dead starter

[Kent McLean]

I knew I shouldn't have said anything last week.
I don't know if it was because I didn't hold my
breath or that I didn't cross my fingers, but I
upset urQ (the father of all Audi gods), and he
punished me by killing my starter. Here's what
happened:

I picked my kid up after his baseball game and
we went to the local sub shop for dinner. When
we came out, I turned the key and grrrRrrrRrrr.
Nothing. The starter made noises, but it wasn't
engaging the engine.

I called AAA (tow service). He showed up about
a half hour later. No flatbed, not even a tow
truck; just a pickup truck. He put some portable
battery jumper cables to the remote post under
the hood (bonnet), and still the starter wouldn't
engage the engine. "I think it's your starter."
I thought the battery was too weak to enable the
starter to engage the engine, and that he hadn't
made a good jumper connection.

"Manual or Automatic?" "Manual." "Do you want
to push start it?" "Sure." So he pushed, and I
popped the clutch. Twice. It caught the second
time. With the engine running, the voltmeter
showed 12.5 volts. Good enough to get me home.

I promise I'll never say anything bad about my
Audi again.

Kent
'89 200 TQ, "Bad Puppy"
(maybe if I renamed her...)