No spark (well, one spark and then none) Fixed!

[Richard Sargent]

I found that the ignition switch (the electrical portion at the rear of the switch housing) was the problem. It looked new, and in much better shape than the used one I installed in its place (which was cracked from an overly aggressive return spring). The replacement switch fixed everything (well, everything except for the cracked/warped exhaust manifold). This would have been an easy job, except I also had to replace the ignition key and cylinder, due to an earlier foul-up. I was puzzled as to why the starter would operate, yet no voltage was going to the coil. I'll pick up a  new switch, and toss it into the glove compartment, for when the present switch fails.

I looked in the archives for a solution, and although I found the same symptoms, I was not able to find a cure. I looked on the AudiWorld Forums (it was my first time, honest) and found several posts describing the problem, but they also lacked resolution. The best post describing the solution to the problem was one on the AudiWorld Forum, which went something like this, "Take a look at the front of the car. If you see 4 linked rings, it's the switch"

As an aside, when I took the car for a test drive, I found that it would not rev past about 4800 rpm, at which point the fuel delivery was abruptly terminated. I'm thinking the previous owner installed a 4K fuel pump relay instead of the correct 5K part. I'll see if I can find the correct relay in my many boxes of Audi parts (I have a habit of picking up all the relays I can at the boneyard). I'm happy to be back on the road at a cost of only $3, which I paid for an easy-out to remove the steering lock.

My previous post:

    I have a 1986 5000S which has developed an intermittent starting problem. It will crank merrily, but will not fire. Upon inspection, the grounded coil wire will spark once or twice, and then no more. I test-wired the coil's positive terminal to the jumper post, and was able to easily and consistently start the engine. It appears that the coil is not getting power. I replaced the ignition amplifier with another, and the car would still not start unless the coil was powered from the jumper post. Where does the coil get 12V from?