Help Diagnose a Dead 2006 Audi A4 - Please

[62sunbeam]

So my daughter the car killer has struck again.

She was driving her 2.0T A4 to school a few weeks back and it just died. As per her description it's like it just shut off.

The car has about 160k on it and up until now its run well and other than a dead battery it has run reliably.

I suspected the high pressure fuel pump but I get 60 plus PSI at the Scheafer fitting on that pump so I'm hoping that's not it.

The engine spins when i engage the starter although it sounds a little winey when it's spinning. I can see the cam shafts spin as well so I think I can count out timing chain/belt.

It seems as though there is no spark but my code reader doesn't show any faults other than a lean condition that was existent before the failure.

Any ideas where to look?

Thanks

Eric

 

[petehall347]

petrol engine i take it ?
did any warning lights come on ?
scan ecu and look at faults .
i guess it could be many things . start with seeing if cam turns . if not timing belt has snapped .
next on list would be crank or cam sensor .
maybe a broken wire in the loom .
possibly immobiliser fault .
is it coil packs on that car ? i would hook up a timing light to see if its sparking at the plugs . can only do that if it has plug leads though .

 

[62sunbeam]

Would the cam or crank sensor show up on a obd2 scan?

Thanks

Eric

 

[petehall347]

another thought it was the fuel tank filled up just prior to it breaking down ?

 

[petehall347]

Would the cam or crank sensor show up on a obd2 scan?

Thanks

Eric

yes it should do . a lot of times the rev counter . or you might call it the tacho should read whilst cranking engine . it may well be driven off the crank sensor .

 

[MaxxVolume]

No other codes showing would likely indicate a "soft-failing" fuel pump. Pumps with the mileage that yours has are definitely at the end of their useful lifespan (this goes for the fuel filter too, which often has the fuel pressure regulator built in). Pumps will often "soft-fail" (intermittently) before crapping out completely.

 

[skippy_ps]

Time for old school.

See if you can pull one of those coils off a plug, pull the plug, ground it and see if you're getting any spark. Check compression on that cylinder since you've already got that plug out. If low, check all of them.

Timing belt changed? Change the water pump at the same time and check the idler pulleys.

 

[petehall347]

when was last timing belt change ? it should be done at 60 months or 120 thousand km .
its an interference engine so if it snapped its highly likely bent a few valves .
just been looking through autodata software and there are known issues with the ecm . i need to know the codes before going any further with that .
rpm sensor is the cam sensor .first see if rpm moves whilst cranking engine .
i have a long list here of things to check for a no start situation .
i can email you screenshots in the daylight monday . its rather late here right now.

 

[Mrv8q]

Skippy's photo gives me the heeby jeebies. Looks like you have to disassemble the
entire front of the car to get to the greasy bits. Ugh!

 

[petehall347]

timing belt aint too bad ..its the chain in the head if its one of those plus the other gubbins in there .. then its sump off and modify oil pickup as its not right . at least on earlier ones . well it might be ok with regular oil changes and flushing . carbon build up i believe .

 

[62sunbeam]

The timing belt is intact AND the tach needle raises a little as the engine turns over.

The coil packs are less than a year old and the good denso ones my parts guy recommended. Besides they show on a scan when they fail I do believe.

It really acts like there's no spark as it just churns away when I'm trying to start it.

I need to find a good indi nearby.

Ugggg

Keep the suggestions coming.

Thanks

Eric

 

[tyeeslayer]

Totally different motor (TBI 350) but same problem. A rat chewed thru vacuum lines.
Check all lines for a break or disconnect.

 

[Eric H]

Does it sound even as it cranks? I've seen timing belts jump but still turn the cams, it will sound very uneven though, or spin too fast like the compression is low.

 

[7.62]

Sure sounds like a problem I had, on a Hyundai Sonata I inherited when my Mom passed away. We never drove the car it pretty much sat. I was having my truck serviced and used the car for a week. Coming home I stopped for a few beers and the car suddenly acted really weird. Only had 70,000 miles on it.

Got it home, wouldn't start, same thing your describing. Called a few mechanics, they all said the same thing....timing belt. Long story short, I pulled the head and sure enough, the belt didn't break it slipped and bent every valve in the head.

I sure hope that's not what happened here, it's very expensive.

 

[usedto]

I'd check all of the electrical plugs/connections under the hood.

 

[BigElCat]

If you can't easily get to the plugs, try something like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Tool-Aid-239...3242&sr=8-7&keywords=automotive+spark+checker

A slipped timing belt will still give you spark, but it's some place to start.

 

[grillebilly]

Go simple. Check spark. Check fuel. Check compression. In that order, if it's got all 3 than it should run, unless cam timing is just a little off due to a jumped cam belt.

 

[Wildcat]

My '88 Accord "just shut off" like that at a traffic light, and it was the timing belt. It had stripped out several teeth. There was an oil leak that softened the belt, then that was all she wrote. For years it sat and I never fixed it--ended up selling it. Even bought a new cylinder head thinking the valves were all bent. Then I read somewhere that in this particular engine, it was not an interference type. Aaagh! I could have had it back on the road!

Something had to quit, or become intermittent, for a running engine to just stop like that.

 

[Hajidub]

Would the cam or crank sensor show up on a obd2 scan?

Thanks

Eric

I don't think VW/Audi used an obd scanner. It used to be Vagcom only, unless it's changed since 2005.

 

[Wildcat]

All cars sold in the US after January 1, 1996 are required to have OBD-II--compliant ports. There are, however, manufacturer-specific scanners that measure additional parameters, as well as multiple ODB-II protocols (ISO 15765-4 (CAN), ISO 9141-2, ISO 14230-4 (KWP2000), SAE J1850 (VPW & PWM) ).

I'm looking at an Innova 3150e since it can also read and reset SRS and ABS codes on the cars I own. There is also BlueDriver, which is way better than those cheap ELM327 things that proliferate on Amazon like cockroaches. But with any of them, you have to check with the manufacturer of the scanner to see which vehicles they support, and which systems (IOW, if they include ABS or SRS, for instance). All of these can read basic OBD-II codes, however, regardless of manufacturer.