX: (518)-387-6560 (W)
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"Work like hell. Tell everyone everything you know. Close a deal
with a handshake. And have fun." --- "Doc" Edgerton
David W. Walker
random intervals, it will simply die, without warning. Usually, if I
wait 5-10 minutes, it will start up again as if there were no problem.
The big servicing problem is getting it to happen again in order to
diagnose the problem.
Two months ago, my repairman kept the Audi for a couple of weeks,
driving it every day until it finally died. He said that his test
equipment showed an almost total shutdown: fuel system, ignition, etc.
That led him to suspect the emergency relay that is designed to shut down
like that in a collision, to avoid fire. He replaced that relay and it
seemed to have fixed the problem. The car ran fine until last week,
when it suddenly died again (on the Mass. Turnpike) twice. The first
time I could start it again after 7 minutes. The second time it
wouldn't start and I had it towed. Of course, when my repairman tried
it after the tow, it started immediately. We're doing the "wait for it
to happen again" game right now.
Obviously, I don't have the answer yet, but I would suggest to you that
you check out the relays and electrical connections generally. The
electrical system is a weak spot in the Audi; and after 8 years there's
bound to be at least some low-voltage problem from corrosion, etc.
Brian Doll
: random intervals, it will simply die, without warning. Usually, if I
: wait 5-10 minutes, it will start up again as if there were no problem.
: The big servicing problem is getting it to happen again in order to
: diagnose the problem.
A friend of mine had a similar experience on his 84? Audi 5000 a few
years back. Car would die at random times, and after a wait the car
would eventually start again. This was the only Audi I've ever worked
on. When this car would die there was no spark. It turned out to be
a bad wire on the hall effect sensor inside the distributor. The wire
had gotten stiff & crispy after 8 years or so. Found the problem by
jiggling this wire while the car was running. Replacing the hall effect
sensor cured the problem. A long shot... but maybe it's a common
problem with these cars.
-Brian
James Kokernak
I would also suspect a flakey fuel pump relay...
--Jim
|> -Brian
|>
Greg Raven
> I would also suspect a flakey fuel pump relay...
I can't remember even seeing a fuel pump relay conk out while working. Usually, the failure mode on a relay is that it will not engage. The wire in the Hall effect bobbin is a good place to start. Another way of determining if it is bad is that the fuel pump will not operate unless the Hall effect unit is sending out pulses. If your Audi dies and you have no spark and no fuel pump, suspect the Hall effect bobbin. (This is also the case with Porsche 924s, and other cars that use the Bosch Hall effect distributor in question.)
Greg Raven
European Car magazine
Santosh Bijur
technical person so my article might seem quite naive. We were told that
this problem would only arise in the summer due to the Audi's huge (21)
fuel tank and when the fuel level was very low. I donot know the technical
significance of this but I suppose its something to do with the impurities
in the fuel tank playing havoc with the engine when the fuel is low. He
also noticed that the stalling stopped when he filled-up the tank and
added some carb-cleaner. Also he had to get his fuel pump replaced later
on. I don't think he has met with the stalling.
I remember the instance very clearly because the first time we stalled was
in the leftmost lane of a busy 3-lane I-70 in St. Louis. Amazingly enough
the engine started again before the car had lost all its momentum; ie -
about 45mph down from 75mph. That Audi doesn't have airbags.
Good Luck.
Santosh
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Santosh Bijur | "People who look for God at
Department of EECS, | the 11th hour
University of Kansas. | usually die at 10:30"