[s-cars] 94 S4 relay clicking and cutting out...

[thomas.pollock at AMD.com]

Hey s-dooods....

here's the latest on my car problem. Getting kind of old but, car runs fine
then all of a sudden I get random dash lights, relays in kick panel start
clicking and motor shuts off. Some times I can fire it right back up and
other times it turns and turns and nothing... (if the relays are clicking I
know it's not going to fire)

This is what I've done so far. Dump codes, nothing caught. Vag it, and the
blocks I'm familiar with all look ok. Swapped in a known good central
locking pump/module, no effect, although it does put the alarm indicatot
light out, swapped in known good kick panel relays, no change, replaced
ignition switch, no effect, althought the case WAS cracked at the normal
place so it was just a matter of time. Finally pulled the ecu, cleaned up
the contacts and re-seated the chips in their sockets.  After this I drove
the car with "authority" for maybe 40 mins or so and it ran great. Cool...!
Put it all back together, clean it up a little and attempted to drive over
to a local Urq wrenching event. Got maybe 5 mins out and the F'n thing dies.
Relays a clicking. Crank and crank and crank and eventually it fires. Thrash
it on the way home and it's running AWESOME !  Vag it again, nothing.... 8-(

I'm running out of guesses. I still think it could be the ecu. anyone near
central Mass got a loaner I could "rent" ?  Could a failing CPS cause the
relays to click ?  How about a failing fuel pump ?

thanks for listening....

tom.