[s-cars] Avoid after market ignition switches and Autocheck question

[Bill de Alva]

This is an update to a post I made several months ago.
 I had two after market ignition switches fail in one
month. Word to the wise...  go OEM when replacing the
electrical portion of the ignition switch in Audis.

I have not been able to bring my autocheck display
back to life.  I found a rather complex trouble
shooting protocol in the Bently manual.  I do not have
the required test equipment, so it may just stay dark.
 

A new symptom appeared recently after replacing the
ignition switch for the second time.  A short time (2
- 4 minutes) after starting the engine, three longish
(1-second) beeps come from the area of the instrument
panel.  Often the three beep tones will repeat one or
two times with about 30 seconds pause between.  This
only happens when the engine is cold or the first time
the car is started each day. 

I'm fairly certain the beeps are intended to call call
one's attention to a warning on the autocheck display
(which is dead).  My first thought was low washer
fluid.  Topping up that tank did not stop the beep
tones.  Fuel, oil, temperature and lights (running,
brake, turn and headlights) all appear to be ok.  What
else should I check?

Does anyone know if there are distinct beep tones for
different errors that would normally be displayed on
the autocheck or does any error produce the three
tones?  I assume there may be error codes that could
be read with the proper diagnostic tool.  Can anyone
recommend an aftermarket tool and or software + laptop
patch cord that would allow me to read error codes?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Bill
'95 S6
'91 200 Turbo Quatro


Bill de Alva wrote:

    Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 21:13:00 -0700 (PDT)
    From: Bill de Alva
    Subject: '95 S6 Electrical Problems Compounding
    To: S-CAR-List at audifans.com

    Hi All,
     
    I have a growing list of electrical problems. 
First, my ignition switch went bad.  The spring broke
so the switch did not return from the start position. 
I lived with this for a couple of months, remembering
to manually turn the switch back each time the car was
started.  There is a service bulletin on this problem
that convinced me that I did not want to tackle
replacement of the switch (involves removing the
steering wheel and dash).
     
    So... I had my local mechanic replace the switch. 
Just before delivering the car to my mechanic, the
autocheck display died.  My mechanic checked the bulbs
that back light the autocheck display and replaced the
display with a used one from a wrecked car.  The
display is still dead.
     
    I drove the car for a couple hundred miles with
the new ignition switch.  Yesterday, when I turned the
car off, the fresh air blower stayed on.  The back
light to the emergency flasher switch also stayed on. 
I had to pull the fuse for the blower to keep the
battery from going dead.
     
    I somehow suspect all these problems are related. 
Obviously, the most pressing problem is the fresh air
blower staying on.  I suspect the blower problem is
related to the ignition switch replacement.  I know
the heater control module has a self diagnostic
function but I doubt that will help as the blower
still runs when the heater control is off.
     
    My instinct is that electrical problems of this
magnitude would best be dealt with by a mechanic
equipped and trained for all the diagnostic procedures
described in the manual.  Unfortunately, the service
manager at the nearest Audi dealer told me he no
longer has any mechanics trained to service the '95 S6
and recommended several independent mechanics instead.
 I've used several of the recommended mechanics, most
of whom seem to be very good at dealing with
mechanical issues but somewhat lost when it comes to
tracing electrical problems.
     
    Any suggestions regarding the source of the
problem with the fresh air blower or the name of a
mechanic expert in electrical problems would be
greatly appreciated.
     
    Thanks again for any help,
    Bill de Alva


		
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