Audi A4 - Engine Stops

[tesh]

Hello!

I bought my 1997 Audi A4 Avant one week ago. It had 130oookm, but looked and worked great. I bought it because I liked it very much, although I have read on the net some not nice stories about A4's.

I did some 200km by now, and there are already two problems (or "problems", I don't know):
1. The consumption seems too high - it's the 1.8 engine (NOT turbo), and takes more than 12-14l / 100km in the city, and about 10-11 on the highway with a/c on. And this happened driving "normally" - not pushing it at all.
2. Yesterday for the first time, when I started the engine, it grew up to about 2000rpm (as usually), then dropped but instead of remaining at 900rpm it died. At the second try it started normally. Yesterday and today the problem repeated twice (that's 30% of the starts). What could be the problem?

I didn't do nor noticed anything unusual before the problem 2. appeared.

I have to make a 2500km trip in one week, and I don't know if I can trust the car for it.

Car details:
Audi A4 Avant
Engine: petrol, 1.8 l (not turbo)
Front-weel drive, manual transmission.
Others: electric windows and mirrors, climatronic, alloy wheels.

Bye,
Ovidiu

[AllWheelGrip]

i bet you have bad 02 sensors but the only way to tell for sure is to get ur car VAG-Com

[tesh]

Thanks. I'll go tomorrow at an Audi service. Hope I don't need an appointment for a simple visit :-)

Today the starting problem repeated, but the rpm's didn't even go higher than 1000, the engine stopped quicker. The fifth time I tried (without taking the key out) it started normally (but going directly to 900rpm, maybe because it was already heated by the previous attempts).
I'm still hoping it's only a immobilizer problem :-) I guess it would be less epensive to fix than the O2 sensors, right?

Regards,
Ovidiu

[tesh]

Hello!

I have been to the Audi service, and told them to made an overall car check. They told me that the car's OK, apart from some minor problems (something around 300 euros to fix them all). About the starting problem, they told me they didn't find anything, so it's probably the key itself that is dirty or not functioning all the times. Hope they did a good job verifying it, because they took 100 euros (2hrs work) for it :-) The starting problem kept repeating all the last 2 weeks in about 20% of the cases, but of course never at the service :-)

They also told me that a consumption of 13l/100km (about 20-25MPG) in the city is not too big. Is this true?... I knew the 1.8 is a thirsty engine, but only 7-8km with one liter still seems too much, expecially considering that I didn't push it.

Bye,
Ovidiu

[tesh]

Hello!

I have been to the Audi service, and told them to made an overall car check. They told me that the car's OK, apart from some minor problems (something around 300 euros to fix them all). About the starting problem, they told me they didn't find anything, so it's probably the key itself that is dirty or not functioning all the times. Hope they did a good job verifying it, because they took 100 euros (2hrs work) for it :-) The starting problem kept repeating all the last 2 weeks in about 20% of the cases, but of course never at the service :-)

They also told me that a consumption of 13l/100km (about 20-25MPG) in the city is not too big. Is this true?... I knew the 1.8 is a thirsty engine, but only 7-8km with one liter still seems too much, expecially considering that I didn't push it.

Bye,
Ovidiu

[sholt]

take it back to your audi dealer and tell them, not ask them / to check your reader coil. Normally if it gives a problem, the car would idle for about 2 seconds and cut out. if that is what your Avant is doing, then replace the reader coil

laters

[tesh]

Would this also influence the fuel consumption?

Thanks
Ovidiu

[tesh]

I haven't been anymore to the Audi dealer, because I had a problem with the air conditioning that was repaired by the dealer under warranty...
Anyway, after some days when the starting problem repeated 5-10times/day, I have tried the other key I have (the "service" one), for a few days now and it never did it. So I guess it's the key that is not working. For now I won't pay the 150-200 euros to make another, I'll use the "service" one.
By the way, is it normal that this service key cannot open the car directly from the luggage compartment door? - it doesn't physically enter that hole, I can open only from the front doors. Strange.

Ovidiu