FW: [A4] And then there were three....

[garethcurrie]

Had the same problem as well mate, in #2 cylinder as well!  I replaced
all the ignition coils (if one was gone, chances are they'll all go soon
anyway!), that solved the problem for a couple of days, then chug chug
again, back to the garage & had the ignition control unit changed(£350)
that solved the problem for about a week then, yep chug chug again! Back
to the garage & the Vag com was coming up that the air mass meter was
faulty and that I probably have a minute crack in the cylinder
head(£2,200 for the garage to fix it).  For the sake of your wallet I
hope this ain't the problem you've got!

Gareth Currie
'98 Reiger A4 1.8 T Sports

-----Original Message-----
From: a4-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:a4-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf
Of Andy Hellmann
Sent: 20 August 2004 01:21
To: a4list
Subject: [A4] And then there were three....

This afternoon, driving down Hampton Blvd, the A4 lost a cylinder.  I
noticed it accelerating away from a light, it was shuddering and making
less power.  No noise, no fuss, it was just gone.  "OK", I think, "I've
been hit by the dead coil pack bug".  I got home and once the car cooled
down a bit, I did some troubleshooting.  Pulled off the connectors from
teh coil packs one at a time, and there it was, #2 cylinder.   So I
pulled the #1 coil pack and swapped it with the #2.  Problem stayed with
the #2 cylinder.  I pulled the spark plugs from both 1 and 2, and
swapped them.  I also noticed that the #2 plug didn't smell gasoliney,
and was dry as a bone.  Not all that suprising being as the engine is
very warm, but you'd think there would be a little gas on it.  Problem
stayed with #2 cylinder.  I broke out the book and the voltmeter, and
found that the connectors for both #2 and #1 had 12 volts on the outside
pin, a good connection to ground on the inside pin, and teh same
milivoltage on the other outside pin with the engine running.  So I
guess teh wiring is good.  
  Turned my attention to the fuel side.  I could the #2 injector
clicking, and it noticeably stopped when the connector was pulled.  So I
pulled the whole rail off and switched the #1 and #2 injectors.
Success!  the misfire switched to the #1 cylinder.  Now, this is what's
interesting. Oh, by the way, a single injector is $150.  Crazy, aint it?
I pulled the #1 injector out, sprayed some carb cleaner into the
orifices, blew them out, shook it, tapped it, caressed it and sweet
talked it.  Reinstalled, started engine, guess what?  Problem is back on
#2 cylinder.  I don't have my compression gauge, that would be my next
check, but the plug looked fine and there wasn't any indication of any
mechanical problems, I.E. clanking, clattering, etc etc.  Engine sounds
exactally the same as it did before, except for having a misfire.
Anybody got any ideas?  I put VAG-COM on it, and the only trouble codes
were for misfire #2 cylinder, random misfire, and open injector circuts
on #1 and #2 cylinders, not unexpected as I was pulling the connectors
off.  Cleared codes and restarted, the first two codes returned.
Nothing else.....


Any ideas?


Thanks in advance,

Andy
"A little nonesense now and then
is treasured by the wisest men"

Andy Hellmann
VA Beach VA
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